The temple loomed ahead of them, a monolith of black stone and shimmering golden inscriptions that seemed to hum faintly with an ancient energy. Its spires reached skyward, piercing the misty clouds above like the jagged teeth of some long-dead beast. The stained glass windows along its facade glowed softly, projecting fractured golden light onto the cracked stone pathway leading to the entrance. Each step the group took felt heavier, as though the air itself thickened the closer they came to the threshold.
Caroline felt it the most. The pull in her chest had become an anchor, a weight dragging her forward with every breath. The Witch’s voice whispered constantly now, her icy words coiling through Caroline’s mind like serpents.
"Closer now… can you feel it? This is where we begin again,
