The air within the underground labyrinth was thick, stagnant, and carried the biting chill of centuries-old dust. Located deep beneath the newly annexed territories of Orestes, the stone walls were not carved by traditional tools but seemed fused together by a heat so intense it had turned the bedrock into obsidian. Constantine descended deeper into the bowels of the earth, his boots crunching against the calcified remains of creatures that had long since forgotten the sun. Behind him, Elena held a flickering Essence lantern, its blue light casting elongated, dancing shadows against the strange geometric carvings that lined the corridor.
"This structure predates the founding of Astraia by at least five centuries, My Lord," Elena whispered, her voice echoing nervously through the narrow pa
