The darkness pressed close around Lyra as she took that first step into the unknown. It wasn’t the ordinary kind of dark, it felt different. The air was thick, damp, and carried the scent of earth long undisturbed, it felt cold against her skin and heavy enough to make each breath feel borrowed. Somewhere in the distance, a droplet fell, its echo rippling through the hollow silence.
She lifted her lamp stick higher. Its soft, golden glow wavered, throwing trembling light against the tunnel walls. Shadows shifted restlessly at the edge of her vision. Her boots made no sound on the cool ground; even her breathing seemed too loud in this stillness. Every step she took was measured and cautious.
I don’t know what I’ll find here, she thought, her pulse quickening, but I have to know. Every hi
