“Are you sure about this?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper as I looked up at Zach. His piercing eyes, always so certain, now held a shadow of something I couldn’t quite place. Doubt? Worry? Whatever it was, it unsettled me.
“I’m sure,” he said firmly, his hand tightening around mine. “You need to understand where I come from. What you’re a part of now.”
We were standing in front of the entrance to a grand, ancient structure. The Underworld was far more vast and complex than I’d ever imagined. Shadows danced in the dim light cast by torches, and the air carried a sense of age and power, as though the very stones beneath our feet were alive with history.
I swallowed hard, trying to steady my nerves. “Then let’s do it.”
Together, we stepped inside. The grand hall was unlike anyth
