The entrance to the Deepening's realm was a crack in the earth north of the Glass Sea.
Silver light pulsed from the darkness below—not warm like the void's new light, but cold. Empty. The air smelled of rust and old bones.
Elara stood at the edge, her hand on her sword.
Taylor stood beside her. James waited behind them with a team of twenty soldiers.
"We go together," Taylor said.
"We go together," Elara agreed.
The void inside her stirred.
The Deepening knows you're coming. It is waiting.
"Let it wait."
She stepped into the darkness.
---
The descent was steep and treacherous.
The walls were smooth, unmarked, like polished stone. No symbols. No carvings. Nothing to hold onto. Elara slid more than walked, her boots scraping for purchase.
Taylor caught her when she stumbled.
"Y
