The passage leading beneath the ruins felt like a descent into darkness itself. The narrow stone staircase spiralled down, its steps worn smooth from centuries of use, and the air grew colder with every step they took. Lily’s heart pounded in her chest as the weight of the magic still pulsed beneath her skin, the runes’ faint glow lingering in her vision.
Eric was at her side, his presence steady as always, but even his reassuring closeness couldn’t stop the tension that gnawed at her insides. She had used the magic again. Though it hadn’t consumed her like before, she could still feel its pull, the way it stirred beneath the surface, waiting for its chance to break free.
Esme led the way, the flickering torch in her hand casting long shadows on the walls of the passage. The air down her
