The observatory they had just left vanished behind a haze of corrupted air, the glitched sky folding into layers of mist and uneasy silence. Kael followed closely, hand resting on the hilt of his sword, not from fear but from habit, a grounding gesture in a world that no longer seemed fully real. The air between them held a tension that was almost tangible. Some silences carried weight, and this one pressed against their shoulders, dense and unyielding.
The corridor they entered seemed abandoned, yet Lucien knew better. The walls hummed faintly, a residual pulse of magic lingering from older enchantments, traces of spells that had once tried to keep the building intact against time and decay. Lanterns flickered along the hall without wind, their unsteady flames casting shadows that danced
