The air pressed heavily against their lungs as Mia's squad stood before the jagged crevice they had found along the devil king's palace walls. The faint pulse of dark energy leaked from within like the exhalation of something alive. Shadows writhed against the stone as if reluctant to let the intruders draw any closer.
Mia narrowed her eyes, her grip tightening around the hilt of her blade. It's not just a crack. Something's behind it. The thought pressed hard against her chest, making her breathing shallow.
Hiro broke the silence first. "This place feels… wrong. More wrong than the rest of the palace." He kept his voice low, as if raising it too high would draw whatever lurked inside.
Sylvia, ever the calm archer, shifted her weight and raised her bow slightly. "Do we test it?" she asked, her tone neutral but her eyes fixed on Mia.
