The long dark tunnel felt like it stretched into Eternity. The tunnels wound endlessly like the veins of some ancient beast, carved not by hands but by time, pressure, and the slow crawl of mana-rich earth. Jagged rock jutted out at uneven angles, glittering faintly with embedded crystal shards that pulsed with sickly, dim light. Moisture clung to the walls in thin, trembling sheets, gathering into droplets that slid down and vanished into cracks beneath their feet. The air was cold and heavy—too still, too stale, as if it had been trapped underground for centuries. Every step echoed faintly, swallowed almost immediately by the oppressive darkness pressing in from all sides.
Edward and the rest had walked for what felt like hours before stumbling onto another large cavern lined with mana crystals.
They decided to take a short break in that cave, still fully alert and absolutely on edge as they rested their weary bodies.
