Rocks

Placing my foot on the strange soil, which looked like a mixture of grey sand and small stones, I felt a shiver down my spine.

It felt like something was observing me, watching me from a distance...

I looked around, trying to stay calm, but no matter where my gaze landed, everything looked the same - a barren wasteland.

There was no sign of any life, except for a few weird rocks - they seemed to be shaped like monsters, randomly scattered around. 

"..."

Unknowingly, I gripped my Katana's hilt tighter, preparing to unsheathe it if necessary.

As I took a few steps forward, I began to feel the strange energy emanating from the spire in the distance.

Previously, when I saw the spire from afar I could see an almost transparent wall of strange Aura surrounding it. 

Only now, being closer, I could feel the intensity of that Aura and identify it.

"Dark Mana..."