Chapter 35: Darkness Stares Back

With each step further into the catacombs, a pervasive heaviness enveloped the group. The air grew thick, pregnant with the quiet whispers and exhalations of a millennium, its dense, moist tendrils caressing their garments, subtly weighing them down, making the act of breathing seem almost deliberate and laden with intent. It was as if the very atmosphere was saturated with the silent tales and sagas of heroes and spirits who once graced the world above, their narratives intricately etched into the very bones of the catacombs that served as their eternal resting place.