0299 -

"How long do you think this will take?" Darian asked, his voice low but edged with impatience as he scanned the area. "This place feels wrong."

"It's not something I can rush," Selene muttered without looking up. "The Void's energy runs deep. If I don't work carefully, I could destabilize the entire seal."

Mara's staff tapped against the ground softly, her gaze steady as she watched the mountains beyond. "We don't have the luxury of time, but we don't want to bring the whole mountain down on us either."

Wei Lin frowned, feeling a low tremor beneath her boots. Something stirred below the surface, and the Void's influence felt stronger the longer they lingered. The wind carried a chill, whispering through the cracks in the stone gate, almost like the murmurs of unseen spirits.