Two steps down

The same warm lights that illuminated the ground floor of the cathedral filled the basement, so the room was well lit. Yet a thin, white veil hung in the room, barely making its presence known. But there was not a person alive who could ignore the fog, even as thin as it was, for this fog had killed even sages.

To be clear, it wasn't as if immediate exposure to the fog killed someone. Usually, to be affected by the fog, one would need to go deeper into it, or stay in it for a while. But even Nero could not remain completely calm right now.

A chill, the kind that even Nero could feel, shot up his spine as he entered the basement. The temperature was a little lower in the basement, yes, but the fog also seemed to press down on them. It was as if it wanted to enter their bodies, but was being blocked by their skin.