CH 78: The Alley of the Forgotten

As Yohan stepped through the shimmering barrier into the ruins, a blinding light engulfed him, and an overwhelming force tugged at his body. When he opened his eyes again, the rest of his team was gone.

"What the...?" he muttered, scanning his surroundings.

He was no longer in the valley outside of the ruins. Instead, he found himself in what looked like an ancient alleyway, narrow and lined with buildings that bore the unmistakable architecture of a bygone era. The structures were worn, their stone walls cracked and overgrown with strange, glowing moss.

On both sides of the street, there were houses and shops, their wooden doors either closed tightly or hanging open as if abandoned in a hurry. The silence was deafening, broken only by the faint creak of a sign swaying in a breeze that he couldn't feel.