The Chamber That Breathes

Mikhailis felt the tremors intensify beneath his boots, the underground chamber responding to their presence with a pulse that felt disturbingly alive. The engravings along the walls flickered with faint luminescence, glowing in sync with the shifting mist that slithered unnaturally through the space. It moved like living veins, forming patterns that resembled arcane circuitry rather than mere fog.

A low, humming vibration filled the chamber, resonating through the stone as if the entire structure had been waiting—waiting for something to stir it from its slumber. The air thickened, growing heavier, charged with an unseen energy that sent an involuntary shiver crawling up his spine.

Rodion's voice hummed sharply in his mind.