Descent into the Hollow Depths

The air grew heavy.

It wasn't just the unnatural darkness swallowing the chamber, nor the whisper that had echoed from the abyss—it was something else, something deeper, more ancient than either Daniel or Mira had ever encountered before.

And then, it moved.

The distortion in the air writhed like liquid shadow, its form refusing to settle into something tangible. For a brief moment, Daniel caught glimpses of something—limbs, too many of them, twisting, unraveling, as though they were never meant to be bound to a single entity.

Then the thing crawled forward.

Mira tensed beside him, her body rigid, muscles coiled like a spring ready to snap. A low growl rumbled from deep within her throat, but Daniel barely noticed. His focus was locked onto whatever it was that was dragging itself from the abyss.

He didn't need the system to tell him.

This thing wasn't just strong. It was wrong.

A presence that did not belong in this world.