Chapter 168: The Seal Has Fallen

The obsidian door loomed before them, massive and unbroken—yet open. Not shattered like the first seal, not crumbling from time and decay. Someone had unsealed it.

And whatever had been inside was gone.

The mist coiled around them, curling through the ancient ruins like living breath, thick with something cold and ancient. It clung to their skin, seeped into their bones.

Damien didn't move, his steel-gray eyes locked on the darkness beyond the doorway. The air smelled wrong—not of dust or rot, but of something deeper, something void of life.

The seal had failed.

And they were too late.

Erynn took a slow step forward, her silver eyes scanning the ancient symbols etched into the stone walls. Some of the carvings were glowing faintly, as if reacting to their presence, but the energy was fading. Dying.

She ran a hand along one of the markings. "This wasn't a door."

Dante scoffed, still catching his breath. "Looks like a door."