The tunnel seemed to stretch endlessly, its walls narrowing as Liam, Mara, and Elise pressed forward, the faint glow of the Aether Shard in Liam's pack casting a soft light on the slick stone. The air grew heavier, the scent of decay replaced by something sharper—something metallic, like rust and old blood. Liam's Enhanced Perception picked up a faint hum vibrating through the stone, a warning of what lay ahead. The Architect's words from the last trial echoed in his mind: "Sacrifice was demanded, but not given." His Echo Sync sat at 72%, the system's warning—"Resonance Stabilized… for now"—a quiet unease he couldn't shake.