Descent to the unknown:

Darkness swallowed them whole.

Aeliana's heart pounded as she plummeted through the void. The ruins above shrank into nothingness, the golden cracks in the ground disappearing from sight. Wind howled around her, tugging at her clothes, but there was no sky, no ground—only the endless abyss pulling them deeper.

Her instincts screamed at her to grab onto something—anything.

Then, she felt it.

A strong hand wrapped around her wrist, fingers locking firmly against her skin. The next moment, she was yanked forward, colliding against Lucian's solid form.

"Got you," Lucian muttered, his voice steady despite the chaos around them. His arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close as his shadows surged outward, twisting and writhing in an attempt to slow their fall.

But something was wrong.

The air wasn't just empty—it was alive. Aeliana could feel it pressing against her skin, thick and heavy, as if unseen hands were trying to drag her further down.

"Lucian—something's pulling us!" she shouted, struggling to move.

Lucian's crimson eyes flickered with frustration. "I know," he growled. His grip tightened, and his shadows lashed out like serpents, clawing at the air to find an anchor. But no matter how much they struggled, the abyss refused to let them go.

Then, out of nowhere, a burst of blinding light erupted beneath them.

The darkness cracked apart, and before Aeliana could react—they crashed.

The Underground Chamber

Aeliana gasped as she hit the ground. A strange force cushioned her landing, but the impact still rattled through her bones. Dust and energy crackled in the air, the scent of old magic thick in her lungs.

Lucian landed beside her in a crouch, his wings—no, his shadows—spreading out behind him like tattered fabric before fading away. He rose swiftly, scanning their surroundings.

They were no longer in the ruins.

A massive chamber stretched around them, its walls adorned with glowing sigils that pulsed faintly. Tall, ancient pillars loomed in the distance, half-buried in the mist curling along the stone floor. The ceiling arched impossibly high, lost in a swirling void that shimmered like the night sky.

Aeliana pushed herself up, pressing a hand against her pounding chest. "Where… are we?"

Lucian didn't answer immediately. He stepped forward, his crimson gaze fixed on something ahead. Aeliana followed his line of sight—and felt her breath hitch.

At the center of the chamber stood a massive stone door, its surface engraved with symbols older than time itself. Chains—thick, jagged, and humming with dark energy—wrapped around it, sealing whatever lay beyond.

Aeliana's stomach twisted. Something was behind that door.

And it was waiting for them.

Lucian's fingers flexed near his blade. "This isn't a place we found by accident," he muttered. "Someone—or something—brought us here."

Aeliana swallowed hard. "The whispers… they were leading us."

Lucian didn't deny it. His eyes darkened as he took another step closer. But before he could reach the door, the ground trembled beneath them.

A sound—a deep, guttural growl—echoed through the chamber. The chains rattled violently, pulsing with dark energy. Aeliana's blood turned cold.

Something on the other side was waking up.

Lucian reacted instantly, shoving Aeliana behind him as his shadows surged forward. "Get ready," he murmured. "We're not alone."

Aeliana barely had time to process his words before the chains snapped.

A burst of energy exploded outward, nearly knocking them off their feet. The massive stone door creaked open, revealing an endless void within.

Then, from the darkness, it stepped out.

A being unlike anything Aeliana had ever seen—cloaked in shadows, with burning silver eyes and massive wings that crackled with raw energy. It wasn't human. It wasn't an angel. It wasn't a devil.

It was something else.

Something far older.

And it was looking right at them.

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