I didn't know what I was thinking what I dragged Yan back to the underground chamber. The air here was thick and alive. Every breath I took felt like it was wrong, like I was inhaling smoke instead of air. The faint red pulse from the seal below us now glowed brighter, steady as a heartbeat as if it was responding to our presence.
Yan's grip tightened around his sword. "Stay behind me."
"Alright," I muttered, not staying behind him at all.
The hidden stairway spiraled even deeper than before, the sound of chanting echoing faintly from below. Each word scraped against my bones like old claws, guttural, and full of hunger.
As we stepped into the final hall, the shadows twisted, revealing the impossible.
Yan's senior brother knelt in the center of the glowing sigil. His robe was torn and soaked with his own blood judging by the markings carved into his skin. The stolen artifact floated before him, bleeding red light into the circle.
