Kaelen and Kelvin trailed behind the old woman, their footsteps echoing against the cold stone floor of the Nullcarvers' hidden stronghold. The girl walked beside them, quiet as ever, her expression unreadable. The air grew colder as they moved further, not from the environment—but from something else. Something deep. Ancient.
The winding stone path eventually led them out of the narrower tunnels and into a vast, open chamber. But it wasn't the kind of chamber Kaelen expected.
It was a ruin.
Crumbled pillars jutted out of cracked ground, half-swallowed by moss and vines that had long turned to stone. Weathered murals lined the sunken walls, depicting strange, otherworldly creatures clawing their way out of dark, swirling masses. At the very center lay a colossal stone seal, covered in chains of black iron and engraved with jagged sigils that shimmered faintly even in the dim light.
