The spiral staircase seemed endless.
Step after step, Salvador led the way with Ella beside him, while Felix and Harvey followed close behind. The deeper they descended, the warmer the air became. It was no longer the chilling cold that filled the hidden passages beneath the castle. Instead, a comforting warmth embraced them, carrying with it a faint fragrance of lilies and cedarwood.
No one spoke.
Even Harvey, who often broke tense moments with a joke, remained unusually quiet.
The silence here was different.
It wasn't frightening.
It was respectful.
Almost sacred.
The golden light beneath them grew brighter until Felix lowered the lantern and extinguished its flame.
The darkness did not return.
Instead, thousands of tiny golden particles floated gently through the air like glowing dust, illuminating every corner of the staircase.
Ella stretched out her fingers as one drifted past.
