They watched in silence as the colossal gate groaned open. The carved stone doors, blackened and stained, undulated as though alive, peeling apart to reveal a corridor of ash and cold flame beyond.
Leng Yue sheathed her blade quietly. Her gaze lingered on the threshold—shadows crawling outward like hungry hands. She turned to Li Wei. "After you." He would have refused, but his limbs trembled. He nodded instead and limped forward, stepping into the darkness beyond.
The girl followed close behind, her senses alert to every tremor. This journey had been an arduous trek through an uncharted territory wrought with danger and darkness, but their expedition was nearing its conclusion.
