The moment the blood disappeared, the great door trembled, a deep shudder running through its massive frame.
The vibration spread outward like a low rumble, echoing through the walls and making the ground itself quiver, as though the ancient gate had just awakened from a slumber that had lasted countless ages.
Melissia instinctively stepped back, her heart thudding in her chest, as the gate slowly began to open inward. Dust rained down from the ceiling, and ashes drifted lazily through the air, disturbed after so many years. At some point, Nyra silently appeared behind her, her gaze fixed on the growing darkness revealed behind the widening gap.
When the gate finally stood open in its entirety, a sight unlike any other greeted them. Within that abyss, bright red flames suddenly ignited, brimming with life and devouring the shadows in an instant, their glow illuminating the ancient hall hidden within.
