The entrance to the cave was quickly swallowed by a suffocating darkness. For any normal human, the descent would have been a death sentence; the path was a jagged, vertical maze of razor-sharp rocks and slippery slopes that seemed to lead into the very bowels of the planet.
Ethan didn't reach for a flashlight. He didn't need one.
With his amethyst eyes glowing in the gloom, the "fire serpent" became his only guide. He watched as the golden-purple trail pulsed rhythmically against the cave walls, showing him exactly where to place his feet and which narrow tunnels to squeeze through.
[Energy levels are fluctuating, Master. We are descending past the two-kilometer mark. The atmospheric pressure is rising, but the air remains strangely breathable. This indicates an active life-support or ventilation system tied to the matrix,] Crul said.
