The silence after Maya's words lingered like an unspoken weight. The laughter from moments ago had died, replaced by the faint dripping of water echoing through the dungeon's stone halls. The group packed their supplies again, no one daring to make another joke. Even Hazzy's grin had faded, replaced by a flicker of unease.
AK adjusted his daggers at his hips. The faint tremble in his hands wasn't from fear—it was from something else, something he couldn't name. Every step they took forward made the whispers feel louder, though he kept silent this time. He didn't want to give the others another reason to laugh.
But Maya… she had believed him. That belief kept his spine straight, even as shadows seemed to stretch unnaturally along the dungeon walls.
---
TRAINING TROUGH TERROR
