The fog swallowed him whole.
Wind roared in Adam's ears, tearing the breath from his lungs. His body spun end over end, the world reduced to grey and black streaks. He reached out for anything—anything to grab—but there was nothing.
The masked figure's words echoed in his skull. You shouldn't be here yet.
Then—impact.
Not the bone-shattering smash he expected, but a jarring, wet splash. The world went cold. He surfaced coughing, tasting metal in the water.
The pit wasn't water in the normal sense—it was thicker, dark, almost oily. His hands stuck slightly as he pulled them free. The surface rippled unnaturally, reflecting shapes that weren't his own.
Something moved beneath him.
Adam kicked hard, heading for a faint glow ahead. It resolved into a rocky outcropping that jutted from the oily liquid like a jagged tooth. He hauled himself onto it, gasping, shivering.
The air here was heavy, each breath tasting faintly of ash. The light came from veins of faintly glowing crystal running through the rock, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Movement again—closer this time.
A head broke the surface of the dark liquid.
For a split second, Adam thought it was Lena. Same hair color, same curve of the jaw. But when the face turned toward him, the eyes were too large, too black, swallowing the faint light entirely. The mouth opened, and the jaw unhinged far beyond human limits. Rows of fine, needle teeth shimmered in the glow.
Adam stumbled back, grabbing a shard of crystal from the rock. The thing lunged, half swimming, half gliding across the surface like the liquid was solid for it.
He swung the crystal. It connected with a sickening crunch. The creature shrieked, a sound that vibrated through his bones, and sank beneath the surface.
The oily water went still.
Adam's pulse thundered in his ears. He kept the crystal tight in his grip, backing toward the far edge of the rock. From there, he could see faint structures rising out of the fog—bridges, towers, and twisted metal spires, all half-submerged.
A voice drifted across the water, low and almost gentle. "You survived."
Adam turned sharply.
The masked figure stood on a nearby platform connected by a narrow beam. They must have followed him down. Or… had they been here all along?
"What is this place?" Adam demanded.
The figure tilted their head. "A place you were never meant to reach. Not yet."
Adam took a step toward them, keeping his balance on the slick rock. "You keep saying that. Why?"
"Because every step you take without guidance," the figure said, "feeds the ones that want you."
The oily water rippled. Adam froze.
More heads began to break the surface. Five. Ten. Twenty. All of them with those black, endless eyes and needle teeth. They circled, their movements in perfect unison.
The masked figure extended a hand toward him. "Decide now. Come with me… or they take you."
Adam's gut screamed not to trust them. But the creatures were already drawing closer, the water around him trembling with their movement.
He leapt onto the narrow beam. The masked figure turned instantly, moving across it with the sure-footed grace of someone who'd walked this path a thousand times. Adam followed, the wood bending and creaking under his weight.
Halfway across, one of the creatures surged up, its body arcing like a spear. Its claws raked the beam, splintering it. Adam nearly lost his footing.
The masked figure caught his arm, yanking him forward. "Don't stop!"
They reached the far side just as the beam gave way behind them, crashing into the dark water below.
Adam collapsed to his knees, chest heaving. The masked figure loomed over him. "You're still not ready," they said quietly. "But you will be."
Before Adam could respond, the ground beneath them shuddered. From somewhere deep in the pit came a sound—not a scream, not a roar, but something so vast and deep it seemed to come from the stone itself.
The masked figure turned toward the darkness beyond the spires. "It's awake."
The air grew heavier, and from the far edge of the platform, a massive shape began to rise from the oily water—impossibly tall, humanoid in outline but wrong in every other way. Its head scraped the underside of the fog, and when it opened its eyes, the crystals all around flickered and dimmed.
Adam took an involuntary step back. "What the hell is that?"
The masked figure's voice was almost reverent. "The thing they built this world around."
The giant's gaze shifted toward Adam. Even from this distance, he felt the weight of it, a crushing pressure that made his knees buckle. The masked figure stepped between them, raising a hand.
The giant paused.
Then, slowly, it began to sink back into the water.
But the relief was short-lived. Because as it went, dozens—maybe hundreds—of smaller shapes began to climb onto the platforms and spires all around, their eyes fixed on Adam.
The masked figure turned to him. "Run again. And don't stop this time."