As I continued down the seemingly endless staircase, a single thought circled in my mind like a loose gear.
This is the complete opposite of my dream…
In the dream, I climbed upward, step after step, toward the light.
But now?
Now I was descending deeper and deeper into a place that felt forgotten by the world.
How far down did this go?
Just as that uneasy question crossed my mind, the staircase suddenly ended.
My boots touched solid ground.
I lifted my lantern and slowly swept its light across my surroundings.
Darkness.
Nothing but darkness.
The silence was so absolute it felt unnatural—like the whole world was holding its breath.
I stood inside a large, open chamber, the walls built of thick stone and curving inward like some kind of underground bunker. No furniture. No decorations. No signs of life.
Just emptiness.
After walking around for a bit, I finally spotted something—a narrow passage carved into the wall. It felt deliberate, purposeful.
