The moment I stepped through the doorway, the air changed.
It wasn't just cold—it was thick. Heavy. Like stepping into the deep end of a lake where the water pulled at your skin.
Behind me, the students hesitated.
"Yeah, no," Felix whispered. "I'd rather eat my own foot."
Leo groaned. "No one is making you do that."
Cassandra walked forward without a word, Mira close behind. Julien sighed and followed, dragging Felix by the back of his collar.
I didn't wait for them.
The purple smoke slithered ahead, twisting and curling in lazy spirals. It was slower now, like it knew I was following.
Like it was leading me somewhere.
The tunnel opened into a vast underground hall.
Massive stone pillars stretched high above, vanishing into shadows. The walls were covered in faces—not carvings, not paintings, but actual faces of stone.
Their mouths were open in silent screams.
Their eyes—deep, hollow pits—followed us as we moved.
