Far ahead, Han Yu spotted massive claw marks carved into the wall—deep and recent. The cave trembled faintly again, not from collapse… but from something moving.
Something big.
Han Yu slowly stood up, brushing dust from his robes.
"Well," he said aloud, "no one's ever made a name for themselves taking the easy road."
He readied his glaive, eyes narrowing as he stepped forward into the unknown.
Han Yu stayed low as he moved deeper into the cavern, one hand clutching his glaive and the other holding the faintly glowing talisman. His steps were light, careful, and deliberate, each one echoing just a little too loudly for his liking in the wide, enclosed space.
He stopped before the claw marks he had glimpsed earlier, kneeling down and running his fingers across them. They were massive—each gouge was at least the width of three fingers, and they had cut deep into the stone as if it were butter.
Han Yu frowned.
