Arven walked ahead in silence. His steps were steady but measured and doubtful as he guided Aesa deeper through the corridor. The echoes of battle behind them gradually faded, replaced by a heavier stillness that seemed to press in from all sides.
The deeper they went, the quieter it became, as if this part of the dungeon had been deliberately isolated from everything else.
From time to time, Arven glanced over his shoulder.
Each time, he saw the same thing.
Aesa followed him without hesitation or fear even if she were going to an unknown place. Her pace was even and unhurried. Her expression remained cold and unreadable, her pale blue eyes half-lidded as if nothing around her truly mattered. The faint mist still curled around her body, and the chill she carried had not faded at all.
If anything, it felt even denser and colder now.
Arven couldn't tell whether the chill in his chest came from the unnatural cold or something else entirely. Like fear, probably.
