The ruined streets of Valthor stretched before us like the broken spine of a dying beast. What was once a thriving border city of nearly eighty thousand souls now lay in twisted silence. Half the buildings leaned at impossible angles, their stone and timber fused with writhing black veins that pulsed like living arteries. The air tasted of copper and spoiled honey, thick enough to coat the tongue. Every breath felt heavier than the last.
I kept my Hades' Eyes active at a low burn, scanning layers of illusion and reality for seams. The gate's influence had turned the entire city into a patchwork of fractured dimensions. A streetlamp twenty paces ahead flickered between three different states — lit, shattered, and overgrown with glowing crimson flowers — all at once.
"Stay within arm's reach," I said quietly, voice low. "Lydia, monitor our cursed energy signatures. Vale, watch for binding echoes or mental intrusions."
