'Whether opportunity or greater danger lies ahead, it's better than lingering here.'
He adjusted his breathing, bringing himself to peak condition, his gaze growing sharper.
His figure once again vanished into the deeper shadows and rising heat waves beyond the fissure's corner, following the ancient trail into the profound darkness.
Time slowly passed.
Following the faint, ancient, silver-gray trail, Murphy crept through the depths of the winding fissure for a long time.
The surrounding scenery grew increasingly monotonous and dead silent. Even the charred, low-growing plants had disappeared.
The air seemed to congeal. The smell of sulfur faded, replaced by a suffocating pressure, like being sealed inside a giant metal coffin.
The light was dim. The dark-red glow from the sky seemed unable to fully penetrate this area, and the rocks took on a cold, hard color, almost like Obsidian.
