When Elara stepped through the gate, it was not only darkness that greeted her. It felt more like a place that had been holding its breath for a very long time had finally noticed her. From the outside, Black Moon Archive had looked like a structure, but inside, there was something older than stone, walls, or gates. This place did not only keep records. This place remembered. And everything it remembered turned silently toward Elara.
Kael entered from her left. Rowan from her right. Talon stayed a little behind, while Erynd stood behind Rowan. The gate did not close behind them, but the mist remained before the entrance like a heavy curtain. Everyone who entered felt clearer, but the bonds were quieter. Kael's fire was still on Elara's left. Rowan's path was still on her right. Yet neither of them could reach into Elara as easily as before. The archive kept them side by side, but did not allow them to merge into one another.
