**Chapter 20 — The Altar's Price**
The ruined sanctuary deepened as they ventured further in.
What had started as scattered pillars and broken statues gave way to a vast underground chamber accessed through a cracked staircase descending beneath the main hall. The air grew cooler and heavier, carrying the faint scent of ozone and petrified wood. Glowing veins of silver and black ran through the stone walls like frozen lightning, pulsing faintly in time with Liora's heartbeat.
Cairis led the way, his horns scraping lightly against the low ceiling in places. "This chamber was once used for rituals meant to bridge the divide. Those who came here believed balance was possible. Most of them died proving it wasn't."
Liora followed close behind, one hand trailing along the wall. The stone felt strangely warm under her fingers, as if it remembered heat from another age. "It feels like it's watching us. Not hostile. Just… curious."
