Blood Hounds

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The moment Kael stepped through the doorway, the world changed.

The air inside was thicker, pressing against his skin like unseen hands. The temperature dropped, his breath turning faintly visible in the dim light.

Behind him, Rhia hesitated before following. Darian was last, his dagger loose in his grip.

Fenrir growled low, but stepped inside.

Then, without a sound, the door shut behind them.

Rhia spun around. "What—?"

Kael pressed a hand against the stone. Solid. Cold. Final.

Darian sighed. "Typical."

Kael ignored him, scanning their surroundings.

They stood in a long, narrow corridor—not like the ruins outside. The walls here weren't crumbling stone but smooth, dark material, untouched by time. The air smelled of old dust and something else—something metallic.

And along the walls, glowing faintly in the darkness, were symbols. The same ones from the wraith. The same one Darian had drawn in the dirt.

Kael exhaled slowly. "This place isn't just old."

Rhia's fingers hovered over the symbols. "It's alive."

A pulse—soft but unmistakable—shuddered through the walls.

Kael's breath caught. He knew this feeling.

A memory. Distant. Half-buried.

A cold night. A voice calling his name. The scent of burning wood. A promise made in the dark.

His pulse pounded in his ears.

Then, suddenly, the symbols shifted.

The walls trembled, as if responding to his presence. And then, just ahead, the corridor split—one path descending deeper, the other curving out of sight.

Two paths. A choice.

Darian frowned. "Well. That's unsettling."

Kael forced himself to focus. His past was clawing at the edges of his mind, but he couldn't afford to lose himself now.

Rhia glanced at him. "Which way?"

Kael hesitated.

The left path felt wrong. The air was heavier there, thick with something unseen. But the right… the right felt almost familiar.

Like something was waiting for him.

He clenched his jaw.

"We go right."

Darian smirked. "Bold choice. Let's hope it's the right one."

Kael didn't answer.

Fenrir pressed close to his side, golden eyes locked ahead.

Together, they stepped forward—deeper into the dark.