The stair spills F and Torin into a buried chasm beneath the vault. Black basalt walls curve overhead, slick with silver condensation, while a red glow throbs through cracks in the floor.
Below, an underground river winds through the darkness. Its water runs upward in slow ribbons, defying the slope, carrying sparks toward a vast stone arch half-swallowed by roots.
Torin
That is no natural river. The vault is drawing it toward something.
The Ember Heart's warmth stirs beneath F's cloak. Each pulse answers the buried chamber, and dust sifts from the arch as a deep presence shifts beyond it.
Torin
The Watcher said the vault yielded under pressure. This place feels like the wound it left behind.
Across the chasm, a narrow bridge of fused bone-white stone rises from the river. At its far end, a sealed threshold opens one finger-width, revealing darkness crowded with slow, ember-bright shapes.
The stair behind them groans and sheds slabs of basalt. The way back begins to vanish as the chasm's red pulse quickens.
✓ Quest Accepted
Reach the ember-lit threshold