Chapter 361 - Itris
The air was different. Heavier. Hotter. It carried the scent of scorched stone and something sharper beneath.
Around them, the lift shaft was silent and cold. But ahead, a single archway stood, flanked by intricately carved columns that almost seemed to glow in the ambient heat. It framed a threshold veiled in a wavering distortion, with streaks of red and crimson flickering beyond.
Scarlett stood there for a moment, letting the stillness press down on her. Then she turned slightly, glancing at the others.
Rosa stood rigid, one hand hovering near her chest. Her complexion was noticeably paler, and Scarlett could sense the strain beneath the surface as the woman looked at her with concern. The others—Kat, Fynn, Allyssa, Shin, and Arnaud—had all moved a step closer, but the blue-white flames circling Scarlett held them at bay.
“Calm yourselves. I am in no danger,” she eventually said, her gaze resting on Rosa for a heartbeat longer before returning to the archway. “…Fynn. Tell me — what do you see past that threshold?”
There was a pause.
“Just a stone chamber,” Fynn replied. “Dark. Empty.”
Scarlett nodded slightly. She’d suspected it would appear different to her than to the others.
“It would be best if all of you remained here for now,” she said. “I shall likely return shortly.”
“Scarlett, wait—” Rosa began.
Scarlett stepped forward.
The circle of flame responded, parting as tendrils curled outward to form a narrow path, flanked by living embers that swayed like sentries.