He followed them deeper into another section of the underground chamber, one he didn't recognize. That alone told him everything. This place hadn't existed when he left.
Damon stepped through the threshold and slowed.
The environment changed instantly.
The air felt sterile and clean. The floor was smooth and reflective, polished to the point that faint reflections stared back at him with every step. Strange devices lined the walls, arcane instruments, containment arrays, unfamiliar mechanisms humming softly with restrained power.
But what drew his eyes were the black cocoons.
They were everywhere.
Capsule-like, embedded into the walls and floor, each one pulsing faintly as if something inside was breathing.
For a brief moment, Damon felt like he had walked into an illegal alchemist's laboratory, the kind whispered about in back alleys. A place where immortality was chased through cruelty and bodies were reduced to ingredients.
