The group descended another 500 meters into the breathing depths of the Shadow Path, each step taking them further from any possibility of retreat, deeper into whatever nightmare the ruins had prepared for those foolish enough to volunteer for the dark route. Each meter felt heavier than the last, as if gravity itself was increasing the deeper they went, as if the ruins wanted to make sure they understood there was no going back, no escape except forward through whatever horrors waited ahead.
The passage had widened slightly during the descent—no longer the claustrophobic three meters that had forced single-file movement and made every step feel like walking through a throat designed to swallow them, but a more generous five meters that allowed them to walk two abreast with room to maneuver. Room to dodge. Room to fight if necessary.
