"Come," The Holy Mother said calmly.
Solara followed without question.
The passage beyond was nothing like the cathedral's radiant halls. Gone were the golden trims and holy murals. These walls were dull grey—smooth, sleek, and utterly unadorned. There were no carvings, no runes, and no symbols of faith.
What was more unsettling, though—
There was no visible end. The corridor stretched forward into a vanishing point swallowed by distance. The two women walked in silence.
Their footsteps echoed softly against the seamless grey surfaces. No torches lined the walls, yet the space was faintly illuminated by an ambient, sourceless glow. Time lost meaning here.
They walked.
And walked.
And walked.
An entire hour passed.
Yet neither showed fatigue.
Solara did not dare ask how such a passage could exist beneath the cathedral—how it could stretch so impossibly far within the confines of the holy city. Some secrets were not meant to be questioned.
