The Skyward Gate was not merely an entrance; it was a gargantuan orifice carved directly into the heart of an ancient, dormant caldera. As the five-meter-thick stone slabs ground open with a thunderous roar that vibrated through the very marrow of their bones, a wave of intense, suffocating heat surged forward, assaulting the small group of humans.
Roland Sudrath was the first to cross the threshold, his stride unyielding. Behind him, Rumina, Captain Elian, and the five members of the Ghost Squad followed with a rigid, military discipline that bordered on the fanatical. Dom and his comrades wore masks of stoic indifference, even as every primitive survival instinct screamed in the back of their minds, warning them that they were walking directly into the lair of the ultimate apex predator.
