The courtyard behind the temple was a perfect circle of white stone, cracked and overgrown but still recognizable as something deliberately designed. Columns ringed the perimeter like silent sentries, and in the center, a fountain that didn't flow in millennia sat dry and covered in moss.
It looked peaceful, but Dante knew better.
"Something feels wrong," Ravenna whispered, her demon eyes scanning the vegetation that pressed against the courtyard's edges. "The hunger here is different. Deeper. It's not hunting, it's..."
"Waiting," Dante finished. "Yeah. I know."
The ground shook, starting as a barely noticeable tremor that quickly intensified into a deliberate rhythm, like footsteps.
"Defensive formation!" Dante barked, and the team snapped into position without hesitation, weeks of drilling overriding their fear as they oriented around him with weapons ready.
The trees at the far end of the courtyard exploded outward.
