After swiftly destroying the last of the spider eggs, we finally step forward, onto the surface of the small frozen lake.
The air here feels different.
Thicker.
Heavier.
Colder.
Every breath I take feels like it's being filtered through frost. The silence is suffocating, wrapped in stillness so complete it almost hums.
Ahead of us, the frozen waterfall looms tall and unyielding. Its jagged edges glisten under the distant shimmer of the aurora overhead. The cascade is locked in time—mid-fall—like a thick curtain of glass hung between the rocks.
Eris and I come to a stop a few feet from its base.
She glances toward me, her face sharp with focus.
"You're sure it's coming from here?"
I nod once, firmly.
"Yeah… It's in there."
I don't even hesitate now.
The pressure….
The dread…
It's clawing at my chest, twisting in my stomach. It isn't just nearby anymore.
It's inside.
Or more precisely… behind this icy wall.
