Chapter 286: Chapter 286: The Temple of Aelyth

The Temple of Aelyth loomed over them like a forgotten titan, its cracked and weathered stone a testament to the centuries it had endured. Elara couldn't tear her eyes away from it. The carvings along the temple walls seemed to shift under her gaze, just like those in the Temple of Echoes—symbols too old to comprehend, yet somehow familiar in their sinister beauty.

"This place… it's ancient," Arian murmured, his eyes fixed on the massive entrance. "Older than the Blackspire Mountains. Older than anything we've ever encountered."

Kael stepped forward, his expression hard. "Then we have no time to waste. If this temple holds answers, we need them now."

Elara nodded, but a sense of foreboding gripped her. Something felt *wrong* about this place—wrong in a way the stranger's words hadn't fully captured. It wasn't just the darkness in the air or the pulse of old magic that made her stomach twist. It was the feeling that this place was waiting for them. Watching.