The cavern spat them out into a desolate expanse. The air was heavy with ash and sulfur, and the horizon shimmered with heat, a stark contrast to the oppressive darkness they had just escaped. The ground was jagged, cracked, and pockmarked with the remains of colossal beasts, their bones blackened and half-melted. Skeletal wings jutted skyward like twisted monuments, and shattered horns the size of spires lay scattered across the barren plain.
James stood frozen, his chest tightening. The air here wasn't just hot—it was charged. Every breath felt like it carried the weight of something ancient, watching, waiting.
"What the hell happened here?" Kael's voice broke the silence, low and sharp. His claws flexed instinctively as his amber eyes darted from carcass to carcass.