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**Amber's POV**
“We’re almost there,” Luka said, his voice steady but tense. “Just a couple more corridors, then we’ll find the stairs. One floor up, and we’ll be in the ceremony hall. They’re all probably up there, preparing the ritual.”
I nodded, swallowing the nervous energy buzzing in my chest. Just a little more. We were so close.
The air in these corridors was thick and stale, like the walls themselves had absorbed centuries of dark magic. Every step felt heavier, as if something unseen was trying to drag us down. Shadows flickered along the stone walls, our footsteps echoing eerily in the dimly lit passageway.
Then we turned a corner—and stopped dead in our tracks.
Two hooded figures blocked our path, their dark robes blending into the gloom. Their presence sent
