His steps echoed as he moved through the city, the silence heavy around him. Though the structures towered high, there were no doors, no windows, only endless walls of shimmering stone. It felt ancient, untouched by time, a relic of something far beyond mortal comprehension.
As he neared the tower, the hum in the air grew stronger, a pressure building in his chest. The ground beneath his feet pulsed, the very city alive with an unseen force.
Then, at the base of the monolith, he saw it.
A doorway.
Unlike the archway before, this was simple, unadorned. But it was open, waiting.
Jude took a final breath and stepped inside.
Darkness once more.
Then, a voice, deeper than before, resonating through his very bones.
"You have come far, bearer of the keys."
A figure emerged from the shadows, its form towering, robed in shifting black. Its face was obscured, but its presence was undeniable.
