The tunnel's upward slope gradually leveled out, opening into a wider chamber. The temperature, already frigid, dropped even further. Grim's breath no longer just clouded before him but crystallized entirely, tiny ice particles falling from the air where he exhaled.
"Be ready," Bi'an warned in a low voice. "The sentinels will be waiting for us."
They had barely taken three steps into the chamber when the air shimmered around them. What Grim had mistaken for ice formations along the walls began to move. Figures detached themselves from the frozen surfaces, stepping forward.
The Ice Sentinels of Ao Shun stood before them—tall, humanoid creatures with skin so pale blue it was nearly translucent. Beneath their skin, Grim could see the faint outline of veins, appearing to be formed from different densities of ice. Their eyes were completely white, without pupil or iris, and seemed to glow.
