The heavy footsteps drew closer, their echo mingling with the steady rhythm of Adrian's pulse. His grip tightened on his sword as the growl rumbled again, a deep, menacing sound that made Selene shrink further into his side.

"Hurry," Adrian commanded in a low and urgent voice. He motioned for Selene to run in front of him, his body moving to shield her.

She didn't hesitate, sprinting ahead as her feet pounded the forest floor. Adrian followed closely behind, his eyes scanning the dense trees for any sign of the beast.

But nothing came after them—just the unsettling sound of movement, always just behind them, never revealing itself. It was as if the creature was toying with them, letting them know it was there without fully revealing its presence.

They ran for what felt like miles, the mountain looming closer with each step.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they skidded to a halt at the base of the towering wall of rock. Adrian glanced at the map and then back at the towering mountain in front of them.

According to the map, they were exactly at the spot where the temple should be. But there was nothing—no entrance, no markings, no sign of the temple's existence.

Adrian's brow furrowed in frustration. He scanned the rock wall, searching for anything that might give away the location of a hidden entrance. His fingers brushed against the cold, uneven surface, searching for cracks, seams—anything that might suggest a door or passage.

But there was nothing. Just stone.

"Where is it?" Adrian asked almost in frustration. "There's supposed to be a temple here."

Adrian's mind raced as he examined the map again. He considered the possibility that the temple might be underground, hidden beneath the very spot they were standing on.

Without a word, he summoned four fiery chains from his back, each one snaking out and plunging into the ground at different points around the area.

The chains struck the earth with force, sending small clouds of dirt flying into the air. Adrian waited, watching for any sign of movement, hoping the ground would cave in or reveal some hidden entrance.

Nothing.

Frustration gnawed at him, and he yanked the chains free, letting them coil back into place. He glanced at the map again, studying the faint markings more closely.

And then he saw it—a small, nearly imperceptible line that indicated a path, not on this side of the mountain, but on the other.

His eyes narrowed as he looked up at the sheer rock face towering above them. If the temple's entrance was on the other side, getting there would take time—time they didn't have.

Adrian turned to Selene, studying the rocky wall again. "How good are you at climbing?" he asked in a thoughtful tone as he considered the situation.

Selene blinked in surprise. "Climbing? I… I'm not terrible," she said hesitantly, glancing at the steep, unforgiving face of the mountain. "But I'm not sure I could manage that."

Adrian nodded, already formulating a plan. "We don't have a choice. If we go around, it'll take us at least a day. We can't afford that."

He summoned four more chains, bringing the total to eight. Each one glowed with dark fire, ready for use. "We're climbing to the other side," he said firmly. "And I can't leave you down here."

One of the chains slithered out and wrapped gently around Selene's waist, pulling her close to him. Her eyes widened, but she didn't protest, trusting him completely.

"Hold on tight to me," Adrian instructed. His voice was calm but filled with authority.

Selene swallowed nervously, then wrapped her arms and legs around him, her body pressing close as he secured her in place with one of the chains.

When he was sure she was secure, Adrian shot the spearheads of the chains into the rock wall, each one embedding itself deep into the stone. The chains tightened, anchoring them both securely.

With a powerful heave, Adrian began the ascent, pulling them up the steep cliff like a spider crawling up a vertical surface.

The climb was treacherous.

Pebbles and small rocks crumbled beneath them, falling to the ground below as Adrian methodically shot his chains into the rock and hauled them upward. His muscles strained with the effort, but he remained focused.

At one point, a chain didn't hold, causing Adrian to lose his balance for a brief moment. Selene let out a small gasp, her grip tightening around him, but Adrian quickly recovered, shooting another chain into the rock and continuing the climb.

After what felt like an eternity, they reached the top.

Adrian hoisted them over the edge, landing on the rocky plateau with a heavy breath. Selene clung to him for a moment longer before he gently set her down, the chains retracting as they both took in their surroundings.

Adrian and Selene stood on the rocky plateau, the wind tugging at their cloaks as they gazed across the enclosed area. The rocky wall encircled the entire area, as if built to keep something—or someone—hidden.

It was no wonder the Shadow Court hadn't been able to find the temple.

Without waiting for too long, they made the descent down to the space in-between the enclosed rocky wall.

The center of the clearing held something different. A faint depression in the ground hinted at an entrance—an underground tunnel, barely visible through the surrounding debris. Adrian's keen eyes caught the subtle sign of disturbed earth and a faint outline of stone that seemed out of place amidst the natural landscape.

"There," Selene whispered, pointing. Her voice was filled with both relief and dread.

Adrian nodded, his gaze shifting between the surroundings and the potential entrance. "Let's see where this leads."

They moved toward the center, the sound of their boots crunching against the stone eerily loud in the enclosed space. As they approached, it became clear that the stone slab at the center was, indeed, a door of some kind.

Adrian knelt and ran his fingers along the edges, feeling for a mechanism or latch.

Selene stood close by, her eyes darting around nervously. The wind whistled through the rocks, carrying with it an unsettling quiet. She shivered, not from the cold, but from the eerie silence that filled the place.

"There has to be a way to open it," Adrian muttered under his breath. He summoned two of his fiery chains, the glowing links slithering across the ground before wrapping around the edges of the slab. With a grunt, he pulled.

The stone door shifted with a low groan, dust and dirt scattering as it moved. Selene stepped back as Adrian yanked harder, revealing a dark opening below.

The smell of damp earth and something far more pungent wafted up, making her wrinkle her nose in disgust.

"Whatever's down there doesn't smell too welcoming," she muttered, peering into the blackness.

Adrian didn't respond immediately, instead securing his sword at his side. "We've come too far to turn back now."

He descended first, his chains lowering him gently into the tunnel before releasing a faint pulse of light from his palm to illuminate the way. Selene followed closely, her heart racing as she dropped down behind him.

The moment her feet touched the ground, a sudden flurry of movement erupted from the shadows. Bats screeched and fluttered wildly, their wings brushing against her face and hair. She let out a startled cry, instinctively reaching out to grab Adrian's arm.

"Bats," he murmured with a small smirk, though his eyes remained sharp and alert. "Nothing to worry about."

Selene exhaled, steadying herself as they began to walk deeper into the tunnel. The air was thick and musty, the walls closing in around them as they ventured further.

Each step echoed in the confined space, and though the tunnel seemed straightforward, an unsettling tension filled the air.

The path soon came to an abrupt halt. A dead end.

Adrian's brow furrowed. "This doesn't make sense." He summoned a chain and shot it into the wall ahead, testing the stone for any hidden passage. But the chain bounced off the solid rock. "No hidden doors here."

Selene frowned, glancing back the way they came. "Maybe we missed something."

They retraced their steps, but after a few minutes, they found themselves at another dead end. Adrian's frustration was growing. He sent his chains out again, probing the walls for any weakness.

His instincts told him there had to be more to this place than a simple tunnel leading to nowhere.

Finally, on the opposite wall, one of his chains struck something different. The clang of metal rang out, faint but distinct. Adrian's eyes widened. "There's something behind this wall."

Selene's breath caught. "A door?"

"Something like that." Adrian sent his chains surging forward, their fiery tips striking against the stone with renewed force. The rock cracked, and soon, the outline of a large metal door became visible.

It was ancient, rusted, and worn, but it was unmistakably a door.

Adrian pulled the last remnants of stone away, revealing the door in full. Without hesitation, he grasped the handle and heaved. The door creaked open with a groan, and the moment the seal broke, a foul odor rushed out, thick and putrid.

Selene gagged, covering her nose. "What is that?"

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