He reached out to touch the wood, hoping the rumors of its power—to bring back what was lost—were true. But as his fingers brushed the grain, the cave fell silent. The shadows on the walls detached themselves and began to crawl toward him.
Legend spoke of a wooden figure, carved from a tree that had never seen the sun, buried deep within the salt mines beneath the town. They called it "The Descent"—not just because of the physical climb down, but because of what happened to your mind the deeper you went. The Threshold
The elevator stopped abruptly, suspended over a black abyss. Elias climbed down the emergency ladder, his breathing heavy in the claustrophobic silence.