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I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.I should step away now.The worst of the cold had passed. But neither of us moved.

"We should keep going,” I said.

"In a minute." His arms tightened fractionally. "You're still shivering."

I wasn't, not anymore, but I didn't correct him.

A distant rumble shook the passage, reminding us where we were—what we were doing. The spell broke, and we stepped apart, though the ghost of his warmth lingered.

"The drop is just ahead," he said, his voice carefully neutral ashe turned toward the ice-slicked tunnel. "Stay close to the wall. One wrong step and?—"

"I know," I cut him off, already moving forward. "No need to paint me a picture."

The tunnel continued its descent, each step more treacherous than the last as ice coated everything. The path curved sharply, and my heart leapt at what lay ahead.

The passage simply ended, opening into a vast cavern that stretched down into absolute darkness. Even with my enhanced vision, I couldn't see the bottom. The edge was ragged, like something had torn the mountain apart from the inside.

"Please tell me we're not going down there," I whispered, though I already knew the answer.

Where else should I expect beings calleddread sirensto reside?

Aether crouched at the edge, studying something I couldn't see. "There's a path. Narrow, but it's there." He pointed to what looked like a thin ledge spiraling down into the abyss. "We follow it counter-clockwise. The sirens' chamber is about halfway down."

I edged closer, trying to gauge the drop. "How did you even find this place the first time?"

His jaw tightened. "I followed the whispers."

A chill that had nothing to do with the cold ran down my spine. "Whispers?"

"The sirens call to those who are desperate enough to hear them." He straightened, shadows twisting through his void burns. "Ready?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Aether took the lead, pressing close to the wall as he began the descent. I followed, my fingers finding whatever handholds they could in the ice-slicked stone.

"Don't look down," Aether called, though it was too late.

"Thanks for the advice," I shot back. The cold seemed to deepenagain as we spiraled lower, until my breath crystallized in front of me.

That's when I heard it—a sound so faint I thought I'd imagined it. Like hisses carried on wind that shouldn't exist this deep underground. They grew louder as we descended, until they seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

“That sounds welcoming?—”

"I know." His voice was tight. "We're close."

The path curved again, and something glowed in the darkness ahead. A soft, phosphorescent light that seemed to pulse in rhythm with the sounds. As we drew closer, I could make out an opening in the wall—an arch carved from the stone itself.

Beyond it lay a chamber that defied explanation. The floor was black liquid that moved like silk in a breeze, though no wind stirred this deep.

Aether stopped at the chamber's entrance, his bare shoulders tense. "Last chance to turn back."

I stepped forward, the memoir clutched against my chest like a shield. "We didn't come all this way to?—"

The whispers cut off abruptly, replaced by silence so complete it felt like the Void once again.

"The Realm Crasher returns."The voice wasn't spoken aloud, but resonated directly in my mind, clear as crystal and hauntingly beautiful. "Twenty years since you last graced our depths."

Realm Crasher?

"Still searching, are we?"Another voice, equally mesmerizing but touched with cruel amusement."Did you ever find what you sought?"