Secrets in the Shadows

The air inside the refuge felt heavy, charged with a strange energy that made my skin tingle. It was as if the walls themselves pulsed with life, whispering secrets I wasn’t meant to hear. Shadows flickered and danced along the stone corridors, cast by the dim glow of lanterns hung at uneven intervals.

Rigel limped ahead of me, his injuries bandaged hastily but still bleeding through in places. He didn’t complain, though his clenched jaw and the tension in his shoulders betrayed the pain he was in.

"Where are we?" I asked, my voice bouncing off the walls.

"A sanctuary," Rigel said without looking back. "One of the few left."

The corridor opened into a vast underground chamber, its ceiling soaring high above us and lit by a strange, glowing orb that hovered in the center. The space was bustling with activity—people moving quickly, their faces pale and strained. Some carried weapons I couldn’t name; others clutched books bound in leather so old they looked ready to crumble.

I felt