..
Liora forced herself to stand, gritting her teeth against the pain still pulsing in her side. The fall hadn't killed her, but it had left her trapped in an ancient, magical realm deep within the mountain. Her fingers brushed against the cold, damp stone, and the hum of magic vibrated through her bones. The mountain's pulse was deep here, the runes carved into the walls faintly glowing, as though watching her every move. She could still feel him, Kael — faint, distant, but undeniably there. A pull, a thread connecting them that the mountain hadn't been able to sever, no matter how it tried. She stumbled forward, each step heavy, her mind consumed by the thought of him. She couldn't be trapped here. She couldn't let the mountain win. Kael would find her. She knew it. But deep down, the doubt crept in. What if she didn't make it out in time?
Meanwhile, Kael's heart was pounding with urgency as he moved deeper into the mountain's labyrinth. The air was thick with magic, the ground trembling with every step he took. He could feel Liora's presence faintly, like a whisper on the edge of his mind, but the connection was growing weaker. She was out of his reach — but he refused to let her go. "Hold on, Liora," he muttered under his breath, pushing through the darkness. His thoughts were consumed with her: her fiery spirit, the way her touch had burned through him, the way her eyes had softened, even if she refused to admit it. The mountain was trying to tear them apart, but Kael wouldn't let it. Not now. Not when they were so close. He would find her, no matter the cost.
Liora's path grew more treacherous as she pressed deeper into the mountain. The air grew colder, the weight of the magic in the walls pressing down on her, making every breath harder to take. The whispers grew louder, colder, and the voice she had felt earlier — the one that called to her, the one that warned her you cannot escape — echoed in her mind once more. She couldn't run from it. She couldn't run from him. She didn't know where this place led, but she had to keep moving. And then, just as she felt like she might collapse from exhaustion, she stumbled into a vast chamber. The stone walls shimmered with an otherworldly light, and in the center of the room, a swirling portal of energy beckoned. She didn't think. She reached for it, hoping it might be her way out, her escape. But before her fingers could touch the light, something icy and unyielding wrapped around her ankle, pulling her off balance. She gasped, panic rising in her chest. A dark figure stepped from the shadows, its face twisted and grotesque, its grin wide and malevolent. The last thing she saw was the shadow closing in on her, and then, as she was yanked into the darkness, she screamed, calling out for Kael — but the mountain swallowed her cry, and the darkness took her with it.