The underground reeked of rot and mildew.
Silva didn't mind. Her footsteps were soft, measured, despite the weight of the silence pressing in around them. The corridor was narrow, brick-lined, barely lit by flickering lanterns hung too high to reach. She didn't need the light. She'd walked darker paths.
Beside her, Valeria tried her best to be quiet. Tried, and failed. The girl breathed too loud. Shifted too often. Her boots scraped the stone. Silva didn't comment.
Ahead, their target moved without pause. Professor Derillium. One of the Hero Academy's most esteemed instructors. A man with too-clean shoes for someone who knew exactly where he was going in a place that begged to be forgotten.
"Where is he taking us?" Valeria whispered.
Silva held up one finger.
Quiet.
