They continued down the stairs, their boots creating echoes that multiplied and layered upon themselves. The descent felt endless, step after step after step, spiraling deeper into golden walls that surrounded them, dulled by age but still holding traces of former glory.
Finally, a door appeared ahead, which wasn't golden but just solid wood reinforced with golden bands.
Light shone from beneath it, leaking through the gap in the floor.
Reinhard reached for the handle, and the moment his fingers touched metal, brilliant light exploded outward. He blinked, throwing up his arm to shield his eyes, and the others groaned, similarly blinded.
When the light faded, they stood somewhere else entirely.
It was a vast chamber crowned with circular layers of gold and glass reaching toward impossible heights. The architecture was breathtaking even in ruin, the area was covered in ivy and moss, and the floor was cracked or broken.
Also littered with soil brought in by time and wind.
