As they stepped through the gate of light, the ground beneath their feet ceased to exist. Instead, they floated in a void—where sound was devoured, and only dim red hues painted the silence like a dying sunset.
Then slowly, solid ground took form. A vast black stone floor stretched out in a wide circular hall. Overhead, a crimson dome loomed, with no visible source of light—yet casting an eerie glow upon everything below. Towering stone columns held the dome aloft, each etched with ancient runes that repeated a single phrase:
"Blood is oath. Oath is life."
Cedric stepped forward first. He pressed a hand to one of the pillars, eyes narrowing as he read:
> "Only those who have sworn in blood may pass this place…"
"Blood?" Molvar grimaced. "I swear all the time. Mostly just out loud."
"Not empty words," Karl said. "Real oaths—where the blood in your heart flows with conviction."
At that moment, the floor beneath them trembled.
In the center of the chamber, the ground cracked—
