A few more minutes passed before they finally arrived at a massive city.
Towering stone walls surrounded it, stretching high into the sky like an impenetrable fortress.
The enormous gates at the entrance were several stories tall, forged from dark, weathered metal and engraved with intricate symbols that seemed to shift subtly when looked at for too long.
The city felt ancient and older than anything they had ever known, yet still standing with oppressive authority.
As they approached, the giant gates slowly creaked open on their own.
The sound echoed across the silent landscape, long and drawn out, as if the city itself was breathing.
The newcomers flinched instinctively, a few even stepping back, but there was nowhere to run.
No one spoke.
The atmosphere beyond the gates was suffocatingly still.
The streets inside were wide and paved with black stone that glistened faintly under an unseen light source.
