The moment we stepped inside, the air shifted. It was like walking into a vat of molasses—time thickened around us, every movement dragging like we were swimming through honey. Even my breathing felt sluggish, the rise and fall of my chest happening in some warped, delayed sequence.
Jiuge exhaled through her nose, her pink eyes flickering with a knowing gleam. "Hagalaz rune," she muttered. "Should've figured. It's always Hagalaz."
"Uh, I don't speak 'ancient magic security system,'" I said, voice sluggish in the distortion of time. "That means...?"
"It means pause, delay, obstruction. It seems like it's getting worse. It's starting to affect us too."
"Then we need to wrap this up fast, or our mission as the Vanguard team will be over before we even reach the second and third defenses," I said, exhaling sharply.
Jiuge gestured to the massive stone walls surrounding us, where six soulless orbs hovered in eerie synchronization, positioned exactly like the Hagalaz rune symbol.
