He could only faintly hear noises, but he was beginning to understand what was at play here, going off of his experience outside.
This overwhelming night…I think the darkness is stifling sound. So not only is our vision hindered, but our hearing…? He realized.
"Come on," he ushered for them to follow as he opened the door to the stairwell, "I'll bring you to our leader. Sorry, but I'm not trying to get my ear yelled off for bringing you in under his nose."
"I understand," Xiaodan nodded with a reassuring smile.
Another walk up the lengthy, echoing stairwell didn't do wonders for his exhausted body, but it was thanks to his new skill that he was able to continue pushing without stopping.
Unhelping was the fact that only two candles were placed within the dank stairwell: one at the very bottom, and one at the very top, leaving them mostly in the dark as they marched upward together.