Top of Small Pit

AT YOUR FEET IS A SMALL PIT BREATHING TRACES OF WHITE MIST. AN EAST PASSAGE ENDS HERE EXCEPT FOR A SMALL CRACK LEADING ON. ROUGH STONE STEPS LEAD DOWN THE PIT.

From here:

You can go back outside the grate. Or you can go back below the grate. Or to the debris room. Or to the bird chamber. Or down the steps to the hall of mists. Or check out the crack.