Aedric's heart pounded as the massive stone doorway groaned open, revealing the darkness beyond. The air that seeped through the widening gap was ancient—laden with dust, decay, and something else, something that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
The cavern trembled slightly as the last of the stone's grinding movement settled, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. The blue crystals along the walls pulsed in a slow rhythm, their glow dimming and brightening like a heartbeat.
Aedric swallowed, glancing back at Seris and Tessa. Seris stood rigid, her eyes scanning the dark beyond the threshold, while Tessa gripped her dagger tightly, fingers white with tension.
"This feels wrong," Tessa muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.
Aedric nodded, but he couldn't ignore the pull in his chest—the same sensation that had guided him ever since he touched the fragment. This place, whatever it was, called to him.
Seris broke the silence. "We need to be careful. Whatever's in there… it's been waiting."
The weight of her words settled heavily in the air.
Taking a deep breath, Aedric stepped forward. The darkness swallowed him as he crossed the threshold, his boots echoing faintly against unseen stone. The glow from the crystals barely reached inside, their light unable to penetrate the oppressive void ahead.
He unhooked the lantern from his belt and raised it. The flickering flame cast dancing shadows along what appeared to be a long corridor. The walls were lined with more carvings—depictions of battles, towering figures wielding blades of light, and sprawling cities lost to time. But the details were faded, eroded by the ages.
Seris and Tessa followed, their footsteps hushed.
Aedric's fingers brushed against the nearest carving. The moment he made contact, a sharp sensation shot through him, like static coursing through his veins. His vision blurred—
Flashes. A city under siege. The same faceless statue from before, now alive, standing atop a wall as hordes of shadowy figures advanced. Screams. Steel clashing. A crown of jagged obsidian. The whispers of an unseen force.
He gasped and staggered back, his head spinning.
"Aedric?" Seris caught his arm.
"I saw something," he managed. "A battle. A city falling. And that statue from before—he was there, fighting against… something unnatural."
Seris frowned. "Visions again?"
He nodded, shaking off the residual dizziness. "It's like this place is remembering."
Tessa glanced around warily. "Then maybe we shouldn't be here."
Aedric had no answer. His instincts screamed for caution, but another part of him—the part that had carried him this far—knew they had no choice but to press forward.
He turned back toward the corridor and continued walking.
---
The passage stretched onward for what felt like an eternity, the silence pressing in from all sides. The air grew colder, and with each step, Aedric felt an undeniable weight settling in his chest.
Then they reached another chamber.
It was vast, the ceiling high above lost in darkness. In the center of the room stood a raised stone dais, atop which rested a massive door, much like the one they had just passed through.
But unlike before, this one was chained shut.
Thick, rusted chains crisscrossed over the surface, anchoring it in place. At their center, embedded deep into the stone, was another indentation, similar to the one where Aedric had placed the fragment.
But this time, there was no piece waiting to be placed.
Seris approached the door, running her fingers along the chains. "This was sealed deliberately."
Tessa snorted. "That's usually a sign we shouldn't open it."
Aedric wasn't so sure. He examined the indentation closely. The same ancient script surrounded it, but unlike the previous chamber, these letters were far clearer, preserved by whatever magic had locked the door.
He traced the words slowly, translating as best he could.
"Sealed by the will of the first. Bound by the blood of the fallen. Only those who carry the mark may break the chains."
Aedric frowned. "Mark? What mark?"
As if in response, a familiar pulse ran through him. The fragment in his satchel.
He pulled it out, its dull red glow flaring slightly. The chains trembled, rattling faintly.
Tessa took a step back. "Aedric… maybe don't do this."
But something within him already knew—it had to be done.
He placed the fragment into the indentation.
The moment it touched the stone, the chamber trembled violently. The chains jerked, pulling taut before snapping apart, one by one, until they clattered onto the floor like dead serpents.
The door groaned. Dust cascaded from its edges as unseen mechanisms came to life.
Then, with an earth-shaking finality, it opened.
Beyond it, a staircase spiraled downward into complete darkness.
Seris exhaled. "This just keeps getting better."
Aedric stared down into the abyss. A cold wind, unnatural and heavy, wafted from below.
Something was waiting for them.
And they were about to find out what.