At first,the corridor stretched beneath their feet like a tunnel hastily carved through rock.Its walls were rough, uneven,as if gouged out by impatient hands.The torchlight danced across the jagged surfaces,casting shifting shadows that stretched and recoiledlike living creatures.The ground was uneven,littered with fallen stones and deep cracks.Their footsteps echoed strangely,as if the very walls were swallowing every sound.
But the deeper they moved,the less wild and unformed the space appeared.Gradually,the walls began to take shape,as though an invisible hand had come to polish them.Every crack, every crevicesmoothed with unsettling precision.
Corners once jagged and softbecame sharp.Defined.Like lines carved with purpose.A strange shiver ran down Kael's spine.It felt like they were crossing over—from the mundaneto something ancient.Something meant for another time.
The path before them no longer seemed carved,but sculpted.The stone was black as the void,hard as marble,polished to the point it caught the weak light of the torch.Intrigued,Kael slid his fingers along the wall as they walked.Unlike the raw stone from earlier galleries,this surface was unnervingly smooth.Almost cold.In some places,barely perceptible reliefs.
As they moved forward,the markings deepened.The walls became adorned with strange symbols—figures that seemed to meld into the stone itself.Straight lines, razor-sharp,like runic patterns,were followed by flowing shapesreminiscent of ancient hieroglyphs.
Some of the signs were familiar.They echoed the Viking runes he had studiedin dusty books.But others were completely foreign.Interlocked forms,weaving through each otherin ways that defied logic.
Adam, for his part,scanned every detail with wide eyes.But Kael,though fascinated,felt a growing unease.
Their pace slowed.Each engraving seemed to tell a story.A forgotten epic.But one… steeped in dread.
They paused before a particularly intricate stretch of reliefs.Scenes played out before their eyes:Human figures—some kneeling,others raising their arms to the sky.But all of them surroundedby monstrous shapes.
Twisted bodies.Faceless things.Beingsthat belonged to another realm.⋯Their eyes had been carvedwith such precisionthat Kael felt them watching.— What does it mean?he whispered,a chill racing down his spine.
Adam leaned in closer,eyes locked on the symbols.A tangible energy seemed to emanate from the stone.He touched one of the spiral patternsand frowned.— I think they're recounting tales from another time…another world, maybe,he said slowly.— Looks like some kind of sacrifice…but not in any way we'd understand.
Kael examined more closely.Thin lines,almost invisible at first glance,ran through the panels.Tiny cuneiform characterswere etched beneath each figure.
They weren't simple words,but full phrases,describing what seemed to be complex events.A repetition of certain symbols—a figure bent under a heavy weight,bursts of light,arms outstretched toward a giant shape—unsettled him.
One symbol in particular drew his gaze:a towering spirelooming over a ruined landscape,dwarfing men as they tried to flee.At its base,tiny shapes,like stars,glowed with an ominous light.— Is this… a message?Kael asked hesitantly.
Adam snapped out of his trance,his fingers trailing from one carving to the next.He murmured,more to himself than to Kael:— Maybe…or a warning.— But what are these symbols trying to show?
He pressed a hand to his face,as if to hold back rising dread.Then,a nervous chuckle escaped him.He stood straight again,glancing around like the walls might be listening.— Or maybe it's just an ancient ad for a luxury resort.— "Come enjoy the view over the ruins,with direct access to cosmic dread!"— That'd explain the giant tower, right?
Kael blinked, startled.Adam shrugged,a flicker of irony in his eyes.As if trying to convince himselfthat what they'd foundwas nothing more than a dusty relic,dramatically carved.— Relax, Kael.— Probably just a bored bunch of stone-carverstrying to spice up their walls,he added with a forced smile.
But his gaze lingered on the symbols.And a shiver ran down his back.
Kael studied him with quiet understanding.Adam had always coped with anxietyby joking inappropriately.A defense mechanismthat sometimes earned a smile…But tonight,it felt a little thinner than usual.Adam turned away,as if trying to recompose himself,and returned to inspecting the walls.His fingers hovered with renewed care.Yet Kael could still sense the hesitation.Each motion more measured,slower,like Adam was trying to avoid somethinghe couldn't quite name.
They pressed on,the corridor's weight growing heavier with each step.Every soundseemed swallowed by the vastness.Kael knewa single mistakecould end their exploration right there.
The place felt crafted to test them.Every corner,every panelconcealed hidden threats,lurking in the dark.
After a few more meters,Kael froze.He tilted his head.He had just heard a faint crunch underfoot.
Without a word,he lunged forward,shoving Adam with his shoulder.— Watch out!Adam stumbled back—just in time to seea row of metal spikes shoot up from the groundwith a sharp metallic snap.A blade hissed through the air,missing their foot by a hair.
— You saved my ass, Kael,Adam muttered,cold sweat tracing his temple.— Think it's another trap?
Kael crouched, examining the intricate mechanism,his eyes scanning the wall.Above the floor,he spotted a small engraving,like a trigger mark.He looked up at Adam,half-smiling.— Not my first time with traps like these.— Old temples love their surprises.— Stay alert. We're just getting started.
Adam nodded,trying to mask his stress with a shaky grin.But Kael knewhe was right to be worried.The tension was real.
They continued on,even more cautiously.Their steps were near silent.Yet the air around themgrew thicker.Heavier.
They passed walls covered in strange markings.Raised muralsdepicting colossal beastsand scenes of apocalyptic ruin.Visionsthat felt more real with every glance.
Kael examined every inch,eyes fixed on the floor,the walls,searching for any cluethat might hint at another trap.
It wasn't just the artwork that bothered him.The traps, though rare,always came where one least expected.
Suddenly,a metallic noise clicked behind him.Kael spun—just in time to see Adamstep too close to a stone tile.
The slab began to sink…and a new row of iron spikesshot from the nearby wall.
— Adam!Step back!Kael lunged,pulling Adam away with force.Just before the spikessnapped shutin the space he had just occupied.
Heart pounding,Adam scrambled upright,eyes wide with fear.— I'm getting sick of these damn traps!— Feels like we're stuck in some old adventure movie,with snakesand rolling stone balls…he muttered,trying to laugh the fear away.
Kael managed a faint smile.But he knewthis was no simple game.Each trap they dodgedwas just a preludeto whatever awaited deeper in.
— Less jokes,more focus.— This place is a maze of death…— And I don't planon becoming part of the décor,Kael whispered.
Adam nodded,serious again.But his eyes darted nervously.Scanning each shadow.Each corner.
They kept moving.Their steps deliberate,their minds sharp.A silence hung between them,dense with tension.
At every turn,each new fresco,every trap narrowly avoided…the question lingered:
What truly lies in this darkness…and how far are they willing to goto uncover it?
Kael came to an abrupt stop.He had just looked up.And the wall ahead…was unlike anything they had seen.