Chapter 63 Alexis POV
I watched the chaos unfold in the passage of the temple – the witches transforming into deadly spirits, killing five of our party. I kept my face neutral, my eyes scanning everyone, making sure the mission stayed on track. It's going according to plan.
My gaze lingered on Onyi. He's been close to Duke Ryker, a useful pawn. I smiled to myself in the shadows. Soon, Onyi will bleed on a tomb. I've made sure of it. The ancient tombs in this temple hold secrets, and Onyi will be part of one – a dark part.
The king was pushing on despite the losses. Good. We need that gold. I stayed alert, watching everyone, ensuring the plan unfolded like I'd foreseen. The drumbeat grew louder, and I knew we were nearing the heart of the temple – the gold's chamber.
Alexis out. Watching. Waiting for the right moment for Onyi.
Writer's POV
As the party of 24 pushed on toward the gold, the pulsing drumbeat grew louder, like a heartbeat in darkness. The temple's shadows twisted around them, making it hard to see clearly. The air thickened with a palpable malevolence.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shift. Stones cracked and sank into black voids. Soldiers stumbled, screaming as they fell into darkness. Some were swallowed whole by the temple's hungry earth. Others managed to leap away from gaping holes.
Six more of the party fell to the shifting stones and voids. The party now numbered 18.
The king cursed under his breath. "Witch tricks."
Duke Ryker led the remaining soldiers around the treacherous patches, but ahead loomed darker obstacles. Tendrils of darkness like living vines began to creep across the walls, reaching for the party. The vines touched a soldier, and he let out a blood-curdling scream as he dissolved into nothingness – consumed by the darkness.
Four more soldiers were lost to the darkness vines.
The party now numbered 14. Onyi stayed close to Duke Ryker. Alexis watched from the shadows, intent on his plan for Onyi.
The gold's chamber was near. The drumbeat stopped. Silence.
As the party of 14 reached the threshold of the gold's chamber, the silence was oppressive. The torches flickered weakly, casting dying shadows on the walls. The air was heavy with decay.
Suddenly, ghostly apparitions materialized in the chamber. They were specters of those who'd died in the temple centuries ago. The specters wailed in a chorus of despair, their voices like knives cutting through the party's resolve.
The specters swarmed, touching soldiers with ethereal hands. Those touched lost their grip on reality – screaming as they ran in mad circles, lost in hallucinations of their deepest fears. Five soldiers were lost to the specters' torment.
The party now numbered 9.
The gold lay on its pedestal, untouched but glinting wickedly in the dim light. Alexis moved closer to Onyi. "Time," he whispered, "for you to bleed on a tomb."
Duke Ryker shouted, "To the gold! Get it!"
As Duke Ryker shouted "To the gold! Get it!", Alexis pushed Onyi toward one of the ancient tombs lining the chamber walls. Onyi stumbled, and as he caught himself on the tomb's edge, a jagged stone cut his hand. Onyi bled onto the tomb.
The moment blood touched the ancient stone, the chamber erupted with screams. Souls of the dead – trapped in the temple for centuries – screamed in a cacophony of agony. The sound was like nothing the party had heard. It was as if the very walls were tearing apart with the screams of death souls. The noise was deafening, almost tearing the ears of the group. Soldiers clapped hands over their ears, wincing in pain.
The gold on the pedestal began to glow with a dark light. Shadows twisted wildly. The screaming grew louder, a piercing crescendo.
Alexis covered his ears from the scream.
Duke Ryker staggered, ears bleeding from the sound. "Get... the gold..."
As the screaming of death souls reached a piercing peak, Onyi's eyes suddenly shone with an evil light. It was as if darkness itself had touched him, awakening something malevolent within. Onyi's gaze turned unnatural – pupils expanding like voids into night. He laughed lowly, a sound that didn't sound like him.
Then Onyi passed out, collapsing onto the cold stone floor beside the tomb he'd bled on. But as he lay there, something began to happen. Shadows around Onyi twisted into a living darkness. It pooled around him like a dark mist, crawling up his body.
The gold on the pedestal pulsed with a malevolent glow. The screaming of death souls slowly died away, leaving an oppressive silence. In that silence, Onyi's body began to twitch. His fingers moved like he was clawing at something unseen.
Alexis smiled coldly even if the sounds was unbearable "Bound to the darkness," he whispered. "Now Onyi's part in this is done." Only if he knew what he has done.