Chapter 34 (Part 06)
The battle against the Sectreps dragged on like an endless storm. Their translucent bodies dissolved into ash whenever struck by Alok's chains or his friends' weapons, yet for every soldier that fell, two more emerged from the cracks of the labyrinth walls.
"Damn it there's no end!" Rihan shouted, his sword cutting through another soul soldier that reformed seconds later.
"They're stalling us," Alok growled, the pendant glowing furiously on his chest. "The Extera is watching. Testing."
As if in answer, the walls around them began to tremble. Murals shifted figures of chained warriors and burning skies peeling away to reveal new inscriptions, glowing faintly in blue fire.
"Sedfxsoo enko… unlock the path… sacrifice of flame."
Alok's breath caught. "That phrase again. But what does it mean?"
Namea, breathing heavily, pressed her hands against the inscriptions. Her eyes widened. "It's not just a phrase it's a key. The labyrinth responds to words spoken aloud."
Alok looked at her, then back at the glowing script. His heart pounded. "…If I say it, something will happen. But what if it's a trap?"
Before he could decide, the pendant pulsed violently, chains erupting outward to shield him from a Sectrep's claw. His entire body trembled the artifact was urging him.
With no choice, Alok raised his voice, the words shaking the chamber:
"Sedfxsoo enko!"
The murals screamed. The chamber's ceiling cracked open, and a beam of blinding light poured down, disintegrating the Sectreps in an instant. Silence fell an unnatural, suffocating silence.
The floor split apart, revealing a staircase spiraling downward into total darkness. A voice low, echoing, neither male nor female whispered from the void:
"Bearer of chains… deeper you go… closer you are to truth… and ruin."
Ceya clutched Alok's arm. "This doesn't feel right. It's like… the labyrinth itself wants you to descend."
Alok's jaw tightened. "My father left something here. The pendant… all of this… it's tied together. If there's danger waiting, then so be it."
The group descended carefully, the air growing colder, heavier. Each step echoed with whispers of the dead screams, chants, prayers. Shadows crawled across the walls like living things.
At the bottom of the stairs, they entered a vast hall lined with cracked stone pillars. At its center lay a massive black chain, half-buried in the ground, pulsing faintly with blue light.
Rihan whispered in awe: "That chain… it feels alive."
The pendant on Alok's chest pulsed in response, chains of light trembling violently as if trying to break free.
And then, from the shadows, they came a new wave of Sectreps, stronger than before. These weren't mindless soldiers. Their bodies bore armor of dark fire, their eyes glowing crimson. They spoke in a chorus of broken voices:
"Chains-bearer… the Extera awaits… your soul… is his feast."
The chamber shook as the soul soldiers charged, their blades clashing with Alok's chains.
And in the distance, through the veil of battle, Alok swore he saw it the Extera's silhouette, perched upon a throne of writhing shadows, waiting for him to step closer.