Chapter 36 (Part 08)
The hall grew colder as Alok and his friends advanced past the last of the armored Sectreps. The black chain pulsed faintly, humming in rhythm with his pendant, as if urging him forward. Shadows twisted along the walls, whispering names he couldn't recognize voices of the long-forgotten, echoing across centuries.
Rihan, still catching his breath, glanced at the murals. "These battles… they're old. Older than anything I've ever seen. But look there's something different here."
Alok stepped closer, chains coiling around his arms like living serpents. The murals shifted again, revealing the figure of a man seated on a lion-throne, his eyes sharp and commanding. "The… King," Alok murmured. "Kashyapa. But… these markings… they're not just history. Someone… or something… changed it."
The pendant thrummed violently against his chest, chains tightening instinctively. A faint glow emanated from cracks in the murals, revealing inscriptions almost invisible to the eye:
"Once a king… lost to shadows… betrayed by flame… forever bound."
Rihan squinted. "Lost to shadows… bound? Is this… the Extera's doing?"
Alok didn't answer immediately. He reached out, touching the mural, and the stone shivered under his fingers. A whisper rose from the walls:
"Bearer of chains… follow the path of courage… uncover the chains of the forgotten king…"
The floor beneath them groaned as hidden mechanisms shifted. From the shadows, fragments of walls slid aside, revealing a narrow spiral staircase leading upward. It was faintly lit by the glow of the murals, but the steps were cracked and treacherous.
Rihan glanced at Alok. "It's… calling us. But we have no idea what's waiting up there."
Alok's jaw tightened. "We don't turn back. My father… this labyrinth… it's all connected. And now, Kashyapa's story might tell us why the Extera claimed this place."
The Hall of Moving Shadows
As they ascended, the walls began to shift subtly. Shadows danced independently, stretching and retracting, almost like living fingers. Each flicker revealed glimpses of the past: soldiers falling, black chains wrapping around warriors, screams echoing in silence.
Rihan whispered, voice trembling: "This… this is like the murals came alive. Look!"
One shadow separated from the wall entirely a fleeting, humanoid form, almost transparent, carrying a faint sword that glimmered with chains. It passed through them without attack, vanishing as suddenly as it appeared.
Alok's pendant pulsed brighter. "These aren't threats… they're echoes. Memories. Fragments of what happened here. King Kashyapa… Hmm.... my father… even the Sectreps. They're all… linked."
The staircase widened into a circular chamber, its ceiling carved like the night sky. Stars and constellations glowed faintly in blue fire, but some were distorted, broken as if erased by time.
At the center, a pedestal emerged. On it rested a cracked golden lion emblem, its eyes dark voids. Chains from the pendant reached toward it instinctively, hovering above the stone.
Rihan stepped closer, cautiously. "It's… beautiful. But why… does it feel wrong?"
Alok studied the emblem, noticing faint scratches along its base ancient letters glowing dimly:
"The path of courage… the bearer of chains… shall awaken the flame of truth."
He looked at Rihan. "This labyrinth isn't just a test. It's a story, a warning… and maybe a guide. Someone wanted us to see this."
The Hidden Passage
As Alok touched the lion emblem, the chamber trembled. The walls slid aside, revealing a hidden corridor that seemed untouched by time. The air was colder, heavier, filled with the scent of ancient fire and the faint pulse of magic.
Rihan exhaled sharply. "This… this leads somewhere. I can feel it. The Extera… it's closer. But this… this is the truth we were meant to find first."
Alok nodded, gripping his pendant. "Whatever waits… we face it together. Step by step. The Extera will come, but not yet. First… the secrets of this king, and the labyrinth my father explored."
The corridor's shadows stretched forward, guiding them deeper into the unknown. Whispers rose once more, distant but urgent:
"Chains awaken… courage tested… the forgotten king watches… the Extera hungers…"
Alok tightened his grip on the pendant. "Then we move forward. Slowly, carefully… and we uncover every secret this place hides."