The first step onto the crystalline stairs was like stepping onto glass warmed from within. Each footfall echoed, not outward, but downward, as though the sound sank into the planet's core.
The shadows moved ahead, silent escorts, their forms bending in and out of existence.
Daniel led, the crystal in his chest beating in rhythm with the glowing steps. For the first time since leaving Earth, he felt not fear, but belonging.
Behind him, Hayes's breath crackled over comms. "One wrong move, and we're entombed in this rock." His tone was steady, but his knuckles whitened as he gripped his rifle tighter.
Marquez muttered, scanning the walls. "This isn't a cave. These patterns—they're too precise."
Okafor whispered, "Not built… grown."
---
The Hall of Silence
The stairway opened into a vast chamber. The ceiling arched impossibly high, studded with crystals that pulsed like stars. The walls shimmered with veins of light, forming rivers that flowed without heat.
At the center stood a monolith—black, jagged, yet alive with a heartbeat that mirrored Daniel's own.
The crew stopped, awe striking them silent.
Hayes finally broke it, voice low. "We shouldn't be here."
Daniel stepped forward, words spilling before he could stop them. "This place… it's been waiting. Waiting for us. For me."
The shadows circled the monolith, their formless heads bowed as if in reverence.
---
The Echo
When Daniel placed his hand on the monolith, the crystal in his chest flared so brightly the others shielded their visors.
The chamber vibrated, a deep, resonant tone filling the air—not sound, but meaning. A voice without words, pressing into their skulls.
Awaken the heart.
The floor beneath them shifted, forming pathways deeper into the planet. Doors of crystal and shadow peeled open, revealing corridors that spiraled downward.
Okafor's voice trembled. "This isn't a ruin. It's alive."
Marquez swallowed hard. "And we just woke it up."
---
Daniel turned back to them, face bathed in alien light. "We're not visitors anymore. We're part of it."
And somewhere deep below, the planet answered with a rumble that shook the chamber like the breath of something waking from sleep.