Mohit stood near the broken fence, staring at the dark tunnel hidden beneath layers of fallen concrete and twisted metal. The wind slipped through the opening like a slow breath, carrying a faint chill that brushed against his skin.
Every logical instinct told him to step back.
But the strange pull inside his chest refused to fade.
His fingers tightened slightly around the strap of his bag. After a few seconds of hesitation, he carefully climbed over the fence, landing softly on the dusty ground inside the abandoned site.
The noise of the city faded behind him.
Silence swallowed the space.
Each step echoed faintly as he approached the tunnel entrance. Loose stones shifted under his shoes, sending tiny sounds into the darkness ahead. The air smelled old — like damp earth mixed with metal and time.
Mohit stopped a few meters from the entrance.
His heart pounded steadily, not with fear, but with anticipation.
He closed his eyes and focused inward.
The weak energy inside his body reacted sharply, trembling like a thin wire pulled too tight. The reverse flow defect resisted the movement, draining a small portion instantly, but the reaction was undeniable.
Something inside that tunnel was interacting with him.
"Whatever you are…" Mohit murmured softly, "you're not normal."
He took another step forward.
The temperature dropped suddenly.
A thin layer of mist drifted near the ground, wrapping around his ankles before dissolving into the air. His breath became visible for a brief moment.
Mohit's senses sharpened.
His hearing picked up distant dripping sounds.
His skin felt the pressure change in the air.
Even his vision adjusted slightly, recognizing depth inside the darkness faster than before.
So this is what sensitivity feels like…
He reached into his pocket and turned on his phone flashlight. A narrow beam cut through the shadows, revealing cracked concrete walls covered in faint mineral streaks. Some of them shimmered weakly, reflecting light in strange patterns.
Mohit crouched beside one of the walls and touched the surface gently.
A faint warmth pulsed beneath his fingertips.
His pupils contracted.
"This…" he whispered. "Energy residue?"
It wasn't strong enough to cultivate from. It wasn't stable enough to absorb.
But it was proof.
Proof that spiritual phenomena existed even in places humans had abandoned.
His mind raced with possibilities.
If such weak traces existed here… what about deeper locations? Mountains? Volcano zones? Frozen lands?
The world was far larger than what normal eyes could see.
Suddenly, a low vibration passed through the tunnel floor.
Mohit froze.
The vibration wasn't mechanical. It wasn't random.
It felt… alive.
A second vibration followed, slightly stronger than the first.
His heartbeat synced with it unconsciously.
Slow.
Heavy.
Deep.
Mohit straightened slowly, eyes fixed on the darkness ahead.
Something was moving.
Not fast.
Not aggressive.
But undeniably present.
His instincts screamed caution, yet curiosity anchored his feet in place.
Whatever waited inside these quiet depths…
It had already noticed him.