Chapter 13: chapter 13
The air on the other side of the door was different—thicker, yet oddly still, as though we had stepped into a place that hadn't been disturbed for centuries. The light that poured from the symbols dimmed until the chamber was left in an eerie half-glow, the stone walls surrounding us adorned with more of the spiraling markings. These symbols pulsed faintly, like they were alive, like they were watching.
Cole was the first to stand, shoving the dead flashlight into his backpack with a grunt. "So…what now?"
"We keep moving," Ava said, her voice strained but steady. She turned toward the far end of the room where another tunnel loomed, its entrance framed by more of the ancient symbols. "We're not staying here."
I pushed myself to my feet, my legs shaky. "And what if this tunnel leads us right back to them?" The memory of those jagged shapes, their hollow eyes, and their relentless pursuit was still too fresh.
Ava turned to look at me, and for the first time, I saw it—the fear she was fighting to hide. "Then we'll deal with it. Like we always do."
Will wiped her face, sniffing quietly. "What even is this place? Who built this?"
No one had an answer. I didn't think any of us did.
Cole's boots echoed as he stepped toward the next tunnel. "Whatever it is, it's old. And if those things can't come through that door, maybe this place is safer than the cavern."
I wasn't so sure. The strange pulsing glow of the symbols, the electric feeling in the air—none of it felt safe. But lingering wasn't an option. We needed to keep moving.
"Stay close," Ava said as she took the lead again, knife ready. Cole followed, muttering something under his breath about how he hoped this tunnel wasn't as narrow as the last. Will stayed close to me, her fingers gripping the sleeve of my jacket as though she was afraid I'd disappear. I didn't mind. I felt the same.
The new tunnel was wider, but the air was colder. I could see my breath fog in the dim light as we walked, the silence pressing in on us like a weight. Every step echoed too loudly, and I couldn't help but glance back over my shoulder again and again, half-expecting to see the shadows pouring after us.
But there was nothing.
Time seemed to stretch as we moved deeper. At first, I thought we were descending, but then the ground began to level out. The pulsing hum—the one that had filled the air in the cavern and around the door—was gone, replaced by an unsettling stillness.
And then we saw it.
The tunnel opened into another chamber, smaller than the last. In the center of the room stood an altar made of the same stone as the door, its surface covered in more glowing symbols. Above it, carved into the wall, was a massive circular symbol, larger than anything we'd seen so far. It pulsed faintly, its light flowing like liquid through cracks in the stone.
Cole stepped forward, squinting up at the carving. "It's the same symbol as on the door."
Will stayed at the edge of the room. "It looks like…like the heart of this place."
Ava moved closer to the altar, her eyes narrowing as she studied the strange writing carved across its surface. "This doesn't look random. It's a message. Or…a warning."
"A warning for what?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Before Ava could answer, a faint vibration shook the ground beneath us, and the circular symbol on the wall flared with light—brighter than before. The glow seeped across the walls and into the floor, snaking toward the altar like veins of molten fire.
Will backed away. "What's happening?"
Cole cursed under his breath. "We shouldn't be here."
The pulsing light grew stronger, faster, and I felt it again—that deep, humming rhythm like the beat of an enormous heart. The ground trembled, dust falling from the ceiling, and I stumbled back as Ava yelled, "Something's coming!"
The light at the center of the circular carving condensed, forming a glowing fissure in the stone. Slowly, it began to widen.
And then we heard it.
The skittering.
From the glowing crack, the shadows emerged. At first, they were thin tendrils of darkness, but they grew, coalescing into familiar jagged forms—shapes that peeled themselves free of the light like ink dripping from paper. Their hollow eyes glowed faintly, fixed on us.
Will screamed. "They found us!"
"No, they were here already," Ava snapped, dragging me backward. "They're part of this place."
The shadows spilled into the room like a living tide, moving faster than before. Ava grabbed Cole and shoved him toward the tunnel we'd come from. "Back! GO!"
We turned to flee, but the entrance behind us slammed shut, stone grinding against stone. The sound was deafening.
"We're trapped!" Cole yelled.
I turned, frantic, searching for anything that could help us. My gaze fell on the altar. The symbols—still glowing—were pulsing erratically now, like they were alive, reacting to the creatures.
"Maybe we can use this!" I shouted, running to the altar.
"What do you mean?" Ava demanded, the shadows closing in around us.
"I don't know, but it's connected to them! Look at the symbols!"
Without waiting for their approval, I pressed my hands onto the altar, my palms burning from the cold stone. The symbols flared, and the humming in the air turned into a deafening roar. Light erupted from the altar, streaming outward in a blinding wave.
The shadows shrieked, their forms twisting violently as the light hit them. They clawed at the air, but the light burned through them, tearing them apart like mist in a gale.
"Keep it up!" Ava shouted. "Whatever you're doing—don't stop!"
The light pulsed again, and the shadows let out one final, earsplitting cry before exploding into nothingness. Silence fell as the light dimmed, leaving the room dark and still once more.
I collapsed to my knees, gasping for breath. The symbols on the altar were fading now, their glow reduced to faint embers.
Cole staggered forward, looking down at me. "What did you do?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "But it worked."
Ava helped me up, her eyes scanning the room warily. "For now. But we need to figure out what this place is and how to get out before those things come back."
Will stared at the now-dark carving in the wall, her voice shaking. "They weren't just shadows. They were guardians."
I looked at her, frowning. "Guardians of what?"
Will turned to me, her face pale. "Something worse."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone