章節 23: Hunter in the Dark
The fall felt endless.
Wind roared in their ears, stripping Serena's breath away as shadows swallowed them whole.
The abyss had no end and no beginning... only the sensation of weightlessness and a bone-deep chill that refused to let go.
Am I still falling... or floating?
Before she could make sense of it, her descent ended abruptly.
She landed not with a bone-crushing impact, but on a soft, spongy, and strangely warm surface.
The sensation jolted her senses back into focus.
"Serena!"
Her head shot up. She wasn't alone. Lyra groaned nearby, sitting up with a grimace.
Elias crouched a few feet away, breathing heavily. Dan lay flat on his back, muttering curses under his breath.
"What just happened?" Lyra asked, her voice shaky.
"I don't know," Serena replied, her own voice trembling. She rose slowly, eyes darting around.
The ground beneath her feet was unlike anything she'd felt before... solid but faintly pulsing, glowing with a dim crimson light.
Dan sat up, his face twisted in confusion.
"Great. First, we're falling forever, and now we're standing on squishy glow-matter. What's next? A monster marathon?"
Serena ignored him, scanning their surroundings. They were in an enormous cavern, but it felt wrong... like it wasn't just a place but a living entity.
The walls shimmered and shifted, pulsing faintly like veins carrying blood through a body.
Above them, thick black mist clouded like a storm, flickering with flashes of crimson lightning.
"Are we... inside something?" Lyra whispered, horror creeping into her voice.
Elias stood, his jaw tight.
"I think so. And this doesn't feel like a trial anymore. It's like they're trying to kill us at all costs."
"Yes," Serena agreed. Her aura-sensing ability stirred faintly, warning her. The energy here was ancient... chaotic and suffocating.
It felt like they'd crossed a boundary they were never meant to enter.
A deep rumble echoed through the cavern, shaking the ground beneath their feet.
"Tell me someone else heard that," Dan muttered, taking a step back.
"We heard it," Lyra snapped, her eyes wide.
And then it moved.
From the far end of the cavern, a massive shadow peeled itself from the wall. It wasn't just darkness; it was alive.
Tendrils unfolded from its slick, obsidian body, glowing with jagged cracks of crimson light.
"Run," Elias commanded, his voice deadly calm.
They bolted, their feet sinking slightly into the pulsing ground as the creature let out an ear-splitting roar... a sound that rattled their bones and made the air around them tremble.
Serena risked a glance back and felt her heart stop.
The creature was enormous, its tendrils lashing out and dragging its bulk forward with terrifying speed.
Every movement sent shockwaves rippling through the ground, the crimson glow spreading like a disease.
Ahead, the ground sloped downward into a narrow passage. "There!" Serena shouted.
They dove into the corridor one by one. The walls pressed in tightly, forcing them to slow.
Behind them, the creature slammed into the entrance, its tendrils clawing at the edges.
"It's too big to follow," Dan panted, leaning against the wall.
"For now," Elias muttered. "But it won't stop. Keep moving."
Serena nodded to affirm what Elias said.
The corridor seemed endless, winding in unnatural ways that made it feel like they were walking in circles.
The crimson glow faded into an oppressive darkness that swallowed the sound of their footsteps.
"It's like we're walking in circles," Lyra whispered.
Dan snorted. "Would you rather go back to the monster?"
"Both of you, shut up," Elias hissed.
Serena stopped suddenly, her eyes narrowing. A faint sound drifted toward them... whispers, soft and insistent.
The voices grew louder, wrapping around them like a physical force.
Serena pressed her hands to her ears, but it didn't help. The whispers weren't coming from outside... they were inside her head.
"Stop it!" she shouted, her voice echoing.
The whispers ceased instantly, leaving behind an eerie silence.
"Did that... work?" Dan asked, his voice shaky.
Before anyone could respond, a pale blue flame flickered to life in the darkness ahead. It floated in the air, glowing softly.
"That's... not normal fire," Lyra said, her voice trembling.
"It might be a way out," Elias said, stepping forward cautiously.
"Or another trap," Lyra countered.
Serena's aura-sensing ability flared, stronger this time. The flame's energy wasn't hostile, but it wasn't entirely safe either.
"We don't have a choice," she said. "We follow it."
"You sure about that?" Dan questioned. "It's not every day a flame leads us around."
"I'm also very sure it's not every day that monsters come after you.
Stop acting like you haven't seen your own fair share of weirdness in this place," Serena muttered under her breath.
The flame drifted ahead, its light guiding them through the suffocating darkness.
The corridor widened slowly, and the ground leveled out beneath their feet.
When the flame stopped, Serena's breath caught.
They stood at the edge of an enormous chasm, the abyss below stretching into infinite darkness.
Across the chasm stood an ancient temple, carved from black stone and etched with glowing runes.
"This place..." Serena whispered. "It's filled with an insane amount of energy."
A deep, resonant thrum echoed from the temple, like the heartbeat of something ancient and sleeping.
Then, with a soft chime, the system interface flickered into view.
Ding
Welcome, user.
[Quest Update!]
Trial of the Forgotten:
Survive the Abyss. [Complete]
Escape the Hunter in the Dark. [Complete]
Unlock the Temple's Secret. [In Progress]
Warning: Proceed with caution. Danger zone ahead.
The text glowed faintly, but Serena's pulse quickened at the final warning.
"What does it say?" Lyra asked.
Serena read it aloud, her voice steady despite the growing dread in her chest.
"This 'temple secret' better be worth it," Dan muttered.
Elias studied the chasm. "How do we cross?"
Before anyone could respond, the ground beneath Serena's feet pulsed violently.
Symbols lit up around her, glowing with the same crimson light as the temple.
"What did you do?" Lyra shouted.
"I didn't do anything!" Serena snapped, stumbling back.
The symbols flared brighter, and a low hum filled the air. Suddenly, a bridge of light shot out from the edge of the chasm, connecting them to the temple.
Elias stepped forward cautiously, testing the bridge with his foot. It held firm.
"Well," he said, glancing back. "I don't know what you did, but at least we have a way to cross now. I suggest we get moving rather than stay here."
Serena took a deep breath, steadying herself.
The energy radiating from the temple grew stronger with every step they took across the bridge.
As they reached the temple's entrance, the runes etched into its surface glowed brighter, pulsing in time with the thrumming sound.
Serena hesitated, her aura-sensing ability flaring wildly.
"I don't like this," she whispered.
Lyra heard her and replied, "Nobody likes this, but we've got no choice."
"Who goes first?" Dan asked.
They all glanced at each other.
"You," everyone answered in unison.
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