The silence that accompanied their descent was anything but natural. It wasn't just the absence of sound, it was something deeper, more disturbing. A heavy, oppressive silence, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Each step on the stone stairs echoed with an otherworldly resonance.
Luminous runes etched into the walls cast a pale, ghostly glow, but they brought no warmth. Their bluish, flickering light felt like dead illumination, unable to banish the creeping shadows that clung to every crevice.
'This place... it's nothing like what we've seen so far... Who built these steps? And why?' Gaël wondered, unease tightening in his chest.
Why did they only respond to the power of the Umbra? The runes felt quiet, attentive, but there was Umbra everywhere here, seeping from the stone itself, saturating even the air. Who could say if these seals wouldn't activate on their own at any moment?
Brann led the way, sword already drawn. His posture was flawless, his sharp gaze scanning every inch of the passage ahead.
Behind him, Maera walked slightly behind, her movements fluid and sensual, just enough to momentarily distract Gaël from the looming threat of death. Her amber eyes gleamed with a mix of excitement and caution. She said nothing, but her fingers occasionally traced the hilt of her blade, like a musician caressing her instrument before a fatal melody.
Kaien wore a strangely serious expression. His eyes, shimmering with gold and shadow, studied the runes carved into the stone, scrutinizing each symbol with unusual focus. He raised a hesitant hand, brushing the edge of one of the glowing inscriptions.
The moment his skin touched the cold, smooth surface, a shiver raced up his arm, a whisper of power that resonated from deep within the stone itself.
"I don't like this…" he murmured at last, his usual smile nowhere to be seen.
At the rear of the group, Rai caught the change in his demeanor. He stopped as well, tilting his head slightly before asking in a calm, measured voice:
"What do you see?"
Kaien withdrew his hand abruptly, as if he'd touched a searing flame. He stared at his fingers for a moment, then turned to his companions, doubt shadowing his face.
"These aren't just defensive seals. Or traps meant for abominations." He paused. His smile returned, tighter, more strained. "It's a system."
A weight settled in Gaël's chest. 'A system?'
His eyes drifted instinctively to the runes that surrounded them, stretching along the walls and vanishing into the depths below. He swallowed hard before daring to ask:
"A system? What does that mean?"
Kaien took a deep breath, then nodded slowly, as if sorting through his thoughts.
"A mechanism… or perhaps… a prison."
A heavy silence settled over the group, thickening the already stifling atmosphere. A nearly imperceptible shiver ran through them. Brann, usually unshaken, wasted no time on unnecessary words. Without a sound, he quickened his pace, taking the lead down the steps. If something was slumbering here… best not to linger.
They pressed on. The darkness deepened, so dense now it felt almost solid. The silence stretched until something shifted.
The air grew heavier. Almost sticky. A metallic scent crept into their nostrils, leaving a bitter taste on Gaël's tongue. He wiped his mouth, half-expecting to see blood.
Then, a sound. A faint rustle. Elusive, delicate. A whisper, distant yet undeniably real.
Kaien froze and raised a firm hand, signaling the group to halt. "Did you hear that?"
Maera, already tense, gripped the hilt of her weapon tighter, her muscles coiling in response to the sudden alert.
"I heard it… but not with my ears."
Gaël opened his mouth to ask, but as they reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw them.
At first, they were just vague shapes lurking in the gloom, motionless. He thought for a moment they were statues, remnants of some forgotten civilization.
But the longer he looked, the more wrong it felt.
They were moving, barely. Just enough to betray their true nature.
A chill ran down his spine.
They weren't statues. They were bodies.
Suspended in the air, as if frozen mid-fall, their limbs twisted in terror, their faces locked in silent screams. They touched neither ground nor wall. They floated, anchored to something unseen.
"By the stars… what is this place?" he whispered, voice tight with horror.
Gaël's breath quickened. His instincts screamed at him to turn back, but his legs wouldn't move.
This wasn't a cavern, it was a suspended graveyard.
A cursed sanctuary where death never came to rest.
Brann, finally catching up to them, surveyed the chamber ahead with calm eyes. It was vast, lined with fallen pillars and shattered arches, dimly lit by glowing blue runes etched into the walls. But at the center, the floor changed: a black surface, almost liquid, like a frozen lake that devoured light itself. A living darkness.
Rai stepped forward slowly, studying the strange expanse with caution.
It didn't reflect light, it swallowed it whole.
"Something lies beneath," he murmured, voice low and reverent.
Kaien folded his arms, though his usual smirk had vanished, replaced by an unusual caution.
"If it's an invitation, I'm inclined to decline."
"It's not," Brann replied, his voice as sharp as the steel of his blade. "We go around it."
They resumed their march, every step watched, every shadow suspect. The silence on this second level felt different than before, time itself seemed to stretch, warped by the suffocating darkness. Each movement was a burden, every breath a struggle, as if the very world rejected their presence.
At last, after what felt like hours, Brann raised a hand and stopped. "We rest here."
No one objected. Their bodies were spent, their minds worn thin by the oppressive weight of the void surrounding them. All around, the silent sanctuary of suspended souls watched their intrusion, waiting. Beneath the pitch-black surface of the floor, something ancient and dreadful stirred, biding its time.