Chapter 72
The Echoes of the Past
The ruins lay still, but the weight of what had just happened pressed heavily on them. Elena ran a hand through her tangled hair, trying to steady her breathing. The air had lost its unnatural chill, yet a deep unease settled in her gut.
The creature was gone—for now.
Richard’s jaw tightened as he scanned the area, gun still raised. “We need to leave. Now.”
Naomi nodded. “Agreed. I don’t want to be around if that thing decides to come back.”
Elena hesitated, her eyes drifting back to the ancient stone slab where she had found the name. Something about it still called to her, like an unfinished sentence.
Amira must have sensed it too. “That wasn’t just some random monster,” she said softly. “It was guarding something.”
Mateo scoffed. “Oh great. You want to stick around and find out what?”
“No.” Elena’s voice was firm, though doubt gnawed at the edges of her mind. “But we can’t leave empty-handed either.”
She turned back to the ruined carvings, running her fingers over the rough stone. The name had stopped the creature—but had it truly been its name, or something else? A binding word? A command?
She didn’t have time to dwell on it.
A low rumble vibrated beneath their feet.
Richard cursed. “Tell me that was just an aftershock.”
But Elena knew better.
Something had been disturbed.
A Door Beneath the Earth
The ground near the stone slab began to shift, dust rising as if something buried deep was coming loose. Then—crack—the earth splintered, and a deep groan reverberated through the ruins.
Naomi stumbled back. “Nope. Nope. Nope. We are NOT dealing with whatever’s next.”
Elena took a cautious step forward. “It’s not attacking us… it’s opening.”
A section of the ground collapsed inward, revealing a dark passageway beneath the ruins. A cold wind rushed upward, carrying the scent of damp earth and something else—something ancient.
Mateo backed away. “Why is it always underground? Can we ever have an adventure that doesn’t involve creepy tunnels?”
Richard ignored him and shone his flashlight down into the hole. “There’s a staircase. Looks man-made.”
Elena swallowed hard. The creature had been guarding this place. If it had been that aggressive about keeping them away…
What was below?
Amira knelt at the edge, examining the stone. “This isn’t just any ruin. This was a vault.”
“A vault?” Naomi frowned.
“Yes. A place where something was hidden.” Amira glanced at Elena. “Or sealed away.”
The meaning was clear. If something was locked down here… it was locked for a reason.
Elena’s fingers curled into a fist. They had a choice: walk away and pretend they had never seen this… or go deeper.
She already knew what she was going to do.
Descent into the Unknown
“We go down.”
Mateo groaned. “I hate that I knew you were going to say that.”
One by one, they descended. The stairs were old, worn from centuries of erosion, yet still strong enough to hold them. The deeper they went, the cooler the air became.
Richard took the lead, gun raised. “Stay close.”
Naomi clutched her flashlight, her expression wary. “I swear, if something jumps out at us, I’m punching first and asking questions later.”
Elena smirked. “Good plan.”
The deeper they went, the narrower the passage became. The walls were lined with symbols, similar to the ones on the ruins above, but more intricate. The carvings glowed faintly, as though still pulsing with ancient energy.
Amira brushed dust away from one of the symbols, her brow furrowing. “This language… I don’t recognize all of it, but the parts I can read suggest… a warning.”
Richard gritted his teeth. “Of course it’s a warning.”
Elena stepped ahead, staring at the largest carving on the wall. It was different from the rest—less a warning, more a statement.
She read the inscription aloud:
“He who wakes what sleeps shall bear the burden of the past.”
A shiver crawled down her spine.
Before she could respond, the ground shuddered, and from the darkness ahead, a deep groan echoed through the tunnel.
Something was waiting for them.
And now, it knew they were here.
