The tunnel stretched endlessly, the air growing thick with a damp, metallic scent. Their footsteps echoed against the stone walls, swallowed quickly by the oppressive silence.

  Kael wiped sweat from his brow, his grip firm on his pistol. "How deep does this go?"

  Elysia ran a hand along the strange symbols carved into the walls. "This script... it’s ancient. Older than the ruins above."

  Phantom, ever watchful, muttered, "Then we’re not the first to come this way."

  Aldric kept his rifle at the ready. "And we might not be the last."

  Behind them, the scratching continued, distant but persistent. The creatures were still digging through the collapsed tunnel. Time was running out.

  The path sloped downward, widening into an immense underground chamber. Luminescent fungi clung to the walls, casting a sickly green glow. Stalactites jutted from the ceiling like jagged fangs. A black lake stretched across the cavern floor, its surface still and unbroken.

  Lyria stopped at the edge, peering into the abyss. "No telling how deep it goes."

  Kael's unease deepened. There was something wrong with the water—its surface shimmered unnaturally, reflecting shadows that didn’t belong to them.

  Then the whispers returned.

  Not from behind.

  From the lake.

  Aldric stiffened. "That’s not the wind."

  The murmur grew clearer, forming fragmented words in a language Kael didn’t understand. The sounds pressed against his skull, crawling into his thoughts. His vision blurred, the cavern shifting like a mirage.

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  Elysia grabbed his arm, snapping him back. "Don’t listen."

  Then, from the water, something rose.

  A shape emerged, towering, draped in dripping, tattered robes of deep black. Its face was obscured beneath a hood, but countless slitted eyes gleamed from the darkness within.

  It did not walk. It glided.

  Phantom took aim, but the thing merely lifted a clawed hand. The air rippled, and suddenly, his weapon jammed, the mechanisms frozen in place.

  Kael’s pulse thundered. "What is that?"

  The whispers coalesced into a voice, deep and resonant, yet layered with countless echoes.

  "You do not belong here."

  Aldric tightened his grip on his weapon. "We didn’t have a choice."

  The entity remained still. Then, it turned its gaze—if it could be called that—to Kael.

  "You carry the mark of the outsiders."

  Kael staggered back. "What the hell does that mean?"

  The thing leaned closer, its many eyes blinking in unison.

  "You are a key."

  The cavern trembled. The whispers turned to a cacophony. And then—

  The water exploded.

  Tendrils of black liquid lashed out from the depths, writhing and twisting as they surged toward them. Phantom yanked Kael back just as one struck where he had been standing. The stone sizzled upon contact.

  “Move!” Aldric bellowed.

  They ran.

  Tendrils crashed down around them, forcing them to weave through falling debris and splintering stone. Lyria vaulted over a fallen pillar, Phantom firing point-blank into the grasping limbs of darkness.

  Elysia slashed at a tendril, but her blade passed through as if cutting through mist. It reformed instantly, snapping at her heels.

  The entity remained motionless, watching.

  Kael’s lungs burned. The only exit lay ahead—a narrow passage at the far end of the cavern. But the black tendrils were closing in fast.

  Then Phantom pulled a device from his belt.

  "Cover your eyes!"

  A second later, a pulse of white light detonated from the device. The cavern was flooded with a blinding flash. The tendrils recoiled, shrieking, their form flickering like static.

  It was their chance.

  They didn’t hesitate. One by one, they dove into the passageway. The moment Kael crossed the threshold, the whispers cut off, the tendrils slamming against an invisible barrier.

  Then, silence.

  Panting, Kael turned back. The cavern was still, the lake eerily calm once more. The entity was gone.

  Lyria exhaled sharply. "That was too close."

  Phantom inspected his rifle, his expression grim. "We’re in deeper than we ever should’ve been."

  Aldric faced the tunnel ahead. "No choice but forward."

  Kael swallowed hard.

  Somewhere in the darkness, something else was waiting.