The darkness around us pulsed with a terrifying rhythm, each wave threatening to extinguish the flickering light of the runes entirely. The figure's presence was overwhelming, its form now more solid, more tangible, as if feeding off our fear. Evelyn and I exchanged a glance—there was no more room for error. This was our last chance.
"We have to try again," Evelyn said, her voice barely above a whisper, yet resolute.
"Will the altar hold?" I asked, doubt creeping into my thoughts as I stared at the weakening runes beneath our feet.
"It has to," she replied, gripping my hand with renewed determination. "We have to make it hold, so this time around, we have to give in all we got for everything to be in our favor."
The shadowy figure's tendrils crept closer, curling around the edges of the altar, choking the light. I could feel the coldness seeping into my bones, a chilling reminder that the void was still very much alive, still terrifying and dangerous and most horribly, waiting to consume us.
"We need to focus," Evelyn said, her eyes locked on the altar. "We have to channel everything we have left, every memory, every hope, every fear. The light inside us is all we have."
I nodded, feeling a surge of determination. Together, we knelt before the altar, placing our hands on its cold, rough surface. The runes beneath our fingers flared weakly, responding to our touch, but it wasn't enough. The darkness was still winning, the void pressing in from all sides.
"Marcus, think of home," Evelyn urged, her voice soft but commanding. "Think of the people we've lost, the lives that depend on us. Let that light guide you."
I closed my eyes, pushing past the suffocating pressure of the void. I thought of my mother, her laughter ringing in the old farmhouse, her warmth as she pulled me close during those stormy nights. I thought of the friends I'd lost, the promises we made to each other, the dreams we once shared. And then, I thought of Evelyn, how far we'd come together, how much we had endured, and how much was still at stake.
The runes responded, glowing brighter beneath our hands. The light pushed back against the darkness, creating a small, trembling barrier between us and the void. But it wasn't enough. The figure's voice echoed through the chamber, a low, menacing growl.
"You cannot escape your fate," it whispered, its words cutting through the light like a knife. "This place will be your tomb, no one has ever come in here and escape. You all should be ready to perish here,because this is your final bus stops."
The tendrils of darkness lashed out, striking the altar with a force that shook the entire chamber. The light flickered dangerously, and I felt the ground beneath us start to crack. We were running out of time.
"Evelyn!" I called, my voice tight with desperation. "We need something more, something stronger, something to make a difference and save our lifes."
Her face was pale, sweat beading on her brow as she fought to keep the light alive. "There's one thing we haven't tried," she said, her voice trembling with both fear and resolve.
"What is it?" I asked, willing to do anything, anything at all.
She hesitated for just a moment, then met my eyes with a look of steely determination. "The rock, the one that brought us here. It's connected to this place, to the curse. Maybe… maybe we can use it."
"But that thing, it nearly killed us," I reminded her, the memory of the rock's malevolent energy still fresh in my mind.
"I know," she said, her voice steady despite the fear in her eyes. "But it's the only way. We need to harness its power, turn it against the void."
Before I could protest, she reached into her bag, pulling out the rock. It was still warm to the touch, its surface smooth and unyielding. As soon as it was exposed to the air, the runes on the altar flared violently, reacting to the rock's presence.
The figure recoiled, its tendrils pulling back slightly as if it recognized the threat.
"Do it, Marcus," Evelyn urged, holding out the rock to me. "We do it together."
Taking a deep breath, I placed the rock on the center of the altar. The moment it touched the stone, a shockwave rippled through the chamber, throwing us both backward. The runes flared to life, burning with a bright, searing light that cut through the darkness like a blade.
The shadowy figure let out a deafening roar, its form writhing and contorting as the light engulfed it. The void began to unravel, the tendrils retreating, pulling away from the altar, but the figure fought back with a fury that shook the very foundations of the chamber.
Evelyn and I scrambled to our feet, pressing our hands to the rock, channeling every ounce of strength we had left into it. The light from the runes grew stronger, pulsating in time with our heartbeats, pushing the darkness back inch by inch.
"You cannot destroy me!" the figure screamed, its voice a cacophony of rage and despair. "I am eternal, so stop trying to avoid the unavoidable. At the end of the day, you all shall be consumed."
"We're not trying to destroy you," Evelyn shouted back, her voice strong and clear. "We're taking back what's ours!"
With a final surge of power, the light exploded outward, blinding us with its intensity. The figure shrieked, its form disintegrating into wisps of smoke as the light consumed it. The ground beneath the altar cracked open, and the darkness was sucked into the void, pulled away from the light, from us.
As the chamber began to collapse around us, the light from the runes started to fade, leaving only the rock at the center of the altar, glowing faintly. The air was thick with dust and the lingering remnants of darkness. We had won, or so we thought. But just as we began to catch our breath, the ground beneath us gave way entirely, and we were plunged into a new, unknown abyss, the light of the rock dimming as we fell into the depths below. As confused and tired as I was, shouting wasn't part of me.