The hidden doorway opened before them, revealing a long, dimly lit passage that seemed to stretch into the very heart of the Lost City. The air was heavy with the weight of ancient magic, and the faint glow of the carvings on the walls flickered like dying embers. As Evelyn Carter, Marcus Reed, and Claire Wren stepped into the passage, they could feel the power of the place pulsing beneath their feet, a reminder that the city itself was alive with the echoes of a forgotten civilization.
The path was narrow and winding, the stone walls cold to the touch. The only sound was the soft echo of their footsteps as they ventured deeper into the ruins. Despite the oppressive atmosphere, there was a strange sense of purpose in the air, as though the city itself had been waiting for their arrival.
"We're close," Claire whispered, her voice barely audible in the silence. "I can feel it."
Evelyn nodded, her heart pounding in her chest. She had felt it too—the pull of something ancient, something powerful, beckoning them forward. The Lost City wasn't just a ruin; it was a place of profound importance, a place tied to The Source in ways they were only beginning to understand.
As they rounded a corner, the passage opened up into a vast chamber, unlike anything they had seen before. The walls were lined with intricate carvings that depicted scenes of an ancient ritual—figures dressed in ceremonial robes, gathered around a massive stone altar, their hands raised in prayer or supplication. The chamber was illuminated by a soft, golden light that seemed to emanate from the very stones themselves, casting a warm, ethereal glow over everything.
At the center of the room stood a towering stone structure—a circular platform surrounded by columns that reached up to the ceiling. In the middle of the platform, there was a large, shallow bowl carved into the stone, its surface filled with a shimmering liquid that seemed to glow with an otherworldly light.
"This must be the heart of the Lost City," Marcus said, his voice filled with awe as he stepped closer to the platform. "This is where they performed the rituals."
Evelyn approached the platform cautiously, her eyes scanning the carvings on the walls. The scenes depicted an ancient ceremony, one that seemed to be focused on The Source. The figures were shown offering something to the glowing energy above them, and the liquid in the bowl was central to the ritual.
Claire stood at the edge of the platform, her gaze fixed on the shimmering liquid. "This is it," she whispered, her voice trembling. "This is the ceremony they used to connect to The Source."
Evelyn felt a chill run down her spine. The energy in the chamber was overwhelming, and the significance of what they were witnessing was clear. The Lost City had once sought to harness the power of The Source, and this chamber was where they had performed the rituals to do so.
"This is how they tried to control The Source," Evelyn said softly. "But something must have gone wrong. The city was destroyed."
Marcus frowned, his eyes narrowing as he studied the carvings. "It looks like they were offering something… or someone. A sacrifice."
Evelyn's stomach twisted at the word. The idea of sacrificing someone to control The Source was horrifying, but it made sense. The civilization that had built this city had been willing to do whatever it took to gain access to the power of The Source, even if it meant making the ultimate sacrifice.
"We need to be careful," Evelyn warned, her voice steady. "We don't know what this ritual did, or what it might still be capable of."
Claire nodded, though her gaze remained fixed on the platform. "But if we're going to stop the Arcane Order, we need to understand how this ritual worked. We need to know what they were trying to achieve."
Marcus stepped onto the platform, his eyes scanning the symbols etched into the stone. "There's something here," he said, his voice filled with curiosity. "Something about the liquid in the bowl—it's connected to the ceremony."
Evelyn joined him on the platform, her heart racing as she studied the shimmering liquid. The energy emanating from it was palpable, like a living force waiting to be unleashed. But there was something else—something deeper, something that seemed to call out to them.
"This is where they made the sacrifice," Claire said softly, her voice filled with a mix of fear and understanding. "They offered something to The Source in exchange for power."
Evelyn's eyes widened as she realized what Claire was saying. The ceremony wasn't just about connecting to The Source—it was about giving something in return. The civilization had believed that in order to control The Source, they had to make a sacrifice, to offer something precious in exchange for the power they sought.
"We need to be careful," Marcus said again, his voice tense. "We don't know what we're dealing with here. If we trigger the ritual…"
Evelyn nodded, though her mind was already racing. The Lost City had been destroyed because they had sought to control The Source, but what if they could learn from the mistakes of the past? What if they could use the knowledge they had gained here to stop the Arcane Order from making the same mistakes?