The cavern still hummed with residual energy, the air thick with the tension of what had just transpired. Yeon-ah remained on her knees, her body trembling with exhaustion as she stared at the dust that had once been the beast. The overwhelming power of the nexus still thrummed faintly in her bones, but it was fading, leaving her feeling drained and hollow.
The woman sheathed her sword with a practiced motion, her sharp eyes scanning the room. "It's done for now," she said, her voice calm but weary. "But we need to keep moving."
Yeon-ah nodded slowly, trying to gather the strength to stand. Every muscle in her body screamed in protest, the effects of channeling the nexus's power taking their toll. Her hands still trembled, and her heart was racing, but she knew they couldn't linger here. Not after everything that had happened.
Juna approached cautiously, her wide eyes filled with concern as she looked at Yeon-ah. "Are you... okay?" she asked softly, her voice trembling slightly.
Yeon-ah forced a tired smile and nodded. "I'll be fine." But even as she said the words, she wasn't sure if she believed them. The power of the nexus was unlike anything she had ever encountered, and while it had saved them today, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had barely scratched the surface of what it was truly capable of.
The woman was already moving, her gaze fixed on the path ahead. "There's no telling what else is down here," she said. "We need to find the next point before anything else wakes up."
Yeon-ah staggered to her feet, her body still heavy with fatigue, and followed. Juna fell in step beside her, glancing nervously at the crumbled remains of the beast as they passed by. The air in the cavern felt colder now, the oppressive weight of the nexus's power still lingering even as they moved away from the altar.
As they made their way through the narrow tunnels, a strange, unsettling silence fell over them. The only sound was the faint echo of their footsteps against the stone floor, and the further they walked, the more uneasy Yeon-ah became. Something about this place felt wrong—like they were walking deeper into the heart of something ancient and dangerous.
The tunnels twisted and turned, leading them deeper underground. The faint light from the surface was long gone, and the only illumination came from the flickering glow of their lanterns. The air grew colder and heavier, and with each step, Yeon-ah felt the weight of the past pressing down on her.
"There," the woman said suddenly, her voice cutting through the silence. She pointed ahead to a small opening in the rock, barely wide enough for one person to slip through. "That's where we need to go."
Yeon-ah's heart skipped a beat as she stared at the narrow passage. "Are you sure?" she asked, her voice hoarse.
The woman nodded. "This is the only way forward."
Without waiting for further discussion, she moved toward the opening, slipping through with ease. Yeon-ah followed, her heart pounding as she squeezed through the tight space, the stone walls scraping against her skin. Juna came last, her small form just barely able to fit through the narrow gap.
On the other side, the tunnel opened up into a massive underground chamber, far larger than the one they had just left. The air here was different, heavier, almost stifling. The walls were lined with strange markings, symbols carved into the stone that glowed faintly in the darkness.
Yeon-ah's pulse quickened as she looked around, her sharp yellow eyes tracing the patterns etched into the walls. There was something familiar about these symbols, though she couldn't quite place where she had seen them before.
Juna, too, seemed captivated, her eyes wide as she took in the markings. "What... is this place?" she whispered, her voice filled with awe and fear.
The woman remained silent for a moment, her eyes scanning the room carefully. Then, in a voice so quiet it was almost a whisper, she said, "It's a place that should have been forgotten."
Yeon-ah's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
The woman turned to face her, her expression unreadable. "This is a ruin from before the Devourers, before the Dominion Circle. A time when the world was shaped by forces we can't even begin to understand."
The weight of her words hung in the air, and Yeon-ah felt a chill run down her spine. She had known that the world was filled with ancient powers, but hearing it spoken aloud like this made it feel all the more real—and terrifying.
Juna took a small step forward, her eyes fixed on the glowing symbols. "Do you think this is connected to the nexus?" she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.
The woman nodded slowly. "It has to be."
Yeon-ah stepped closer to the walls, her eyes narrowing as she studied the symbols. The energy in the room was overwhelming, almost suffocating. The symbols seemed to pulse in time with the faint thrum of power that echoed through the chamber, and as she stared at them, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
She reached out slowly, her fingers brushing against the cold stone, and the moment her skin touched the surface, a jolt of energy shot through her. It was faint, but familiar—the same feeling she had when she touched the altar of the nexus.
Yeon-ah gasped, pulling her hand back quickly. Her mind raced as she processed what had just happened. The symbols weren't just carvings—they were a conduit, a part of the same ancient power that flowed through the nexus.
"It's connected," Yeon-ah whispered, her voice trembling with realization. "The nexus... it's all connected to this."
The woman turned to her, her sharp eyes narrowing. "What did you feel?"
Yeon-ah took a deep breath, her hands trembling slightly as she tried to find the words to explain. "It's the same energy... the same power. Whatever this place is, it's tied to the nexus, to the power that's buried deep beneath the surface."
The woman's expression darkened, and for the first time since Yeon-ah had met her, she saw a flicker of fear in her eyes. "We shouldn't be here."
Juna stepped back, her wide eyes filled with fear. "What do you mean? We came all this way... there has to be a reason."
The woman shook her head slowly, her gaze fixed on the glowing symbols. "Some things are better left untouched. Whatever this is... it was meant to stay buried."
But even as the woman spoke, the ground beneath them began to rumble, a low, ominous vibration that sent a jolt of fear through Yeon-ah's chest.
Something was waking up.