Ethan's desperate calls vanished into darkness. The silence mocked him.
He sprinted forward, dodging twisted branches that reached out for him like skeletal fingers. The cityscape shifted again – ancient structures replaced trees, crumbling stone beneath his feet.
The cityscape warped once more – ancient structures replaced trees, crumbling spires and stones loomed beneath his feet, their stained glass windows glowing with malevolent intent.
Graffiti on alley walls seemed to bleed, whispering eerie warnings. Ethan's breaths echoed off damp stone.
"Lena! Alex!" Ethan shouted, his voice trembling.
Echoes taunted him, twisting his words into haunting melodies, there was still no response from Lena or Alex. Panic set in.
Fear clawed Ethan's heart. Were his friends forever lost?
Suddenly, Ethan stumbled into a dimly lit alley. Graffiti-scrawled walls seemed to whisper warnings. He spun around, searching.
Meanwhile, Lena raced through a parallel alley, her breaths ragged. Shadows danced around her. Terror in her eyes. She was petrified she thought of ending this fear, but the thought of leaving Ethan and Alex behind, gave her the courage to walk this eerie landscape. She only hoped she would find the others.
" Atleast if I die, I want to die with them, not alone ", she consoled. Well, she had to continue or she would just be trapped here in this maze.
"Alex?" she whispered once more.
Then she heard something that made her heart skip. It was a faint reply. It was from...
ALEX!
"Lena, here! Lena I'm here ", Alex said trying to locate Lena from the direction of her voice.
Lena too followed the sound of Alex's voice. Then, a figure emerged.
Truly, it was Alex, disheveled but unharmed.
"Ethan?" Alex asked, worried.
Lena shook her head. "Lost him. He's prolly looking for us too. We gotta keep moving ".
" Lena, Alex ", Ethan called out with terror written all over him.
" Is that Ethan? ", Alex whispered.
" It could be a trap, Alex, be calm ", Lena said
"Lena! Alex! ", Ethan whispered with even more terror.
" It's got to be Ethan ", Alex said with a feeling of slight relief.
" I'm gonna check it out ", he added walking away from Lena and towards the voice.
As they reunited, the alleys merged. Ethan reappeared, relief washing other feelings over his face.
Alex headed into the darkness to find Ethan, and after what felt like forever, their hands met.
" Alex? ",
" Ethan? "
The said simultaneously, calling each other's names.
Alex tried as much as he could to navigate back to where Lena was, but it proved impossible in the darkness.
" Lena ", Alex whispered.
" Alex did you find Ethan? ", Lena questioned.
Turns out they weren't that far out as they expected.
" Yeah, I did. Infact, he's right here", Alex assured.
As they reunited, alleys merged like twisted limbs. Ethan, Lena and Alex shrieking to the light.
"We need to keep moving," Ethan urged.
The trio quickened pace, navigating labyrinthine streets. Nimrod's symbol pulsed, guiding them toward an unknown destination.
" Ethan, do you know where we are going to? ", Alex questioned with terror.
" Not exactly. But we can't just stay here", Ethan responded.
Ethan was right but they weren't sure what lay ahead of them .
A hidden courtyard unfolded before them. Ancient runes adorned the walls, pulsating like a heartbeat with ominous power.
Shadows danced within the symbol, as if darkness itself was alive.
" It looks like..."
" The symbol's core," Ethan whispered with shock.
Julian's menacing voice boomed from shadows. "Welcome, Ethan. You've successfully unlocked the gateway..., to the Eternal Night ", he completed chuckling.
.