She turned her head toward the exit and began walking toward it. She had only made it halfway before she stumbled. Pain radiated across her foot where a sharp spike impaled the ground just above her toes. Elowen bit her lip and grimaced. She lifted her foot gingerly, wincing with each step. Blood flowed freely from the gash. It wasn't serious, however, and she soon limped past the trap, which continued to emit faint warnings. Elowen picked up her pace, though not quickly enough to escape notice. She was being followed by a figure who watched in silence as their prey escaped without paying for the trap's cost. It was only when Elowen turned down a darkened hall that the pain became unbearable. With one hand pressed firmly against the wound in her calf, Elowen forced herself to continue onward, ignoring the growing discomfort of her injury.
Those same red glowing eyes that had been following her since the forest now burned through the darkness, closer than before. She could feel them, hot and predatory, watching her every move as she stumbled through the underbrush. Her breath came in shallow gasps, heart racing against her ribs. She had thought, at first, it was just her imagination—a trick of the shadows, a trick of the mind. But as she turned the corner of the old stone wall and caught a glimpse of them again, she knew it was no longer just a thought.
Something was really following her. Something that didn't belong in this world. She hadn't meant to end up here. The tunnel had seemed like the only option, the only place to escape when the sounds from the forest grew too close, too insistent. She had scrambled down into the darkness, the rough stone walls pressing against her as if trying to trap her inside. Her pulse hammered in her ears as she stumbled deeper, breath shallow and ragged. The cool air smelled of damp earth and old secrets, but it did nothing to soothe the panic that gripped her chest.
The tunnel was long. Too long. No matter how far she ran, no matter how many corners she turned, the eyes remained with her—like a trail of embers following the flicker of her frantic steps. And they weren't just behind her anymore.
They were all around her.
She swallowed, forcing herself to stop. Her fingers brushed the cold, jagged stone of the tunnel's walls as she steadied herself. There was a strange, oppressive stillness in the air—like the whole world had paused to watch her.
The red glow pulsed in the dark, rhythmic and slow, almost like a heartbeat. It wasn't just one set of eyes anymore. They were scattered, flickering through the tunnel's vast, unseen spaces, watching from every crevice, every shadow.
"I need to get out," she muttered, barely above a whisper. But where? There was no end in sight, no light filtering in from the entrance anymore. Just the suffocating blackness and the ever-present glow. She felt claustrophobic, trapped within the walls of the tunnel. It was a prison, and she was its prisoner.
With trembling hands, Elowen reached forward and pressed her palm flat against the wall. She waited for some sort of response, but there was none.
"Hello?" she whispered. She tried again.
"Someone…" Her voice trailed off.
She had expected to be answered, but there was only silence. She was alone, utterly alone. Even if someone had heard her, there was no one to answer her call. She stood, paralyzed and alone, staring blindly into the depths of the endless corridor until finally her legs gave out beneath her. The blood stopped, and an eerie stillness filled the air. The darkness grew deeper the farther she went, until all traces of light vanished entirely and only the eerie glow of the strange blue crystals lit the way.
She stopped suddenly, peering down the shadowy corridor that stretched before her. Her mind still buzzing from the traps she had narrowly avoided. The heavy air of the chamber seemed to thicken around her, as if the ruins themselves were holding their breath. A new passage lay ahead, and the path beyond was dimly lit by the flickering glow of her lantern. The walls, however, were unsettlingly reflective. They gleamed in the low light, polished stone or glass—she couldn't tell which—forming a corridor of mirrored surfaces that stretched deep into the darkness.
Those eyes were constantly following her. Hundreds of them, scattered across the tunnel, glowing in the dark like scattered embers but in one slow blink. At first, she tried to ignore them. But with every step, they seemed to multiply, blinking in and out of the darkness, as if the tunnel itself had become alive with them. And that's when she realized—
The eyes weren't real.
Not all of them, at least.
They were reflections.
[System Warning]
[Warning: Approaching Hall of Mirrors. Illusory pathways detected]
The voice of the system was a cold reminder of the dangers ahead. Elowen had heard of these traps—mirrors designed to confuse and disorient intruders. In the old legends, it was said that many had entered the hall, only to be swallowed by false reflections or driven mad by their own distorted images.
"Stay sharp," Elowen muttered to herself, stepping cautiously into the hall. Her footsteps echoed off the hard rock walls, sending a shiver of fear down her spine as she read the warnings written in same ancient language.
⩷⩤⩛⩘⩧: ⩧⩛⩜⩤ ⩜⩣⩛⩞⩤ ⩝⩧⩤⩞⩙, ⩢⩘ ⩛⩣⩟⩡!
Vigilanti: Auditi Hanc Nuntium, O Viator Inexperti!
[Warning: Heed This Message, O Unwary Traveler!]
⩐⩡⩙⩛ ⩿⩙⩡⩛⩜⩤, ⩜⩣⩞⩜⩧ ⩣⩤⩟ ⩡⩛⩞⩣⩦ ⩗⩤⩘ ⩷⩛⩣⩡⩤⩝⩧⩛ ⩜⩣⩛⩜⩧!
Per vetustas potestas, nullus transire liceat sine ratione!
[By ancient powers, let none pass without cause!]
⩤⩡⩞⩤ ⩟⩤⩘ ⩟⩤ ⩝⩧⩟⩜⩡⩧⩧⩩ ⩢⩜⩡ ⩩⩧⩡⩨ ⩝⩛⩣⩡⩣⩜⩧⩛. ⩻⩝ ⩱⩝⩤ ⩜⩣⩛⩧⩜ ⩢⩤ ⩝⩧⩤⩝⩧⩨ ⩡⩨ ⩝⩣⩞⩤⩝⩜⩡⩦.
Viam ante te non solum lapis et lignum est, sed labyrinthus sacratum, a machinis aetatis priscorum alligatus. Intra periculum tuum, nam singuli passus potentias excitare possunt, quae numquam excitae esse debuerunt.
[The path before you is not of mere mirror and timber, but a sanctified labyrinth, bound by mechanisms of a time long lost. Enter at your own risk, for every footfall may stir forces that were never meant to awaken.]
⩷⩤ ⩧⩡⩧⩧⩧⩡ ⩝⩡⩧ ⩷⩛ ⩟⩡⩙⩛⩧⩤:
Pericula sunt magna et implacabilia:
[The dangers are great and unforgiving:]
⩷⩤ ⩡⩞⩛⩡⩙, ⩯⩡ ⩝⩛⩟⩤⩡⩛: ⩷⩛⩟⩡ ⩩⩧⩜⩡⩧⩧⩙ ⩪⩡⩞ ⩡⩛⩝⩧⩡ ⩛⩡⩧⩜⩧ ⩟⩡⩚⩧⩧⩧⩩ ⩟⩡⩛⩧⩧⩛⩧⩜⩡⩜⩧ ⩿⩙⩡⩛⩧⩡ ⩧⩣⩛⩜⩡⩧⩦.
Grave leviter, aut deleberis: Ipse lapides quibus ambulas te fallere possunt. Dolos absconditos, a laminis acutis ad sagittas veneni, in insidiis latent pro viatoribus inexperti.
[Tread Lightly, or Be Destroyed: The very stones you walk upon may betray you. Hidden traps, from sharp blades to poisoned darts, lie in wait for the unwary.]
⩟⩛⩡⩜⩡⩧ ⩷⩤ ⩡⩙ ⩧⩣⩞ ⩛⩡⩛ ⩩⩧⩜⩡⩧⩧⩡⩤: ⩷⩛⩟⩡ ⩷⩛⩡⩞⩜⩡⩧⩡⩛ ⩡⩡⩣⩛⩛⩤ ⩛⩡⩛ ⩩⩧⩜⩡⩧⩦. ⩦⩛ ⩟⩡⩙⩛⩡⩛ ⩡⩡⩣⩛⩛⩡⩛ ⩡⩛⩞⩡⩜⩡⩧⩧⩧⩦—⩷⩡⩛, ⩛⩡⩞⩧⩛⩧, ⩟⩛⩡⩛⩜⩡⩜⩧.
Sacrum perturbare, et Iracundiam Deorum obicere: Reliquiae quae hic quiescunt antiquis sunt aevi ipsa. Eorum turbatio iudicium divinum provocare—celerem, terribilem, et inexorabilem.
[Disrupt the Sacred, and Face the Wrath of the Gods: The relics that slumber here are older than time itself. To disturb them is to invite divine judgment—swift, terrible, and unrelenting.]
⩩⩧⩡⩜⩡ ⩧⩧ ⩧⩜⩡⩞⩧⩦ ⩡⩙⩣⩡⩛: ⩧⩡⩝⩧ ⩷⩛ ⩷⩡⩙⩡⩛ ⩩⩧⩣⩛⩣⩜⩡⩧⩡⩛⩦ ⩧⩣⩛⩞⩡⩧⩧⩤⩛ ⩦⩡⩧⩧⩦. ⩷⩛⩣⩟ ⩡⩙⩣⩛⩠ ⩡⩣⩟⩧ ⩞⩡⩣⩧⩛ ⩡⩣⩛⩝⩡⩧⩦, ⩡⩧⩛ ⩡⩣⩞⩣⩡⩡⩣ ⩡⩡⩜⩡⩡ ⩞⩡⩣⩧⩛ ⩝⩛⩧⩦.
Fuga est spes stulti: Ubi machinae antiquae in motum sunt positae, nulla regressus est. Via praevisa ad periculum solum ducit, et exitus ab ipsis viribus quas excitas obstrueitur.
[Escape is a Fool's Hope: Once the ancient mechanisms are set into motion, there is no turning back. The path ahead leads only to peril, and the way out will be sealed by the very forces you awaken.]
⩦⩛⩣⩟ ⩧⩡⩣⩛ ⩝⩛⩧⩦ ⩢⩡⩛... ⩷⩛ ⩡⩞⩡⩧ ⩡⩧, ⩯⩡ ⩝⩛⩟ ⩝⩛⩧⩠ ⩧⩜⩡⩞⩡⩛ ⩟⩡⩣⩛ ⩡⩣⩞⩣⩡⩠ ⩡⩧⩝⩧⩡⩧⩛ ⩝⩡⩧⩛⩜⩡⩧⩤.
Maledictio coepit commovere... Revertere nunc, aut aeternam iram eorum qui olim hos aulæ custodiiverunt obice.
[The curse has begun to stir… Turn back now, or face the eternal fury of those who once guarded these halls.]
⩿⩛⩣⩟ ⩧⩡⩛⩣ ⩡⩟ ⩧⩡⩝⩧, ⩯⩡ ⩝⩧⩡⩧ ⩝⩛ ⩦⩡⩝⩧ ⩝⩛ ⩧⩜⩡⩜⩧.
Procede tantum si audes, nam nulla misericordia ostendetur.
[Proceed only if you dare, for no mercy will be shown.]
She walked slowly through the maze of mirrors, her eyes darting from side to side. She was completely lost in the dark corridors, relying solely on instinct and intuition. The first few steps were unnervingly quiet, her boots making no sound against the polished surface beneath her. As she moved deeper into the hall, the mirrors began to shift with each step, reflecting her image from different angles—sometimes behind her, sometimes to the side, creating a dizzying effect. It was like walking through a hall of ghosts, every reflection showing a slightly different version of herself.
Suddenly, one of the mirrors flickered. The image of Elowen in the glass shifted unnaturally—her figure began to move toward her, mimicking her actions with perfect synchronicity. She stopped in her tracks, staring at her reflection, a chill crawling up her spine.
[System Notification]
[Warning: Illusion detected. Mirage of Golems triggered]
A deep, resonating clang echoed through the hall, followed by the unmistakable sound of stone grinding against stone. Elowen's gaze snapped to one of the mirrored panels ahead. There, looming large in the reflection, stood two massive stone golems—its eyes glowing with a faint, eerie light, and its jagged limbs creaking as if coming to life.
No... No, that's not real, she thought, her heart pounding as she stepped back, her eyes scanning the surrounding mirrors for clues. The golems were only reflections—illusory threats, designed to lure her toward them.
But the reflection of the golems didn't remain static. The mirrored versions seemed to grow larger and closer with every step she took, forcing her to keep moving forward in order to avoid their grasp. Her pulse quickened, the illusion making her feel trapped. She had to keep moving, but which way?
Another reflection flashed—a doorway that wasn't there before.
It was a mirage. She knew it. The doorway was an illusion meant to trap her into running straight toward an actual real trap.
[System Notification]
[Warning: Redirected traps detected. False exit]
She gritted her teeth, forced to fight the compulsion to run toward it. Her eyes flicked back and forth between the reflections. The mirrors seemed to multiply, making it impossible to tell where the true path lay. The walls began to close in on her, the reflections so numerous that the hallway seemed to stretch on forever.
Desperation crept into her mind. She had to rely on something other than sight. Her hand slipped to her side, where the rope she had tied to her belt hung loosely.
"A test," Elowen whispered, pulling the rope free and tossing it toward one of the mirrors. The rope sailed through the air and, for a moment, she thought it would hit the mirrored surface. But instead, the rope sank through—passing through the mirror like it was no more solid than air.
[System Notification]
[Warning: Real trap detected. Pitfall hidden by illusion]
She yanked the rope back immediately, heart hammering. She had almost made a fatal mistake. The floor was not solid there—it had been camouflaged by the reflections, made to look like a continuation of the hallway.
"So the mirrors reflect false paths... I have to test each one," she muttered, now moving carefully from mirror to mirror, using the rope to test the surfaces. She began to notice subtle differences—tiny shifts in the reflections where the glass panels didn't quite align with reality. When she threw the rope at a particular panel, the object passed cleanly through without resistance.
That was her clue. The path she needed was hidden behind a series of reflections—not the one where the floor appeared solid. That means that it must lead to another room. Another passageway—a safe room!
Elowen moved with growing confidence, stepping lightly through the hall, using her rope as a guide. The reflections seemed to distort, but she could see now where the illusions ended and the truth began. She didn't trust her eyes alone; she trusted her senses, feeling the faintest vibrations in the air and the subtle shifts in temperature that hinted at hidden dangers.
Her heart raced as she approached a final mirror at the end of the hall. A long, narrow passage stretched beyond, but the mirror before her reflected nothing but her own tired face, her figure standing frozen in the glass. The room felt eerily still. She stepped forward—and heard the whir of hidden mechanisms.
A beam of light suddenly shot from the ceiling, cutting through the air like a razor blade.
[System Notification]
[Warning: Laser beam trap activated. Immediate action required]
Elowen dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the beam. It sliced through the air where she had just been standing, and the sound of it cracking through the air made her blood run cold. She pressed herself flat against the floor as the beam hummed above her.
The danger passed, and she exhaled a shaky breath. The system's alert chimed once more.
[System Notification]
[Warning: Laser trap disabled. Continue with caution]
She was almost there. The path was clear now, her tests having led her to a safe route. But she knew this was only the beginning. The further she ventured into the heart of the ruins, the more deadly the traps would become. Each step was a battle against ancient forces designed to keep out intruders.
She would need more than her wits and her rope to survive what lay ahead.
Elowen took a deep breath and stepped forward into the next chamber.
The next chamber was vast, its high ceiling stretching far above Elowen's head, and the air thick with the smell of ancient stone. As she entered, the flickering light of the Moonveil butterfly revealed the outlines of towering figures along the far walls. Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized the statues—golem guardians, carved from dark stone and polished to a gleam, their faces frozen in silent, eternal scowls.