The air beneath the forest canopy was cold, a stark contrast to the warmth of the village. The trees stood like silent sentinels, their gnarled branches forming a tangled web overhead that blocked out the fading light. Each step Lucas took was muffled by a carpet of damp leaves, and the further he ventured, the more oppressive the silence became.
He clutched the map tightly, its edges crinkling under his fingers. The glyphs shimmered faintly, casting a soft, ethereal glow that illuminated his path. Yet, even with the map's guidance, unease coiled in his chest like a serpent.
Every shadow seemed alive, every rustle a potential threat. His thoughts drifted to Harlen's warning: "Echoes of things that should never have been."
What did that even mean?
As Lucas pressed on, he noticed the forest seemed to shift around him. The path, once clear and direct, now forked and twisted in ways that defied logic. He paused at a crossroads, staring at two identical trails that stretched into the darkness.
The map pulsed in his hand, a faint hum resonating through his fingers. Slowly, the glyphs began to rearrange themselves, new lines etching onto the parchment. Lucas watched, both fascinated and unnerved, as the map revealed the correct path.
"Convenient," he muttered under his breath, though his unease only grew.
He followed the glowing trail, his senses on high alert. The deeper he ventured, the stranger the forest became. The air grew thick, carrying a faint metallic tang that clung to the back of his throat. The trees whispered in a language he couldn't understand, their voices faint but insistent, like a distant chorus of the damned.
Suddenly, a sharp crack echoed through the woods. Lucas froze, his heart hammering in his chest. He spun around, searching for the source of the sound, but saw nothing.
"Just the wind," he whispered, though he didn't believe it.
The map glowed brighter, urging him forward. He quickened his pace, the whispers growing louder with each step.
Eventually, Lucas emerged into a small clearing bathed in pale moonlight. At its center stood a stone obelisk, ancient and weathered, its surface covered in the same glyphs as his map. The air here was different—still and heavy, as though the clearing existed outside the natural world.
Lucas approached the obelisk cautiously, his fingers brushing against its cold surface. As he did, the glyphs began to glow, casting an eerie light that illuminated the clearing.
Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind, deep and resonant: "You are not the first."
Lucas stumbled back, his breath catching in his throat. "Who's there?"
There was no response, only the faint hum of the obelisk. But as he stared at it, shapes began to form in the air around him—faint, flickering images of people. They appeared and disappeared like phantoms, their faces contorted in expressions of fear and despair.
"Echoes," Lucas murmured, his stomach twisting.
The voice returned, louder this time: "Why have you come?"
Lucas clenched his fists, his mind racing. "I… I don't know," he admitted, his voice trembling. "I was drawn here."
The obelisk's light dimmed, and the images faded. For a moment, the clearing was silent, but then the ground beneath Lucas's feet began to tremble.
A low growl echoed through the forest, deep and guttural. Lucas spun around, his eyes searching the shadows.
Out of the darkness emerged a creature unlike anything he'd ever seen. It was massive, its body covered in matted fur and glistening scales. Its eyes burned with an unnatural light, and its maw was filled with jagged teeth that dripped with black ichor.
Lucas's breath hitched as the creature stepped into the clearing, its gaze fixed on him. The obelisk pulsed faintly, as though responding to the beast's presence.
"Well," Lucas muttered, his voice laced with nervous energy, "this isn't ideal."
The creature let out a deafening roar, and Lucas braced himself, his mind racing for a plan.
The fight that followed was brutal and chaotic. Lucas darted through the clearing, narrowly avoiding the creature's massive claws and snapping jaws. He used the environment to his advantage, ducking behind trees and using the obelisk as a shield.
But it wasn't enough. The beast was relentless, its movements unnaturally fast for its size. Lucas's strength was waning, and he knew he couldn't keep this up for long.
As the creature lunged at him again, Lucas's instincts took over. He raised his hand, and a burst of energy erupted from his palm, slamming into the beast and sending it crashing into a tree.
Lucas stared at his hand in shock. "What the hell was that?"
The creature growled, struggling to its feet, but before it could attack again, the obelisk flared with light. The glyphs on its surface pulsed rapidly, and the air around it shimmered.
A beam of light shot out from the obelisk, striking the creature and enveloping it in a blinding glow. The beast let out a final, agonized roar before disintegrating into a cloud of ash.
Lucas collapsed to his knees, his chest heaving. The clearing was silent once more, the obelisk's light fading to a soft glow.
He stared at the ashes scattered across the ground, his mind racing with questions. What had just happened? And what kind of power had he unleashed?
As he rose to his feet, the obelisk pulsed one last time, and a new glyph appeared on its surface. Lucas didn't recognize it, but something about it felt… familiar.
He clenched his fists, determination hardening in his gaze. Whatever this place was, whatever secrets it held, he was going to uncover them.
And he wasn't going to let fear stop him.
To be continued…