It grew colder the deeper into the ancient ruins they walked. The stone beneath their boots groaned with every step, muddied by the faint hum of the spire's pulsing glow ahead. Ethan breathed in shallow bursts, his chest tight as if some weight bore down on him. The spire cast eerie, shifting shadows on the walls of the cavern-like tunnel they were crossing with every beat of its glow, sending a fresh wave of unease through him. Now, looming behind them are massive machineries filled with shining lights that remind them of their precarious situation all the time. Ethan glanced back and felt his fingers tightening around his weapon. The hulking figure was so still it almost seemed impossible, but it was always there, just beyond the shadows, watching them. It was no idle machine; its presence held power, purpose, and secrets they badly wanted to unravel but feared discovering at the same time.
Kael kept moving forward, his deliberate footsteps scanning the darkness for unknown dangers.
His expression remained unreadable, but he stood stiff and controlled. Ethan had trusted Kael's command. Now, though, with them continuing their careful descent into that darkness, even that trust felt fragile. Vibration in the ground, growing more insistent, reverberated through the stones that supported their feet. The sensation lingered, oppressive and alive, and Ethan could feel his nerves tensing. "Stay focused," Kael's voice broke through the tension, his tone low but firm. "Every step counts.". We're here to uncover information, not to stir the hornet's nest."
They moved in a loose but deliberate formation, Amara just behind Kael, her sharp eyes scanning every shadow, every sudden flicker of light.
He clung to his team in the back, breathing fitfully, every sound, every vibration, heightening his fears. He steadied himself, tried to concentrate on his role within the group, but his mind would not still. It kept returning to the machine and its regard—its glowing eyes seeming to pierce through the very essence of him. Then, in that fragile silence, Ethan heard something: footsteps.
They were coming out from behind them, far away at first but getting louder with every step. Ethan's gun sprang into his hands, his heart racing with adrenaline. He didn't have time to do more than that, though, because Kael raised his hand in a calm gesture, motioning Ethan to stay still.
"Wait," Kael breathed, his voice a whisper but sharp. "Keep cool. Let them come to you.".
The sound was growing louder, clearer, and two figures emerged. They stepped out of the spire's dusty haze and the shadowed passageway as though with intent. Ethan did not know if they were friendly or merely another well-concealed danger. His weapon stayed fixed until he could see their faces.
Two figures emerge into the light; Ethan sees them now.
Scouts they were-they had the gear, and an easy confident stride. The shorter of the two sported dark hair knotted up in a haphazard ponytail, his features sharp and angular, with eyes glinting in the light with professional focus. The taller of the two was muscular, his features set in calm confidence, experienced and strong. Both of them carried their standard scouting gear, and their battle-rigging was dusty with their own personal explorations through those ruins. The smaller scout pushed forward, speaking out clearly, his voice as smooth as silk. "Sergeant Voss here, reporting in. I hear that I'm supposed to be supporting this group you're going over, but I had to move to scout the tunnels on an unverified report of activity.".
Kael's brow furrowed but then he nodded in response. He never looked away from the trail for even an instant. "Good timing, Sergeant. We're currently investigating a series of odd occurrences tied to this spire. Stay tight and hold your triggers tight. There is something out here—something huge—and we need to determine its nature without getting it angry with us."
The taller scout's eyes shifted to the spire, pulsing glow painting the cavern walls. His voice was low, heavy with the weight of his own doubts. "You're talking about that thing? We've seen its movements from afar. It's. powerful. What exactly are we dealing with here?
Amara spoke, her voice sharp but level. She shifted forward, her eyes focused on the spire as she gestured toward it. "We're not quite sure, but we think that has to do with this spire. There's something in this energy of this machine, that relates to the pulse of this spire, and we've felt that before. It is greater than just a relic. More than old machinery.".
The scouts exchanged glances, and Ethan felt the hesitation in them, their unease. It was more than the spire's pulsing being strange or the machine focusing attention on them. The very air felt alive, almost sentient, vibrating with power and energy. This made the scouts glance at each other with silent concerns Ethan could not help but pick up.
Voss, the shorter one, pressed forward. His voice was low, tentative. "What are we facing? A weapon? Some sort of ancient guardian?
Kael hesitated, his back to Ethan and Amara as he seemed to question himself before speaking. His voice was firm, yet he, too sounded as though he doubted his own words. "We believe it is much more than that. It's not a discovery, per se. It's history reviving itself. Ancient, buried, and potent. We are trying to find out all we can without creating another reaction."
Before anyone could utter a single word, another shake rocked ground beneath their feet. This was stronger—longer. Ethan felt his bones rattled with it, hands tight on the grip of the weapon. He was breathing quickly as vibration went on while low, steady rumble could be felt through the earth.
Amara looked at Kael her eyes narrowed. "It is responding to the spire. The vibrations—they are getting stronger."
Kael's eyes snapped towards the noise, scanning the darkness. "Stay together. Don't stray. Keep your weapons at the ready. We need to stay on the defensive."
They strode forward, this time with a greater hurry. Scouting, Voss and his taller companion shifted effortlessly into position with their arms poised ready, to step over jagged, shadowed earth. There was the spire before them. The glow blazing bright, beat more rapid; the air grew alive with electricity, pressing upon every pore, to seep inside through the nerves along the skin.
Both scouts cast another glance. Ethan felt the nervousness. Experience clashed with unknown horrors of this ancient place as every sound, every vibration, every step sent new waves of anxiety through them.
Once again, the earth was unstable beneath them as they moved forward, deeper into a world they could hardly imagine. They felt the air grow hot, their arms and swords standing firm as the spire pulsed to the rhythm of the breaths that moved within their bodies. This was the threshold-to history, to discovery-perhaps to danger.
What would they find at its bottom?
And would they survive the answers?
The spire blazed.
The darkness ahead waited.
And forward they went.