The air in the room felt heavier than ever. The coldness from the stone circle seemed to seep into Isabella's bones, wrapping around her like an unseen force, pushing her toward something she wasn't entirely prepared for. She stood still, heart pounding, eyes locked on the shifting symbols that had begun to glow faintly against the dark walls. There was a rhythm to it now, an eerie hum in the room as the stone circle responded to their presence.
Danny moved beside her, his hand still resting on the symbols, guiding them as they swirled and rearranged themselves. The walls of the chamber seemed to breathe with them, a pulsating rhythm that matched the beat of her own heart. Isabella felt a strange connection to it, as though something ancient was watching, waiting, listening.
"Focus," Danny's voice broke through her thoughts, low but firm. "Let it show you what happened."
She nodded, swallowing hard, trying to block out the fear creeping up her spine. She wasn't just standing in front of ancient symbols; she was standing in front of a gateway to the past, to the moment when everything had gone wrong. If they were going to stop whatever was coming for them, they needed to understand how it all began.
Isabella closed her eyes, allowing the hum of the stone circle to wash over her. As soon as her lids fluttered shut, the room around her shifted. The air became dense with the smell of earth and stone, and suddenly, she wasn't in the chamber anymore. She was standing in a dark, eerie forest, the trees towering over her, their branches twisting like gnarled fingers reaching toward the sky. A full moon hung low, casting an unnatural light over the scene.
Her breath hitched as she saw a figure ahead of her—a man standing alone under the moonlight, his posture rigid. His face was obscured by shadows, but something about him felt familiar. She couldn't place it, but the sensation was overwhelming. It felt like she was connected to this moment, like she was supposed to know him.
She took a tentative step forward, but before she could approach, the man's figure began to fade, dissolving into the mist that surrounded them. The trees creaked and groaned, the wind picking up in sudden bursts as if something was stirring in the forest's depths.
"Danny?" Isabella's voice was shaky as she turned toward the direction where he had been standing. But Danny wasn't there. The forest was silent now, except for the rustling of leaves and the strange whisper of voices carried by the wind.
Isabella's chest tightened with panic. This wasn't a memory—they weren't just looking back at the past. This was something more. Something alive.
"Danny?!" she called out again, but her voice barely carried through the thick fog. She spun around, desperately trying to make sense of her surroundings.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in the distance, emerging from the shadows of the trees. It was the same man from before—his back now turned toward her, facing away. Isabella felt an odd pull toward him, like an invisible string tugging at her heart.
"Don't come any closer," a voice whispered through the trees, sharp and urgent.
Isabella froze. The voice was unfamiliar, but it held a warning. Her body seemed to hesitate, every instinct telling her to turn back. But her legs wouldn't obey. She was already moving closer to the man.
Without thinking, she reached out to grab his shoulder, and as soon as her fingers brushed his cloak, the world around her cracked like glass. The once-perfect vision of the forest shattered into splintered fragments, and she was thrust back into the darkened chamber, gasping for air.
The stone circle was silent again, the symbols now still. Isabella's heart was racing in her chest, and she felt dizzy, as if she had been pulled through time itself.
Danny was standing right beside her now, his eyes wide with alarm. "What happened? What did you see?" His voice was tense, desperate for answers.
Isabella shook her head, still trying to steady her breath. "I—I saw a man. He was under the moonlight. And then... the forest... it changed. It felt like I was there, like I was part of it. But something warned me... something didn't want me to get closer to him." She paused, the memory of the voice echoing in her mind. "There was another voice. It told me not to come closer."
Danny's face paled, and for the first time, Isabella saw real fear in his eyes. He stepped back, his hand running through his hair. "This... This wasn't supposed to happen yet."
"What wasn't supposed to happen?" Isabella demanded, her pulse quickening. "Danny, what's going on? Who was that man? Why am I seeing these things? What are we dealing with here?"
Danny clenched his fists, his eyes darkening with guilt. He took a moment to compose himself, and when he spoke again, his voice was strained. "The man you saw—it wasn't just a vision. It was a warning. A warning about him."
"About who?" Isabella pressed, her confusion growing deeper.
"The entity. The thing that's tied to the curse," Danny replied, his voice lowering. "The man you saw—it's him. He's the one who sealed the curse, the one who trapped the entity in the first place. And if we're seeing him now... it means the seal is weakening. The barrier that's been holding him back is breaking."
Isabella felt a chill run down her spine. "You mean... the curse is connected to him? He's the one who created it?"
Danny nodded grimly. "Yes. And now that you've seen him... we're closer to unlocking the truth than we've ever been. But we're also closer to the entity being freed. And when that happens—" He stopped, his voice faltering as if he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
Isabella felt a knot form in her stomach. "So it was him... all along. This was his doing."
Danny turned away, his eyes distant as if he were staring at something beyond the chamber walls. "We don't have much time. If we don't act now, the entity will be free—and when that happens, we won't be able to stop it."
The room suddenly grew colder, the temperature dropping so fast that Isabella could see her breath fogging in front of her.
Something wasn't right.
Without warning, the stone circle flickered, the symbols pulsing with an unnatural energy. And as they did, a low, guttural sound rumbled from the walls, the air vibrating with malevolent force.
Isabella turned to Danny, her voice barely a whisper. "What's happening? What is that sound?"
Danny's face drained of color. "It's happening now. The seal is breaking. We're too late."
Suddenly, the chamber doors slammed shut with a deafening bang, and the room was plunged into darkness. The ground trembled beneath their feet, and a shadow—dark and ominous—began to rise from the center of the stone circle.
Isabella's breath caught in her throat. "It's here. It's coming for us."
And in the pitch-black darkness, the entity's voice, deep and hollow, whispered from the shadows.
"You cannot escape me."
The room fell silent.
And then... everything went dark.