"I look for the scattered remains of the ones who came before me, I aim to take them home." Nina's voice, though small, carries clearly in the cavern's hushed stillness. The cloaked figure remains motionless for a moment, the silence amplifying the cavern's echoing vastness. Then, a slow, deliberate movement. The hood is lowered, revealing a face etched with age and wisdom, eyes that seem to hold the weight of centuries. They are not unkind, but they possess a profound sadness, a weariness born of endless eons.
"The scattered remains," the figure repeats, a low murmur. "You seek to reclaim what the earth has claimed?"
Nina nods, her gaze unwavering. "They were adventurers," she explains, her voice trembling slightly, "and I... I want to bring them home."
The figure nods slowly. "Many have sought entry to this place," the ancient voice says, "drawn by the whispers on the wind, by dreams in the dark. Few have returned. Those who did... carry the weight of their journey, marked by the passage of time and memory." A long pause, filled only with the subtle drip of water from unsees sources within the cavern.
"The path to their resting place is fraught with peril," the figure continues, its voice barely above a whisper. "The old ones are not easily disturbed. Their slumber is a fragile thing, easily shattered. And those who shatter their slumber... rarely escape unharmed." A hand, gnarled and thin as parchment, rises, tracing a path on the shimmering surface of the pool. "Follow the reflection of the moon," the voice instructs. "It will lead you to what you seek. But beware... for the path reflects not only the past, but also the choices yet to be made." The figure's gaze, piercing and ancient, rests upon Nina. "And your choice, young one, will determine the fate of more than just the lost adventurers." The figure falls silent, its form dissolving back into the shadows from whence it came, leaving Nina alone in the echoing cavern, the shimmering pool reflecting a pale crescent moon hanging low in the night sky, offering only the faintest illumination to the path ahead unclear, fraught with unknown dangers. Ronan remains silent, watching her intently as she prepares to embark on this perilous journey.