The sun hung low over Velmoria, casting long shadows through the narrow streets as Hikaru, Budi, and Selene moved swiftly through the lower district. The scent of damp stone and burning oil filled the air, the marketplace still bustling with activity.
They weren't going to the marketplace.
They were heading beneath it.
Gregor's map led them to an abandoned temple on the city's outskirts. The structure was barely standing, its stone pillars cracked, its once-grand entrance half-collapsed under the weight of time. Moss and decay clung to its walls, the once-sacred ground now little more than a forgotten ruin.
Budi whistled lowly. "This place looks like a death trap."
Hikaru grinned. "That's how you know we're in the right place."
Selene exhaled, her silver eyes scanning the area. "If Aldric came here, he wouldn't have come alone."
Hikaru flicked a card between his fingers. "Then let's hope his friends left footprints."
The temple was empty. No signs of recent activity, no discarded torches, no obvious paths leading down. If there was a way underground, it wasn't going to be easy to find.
Budi tapped his foot against the stone. "You sure this isn't just a dead end?"
Selene crouched near the altar, brushing dust away from the carvings. Ancient runes covered the surface, faint but intact. She ran a hand over them, her magic reacting subtly to the symbols.
Hikaru tilted his head. "You recognize those?"
Selene's fingers hesitated. "Not completely."
Budi frowned. "That's not reassuring."
She traced the patterns carefully. "These aren't just markings. They're barriers. This temple wasn't built to worship something. It was built to keep something locked away."
Hikaru's grin widened. "Then we just need to unlock it."
Budi groaned. "I really hate how much you enjoy this."
Selene stood, pressing her uninjured hand against the altar. The runes flickered under her touch.
Then—a deep, grinding noise rumbled beneath them.
The ground shifted.
The altar split open, revealing a set of stone stairs spiraling into darkness.
A heavy gust of stale air rushed past them, thick with dust and something older.
Hikaru peered down into the abyss. "Well, that's inviting."
Budi clicked his tongue. "Still think Aldric came down here?"
Selene nodded. "If he's searching for something buried beneath Velmoria, this is the only path that makes sense."
Hikaru adjusted his glasses. "Then let's go see what he's looking for."
The descent was slow.
The deeper they went, the colder the air became. The only sound was their own footsteps echoing against the ancient stone.
Hikaru flicked a card between his fingers. "So, best case scenario, what do we find down here?"
Budi scoffed. "Nothing. Just an empty ruin."
Selene spoke without turning. "Worst case?"
Hikaru smirked. "Something that shouldn't exist."
The walls around them were covered in more runes. Unlike the ones in the temple, these weren't meant to contain.
They were meant to warn.
Selene's voice was barely above a whisper. "We shouldn't be here."
Hikaru chuckled. "And yet, here we are."
Then—they reached the bottom.
The stairwell opened into a vast underground chamber, the ceiling lost in shadows. Enormous pillars lined the space, each one carved with symbols that still faintly glowed, as if resisting the weight of centuries.
Budi exhaled. "This place is huge."
Selene stepped forward cautiously. "It's not just ruins. It's a tomb."
Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "A tomb for what?"
Selene ran a hand over one of the pillars. "Not what. Who."
Hikaru grinned. "Oh. Now I'm interested."
Then—
A sound.
Not an echo.
Not a gust of wind.
A footstep.
Budi immediately shifted his stance, his body lowering. "We're not alone."
Hikaru adjusted his glasses, his grin never fading. "Would've been boring if we were."
From the darkness ahead, a figure emerged.
Not Aldric.
Not a knight.
Not a Magisterium agent.
Something else.
Wrapped in a dark cloak, their face obscured, their presence wrong.
Hikaru felt it instantly.
Not just a person.
Something wearing the shape of one.
The figure tilted its head.
Then—it spoke.
"You are not the ones I expected."
Hikaru's smirk didn't falter. "Yeah? Well, life's full of surprises."
The figure stepped forward.
Budi's muscles tensed. "What are you?"
The voice that responded was not human.
"Something that should not be awake."
The air trembled.
And Hikaru knew.
They had just stepped into something bigger than themselves.