Kael gasped, snapping up into a sitting position. He had passed out.
'Why did I pass out, what happene-'
The memory hit him like a iron fist to the gut. He quickly grasped at the wound in his chest...
Only to find it was no longer there.
He quickly looked at his arm where his shoulder has been shredded by the beast...
Only to find everything as it should be. The bone set in its socket, the muscle rippling beneath flesh that only moments, or however long it had been since Kael lost consciousness, had been mangled.
"I've been healed. I can't believe it. I am whole!" Kael rose to his feet feeling elated by the miraculous healing.
He looked down and resting in his right had was a dagger. This was no simple piece of steel. Kael couldn't quite place it, but he knew this dagger was far more than what existed back home. The pain in Kael's ribs had faded, replaced by a lingering warmth that pulsed from the dagger now clenched in his hand. It was unlike any weapon he had wielded before. The blade was impossibly sharp, resembled polished silver, his visage was reflecting off the blade, its surface etched with veins of the same veins of energy that coursed through the Maw itself. The hilt, a simple slab of ivory, felt molded to his grip, as though it had been crafted for him alone.
Kael took a steadying breath. His body still ached from the fight, but the wounds were gone. The Maw had healed him.
'Why?'
While Kael was happy to be alive, he couldn't help the gnawing at the back of his mind, like a worm, digging into his brain that this wasn't the blessing it appeared to be. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. With no knowledge of this place, what it was, what it was meant for, this feeling would remain that way. Just a feeling. He needed to gain knowledge. To learn more about the Maw.
Coming out of his thoughts, his focus returned to the sight before him. The extended bridge led deeper into the cavernous expanse, beckoning him forward. There was no turning back now. Whatever force ruled this place had seen fit to grant him a weapon and healed his wounds. Only time would tell if this was indeed a boon, or a curse.
He moved cautiously, each step echoing into the void below. The air had shifted. It was no longer suffocating and heavy, nor filled with the unseen whispers that had taunted him before. Instead, a low thrumming resonated through the stone, like a heartbeat far beneath his feet.
Kael tightened his grip on the dagger.
The path ended at an archway, framed by more of the shifting symbols he still could not fully comprehend. Unlike before, the markings did not pulse with warnings. Instead, they seemed… watchful, observant.... Like they were alive and eagerly awaiting his decision.
He took a deep breath 'Here goes nothing...' and stepped through.
The chamber beyond was vast, its ceiling lost to the shadows above. At its center stood a monolithic altar, carved from the same dark stone as the Maw itself. At its base, the remains of those who had come before lay scattered—skeletal fragments, rusted weapons, tattered remnants of cloth long since decayed.
Kael approached, wary. The air hummed louder now, vibrating through his bones. The dagger in his hand pulsed in response.
Then, without warning—
The walls moved.
Kael spun, blade raised. Shapes peeled from the stone, writhing, shifting. Unlike the creature on the bridge, these figures were smaller, humanoid, their limbs elongated, their eyes empty voids.
The whispering returned, this time louder and Kael understood the words.
"Shades."
"Echoes of the dead."
His eyes widened at the realization. These were the remnants of the lives claimed in this cursed place. Souls of the lost lingering in the Maw's grasp.
They rushed him.
Kael reacted on instinct, the dagger slicing through the first shade with terrifying ease. The moment the blade met its form, the creature dissolved, its essence siphoned into the weapon. A rush of energy jolted through Kael, like a stolen breath filling his lungs.
The others did not hesitate. They swarmed, their clawed hands reaching for him. He twisted, slashing, cutting through the void-born wraiths with deadly precision. Each kill fed the dagger, and each pulse of stolen energy made him faster, sharper.
But the shades were endless.
Kael's breath hitched. He couldn't keep this up forever. Even as the dagger sustained him, he could feel the creeping drain—the Maw was stealing as much as it was giving.
Then, as if sensing his realization, the altar started to rumble, the sound of stone against stone as the altar morphed and moved.
A single symbol at its center flared to life, pulsating with power, like a beacon calling to him, Kael felt a pull to the altar, drawing him in.
Kael didn't hesitate. He leapt onto the altar, pressing his palm against the glowing sigil. The moment he made contact, a crushing wave erupted outward, obliterating the shades in an instant.
Silence fell.
Kael staggered, breathing hard. The energy in his dagger dimmed, as though satiated—for now.
Then the sigil beneath his palm flowed and weaved as if alive.
New symbols carved themselves into the stone, twisting and aligning into something that was beyond Kael's understanding... At first.
Soon the carvings morphed into human language, the one that Kael knew. The language of his homeland.
A message.
"The Maw remembers." He read aloud.
Kael exhaled, stepping back. The meaning eluded him, but one thing was clear—this trial was far from over.
He turned toward the next path, where the shadows stretched ever deeper.
And he walked on.