The Winds of the New World-Chapter 47 - 44: The Call of the Depths

The silence that followed the thunderous sound was suffocating, heavy, as if the very underground chamber were holding its breath. Edmund exchanged glances with Kieza and Voss, feeling the tension in the air grow like a storm about to break. The moisture on the walls seemed to pulse with a greenish glow, the ancient symbols flickering in a hypnotic pattern, almost as if they were alive.

"We need to decide now," Voss whispered, gripping the hilt of his blade, his eyes fixed on the darkness ahead. "Do we turn back or move forward?"

Edmund didn't answer immediately. His heart pounded—not with fear, but with a strange sense of purpose. He felt the answer in his very blood, as if the island itself were trying to communicate with him, calling him toward something still hidden. Something vast. Something ancient.

"We move forward," he decided, his voice carrying a steely determination. "If there's something else here, we need to find out what it is before it fully awakens."

Kieza nodded, though her gaze betrayed her growing apprehension. With careful steps, they advanced through the tunnel that opened along the chamber's side. The only light came from the torches they carried, flickering against the damp walls, and from the runes, glowing faintly with that same greenish hue, pulsing in rhythm with something far below them.

The tunnel was wide, supported by massive columns that seemed to have been carved by skilled hands countless centuries ago. On the vaulted ceiling, shadowy figures were etched into the stone—warriors, priests, something that looked like a colossal entity rising from the ground. It was a story carved into the very temple.

Then, a new sound cut through the silence.

A whisper.

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Low, guttural, like an ancient lament echoing through the depths.

Kieza stopped abruptly, her eyes widening."Did you hear that?"

Voss gripped his blade, muscles tensed."Yes. And I don't like it one bit."

The voice... it wasn't exactly a voice. It was something more. It was as if the chamber itself were whispering to them, trying to force meaning into words long lost to time.

A shiver ran down Edmund's spine.

"We're not alone."

Each step forward felt heavier than the last, as if they were walking against an invisible tide. The tunnel finally opened into a vast, grand hall, supported by colossal pillars. But what stood out the most was the structure directly before them.

A monumental door of black stone, engraved with runes that still shimmered faintly. But these runes were unlike the ones they had seen before. They seemed... alive. They flowed, moved subtly, like serpents made of light intertwining on the door's surface.

Kieza swallowed hard, reaching out to touch one of the inscriptions."This isn't just a door," she murmured, her voice nearly lost in the vastness of the chamber. "This is a seal."

Edmund stepped closer, feeling a chill run over his skin. He could sense the power there. As if something was... waiting.

"And something is trying to get out," he finished.

That was when the first strike came.

A brutal impact slammed against the door from the inside, cracking part of the surface with a deafening sound. The ground trembled beneath their feet, small stones falling from the walls and ceiling.

Kieza immediately stepped back, eyes wide."We're too close!"

Another strike.

This time, the runes glowed more intensely, as if resisting the force trying to break through the barrier. But the cracks in the stone grew. The door groaned under the pressure.

Voss gritted his teeth, readying his blade."If this breaks, whatever's inside... will get out."

The third strike was the worst. The stone shattered with a violent roar, sending dust and shards into the air. A frigid, putrid wind rushed through the widening fractures, carrying the stench of death—and something even older.

And then... a hand emerged.

Long, cadaverous, with dried and skeletal skin, its claws sharp as blades.

Edmund's eyes widened.

"Whatever it is... it's waking up."

And they were standing right in its path.