The stone stairs spiraled downward, growing tighter and colder with each cautious step. Peter held the torch up front, its flickering flame casting long shadows that danced across the damp, ancient walls. Every breath tasted of earth, age, and something heavier—like time itself held its breath down here.
"Keep moving," Jack whispered, his voice low and tense. "And watch your step."
The passage narrowed further, the air thinning. The walls were no longer smooth stone. Symbols—ancient glyphs—were etched deep into the surface, glowing with a soft bluish light as the group passed.
Tom trailed his fingers along one of them, the glyph humming faintly. "This wasn't just a tunnel," he murmured. "It was built for something."
Susan crouched near the base of the wall, inspecting another marking. "These are protection spells. Really old. Maybe even First Era. Someone didn't want people coming in... or something getting out."
Lucy tightened her grip on Marcus's cloak. "Can we not talk about creepy things being locked up down here?"
Marcus chuckled. "Afraid of ghosts?"
"No. Afraid of you triggering a trap. Again."
He scoffed but slowed his pace anyway.
Finally, the stairwell opened into a vast underground chamber. The ceiling soared above them, lost in shadow. Seven ancient stone paths branched outward from a central platform like the spokes of a wheel. At its heart stood a pedestal, and atop it sat a smooth, black stone pulsing faintly, almost like it was alive.
Peter stepped closer, eyeing it. "That's either magical or very, very cursed."
Jack raised the torch and examined the chamber. "Looks like a convergence point. A hub. These paths probably lead deeper underground."
Tom approached the pedestal, drawn by the quiet vibration in the air. "It's humming. Like it's waiting."
Susan kept her distance. "It feels... aware."
Lucy circled it cautiously. "It's not dangerous right now. But it knows we're here."
Kitty wandered toward one of the stone paths, pausing at the wall. "There's writing here—names."
The group gathered around her, brushing away layers of dust to reveal a stone surface marked with seven names. The language was foreign, yet somehow... they understood it.
Jack. Kitty. Marcus. Tom. Peter. Susan. Lucy.
They stared in stunned silence.
"That's impossible," Susan whispered.
"They were carved long before we were born," said a calm voice from the shadows.
Everyone turned.
A boy stepped forward from the far edge of the chamber. Tall, close to their age. His jet-black hair shimmered faintly in the torchlight. One of his eyes was green, the other gray. He held no torch, yet a soft light seemed to cling to him.
"Who are you?" Tom asked, stepping slightly ahead.
"My name is Frank Lauren," the boy replied. "And I've been waiting for you."
For a moment, no one moved.
Peter lifted his torch higher. "Waiting? How do you know our names?"
Frank looked at the wall. "Because it was written here long before any of us existed. This place... chose you."
Lucy took a cautious step forward. "Are you the one who opened the hatch above?"
"No," Frank said. "I just followed the signs. Like you did. But for me, the signs were clearer."
Marcus frowned. "Why should we trust you?"
Frank met his eyes without hesitation. "Because if you don't, you'll all be dead in the next ten minutes."
The ground beneath their feet shuddered violently.
Dust rained down from above. One of the stone paths split open with a deep, cracking sound. From the darkness, a guttural growl rumbled out—low, ancient, and hungry.
Tom tensed, eyes scanning the shadows. "What was that?"
Frank turned toward the cracked path. "Something that was never meant to wake up. Follow me if you want to live."
Without waiting, he bolted down a path marked by a golden, glowing glyph.
The group hesitated, the growl now rising into a screech that sent chills down their spines.
Jack cursed under his breath. "We follow the glowing guy. Better than becoming monster food."
They ran.
Behind them, the cracked path burst open. From its dark belly crawled a grotesque figure—twisted, steaming, bones splitting its skin, eyes burning with raw hunger.
As they fled into the golden-lit tunnel, the chamber behind them collapsed in a deafening roar, burying the nightmare in dust, rubble, and ancient screams.