The ravine stretched out before them like the gaping mouth of some ancient beast, dark and foreboding. Amaya stood at its edge, staring down into the abyss. The air felt heavier here, charged with an electric tension that sent shivers racing down her spine. The forest above had been eerie enough, but this place… it felt wrong. Like a wound carved into the earth itself, festering and dark.
“I hate this already,” Kai muttered, crossing his arms as he peered over the ledge. “Who in their right mind would come down here?”
“No one in their right mind,” Lina murmured beside him. Her voice was hushed, as if she were afraid the darkness might hear them. “But if there’s someone down there, we don’t have a choice.”
Amaya nodded silently, her gaze fixed on the twisting slope below. The drop was steep, the ground littered with loose rocks and tangled roots that snaked down into the shadowy depths. It would be difficult to climb even under normal circumstances, but in the near-dark, with every sense on high alert, it felt almost impossible.
But the pull is stronger here, she thought, swallowing hard. Whoever—or whatever—was down there was close. She could feel it, a steady, insistent tug deep in her chest. It was different from the way she’d sensed Kai and Lina. This presence was faint, like a dying ember in a sea of darkness. But it was unmistakably there.
“We’ll take it slow,” she said quietly, glancing between the two of them. “Watch your footing, and stay close.”
Lina nodded, her jaw set in determination. Kai, however, hesitated, his eyes darting nervously between the sheer walls of the ravine. “This… this is insane,” he muttered, shaking his head. “We could get stuck down there. Or worse.”
Amaya’s heart twisted at the fear in his voice. She wanted to say something to comfort him, to tell him that everything would be okay. But the truth was, she didn’t know. None of them did. All she could do was push forward, step by careful step.
“It’s okay to be scared,” Lina said softly, her voice gentle but firm. “I’m scared too. But that doesn’t mean we stop.”
Kai’s gaze snapped to hers, surprise flickering in his eyes. For a moment, he looked like he might argue—but then he closed his mouth, exhaling slowly. “Fine. Just… if we die down there, I’m blaming both of you.”
A faint smile tugged at Amaya’s lips, despite everything. “Deal.”
With a deep breath, she reached for the nearest root, testing its strength. Then, carefully, she lowered herself over the edge.
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The descent was grueling. Every movement had to be precise, every handhold and foothold checked and rechecked to avoid a deadly fall. The air grew colder the deeper they went, the sunlight above fading into a dull, pale glow that barely penetrated the shadows. The walls of the ravine seemed to close in around them, jagged rocks jutting out like broken teeth.
Amaya’s muscles ached with the strain, her fingers scraped raw from gripping rough stone and tangled roots. Sweat trickled down her back, and her breath came in harsh, ragged gasps. But she forced herself to keep moving, one step at a time. The pull was stronger now, a thrumming pulse in her chest that seemed to guide her downward.
“How much further?” Kai called softly from above, his voice strained. He sounded close to panic, his breaths coming fast and shallow.
“Not much,” Amaya murmured, though she had no idea if it was true. The darkness below seemed endless, swallowing up the feeble light that filtered down from above. She glanced up, catching a glimpse of Kai’s pale face and wide eyes. He was shaking, his knuckles white where he gripped a twisted root.
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Lina was beside him, her expression tight with concentration. She moved with a practiced ease, her gaze focused and steady. But even she looked uneasy, her eyes darting constantly to the shadows that seemed to press in on all sides.
“It’s okay,” Amaya whispered, more to herself than to them. “Just… keep going.”
They continued downward, inching along the treacherous slope. The ground shifted beneath Amaya’s foot, sending a small shower of pebbles tumbling down into the abyss. She froze, heart racing, and clung desperately to the root beside her.
“Amaya!” Kai’s voice was sharp with fear. He was staring down at her, his face pale. “Are you—”
“I’m fine,” she interrupted quickly, though her voice trembled. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to move again, inching down the slope. “Just… be careful.”
Slowly, the three of them made their way down, the air growing colder and thicker with every step. The silence was suffocating, broken only by the scrape of boots on stone and the occasional, whispered curse from Kai. Amaya could feel the tension building, a coiled spring wound too tight, ready to snap.
“We should have stayed up top,” Kai muttered under his breath, his voice a thin thread of sound. “This is a mistake.”
“Quiet,” Lina hissed, glancing over her shoulder. Her eyes were wide, her expression strained. “We don’t know what’s down here.”
“Exactly!” Kai shot back, his voice rising. “We don’t know what’s—”
“Shut up!” Amaya snapped, her own fear and frustration boiling over. “Just shut up and keep moving!”
The words came out harsher than she’d intended, and Kai flinched, his face twisting with hurt. But he didn’t argue. He just tightened his grip on the root and continued down in silence.
Guilt twisted in Amaya’s chest, but she shoved it aside. They couldn’t afford to lose focus now—not when they were so close. She pushed herself onward, every muscle trembling with exhaustion, until—
Her foot touched solid ground.
Amaya let out a shaky breath, dropping down onto the narrow strip of earth at the bottom of the ravine. Her legs wobbled beneath her, and she nearly collapsed from the sheer relief. They had made it.
“We’re… alive?” Kai whispered, his voice thick with disbelief. He dropped down beside her, his chest heaving with exertion. “Holy—holy crap, we made it.”
“Don’t celebrate yet,” Lina murmured, landing lightly beside them. She straightened, brushing dirt and moss from her hands, and glanced around warily. “We don’t know what’s down here.”
Amaya nodded, her gaze sweeping over the shadowy terrain. The ground was uneven, covered in thick roots and jagged rocks. Strange, twisted shapes loomed out of the darkness, casting long, eerie shadows that seemed to stretch and twist as she moved.
But that wasn’t what caught her attention. It was the pull—the burning, insistent tug that seemed to pulse through her very bones. It was almost overwhelming now, a constant thrum in her chest.
“They’re close,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I can feel it.”
Without waiting for a response, she turned and began to pick her way through the tangled undergrowth. Every step was careful, deliberate, her senses straining to catch any sign of movement. The air was thick and heavy, carrying a faint, metallic scent that made her skin crawl.
“What is this place?” Kai muttered, his voice low and tight. He brushed aside a curtain of hanging moss, peering warily into the darkness. “It feels… wrong.”
Amaya shivered, hugging her arms around herself. He was right. There was something deeply, fundamentally wrong about this place. It felt like the darkness itself was alive, coiling around them like a living thing, watching and waiting.
“Stay close,” Lina murmured, glancing around nervously. “I don’t like this. It feels like…”
“Like we’re being watched,” Amaya finished quietly, her heart pounding in her chest.
Lina nodded, her eyes wide. “Exactly.”
They pushed on, the path winding deeper into the ravine. The twisted trees seemed to close in around them, their branches reaching out like skeletal fingers. The ground shifted beneath their feet, slick with moss and mud. Amaya stumbled, catching herself against a rough trunk, and—
The ground gave way beneath her.
“Amaya!” Kai shouted, lunging forward. But it was too late. She tumbled down, the world spinning around her in a blur of shadow and stone.
She hit the ground hard, pain flaring through her side. Darkness swam at the edges of her vision, but she forced herself to stay conscious, to focus. Above, she could hear Kai and Lina’s voices, frantic and scared.
“Amaya, are you okay?” Lina called, her voice strained.
“I—I’m fine,” Amaya managed, though her voice was weak. She pushed herself up, wincing as pain shot through her leg. But when she looked around, her breath caught in her throat.
The pull—it was right in front of her. A faint, shimmering light flickered in the darkness, casting eerie shadows across the cavern walls. And there, lying crumpled at the base of a massive tree root, was a figure.
A person.
Amaya’s heart leapt into her throat. “I found them,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I found the next guardian.”