The opening was small, barely three feet high, and shaped like a cathedral arch. Crouching down I hesitated a moment before I poked my head through the doorway.

“A cave lake?” My voice burst out, carrying back to me in playful echoes.

I sat back on my heels glancing at the still-open doorway. I looked around the bright white room. My eyes lingered on the console. I noticed a light breeze coming from the archway, carrying with it the smell of wet stone and cool, damp air.

“Door number two,” I said with theatrical flair. “Now, I know there’s got to be a door number three around here somewhere.” I got to my feet and resumed my search of the last two walls. Nothing changed the blank walks. Next thing I knew I had come full circle back at the opened archway.

“Okay, looks like answers are in the cave” My gaze lingered on the low, glowing archway, the cool air brushing against my face.

I stepped back and began pacing in front of the archway, shaking my head at myself. “A line of tables and chairs—no problem, dive right in. But a mysterious cave lake behind a short door? Nah, better leave that one alone.”

I crouched down again, peering into the dim, otherworldly space just beyond the opaque barrier. “What are you hiding?” I muttered, half to myself, half to the cave. The light pulsed, as if answering, but no words came. My mind was filled with dangers a cave could hold in any fantasy or space opera scenarios, from a huge dragon, acid slimes, clones.

“I mean, it’s not like you’re actively dangerous, right?” I added with a smirk. “Just... mysterious. And glowing. And, okay, maybe a little ominous. The other door just lead me to a classroom of all places.”

“Well, it looks like the only route is through the cave,” I muttered, glancing over my shoulder at the console.

“Guess I don’t have much of a choice,” I added, turning back fully toward the persistent doorway.

I crouched down and crawled into the cave. My hands met the cool, damp surface of the stone floor, and I shuffled forward, my breath catching at the sight before me.

The cave was quiet, its natural stillness wrapping around me like a blanket. It was what you would expect for a medium sized cavern, the air smelled of minerals and damp stone, carrying the subtle chill of underground spaces. The water stretched out before me, its surface eerily smooth, reflecting the blue glimmering lights of bioluminescent glowworms that seemed to dance across the dark ceiling.

I shifted to the edge of the lake, careful not to disturb its glassy surface. My eyes scanned the cave for any signs of an exit or a clue, but there was nothing. No tunnels leading out, no mysterious inscriptions etched into the walls, and nothing to touch or investigate. Just the water and the glistening surface.

I crouched down by the water sitting back on my heels, staring at the twinkling blue light reflecting off. It looked like a moonless night sky.

I reached out hesitantly to touch the surface and abruptly stopped as my mind went back to the acid slimes. Surely I have something in my bag to touch it.

After searching a bit I decided one of the things I could part with was one of my three pens. I also pulled out the sconce to see the lake better.

The room instantly lit up leaving half the lake dark. The glowworms seemed to retreat from the light. Yet in the lake I could see small dots of their lights and what looked to be a large one in the center that didn’t shine in the natural bioluminescence the glowwarms had been putting out. The large one flickered between red and yellow like a gemstone.

My stomach tightened with unease. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. My gaze lingered on the ‘gemstone’ in the lake, the only thing to investigate. "Am I supposed to go into it?"

I stabbed my pen in and back out of the lake fast. The liquid dripped off leaving the pen looking wet but not damaged. Maybe I am being silly but I really can’t figure out how else to test it. It looks safe enough to walk in but I am definitely not drinking it.

I got up and stepped cautiously into the water. My foot landed on the stone surface below making ripples fan out across the surface. To my surprise, the bottom was solid and smooth, more like polished stone than the gritty sand or jagged rocks I expected. I took another step, then another, bracing for the floor to drop away into some unseen depth. It didn’t.

The water stayed shallow, lapping gently at my knees. The water continued to not rise above them. I ventured further toward the sparkling light at the center.

The glimmer grew brighter beckoning me forward. I looked up to find the ceiling completely dark above me. I continued wading closer until I was just a step away. I hesitated for a moment, then I nudged it with my foot, a quick kick meant to dislodge whatever was down there.

The light in the room vanished instantly, plunging me into darkness for the briefest of moments.

A sigh of relief left my lips as the sconce flickered back. “Well that was frightening -tening -tening. -tening.” I froze as my voice echoed around the cave. Then all I heard was the gentle lapping of the water on the shore.

Shrugging I looked down at the ‘gemstone’ that had drastically changed. It was now bright orange.

That is... weird. What should I do? I pondered this for a moment, weighing my options. After a beat, I decided loot logic was the way to go. Taking a deep breath, I crouched down and reached into the water, my hand outstretched toward the object.

Fingers grazing the surface, I steeled myself for whatever might happen next, wondering if I was about to unlock something, or if I'd just triggered another mysterious event.

The room grew bright with orange coving my vision then just like the classroom a vision materialized. But this time, I found myself looking at short ethereal figures. They glowed softly, like effervescent sparks, their bodies shown with a blue translucent light. Their features were delicate, and their expressions focused, as if they were caught in some ritual or delicate task.

I couldn’t help but stare in awe, my mind trying to process what I was seeing and what act was unfolding. These weren’t the students from before, but something else entirely, reminding me of the glowworms. I watched this new loop play out.

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The figures moved with an otherworldly grace. They glided toward the water’s edge, each carrying an object; small, delicate, and shimmering. The weight of their task seemed to settle in their postures, yet they moved with such fluidity, it was as if they were weightless.

As they approached the water, they paused, their feet barely disturbing the surface as if they were part of the lake itself. One by one, they lowered the objects into the water with reverence, their movements slow and deliberate. The water reflected the soft glow of their bodies, casting ripples of light across the cave.

Then, they raised their arms, each gesture deliberate and graceful, tracing unseen patterns in the air, as if weaving something ancient and powerful with their fingers. The air around them seemed to vibrate with an almost palpable energy, the temperature shifting with the rise of their arms.

A soft hum began to emanate from them, low at first, but growing in intensity. Their bodies swayed, a rhythmic, fluid motion that mirrored the ebb and flow of the water. It wasn’t just a dance. It had to be a ritual. Are they a cult? priests?

As their feet moved in synchronized harmony, the very air seemed to bend around them, responding to their movements. The dance wasn’t just for show; it was a spell, an invocation of energy that coursed through the room, making all the lake shine with an ethereal light.

My breath caught as I watched the figures, so entranced by the scene that I couldn’t look away. Their bodies twisted and turned with a grace I could almost comprehend, their glowing forms casting shadows and light shifting with every step.

Then, without warning, the scene restarted. The figures, their delicate bodies glowing, began their dance anew. I stood transfixed on their moments. My eyes locked on their every movement, determined to figure the reason out for the loops.

I leaned in closer, observing their movements with growing intensity. Each step, each precise gesture felt significant, like a key waiting to be turned in a forgotten lock. As the figures raised their arms once more, I felt a subtle tug within myself, a quiet whisper of understanding deep in my chest. It wasn’t just the choreography; it was something more—something in the way they moved, in the way the air shifted around them, the way the temperature shifted.

I could feel an understanding of the energy. They were drawing from something ancient, something that existed outside of the physical space, threading through everything causing a humming through the room.

I felt a jolt of comprehension of the patterns, like a thread winding its way through the very fabric of the universe. My breath caught as I focused harder, watching the figures move, their arms tracing arcane paths in the air, and the tug of understanding grew stronger.

They had to be priests, but of what?

I continued feeling the rhythm, the pulse of their dance vibrating through me. I was being drawn into their motions, each swirl of their arms, each step in their dance resonating within me, pulling me into the hypnotic pattern.

I was jarred from the resonation as the loop repeated once again. They began the dance again and I could feel it in my bones. It was stronger, clearer, this loop, as if the magic was beginning to thread itself into my very being.

The figures continued their dance, and I, standing there, felt the shift in the air, felt the tug of their ancient rhythm pulling me closer when Discomancy finally kicked in. It recognized the order and chaos of the rhythm in ways I hadn’t realized I would ever understand.

Their dance was a symphony of balance, a blend of opposing forces woven together in a perfect harmony that both unsettled and invigorated me, growing more solid with each repetition of the loop.

Without thinking, I stepped forward, my body instinctively mirroring the fluid motions of the figures. I raised my arms just like they did, moving in time with the invisible beat that reverberated through my bones. It was like I was becoming one with the energy, flowing seamlessly through the air with a newfound grace that seemed almost out of place in the stillness of the room. I understood what it meant to truly dance with the universe.

The sensation of understanding blossomed fully within me. It was like a switch had flipped, and I knew—I knew—the dance. Every movement felt as natural as breathing, every step aligned with the pulse of the energy that filled the room. It wasn’t just the rhythm anymore; it was an extension of myself, a language I could finally speak.

The water rippled around my feet, responding to the rhythm, as if acknowledging my presence within the loop. For a moment, I felt as though I wasn’t just performing a dance but flowing through everything. The energy swirled around and in me, echoing the movements of the dancers, feeding off my own growing understanding.

I had become part of the chaos and the order that wove everything together. The loops continued to repeat, seeming to happen faster, I had become part of it, flowing seamlessly with the others, my movements joining theirs in perfect harmony. The dance was no longer a mystery, it was my language now.

The far wall began shuddering, and a guttural rumble of earth ripping apart, it began to shift. My breath caught as the wall dragged itself open, revealing a towering monument beyond. It stood tall and imposing, made of smooth, polished stone that gleamed, as if lit from within. The monument had an ethereal quality, its shape almost otherworldly, like something carved by hands that knew secrets older than time.

The light in the room seemed to bend around it, casting long, dramatic shadows on the floor. As the opening widened, I could make out intricate patterns etched into the surface of the monument, symbols I couldn't quite understand, but which seemed to pulse with a life of their own.

I leaned in, compelled by an unshakable curiosity. The monument felt alive, its presence both ancient and intensely alive, as if it were waiting for something or someone to approach. The very air around it vibrated with even more potential, and I could feel that magnetic pull drawing me in.

The loop suddenly stopped, and a heavy silence filled the room. I blinked, staring at the altar before me, its intricate design now completely still. The air around it felt thick, almost as if waiting for something to happen.

I took a hesitant step forward, drawn to the monument’s presence, my eyes scanning every detail. There was something strange about it, something that made it seem so real and yet... unreachable. I reached out, my hand trembling slightly as I passed it through the air, but my fingers met no resistance. It felt as though I was pushing through nothing, as if the altar was made of smoke, not solid stone.

Frustration gnawed at me, and I swiped my hand across the surface, desperate to find something, anything solid, to confirm that it was real. My fingers grazed over the smooth, intangible surface, but the frustration only grew. Then, with a sharp smack, my hand collided with something solid.

I jerked back, startled. I looked down at the stone I had hit, its rough texture. It was real. The altar wasn’t just a mirage of the past or the loop. I had substance, something I could interact with. My eyes darted around again, taking in the sudden clarity of the moment.

Why was this stone hidden in a mirage?

I pulled the stone away with some effort, like the energy of the altar didn’t want to let it go.

Once in my hand, the stone crumbled leaving dust to fall away in a gentle cascade, revealing one of the exact same objects the students had been moving.

It was glowing dark red in the dim blue light, at some point I had stored the sconce. I could feel its connection to the ritual that had played out before me.

I looked around, my hands searching for anything else that might be hidden around the altar.

Just as I was about to give up, the doorway to the room began to blink, getting faster and then rapidly.

Without a second thought, I sprinted as fast as I could through the lake towards the door. Just as I got to the waters edge the light started flickering in a frantic, urgent pattern.

I lunged and slid through the narrowing gap, the faint hum of the door closing down filling my ears.

The cave's cool air gave way to the open room’s stillness as I slid to a stop, my breaths ragged and body tense. A rush of release washed over me, leaving me unsteady as I spun around to glance back at the now-sealed entrance.