The smell of stagnant water permeated the air of the dark cave passage. Intermittent water drips broke the eerie silence as Art walked further into the unknown.

Mere minutes had passed since he had tumbled down underground. Now, the darkness amplified the fear he had already felt so intensely. Yet, after running for what seemed like an eternity, the eerie silence of the passage was almost a relief. It felt as though he had run more in the last eight hours than in the rest of his life, as if he had found more desire to survive than ever before.

The combination of fear and determination was terrifyingly exhilarating.

Despite the whirlwind of emotion in his mind, he kept going. There was no other option for him but to keep moving forward.

Soon after, the passage began to widen. Its floor became smoother and less treacherous, as though someone had once taken great care of it. The walls started to smoothen too. Remnants of past footsteps became clearer the further he went. Jagged outcroppings on the walls soon became deeply rusted sconces holding the rotted stems of ancient torches, their flames long extinguished.

Art ran his fingertips along the surfaces beside him as he walked. The stonework felt as though it had been done in haste. The finish was clearly man-made at this point, yet it did not have the same exquisite smoothness found on the walls of his father’s castle.

What exactly have I found? These lands are too harsh for life. Hells, I don’t even know where I truly am.

More questions flooded into his mind as bewilderment and curiosity pushed the fear to a quieter corner of his thoughts.

Who had carved the passage? How long had it been since other boots had walked where he walked now?

The thick spiderwebs and rotten torches gave hints to the great age of what he had stumbled upon. It had to have been here before his birth, perhaps even much longer. How long would it take before the signs of years passed became indecipherable?

The thought excited him so much that he did not notice the enormous cavern it had opened out to until he nearly walked off one of its many sheer drops.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

A tremendous space had opened up before him. Shafts of moonlight penetrated the hazy view, creeping in through man-made ports in the rocky ceiling. They cast soft beams across the cave, bouncing and reflecting off streams and pools of water.

Art scanned the vast expanse with as much scrutiny as possible. His eyes had adjusted to the eerie lighting quickly after being in the near pitch-black tunnel for so long.

Far into the distance, he could see something carved into the opposing wall of the cave. It was some form of entrance with towering pillars set into the rockface.

A temple, perhaps? Strange.

Thoughts of all the stories his mother used to tell him ran through his head. She had never mentioned any tales about temples hidden deep underground in these remote regions. In fact, she had never mentioned much of anything about these strange lands at all, and her knowledge of the empire had always seemed boundless.

He replayed those memories over and over as he scrambled down the heavily eroded staircase carved from the passageway, then made his way across the uneven path toward the mysterious structure.

Finally, he was close enough to see clearly. As he stood before the vast pillars, looking into the shadowy interior, his eyes ran over the strange stonework surrounding him.

Figures of men and women were carved into the walls with painstaking detail, all of them draped in revealing layers of cloth. Some wore bodices or intricate bralettes with shoulder straps slipping down, while others were simply wrapped in what looked like bedsheets. The stonework was so well done that the fabrics even looked soft to the touch.

Every carving was directed toward the shadowy temple entrance, enticing the discoverer to venture deeper with their outstretched arms and pointed fingers. The entire structure screamed allure and mystery.

Art cast a glance behind him, back towards the passageway that had brought him to this strange place. The mystery and awe had briefly taken his mind away from the fact that he was being relentlessly pursued.

She won’t give up just because my trail went cold.

He thought about what he would do if their places were switched. Morrigan wanted him dead, or worse, she wanted to control him. Why? He had no idea, but that didn’t matter. At least, not right now.

She’ll backtrack until they can pick up the trail again. No doubt she’ll figure it out and come down here after me.

The thought made him shudder. He had felt a slight reprieve in the near pitch-black darkness, but it had only been a false relief. She was coming for him—perhaps she would burst out of the passageway any second now...

He turned back to the shadowy entrance of the temple, eyeing its intricate figurines as they beckoned and gestured for him to explore their secrets.

I cannot go back, so I must go forward. A place like this must have more than one entrance... I hope. Please let it have more than one.

Finally, with his mind made up, he turned back towards the temple and stepped into the darkness.