As they continued their search, Vas discovered hidden pieces carefully tucked away in the corners of various rooms. Their shapes and sizes matched the missing components of the circuits they had found earlier. With a sense of urgency, he gathered the pieces and returned to the second floor.

The tension was palpable as Vas began assembling the circuit. The ancient mechanisms seemed to resist, fighting against the disruption. Every adjustment was met with a low, rumbling sound that echoed ominously through the corridors. Anya could feel her heart racing, her breath quickening with each unsettling noise.

Finally, as the last piece fell into place, a strange, eerie glow emanated from the completed circuit. The light was cold and unnatural, casting long, dancing shadows on the walls. It illuminated the path leading back to the third floor, where the statues awaited.

Vas's hands trembled slightly as he studied the statues. Their limbs needed to be adjusted to match the positions depicted in the mural on the first floor. The complexity of the task was daunting, but there was no turning back. The sense of urgency grew as the glow from the circuit intensified, flickering like a heartbeat.

The most dangerous part lay ahead—the room with the collapsed floor. Vas knew he had to carefully navigate the chasm to reach the statue. He deployed his Chakrams, using them as makeshift platforms to bridge the gap. The feeling of vertigo was overwhelming, but he focused on the task at hand.

Holding onto the statue for support, Vas methodically adjusted its arms. Each movement was precise, yet the slightest mistake could send him plunging into the abyss below. Anya watched with bated breath, her anxiety mounting as the statues were finally aligned.

As the last statue was adjusted, the completed circuit began to glow with an intense, blinding light. The ancient mechanisms seemed to come alive, and a deep, resonant hum filled the chamber. The sealed door at the end of the corridor began to react, glowing with an ethereal energy.

With a thunderous creak, the door began to open. The darkness beyond was impenetrable, and the sense of something ancient and powerful waiting on the other side was almost overwhelming.

"Are we sure it's a good idea to go down there?" Anya asked, her voice wavering slightly.

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"No," Vas replied, his eyes fixed ahead, "but we have to."

With that, both Vas and Anya ventured deeper into the oppressive darkness. As they passed through the ancient door, the air around them grew thick with an otherworldly stillness. A slow, eerie hum vibrated through the stone, as though the ruins themselves were alive, aware of their presence. The heavy door creaked shut behind them, sealing them within.

Then, the view ahead opened up, and what they saw made them stop in their tracks.

Before them was a vast subterranean city, carved from pristine white stone. The stairs they stood on spiraled down into a colossal cavern, so vast it was impossible to see the far walls. The air was thick and cool, laden with the scent of stone and ancient dust. The structures below stretched in every direction, illuminated by an eerie, bluish glow that seemed to emanate from the very rocks themselves, casting long, haunting shadows across the city.

Massive columns lined the streets, towering high above the buildings, giving the entire place the appearance of a lost metropolis frozen in time. At the heart of the city stood an immense temple, its walls gleaming under the pale light. The temple was unlike anything Vas had ever seen—colossal, foreboding, its architecture both magnificent and unnerving. Intricate carvings of long-forgotten deities covered its surface, their eyes hollow and their expressions unreadable.

From their vantage point high above, Vas could make out figures—a sea of people, or what appeared to be people—kneeling in perfect formation around the base of the temple. There was something wrong about the way they moved, too synchronized, too still. It was as if the entire city was locked in a silent, eternal ritual. The air down there buzzed with the energy of something ancient and unfathomable, a power that made the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

Anya's breath caught in her throat. "What... what are they doing?" she whispered, her voice barely audible in the cavernous space.

Vas's eyes narrowed as he observed the strange congregation below. "Some sort of rite. But it doesn't feel right." His voice was steady, but there was an undercurrent of unease that even he couldn't shake.

The sound of distant chanting reached them, low and rhythmic, as if coming from deep within the earth itself. It reverberated off the stone walls, growing louder with every step they took down the stairs. The deeper they descended, the more the weight of the city seemed to press in on them, as though the air itself was filled with the memories of a forgotten civilization that should have stayed buried.

As they neared the bottom of the stairs, the full scale of the temple loomed over them. Each column that lined the streets seemed impossibly tall up close, and the figures kneeling before the temple were now disturbingly clear. Their faces were obscured by hoods, but the way they moved—jerky and unnatural—made Anya take a step back.

"Those aren't people," Anya said, her voice hushed but sharp with fear.

Vas clenched his jaw. "No... I don't think they are."

The tension was palpable, the air thick with an almost suffocating pressure. Every breath they took seemed louder than the last, as if the city itself was listening, waiting. Somewhere deep within that temple, Vas knew, lay the answers they sought—but also something far darker than either of them could imagine.

The strange glow intensified, casting long shadows that danced across the walls. The chanting grew louder, more frenzied, as if whatever ritual was being performed was reaching its climax.

"We need to move," Vas said, his voice low and urgent. He kept his eyes on the temple, but his mind was racing, trying to figure out how to navigate this place without drawing the attention of whatever was down here.