The entrance of the glowing structure loomed over Willie and Ghoida as they hesitated at the threshold. Its light flickered like a fading memory, casting long shadows on the smooth stone walls.
“Do you think this is another trap?” Ghoida asked, gripping her sword tightly.
“With our luck? Probably,” Willie replied, examining the artifact. The shards glowed steadily, their light resonating with the aura of the structure. “But the shards are reacting to this place. There’s something here we’re meant to find.”
Steeling themselves, they stepped inside. The air was cooler, carrying a faint metallic tang that made the hairs on their necks stand up. Strange symbols carved into the walls emitted a soft, pulsating glow, and faint whispers seemed to echo from the depths of the structure.
“Creepy,” Ghoida muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.
Willie nodded, his eyes scanning the intricate carvings. “These symbols… they look like they’re telling a story.”
Ghoida raised an eyebrow. “Can you read them?”
“Not exactly,” Willie admitted. “But they seem familiar somehow.”
As they moved deeper into the structure, the whispers grew louder, forming disjointed words in a language neither of them recognized. The corridor opened into a vast chamber, its ceiling disappearing into the shadows above. In the center stood a pedestal, holding a crystalline object that shimmered with an otherworldly light.
“That must be what the shards are pointing us toward,” Willie said, stepping forward.
Before he could reach the pedestal, the ground beneath them trembled. A deep, resonant hum filled the chamber, and from the walls emerged ghostly figures. They were humanoid in shape but translucent, their features blurred like reflections on rippling water.
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“I knew it,” Ghoida said, drawing her sword. “It’s never just a simple walk in and grab it.”
The ghostly figures began to move, their forms twisting unnaturally as they closed in.
“Are they hostile?” Willie asked, backing away.
“Let’s assume yes!” Ghoida replied, slashing at one of the figures. Her blade passed through it, but the creature recoiled, its form flickering.
“They’re not solid,” Willie observed. “Maybe we can disrupt them with energy.”
He held up the artifact, its light intensifying. The figures hesitated, their movements growing erratic.
“It’s working!” Ghoida said, stepping closer to Willie.
Willie focused, directing the light toward the figures. One by one, they dissolved, their whispers fading into silence. When the last figure vanished, the chamber grew still.
“That wasn’t so bad,” Ghoida said, lowering her sword.
Willie gave her a skeptical look. “You mean aside from the ghost army?”
She smirked. “Exactly.”
Approaching the pedestal, Willie carefully lifted the crystalline object. The artifact in his hand glowed brightly, and the two items resonated, their light intertwining. A vision flashed before their eyes—a vast, desolate landscape filled with towering monsters, and a city crumbling into ruins.
“What… was that?” Ghoida asked, her voice shaking.
“I don’t know,” Willie said, his hands trembling. “But I think it’s connected to everything we’re trying to uncover.”
The vision faded, leaving them in silence. The chamber seemed to exhale, the oppressive atmosphere lifting slightly.
“We should get out of here,” Ghoida said, glancing around. “Before something else shows up.”
Willie nodded, clutching the crystalline object. “Agreed.”
As they retraced their steps, the symbols on the walls glowed brighter, as if guiding them. But the faint whispers returned, carrying a new, chilling message.
“The truth lies beyond…”
Willie and Ghoida exchanged uneasy glances but said nothing, quickening their pace. The structure seemed alive, watching their every move as they stepped back into the open air.
Outside, the storm had vanished, replaced by an eerie calm. The floating islands ahead seemed to stretch endlessly, their journey far from over.
“What now?” Ghoida asked, scanning the horizon.
Willie stared at the artifact and the crystalline object, their light still intertwined. “We keep going. Whatever answers we’re looking for, they’re out there. And I think we’re closer than ever.”
> End of Chapter 14