The chamber still reeked of darkness. Even though the shadowed entity had vanished, its presence clung to the air, thick and oppressive. Aedric's grip on the sword tightened as he took a slow step forward. The blade no longer pulsed with its eerie energy, but he knew better than to assume the danger had passed.
Seris stood beside him, her stance still guarded. "That thing… It wasn't destroyed, was it?"
Aedric shook his head. "No. It retreated."
Tessa let out a breath, sheathing her daggers. "Great. So it's lurking somewhere, waiting for another chance to rip us apart. Lovely."
The chamber had fallen into silence after the entity's departure, but that silence felt wrong. The walls, the stone beneath their feet—everything seemed to hum with an unnatural stillness. Aedric could feel it, something watching from beyond sight.
"This place was a tomb," Seris muttered, eyes scanning the ruined altar. "Now it's awake."
Aedric ran a hand over the dark blade. He could still feel the remnants of that energy, the way it had surged to answer him when he struck the entity. There was something unnatural about this weapon, something old—older than the chamber, older than the ruins themselves.
"Do you hear that?" Tessa asked suddenly.
Aedric frowned. "Hear what?"
Tessa didn't answer immediately. She turned her head slightly, straining her ears. "It's faint. Like a whisper."
Seris immediately tensed. "We need to move. Now."
Aedric knew better than to hesitate. He sheathed the blade—though it felt wrong to do so—and took a step toward the exit. The moment he did, the ground beneath them shifted.
A groan echoed through the chamber, deep and guttural, like the sound of stone grinding against stone. Dust rained from above, and the walls trembled.
Then, the whispers began.
They were soft at first, almost too faint to notice. But as the seconds passed, they grew stronger.
"You are not worthy."
"The abyss watches."
"The blade is not yours to wield."
Aedric clenched his jaw. The voices weren't coming from any one direction—they were all around them, pressing into his thoughts.
Seris took a step closer to him. "We need to go. Now."
Tessa was already moving toward the stone archway that led back to the tunnels. "No arguments here."
Aedric followed, but as they crossed the threshold, the air shifted again.
A presence. Cold. Ancient. Watching.
And then—
The chamber collapsed.
The walls groaned as massive chunks of stone crumbled from above. Dust exploded into the air, blinding them. Aedric felt Seris grab his arm, pulling him forward.
"Move!"
They barely made it through the archway before the entire chamber behind them gave way, the ground collapsing into a dark void. A rush of cold air surged past them, carrying the whispers with it.
Then—silence.
Aedric coughed, shaking off the dust. He turned to look at the ruined chamber behind them. The entrance was gone. Only darkness remained.
Tessa exhaled sharply. "That was too close."
Seris looked at Aedric. "That blade… It wasn't supposed to be touched, was it?"
Aedric didn't answer immediately. He turned the weapon over in his hands. The weight of it felt heavier now. As though something unseen had recognized him.
"No," he admitted. "But it's too late for that now."
They had taken the sword.
And whatever had been sealed here—was no longer sealed.