Whispers Beneath the Earth

The air was thick with the lingering stench of burnt corruption. The mist had begun to settle again, creeping along the edges of the sinkhole like a living thing waiting to reclaim its prey.

Kaelen stood at the edge, staring into the abyss below. The fire had purged the creature, but something about the way it dissolved didn’t sit right with him.

"The corruption here is deeper than we thought," the system murmured.

Varek exhaled sharply, rubbing his chin. "That thing wasn’t just some stray monster. It felt… wrong."

Mira, still gripping her bow, nodded. "It didn’t act like the usual corrupted beasts. It was intelligent, in its own way."

Kaelen agreed. Most corrupted creatures were driven by instinct—rage, hunger, mindless destruction. But this thing? It had observed them before attacking.

Which meant there was something worse waiting below.

"Kaelen, you need to go down there," the system stated.

His fingers twitched. “Why?”

"Because this isn’t just a battlefield. It’s a message. Something down there wants to be found."

The others were still debating what to do next when Kaelen spoke. "I’m going in."

They all turned to look at him.

"Are you insane?" Varek demanded. "That thing nearly killed us. And you want to jump into the pit it came from?"

Mira’s eyes narrowed. "What do you expect to find?"

Kaelen met her gaze. "Answers."

There was a long silence. Then, with a frustrated grunt, Varek shook his head. "Damn it. Fine. But if you get yourself killed, I’m not dragging your body out."

Mira sighed. "I’m coming with you."

Kaelen frowned. "You don’t have to—"

"Shut up. You’ll need someone to cover you," she interrupted. "Besides, I don’t like leaving questions unanswered either."

Varek muttered a curse but didn’t argue.

The two descended carefully, using ropes to lower themselves into the chasm. The deeper they went, the colder the air became. It was the kind of cold that didn’t just bite at the skin—it seeped into the bones.

Then, their feet touched solid ground.

Kaelen’s eyes adjusted to the dim glow of strange, pulsing veins in the walls. Black mist coiled along the ground like sluggish water.

The place felt alive.

"Be careful," the system warned. "Something is watching you."

Kaelen moved cautiously, Mira at his side. Their footsteps were muffled by the eerie silence. Then, ahead of them, something came into view.

A door.

But not just any door. It was massive, ancient, covered in symbols that pulsed with faint energy. And at its center—embedded deep within the stone—was a system fragment.

Kaelen’s breath caught.

"A fragment… here?"

Mira stepped closer. "I’ve never seen markings like these before."

Kaelen reached out, his fingers grazing the surface of the door.

And then—

A voice.

Not from the system. Not from Mira.

A voice that came from everywhere and nowhere at once.

“You should not have come.”

The air turned suffocating. The mist surged.

And the door began to open.

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