Chapter 4: The Stone Door

The group stood in front of the massive stone door, their faces lit by the flickering torchlight. The door was covered in strange symbols, and the slot in the center—where the glowing stone should go—seemed to mock them.

"We're stuck," Haru said, slumping against the wall. "The stone's back there, and the floor's collapsed. We can't go back."

"There has to be another way," Kaito said, running his hand over the carvings on the door. "These symbols... maybe they're a clue."

Aiko stepped closer, her sketchbook in hand. She quickly copied the symbols onto a blank page. "If we can figure out what these mean, maybe we can open the door without the stone."

Yumi crossed her arms, her bow still slung over her shoulder. "And how long is that going to take? We don't even know what language this is."

"We don't have a choice," Kaito said firmly. "We can't just sit here and do nothing."

Sora tugged on Yumi's jacket. "I'm hungry," he said quietly.

Yumi sighed, her expression softening. "I know, Sora. We'll find something soon, okay?"

While Aiko studied the symbols, Haru wandered around the room, looking for anything that might help. The walls were covered in more carvings, and there were strange markings on the floor.

"Hey, guys," Haru called, crouching down. "Look at this."

The others gathered around him. On the floor was a series of tiles, each with a different symbol carved into it. The tiles were arranged in a circle, with a larger tile in the center.

"What is this?" Aiko asked, tilting her head.

"It looks like... a puzzle," Haru said, his eyes lighting up. "Maybe if we step on the tiles in the right order, something will happen."

"Or it's another trap," Yumi said, narrowing her eyes. "We can't just start stepping on things."

"We don't have a lot of options," Kaito said. "If this is our only way out, we have to try."

Aiko looked at the symbols she'd copied from the door, then at the tiles. "Wait... these symbols match the ones on the door. Maybe they're part of the same puzzle."

"So what do we do?" Haru asked.

"We step on the tiles in the order of the symbols on the door," Aiko said, pointing to her sketchbook. "It's worth a shot."

Kaito took a deep breath. "Alright. I'll do it."

"Be careful," Aiko said, her voice filled with worry.

Kaito stepped onto the first tile, pressing it down with his foot. Nothing happened. He moved to the next one, then the next, following the order Aiko had written down.

As he stepped on the last tile, the room began to shake. The tiles shifted, and the larger tile in the center rose up, revealing a hidden compartment.

Inside the compartment was another glowing stone, identical to the one they'd left behind.

"Yes!" Haru shouted, pumping his fist. "We did it!"

Kaito picked up the stone and held it up. "Now we can open the door."

They hurried back to the stone door. Kaito placed the stone into the slot, and the symbols on the door began to glow. The ground shook again, and the door slowly creaked open.

On the other side was a long, dark tunnel. The air was cold, and the sound of dripping water echoed in the distance.

"Do we really have to go in there?" Haru asked, his voice trembling.

"We don't have a choice," Yumi said, tightening her grip on her bow. "Let's go."

They stepped into the tunnel, the torchlight casting long shadows on the walls. The tunnel sloped downward, leading them deeper underground.

After a few minutes, the tunnel opened up into a massive cavern. The ceiling was high, and the walls were covered in glowing crystals that lit up the space. In the center of the cavern was a large pool of water, its surface perfectly still.

"This place is... beautiful," Aiko whispered, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Yeah, beautiful and creepy," Haru said, shivering. "What is this place?"

Kaito walked over to the pool, staring into the water. "I don't know, but it feels... important."

As they explored the cavern, they noticed more carvings on the walls. These were different from the ones they'd seen before—they looked like scenes, telling a story.

"Look at this," Aiko said, pointing to one of the carvings. "It shows people... building something. And then... something happened."

The next carving showed the people fleeing, their faces filled with fear. The final carving showed the island being swallowed by darkness.

"What does it mean?" Sora asked, his voice small.

"I think... something bad happened here," Kaito said, his stomach twisting. "Something really bad."

Before they could say more, a loud noise echoed through the cavern. It sounded like footsteps—heavy and slow.

"What was that?" Haru whispered, his eyes wide with fear.

"I don't know," Yumi said, raising her bow. "But we need to get out of here. Now."

The footsteps grew louder, and the ground began to shake. From the shadows at the far end of the cavern, a massive figure emerged.

It was a creature—part animal, part machine—with glowing red eyes and sharp metal claws. It let out a roar that echoed through the cavern, making the walls tremble.

"Run!" Kaito shouted, grabbing Aiko's hand.

They sprinted back toward the tunnel, the creature close behind. The glowing crystals flickered as the creature's roar filled the air.

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