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> "Some darkness is not merely the absence of light, but a presence that has simply chosen to wait."
> — Veilstone Scholar's Lost Notes
>
The green light pulsed, sickly and cold, showing the creature that now filled the narrow passage. It was a Cave Serpent, massive and terrifying. Its scales, dark and slick with moisture, shone faintly in the weird glow from its many eyes. Not just two, but a row of glowing emerald eyes ran down the sides of its long, flat head, each one fixed on them. Its body was thick, like a tree trunk, and it moved with a slow, powerful ripple, its vast coils filling the entire tunnel. The dripping sound was from its wide, wet mouth, from which two long, pointed fangs dripped a thick, clear liquid onto the stone floor. A foul, damp smell, like rotten fish and wet earth, filled the air.
"Back! Back up!" Lyra hissed, her voice tight with fear. She didn't hesitate. She scrambled backward, her small form surprisingly quick, pulling Ash with her.
Kael, however, stood his ground. "No room to fight!" he growled, but his sword, drawn and ready, shone faintly even in the dim green light. He planted his armored boots, trying to block the passage. He was ready to face it, even in such a tight space.
The serpent didn't rush. It seemed to study them, its many eyes blinking slowly, each movement making the green light shift and dance. The air grew colder, heavy with its presence. Then, with surprising speed for its size, its head lunged forward, not snapping to bite, but pressing its huge, flat snout against the tunnel walls. The stone groaned under the pressure, and a wave of raw, ancient power, heavy and dark, washed over them.
Ash gasped. The obsidian shard in his chest burned. The familiar visions exploded, but this time they were different. He wasn't seeing the past. He was seeing through the serpent's eyes, seeing a world of cold rock, damp darkness, and the scent of fear. He felt a deep, primal hunger, a slow, patient waiting that had lasted for centuries. This creature wasn't just an animal; it was something born of the deep earth, a guardian, a keeper of these hidden veins. The visions were so strong they made him dizzy, his head spinning.
Selene reacted instantly. "It's trying to overwhelm you, Ash! Not with teeth, but with dread! Resist!" She stepped past Kael, directly facing the massive head. Her hands moved, not in a flashy spell, but in a series of quick, quiet gestures. The shadows around her seemed to deepen, drawing the sickly green light towards her, making her a dark outline against the creature. A low hum filled the air, a sound only Ash seemed to hear, resonating with his shard. The serpent recoiled slightly, its many eyes blinking faster, as if confused by the sudden, strange energy.
This gave Kael the opening he needed. With a powerful yell, he thrust his sword forward, not at the serpent's head, but at the tunnel ceiling right above it. His blade hit rock with a loud CRACK, and pieces of stone showered down, dusty and sharp. It wasn't a direct attack, but a tactic. The serpent, startled by the sudden noise and debris, pulled its head back further into the tunnel.
"Move! Now!" Kael yelled, grabbing Ash and pushing him after Lyra.
They scrambled backward, Lyra still leading them, surprisingly sure-footed in the darkness. The passage seemed to open up slightly, a tiny bit wider than before, allowing them to move a little faster. The serpent, still hissing, tried to follow, its huge body scraping against the walls, shaking the whole tunnel.
"This way!" Lyra cried out. She veered sharply to the right, into what looked like a solid rock wall, but as they got closer, Ash saw a narrow, hidden crack, barely visible. It was another secret passage, even tighter than the first.
They squeezed through, one by one. Ash, last in line, pushed hard, his chest scraping against the rough stone, the shard burning fiercely. He heard the serpent's frustrated roar behind him, a sound that shook the very rock. The air vibrated with anger. Then, with a loud CRUMBLE, the passage behind them closed, blocked by falling rocks. Kael must have hit a weak point, or Selene's magic had weakened the stone.
They tumbled out of the narrow passage and into a large, cold chamber. The air here was different, less damp, but thick with dust and the smell of ancient decay. Faint, ghostly light filtered down from cracks high above, showing a vast, circular room. It was clearly man-made, but incredibly old. Pillars of rough, unworked stone rose from the floor, holding up a high, vaulted ceiling that disappeared into shadows. Strange carvings covered the walls, figures with elongated limbs and hollow eyes, hinting at rituals and beings Ash couldn't even guess at.
They had made it inside Veilstone Keep. But this wasn't an archive or a cozy scholar's nook. This was something far older, deeper, and perhaps even more dangerous than the king's men.
"Where... are we?" Ash whispered, his voice echoing eerily in the vast space. The shard in his chest was still pulsing, but its visions were now of the room itself, of its dark history, of the power that had once flowed here.
Lyra, breathing heavily, looked around. Her eyes, usually sharp and knowing, were wide with surprise. "This... this isn't any entrance I know," she breathed. "This must be a forgotten level. Deeper than the smugglers dared go. We've gone off the old maps entirely."
Suddenly, from the shadows near one of the ancient pillars, a soft, dry cough echoed. It was a human sound, but weak, as if from someone very old or very sick.
The group froze. They were not alone in this forgotten part of Veilstone Keep. And the sound didn't come from Valerius's men. It came from something that had been here, waiting, in the deep silence for a very, very long time.
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