Karmeen crossed her arms, frustration flickering in her eyes. "Great. Three roads. So… anyone here got an idea which one to take? Any gut feelings?"
Selene tilted her head, her tone light yet unsettling.
"Hmm… maybe the first path has zombies, the second one's full of deadly traps, and the third—" she smiled faintly, eyes glinting in the dim light, "—definitely ghosts. No matter which we pick, today's our doom."
The other three turned to her with identical are you serious? looks.
Zeddy groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Okay, okay. I'll just go with my tried-and-true method—eenie, meenie, miney, mo."
Karmeen threw up her hands. "We're so dead," she muttered under her breath.
Selene just nodded, still smiling. "At least we'll die together. How poetic."
Zeddy blinked at her. "…You really need better hobbies."
They stood at the crossroads, the three tunnels stretching into darkness like open jaws. Just as Zeddy pointed toward the left passage, a faint pulse of light shimmered from the middle path.
"Uh… guys?" Seul murmured, stepping closer.
The glow intensified, running like veins of light along the walls. One by one, the ancient symbols carved into the stone began to illuminate—pale gold lines flickering to life as though awakening after centuries of sleep.
Karmeen's brows furrowed. "What's with all these lights…?"
Before anyone could answer, a deep rumble rolled through the cavern. Dust rained from above. The ground quivered beneath their feet.
Zeddy staggered, throwing out an arm to steady himself. "Oh, come on—another quake?!"
The trembling grew stronger. Cracks snaked across the ceiling, and chunks of stone began to crumble and fall.
Selene's flashlight flickered wildly as the shaking intensified. The glowing symbols flared brighter than ever—like the ruins themselves were reacting to something… or someone.
"Move back!" Karmeen shouted, grabbing Selene by the arm just as a massive slab crashed down in front of them, scattering debris and light through the air.