As soon as Ethan stepped into the stairway, the entrance above immediately closed shut!
" Hey! A1!" He exclaimed, but received no response, as all he could see or ear was darkness.
* It did say it was now disconnected from here. So I suppose it might not be able to hear me—but how am I supposed to get out of here?!* He thought fearfully. What if he couldn't get out? Was he going to starve and die here?
" Damn it! I should've asked it how to get out!" He punched the wall out of annoyance with full force.
" Ouch!" Pain coursed through his fist, as he used his other hand to grab his bruised palm.
But suddenly, small flicker of lights appeared on the side of the walls, illuminating the dark passageway.
" Whoa, did punching the wall turn on the lights? Is that how it works?" Ethan mused curiously, as a slight smirk grew on his face.
Due to the light, he was finally able to see clearly.
The air was thicker, colder, carrying the faint smell of rust, antiseptic, and something feral down here.
The stairwell is narrow, flanked by flickering strip-lights that struggle to stay alive after nearly two decades of silence.
Then he took a step, each step stirring up a cloud of dust that danced in the faint gold shimmer reflecting off A1's still-active circuits on the wall above. Though some seemed broken and torn, while others seemed melted like a great heat wave had attacked them.
* Must have been effects from the failed experiment* He thought, as he continued descending to the bottom.
At the bottom lies a massive circular door — sleek, matte black, etched with glowing golden veins that pulse faintly in sync with A1's light. The lock mechanism hums softly, as though it recognizes the return of its master's bloodline.
Click! Chank~
Soon, the locked, metal door was opened, allowing Ethan passage into the laboratory.
" Well, here we go. I have to find out what had happened here,"
•••••
" Aaaahhg!" The loud screams of a man rung throughout the luxurious chamber. He stood atop a tall podium, at the center of six others.
Upon them also stood six hooded figures, along with the man, making seven.
They all wore black hoods, save from one at the far end who had a pure white robe covering her from head to toe.
" What is the matter Argoth?" One of the figures exclaimed towards the screaming man in alarm.
He could feel the pain coursing through his friend through the scream of agony he was exclaiming at.
The other figures also seemed worried and alarmed, but none moved at inch from their podiums to help him.
" Araaagghhh! Awooo!!" His voice began to grow louder as the massive pain he felt knew no bounds and seemed to never stop.
Thud!
He dropped to his knees, body writhing in agony and suffering, as the pain slowly subsided.
He could feel his tense muscles loosening up and sweat that he hadn't noticed on him previously had now drowned him and soaked his robes.
The others stared in concern as they witnessed this sight, but still none moved an inch to check if he was okay, instead, they bombarded him with questions.
"Argoth–what did you see?" The white robed individual asked, her voice indicating that she was female, and maybe the only female in the group seven.
" Yes Argoth, what did you see. For you to have reacted in such a way it must be terrible," another asked, his voice laced with concern and urgency.
For the rest, all they did was stand there as they awaited his answer.
Slowly standing up from the ground, Argoth exhaled out a deep breath," my brethrens. I have witnessed a sight only possible by a god,"
" A god! Are you saying a god is about to be born?"
" No, I'm saying: A god is about to be–reborn," Argoth said, his voice shaking just as his cold hands were. He felt as if he was going to collapse.
" What do you mean by reborn? All the gods are dead except for "her" and she had confirmed it!" One of the passive ones finally spoke, his voice carrying a weight of unbelief.
"Yes Argoth, please explain by what you mean Reborn? What did you see in your vision?"
Taking another deep breath, he faced his brothers and sister through the darkness of the hood and spoke," I saw nothing but a pair of eyes in a dark night sky, and from that pair, a voice spoke to me,"
" A voice? What did it say?"
" Woe to all who have forgotten the reign of night, for He returns.
Blessed are the few who kept His name alive in the dark.
Those who cast Him into the abyss shall face the weight of their sin.
For the days of the Night God may be gone—
but through mortal flesh, His flame shall rise anew.
The moon shall split in two for His glory.
The tides shall bow.
And all shall know His name once more…
Amon."
The name echoed like thunder through the hall.
Even the torches wavered, their flames bending toward the center as if drawn to that single, forbidden word.
Argoth dropped to one knee, trembling, tears glinting in the dim light.
"He's coming back," he whispered. "The Night God is returning."
The white-robed woman slowly lowered her hood.
Her eyes — pure silver — reflected both terror and awe.
"So it begins," she murmured. "The age of Amon… reborn."