Arjun did not sleep that night.
The strange key lay on his wooden table, catching the faint light of the lantern. Every time the flame flickered, the eye symbol on the key seemed to move.
Watching him.
He told no one about the stone. Not his father. Not his mother. Not even his closest friend Ravi.
But near midnight, something happened.
The key began to vibrate.
Softly at first.
Then stronger.
Arjun jumped up from his bed. The lantern flame shook violently though there was no wind inside the room.
The vibration stopped.
Silence returned.
Then he heard it.
A low humming sound.
It was not coming from the key anymore.
It was coming from outside.
From the direction of the red hills.
Arjun grabbed the key without thinking. The metal felt warm now—almost alive.
He stepped outside.
The village was asleep. Dogs were quiet. No insects made a sound.
Even the night felt unnatural.
The humming grew louder as he walked toward the hills. It felt like something was calling him.
Guiding him.
When he reached the place where he had found the stone, he froze.
The ground was no longer flat.
A narrow crack had opened in the earth.
A thin line of blue light escaped from it.
Arjun's heart pounded in his chest.
He should run.
But instead, he stepped closer.
The key in his hand began to glow faintly.
As he stood above the crack, the earth shifted again.
The crack widened slowly… revealing stone steps descending into darkness.
Cold air rushed out from below.
Ancient air.
Air that had not touched the surface for centuries.
And then he saw it.
At the bottom of the steps, barely visible in the dim blue light—
A massive stone door.
And carved in its center…
The same eye symbol.
Arjun stared at the key in his hand.
There was only one possible truth.
This was not an accident.
The hills had chosen him.
Swallowing his fear, he took the first step downward.
The sound of his footsteps echoed into the unknown.
Behind him, the crack in the earth slowly began to close.
And far below, something waited.
Awake.