The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the vast desert landscape. The pyramids rose in the distance like ancient sentinels, their towering forms dwarfing the group as they finally decided to visit the pyramid after going around Cairo for an entire day.
Eli was already halfway up the path toward the nearest pyramid, his voice carrying back to Kuro and Lira as he grinned.
"This is incredible!" he shouted, his arms wide. "I mean, we're standing in front of one of the Seven Wonders of the Old World! Can you believe it?"
Kuro, trailing behind, stared at the scene with a sense of unease crawling beneath his skin. The air felt thick and heavy.
Kuro's sharp eyes scanned the area around them, trying to pin down the source of the discomfort. But nothing made sense. The horizon shimmered under the harsh light, and even the sand seemed to shift in strange, subtle ways.
Finally, he exhaled, shaking off the unease that threatened to cloud his thoughts.
As they approached the pyramid, the sense of unease only intensified. The sand seemed to shift in strange, subtle ways, and the horizon shimmered under the harsh light. Kuro's instincts screamed at him to be vigilant, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something.
Finally, they reached the entrance to the pyramid, a narrow opening in the base of the structure. Eli, still bubbling with excitement, led the way, disappearing into the darkness within. Kuro and Lira followed, their eyes adjusting slowly to the dim light.
As they ventured deeper into the pyramid, the air thickened with an eerie silence. Kuro's instincts remained on high alert, his senses scanning the surroundings for any signs of potential threats. The absence of guards or patrols at the entrance had only added to his unease.
Without drawing attention to himself, Kuro discreetly dispatched two of his shadow soldiers to scout ahead. He knew that it was always better to err on the side of caution.
Eli, completely absorbed in his excitement, kept up a steady stream of chatter. "Can you believe it? We're literally walking in the footsteps of Pharaohs! I mean, what do you think these walls could tell us if they could talk?" His voice echoed through the narrow passageways, but Kuro didn't answer.
As they moved deeper, the narrow passageway opened up into a vast chamber. The ceiling stretched high above them, disappearing into shadow, and at the far end of the room, a massive stone door stood, seemingly untouched by time. The door was unlike anything they had seen before. It was intricately carved, depicting scenes of gods and beasts in battle, their forms both beautiful and grotesque in equal measure.
Tti-ring!
[Congratulations on discovering the dungeon "Sealed Prison"]
Kuro jolted hearing the sudden system notification.
The words lingered in his thoughts like an omen. He wasn't sure what this dungeon entailed, but the weight of the words felt ominous. He quickly scanned the massive chamber once more, his sharp eyes darting over every detail—the carved door, the high ceiling lost in darkness, the eerie silence of the place. Nothing about this felt right.
Eli, oblivious to Kuro's tense reaction, continued his excited chatter, gesturing animatedly at the door. "Look at this! It's like something out of a legend. These carvings are incredible! I bet there's some kind of treasure behind it!" His grin, but Kuro wasn't fooled. He knew better than to trust the allure of ancient treasure. Sometimes, what was hidden behind stone was far worse than any gold or jewel.
Lira, still absorbed in her own observations, nodded in agreement, her fingers lightly tracing the engravings of the gods and beasts locked in eternal combat. "These figures—they're not just artistic representations. They're warnings, I think. See how their eyes are focused on the door? It's as if they're guarding it from something inside."
Kuro's eyes narrowed as he took in the intricate details of the door. The battle scenes were indeed striking—gods locked in combat with monstrous, grotesque creatures, blood-stained sands beneath their feet, and an overwhelming sense of tension in every stroke of the chisel. But there was something else, something that gnawed at him. The door was far too pristine, too untouched by time, considering the age of the pyramid.
The system notification that flashed across his mind seemed to underline that notion. Sealed Prison. The dungeon wasn't simply a tomb or a treasure vault. This was a prison, a containment—something was trapped here, something that the ancient ones had gone to great lengths to imprison.
His thoughts were interrupted by the quiet sound of his shadow soldiers returning, slipping through the shadows with unnatural silence. One of them appeared beside him, its ethereal form flickering in the dim light of the chamber. Kuro's eyes locked onto the figure, and the soldier nodded silently, its eyes scanning the room as it reported back.
No immediate threats. Just an eerie, oppressive presence. But the soldier had sensed something further down the passage—a deep, almost alive feeling. The air grew colder the deeper they moved into the pyramid.
"Everyone, step back," Kuro ordered, his voice low and controlled, though he felt the faintest trace of urgency in his tone. He had to act now before they unwittingly triggered something far worse.
Lira, sensing the change in his demeanor, straightened up. "What's wrong?" she asked, her tone cautious. "We're not turning back now, are we?"
Kuro didn't respond right away. Instead, he focused on the door once more, watching it closely. His mind worked through the possibilities, but something in his gut told him that this was no ordinary tomb. Something had been sealed here for a reason, and the longer they lingered, the more likely they were to provoke whatever was locked inside.
Eli, however, was undeterred by Kuro's tension. "Come on, we're this close! We've got to push forward. There's no telling what's inside that room. Who knows what kind of knowledge or artifacts are locked away in there?"
Before Kuro could protest, Eli's hand was already reaching for the door, fingers brushing against the cold stone.
"Stop!" Kuro barked, his voice sharp. Eli froze mid-motion, his hand hovering over the door handle. "You don't understand. This place isn't a treasure vault. It's a prison. The kind of prison that holds something dangerous."
Lira frowned, clearly concerned. "What do you mean by that?" Her hand instinctively went to the dagger at her side, the unease settling deeper in her posture.
Kuro turned, his gaze intense. "We're not prepared for this. Whatever is sealed behind that door, it's not meant to be disturbed. I don't know if we can fight whatever is inside, but I'm sure we're not meant to find out."
Eli, still excited despite Kuro's warnings, grinned. "Come on, Kuro! We're awakeners and geniuses from the best academy in the world, right? What can go wrong?"
Kuro almost pulled his hairs out hearing Eli planting a giant red flag. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to turn around, to leave, but he knew Eli wouldn't listen. The excitement was too great, and Lira was clearly intrigued by the mystery.
"I'm not going to stop you from making a mistake," Kuro said softly, but with a finality that brooked no argument. "But know this: If you open that door, there's no going back."
Eli hesitated, his hand still hovering over the door, and for a moment, the air between them seemed to hold its breath. Finally, with a dramatic flourish, Eli tried to push the door open but failed. The door did not budge.
Tti-ring!
Just then, Kuro heard the system notification and took a look at it. His face pale as soon as he saw what the system notification was about.
[Emergency quest created. "Run!"]
[Emergency Quest: 'Run!']
Get away from the range of the prison. Failure will result in catastrophic consequences.
Kuro's blood ran cold as he read the notification. The urgency in the message was unmistakable, and his pulse quickened as he turned his attention back to the door. He had been right. Something was wrong.
"Eli—" Kuro started, but his voice broke as the sound of a deep, rumbling growl echoed from above the door. It wasn't the growl of any animal Kuro had ever heard before. It was guttural, low, and full of hunger—a sound that reverberated deep in his chest. The very air around them seemed to quiver with malevolent energy.
Kuro sent his two shadow soldiers toward it but immediately lost contact with them and his chakra went down, suggesting that both shadow soldiers were immediately annihilated.
"What the hell—?" Eli muttered, pulling his hand back from the door, his face blanching as the growl reverberated through the chamber. "What was that?"
Kuro didn't wait for Eli to process the situation. "Move!" he snapped, already pulling Lira by the arm toward the narrow passage they had come through.
Lira didn't need to be told twice. Her eyes locked on Kuro's, the urgency in his tone cutting through her initial confusion.
"Eli, now!" Kuro ordered again, not slowing his pace as he moved toward the narrow passage. Eli hesitated for just a moment longer, his gaze fixed on the door that seemed to pulse with an unnatural energy.
"I... I thought it was just—" Eli's voice faltered, but he broke into a run when Kuro's hand shot out, grabbing his shoulder and urging him forward.
The air grew heavier as they ran. The growls grew louder, joined by an eerie hissing sound that echoed from the depths of the pyramid.
The trio moved quickly, the sound of their footsteps echoing off the stone walls. Kuro's heart raced in his chest, but it wasn't just the fear that made his pulse quicken—it was the primal instinct telling him that they were being hunted.
Lira's grip tightened around her dagger as she glanced back over her shoulder, her eyes wide with unease. "Kuro," she called out, her voice shaky but firm. "What is that thing?"
"Doesn't matter," Kuro snapped, his voice tight with urgency. "We need to get out of here—now."
Eli, still shaken but stubborn as ever, looked over his shoulder as well. "But we can't just leave! What if we—"
"Don't even think about it!" Kuro cut him off, his hand now urging Eli forward. They rounded a corner, the passage narrowing further as the walls closed in on them. Kuro's mind raced.
The growls and hisses continued, now mixed with what sounded like scraping claws on stone. Kuro shot a glance at Lira, her eyes filled with the same resolve he was feeling. But Eli... Eli was still looking back.
"We're not stopping," Kuro said firmly, pulling Eli forward again, his voice cutting through the panic. "You want to know what's behind that door? Keep running, because only if we are alive can we find out what is behind it."
The hiss behind them grew louder, now followed by a low, guttural rumble—something massive, shifting, and far too close.
Lira's expression hardened, her hand now gripping the hilt of her dagger with purpose. "Are we really going to just run? We should fight."
Kuro looked at her with a hard gaze. "We don't have the time or the power to fight whatever that is. We're not prepared for this."
They reached a large, open chamber, the walls adorned with ancient symbols, but Kuro barely spared them a glance. His focus was solely on the narrow exit on the far side. They had to keep moving. He could feel it in the air—the presence behind them, growing stronger, angrier.
Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet trembled, and the walls seemed to pulse with a malignant force. A wave of heat rolled through the chamber, followed by the unmistakable sound of something large and monstrous emerging from the darkness.
"Don't stop!" Kuro shouted, his voice strained as they sprinted for the exit. Lira's breath was ragged, but her speed didn't falter. Eli, finally understanding the seriousness of their situation, followed suit, his footfalls pounding in the hall as the growls and hisses reached a crescendo.
They were nearly at the exit when a shadow loomed behind them, its shape indistinct but its presence undeniable. Something was coming. Something terrifying.
Kuro's mind raced with options. If he had all of his shadow soldiers with him, he could have confronted what was chasing them. Unfortunately, he has sent them out to hunt down the traitors or to get stronger. Escape was now their only choice, but even that was no guarantee. The door was too far, and the creature closing in behind them was relentless. There was a very real possibility they wouldn't make it out. But there was no other choice. They couldn't afford to look back now.
With one final push, they burst through the exit, the stone doorway closing behind them with a deafening slam. The creature's growl echoed through the walls, but for now, they had escaped its immediate reach.
Breathing heavily, Kuro glanced over his shoulder, his eyes scanning the dark passage they'd left behind.
"We can't go back there," Kuro said, voice heavy with realization. "Not without a plan."
Just then, a loud screech tore through the air. Kuro can sense many awakeners making their way over.
"Let's get out of here." Kuro turned to Eli and Lira and both immediately nodded. They run away from the area and quickly made their way toward the teleportation portal to head back to the academy.