Chapter 98: The Hidden Cavern
740 Words
Dark clouds slowly gathered above the northern mountains.
The sky had grown strangely heavy since the tremors began. Even the wind felt colder as it moved through the forests surrounding the kingdom.
Deep in the mountains, Commander Roran led a small scouting party through a narrow stone path.
The warriors behind him moved carefully, their torches lighting the rocky trail.
The air smelled of dust and ancient stone.
None of them spoke.
The silence in the mountains felt unnatural.
One of the younger soldiers finally whispered nervously.
“Commander… are you sure this is where the fissure opened?”
Roran glanced at the cracked ground beneath their feet.
“Yes.”
He pointed ahead where the path suddenly widened into a jagged opening in the mountain.
“This is the place the first scouts reported.”
The ground around the area was badly damaged. Massive cracks had split the earth apart, forming deep fissures that disappeared into darkness below.
Some of them looked as though the earth had been torn open by something pushing from beneath.
The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances.
“This doesn’t look natural,” another warrior muttered.
Roran crouched beside one of the cracks, examining the broken rock.
“You’re right.”
He touched the stone carefully.
“The pressure came from below.”
A low rumbling sound suddenly echoed through the mountain.
Everyone froze.
The sound faded after a moment, but the ground beneath their boots vibrated slightly.
The younger soldier swallowed nervously.
“Did… did the mountain just move?”
Roran stood again.
“Yes.”
He looked toward the largest fissure ahead.
And then he saw it.
A massive opening in the side of the mountain.
It looked like a collapsed tunnel, its jagged edges leading into deep darkness.
But something strange caught his attention.
Ancient symbols were carved into the stone surrounding the entrance.
The warriors raised their torches higher.
The carvings were old… far older than any structure in the kingdom.
Circular symbols surrounded by crescent shapes.
Marks of the Moon.
One of the soldiers stepped closer.
“These look like sacred markings.”
Roran nodded slowly.
“They’re seals.”
The words made the soldiers uneasy.
“Seals?” the younger warrior repeated.
Roran ran his hand across one of the carvings.
“They were meant to keep something trapped.”
The group looked toward the dark cavern entrance.
Cold air slowly drifted out of the tunnel.
It smelled ancient.
Almost rotten.
One of the soldiers lifted his torch toward the opening.
“Commander… look.”
Deep inside the cavern, something metallic glimmered faintly in the torchlight.
Huge chains.
Massive iron chains stretched across the stone walls deep within the cavern.
But they were broken.
Snapped apart as though something incredibly powerful had ripped them free.
Roran’s expression darkened immediately.
“This is bad.”
Another rumble shook the ground beneath them.
Small stones fell from the ceiling of the cavern.
The soldiers instinctively stepped back.
One of them whispered nervously.
“Commander… what if it’s still down there?”
Roran stared into the darkness.
For a moment, the cavern remained completely silent.
Then—
A slow, heavy sound echoed from deep within.
Like something enormous shifting its weight.
The soldiers froze.
The sound came again.
A deep breath.
Followed by the scraping of stone.
Roran’s instincts immediately screamed danger.
“Everyone back,” he ordered quickly.
The soldiers stepped away from the cavern entrance.
But before they could move further—
A loud crack echoed through the mountain.
The ground trembled violently.
From deep inside the cavern, a pair of enormous glowing eyes slowly opened in the darkness.
Golden red.
Ancient.
Hungry.
The soldiers stared in horror.
One of them whispered in terror.
“Commander…”
“What is that thing?”
Roran slowly drew his sword.
His voice was low and tense.
“Whatever it is…”
He stared at the broken chains.
“It’s been trapped here for centuries.”
Another rumble shook the cavern.
The massive eyes in the darkness blinked slowly.
And the creature began to move.
Far away at the castle, Aria suddenly gasped.
Kael caught her arm immediately.
“What is it?”
Her silver eyes widened with fear.
“The seal…”
She whispered.
“It’s breaking.”
High above the world, the moon slowly began to change color.
A faint red glow touched its edges.
The Blood Moon had begun to rise.
- Writer
