Prologue :The forgotten Ruins

(A/N: This is just a prologue, as the title says, so it is not important for the story but I would suggest reading it...or Not

Who cares what the author says ,if you decide to read it, read it till the end)

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dialogue:"-------"

thoughts: '-----'

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The passage ahead seemed ominous and foreboding. The glowing inscriptions guided their way, but the tension grew thicker with each passing second.

Each step felt heavier as they descended the mountain, the narrow corridor winding and twisting in ways that made them lose their sense of direction.

"Stay close," Elena whispered, her voice echoing faintly in the enclosed space. Ren nodded, leaning on her for support as they ventured further into the unknown. Despite the warmth the passage seemed to offer, an undercurrent of unease tugged at her senses. 

The walls were rough-hewn, and the flickering glow of the inscriptions cast eerie shadows that danced with every step they took.

As they rounded a bend, the earth shifted beneath them. Elena felt the ground move, and without warning, the stone floor gave way to a hidden pit. Reacting instinctively, she grabbed Ren's arm and yanked him back just in time.

The pit yawned open before them, its bottom lined with jagged spikes. The near miss sent a jolt of adrenaline through her veins.

"That was close," Ren said, his voice strained as he caught his breath.

Elena nodded, her heart pounding. "Too close. We need to be more careful."

They carefully moved alongside the edge of the wide open pit, taking slow and deliberate steps. The passage seemed to be testing them, and both knew they couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

As they continued, the air grew thicker, almost suffocating, and the glow of the inscriptions dimmed. The walls began to close in around them, forcing them to squeeze through increasingly tight spaces.

At one point, they encountered a series of pressure plates on the floor, almost invisible in the dim light. Elena crouched down to examine the mechanism. "It looks like these might trigger something. We have to avoid stepping on them."

With careful precision, they navigated the treacherous floor, stepping over the pressure plates one by one. Every movement was tense, the fear of triggering a hidden trap hanging heavily over them. Just as they thought they had cleared the danger, a low rumble echoed through the passage.

Before they could react, the walls began to close in, grinding slowly but inevitably toward them. Elena's breath caught in her throat as she realized what was happening.

"Ren, we have to move—now!"

They broke into a desperate run, the passage growing tighter as the walls inched closer. The dim light and uneven floor made their path more challenging.

Ren almost stumbled, but Elena pulled him back onto his feet as they raced against the closing walls. They pushed forward with everything they had, the narrowing gap pressing on them from all sides.

Just as the walls were about to crush them, they burst through the end of the passage and tumbled into a large chamber. The walls stopped moving, sealing off the corridor behind them. They lay on the floor, gasping for breath, the reality of their close escape sinking in.

"That was too close," Ren panted, his voice shaky from the adrenaline.

Elena nodded, her chest heaving as she tried to steady herself. "This place isn't just hiding something; it's protecting it. These traps are meant to keep people out. But what and why?"

After regaining their composure, they slowly rose to their feet and took in their new surroundings. The chamber they entered was massive, with high ceilings and walls covered in ancient, intricate carvings. 

In the center of the room stood a large stone statue of a guardian, its eyes seemingly watching them. It was clear that the challenges they had faced were just the beginning.

They approached the statue cautiously, noticing the inscriptions at its base. Elena squinted, trying to make out the worn symbols. "I think this is some kind of test," she murmured, running her fingers over the carvings.

As if in response to her touch, the eyes of the statue flared with a bright, otherworldly light. The ground beneath them trembled, and suddenly, the chamber was filled with a series of whirling blades shooting out from the walls, spinning dangerously close.

"Run!" Elena shouted, grabbing Ren's arm as they darted toward the only visible exit on the other side of the room. The blades sliced through the air with terrifying speed, narrowly missing them as they zigzagged through the chamber.

Elena's heart raced as they dodged and weaved, barely keeping ahead of the deadly traps. The path to the exit seemed impossibly far, mingled with the grime of the cave. Despite his weakened state, Ren pushed himself to keep up, his determination to survive evident in every movement.

With one final leap, they cleared the last of the blades and tumbled through the exit, crashing into a new passageway. The whirling blades retracted, leaving them in silence once again. They lay there, exhausted and battered, but alive.

"This is insane," Ren gasped, clutching his side where a blade had nicked him. "How much more of this can we take?"

"I don't know," Elena admitted, "but we have to keep going. It must be close—I can feel it. We've come too far to turn back now."

They pressed on, their bodies aching from the trials they had endured. The passage narrowed once more, leading them through a series of twisting tunnels that seemed to play tricks on them. Several times, they encountered dead ends, forcing them to backtrack and find new routes.

At one point, they came across a chamber filled with dense, swirling mist. The fog was so thick they could barely see a few feet in front of them, with whispers seeming to come from the walls themselves and fleeting shadows darting out of sight.

"Elena, this place… it's messing with our heads," Ren said, his voice filled with unease.

"Mine too," Elena admitted, fighting to keep her focus. "We need to stay close. Don't let go of my hand, no matter what."

The fog seemed to grow thicker, playing on their fears with illusions and half-formed shapes that quickly vanished as they appeared. They reminded themselves that none of it was real and was only part of the test.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the mist began to thin. The whispers faded, and the passageway opened into a grand chamber. Before them, bathed in the soft glow of golden light, was a massive, ornately carved door. It was the entrance to the city they had been searching for.

Ren and Elena exchanged a look of weary triumph. "We made it," Ren said, his voice filled with relief and disbelief.

With a deep breath, they approached the door, their hands trembling with anticipation. As they pushed the door open, revealing the city, the trials and challenges they had faced faded into the background. The city seemed to welcome them with its serene beauty and timeless grandeur.

As they reached the gate of the city, they noticed it was made of gold with inscriptions that matched those they had seen on the walls of the cave. The gate, though valuable, was surrounded by vines and bushes, suggesting it had been neglected or forgotten for a long time.

As soon as they crossed the threshold of the city, they were met with a sight that filled them with unease.

—to be continued.