Descent into Silence

Xin stumbled once but caught himself before he could fall, his spear digging into the ground for support. His mind was foggy, and his body screamed for rest, but there was no time for it. They couldn't afford to stop. Not here. Not now. The catacombs stretched endlessly before them, a labyrinth of stone and shadow that seemed to have no end.

As they passed through a narrow passageway, the smell grew stronger, hitting them like a wall. The further they ventured, the thicker the stench became, suffocating their senses. It was more than just the smell of rot—it was the smell of death, of despair, of something ancient and malevolent that had made its home in these depths. The walls seemed to close in around them, the shadows deepening as if the catacombs themselves were alive, watching, waiting.

Then, they saw it.

A group of bodies, crumpled and discarded in the corner of a small chamber.

There were five of them, their forms twisted in unnatural positions, their faces locked in expressions of terror and pain.

They were emaciated, their skin pulled tight over their bones, empty sockets where their eyes should have been. Some had clawed hands, as if they had reached out in desperation toward something just out of their grasp. The bodies were so skeletal that it was almost hard to tell if they had ever been alive—or if they were simply hollow shells that had once belonged to someone.

Xin's stomach turned. He couldn't help but look away, but the sight of them haunted his mind. His throat tightened. They had no chance.

"They didn't make it," Raven murmured, his voice a hushed whisper, as though speaking louder might disturb the dead.

Belial didn't respond immediately. He stopped walking for a moment, staring at the bodies, his hand still gripping the sword's hilt, though now his knuckles were as white as the bones around them. His eyes lingered on the lifeless faces for a beat longer than necessary.

There was something in his expression—something dark and unreadable—but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. He turned, silently urging them to move forward. There was nothing here for them. Nothing to salvage. Just more death.

They stepped past the bodies, but Xin could not shake the image from his mind.

How long had they been here? The bones were so brittle, the flesh so thin, it was almost like they had been left to rot for months—maybe even longer.

The catacombs had claimed them, just as it had claimed so many others. There was no mercy in this place, no respite.

Nothing.

For a long while, none of them spoke. Each step felt like it took them deeper into some unknown abyss, and the further they traveled, the heavier the air became. There was no sound but the soft echo of their footsteps and the occasional creak of stone under their feet. The walls seemed to close in around them, as though the catacombs themselves were alive—hungry for those who ventured too far.

Eventually, the stone passage opened up again, revealing another stretch of hallway that wound deeper into the labyrinth. The dim light from the bioluminescent flowers they had gathered earlier cast weak shadows along the walls. The flowers seemed to glow less brightly as the air grew thicker, their pale light flickering like a candle about to extinguish.

The further they walked, the more desolate the place became.

And then, in the distance, a faint sound reached their ears—a soft scraping noise, like nails dragged against stone. It was so quiet, so faint, that for a moment they weren't sure they had heard it at all.

Belial's head snapped up, his gaze narrowing as he scanned the path ahead. Could there be more monsters? He wasn't sure if they had the strength to face another threat. But it could also be the sound of something else, perhaps something just as dangerous. The catacombs played tricks on the mind.

"We should keep moving," Belial said after a long pause, his voice low and taut with caution. He didn't wait for their response before he took the first step into the next corridor. Raven followed, and Xin reluctantly brought up the rear, his grip still tight on his spear.

They walked in silence.

The scraping sound grew louder.

Then, they rounded a corner and came to a small chamber—an open space carved into the catacombs.

What they saw stopped them in their tracks.

The room was filled with bodies—not just one group, but a massive pile of them.

They were all mangled, their faces frozen in expressions of agony. Some were half-buried beneath others, while others lay sprawled in twisted heaps, their limbs splayed at unnatural angles. The stench of decay was overwhelming, a sickly-sweet, nauseating odor that made their stomachs churn.

But the most chilling part of it all wasn't the bodies themselves.

It was that some of them moved.

Not in a way that suggested life—no.

The bodies twitched in the most grotesque way, the limbs jerking slightly, as though the souls trapped inside were still trying to escape. Some of the bodies scratched at their own skin, trying to tear themselves free, while others remained still, frozen in place.

The scraping noise was coming from one of them. A hand raked across a nearby skull, and a hollow, gurgling noise followed.

It was as though the bodies were trying to rise again, to crawl out of the pile and reclaim life in whatever twisted form they could.

But there was no life left in them.

Belial felt his stomach churn. His mouth went dry. He could feel the weight of dread settling over him, but he didn't let it show. His hand twitched toward his sword, but he knew—they didn't have the strength to fight.

Not here.

"We can't stay," Raven murmured, his voice tense and quiet. He was already backing away, his eyes wide with fear.

Belial nodded, his expression hardening. He glanced briefly at Xin, who was standing at the edge of the room, staring at the pile of bodies with a sickened look on his face. His body was trembling slightly.

There was nothing to be done here. The bodies were beyond saving. They were lost, just like everyone else who wandered too deep into the catacombs. And now, they had to leave.

Belial didn't wait.

He turned and strode quickly back toward the hall. Raven followed, and Xin, though hesitant, took one last glance at the bodies before he too turned away.

The journey through the catacombs continued, the oppressive atmosphere weighing heavily on their spirits. The bioluminescent flowers they carried flickered weakly, their light barely enough to pierce the darkness. .

Xin's mind raced as he walked, the image of the twitching bodies burned into his memory. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched, that something in the darkness was following them. His grip on his spear tightened, his knuckles white with tension. He glanced over his shoulder, half-expecting to see the pile of bodies crawling after them, but there was nothing but shadows.

Belial led the way, his expression unreadable. He moved with purpose, his sword held tightly in his hand. Despite his calm demeanor, there was a tension in his shoulders, a readiness to strike at any moment. He knew the dangers of this place better than anyone, and he wasn't about to let his guard down.

Raven walked silently beside him, his eyes darting nervously from shadow to shadow. He had seen enough horrors in the catacombs to last a lifetime, and the sight of the twitching bodies had shaken him to his core. He kept his voice low, his words barely audible. "How are you faring?"

Belial didn't answer immediately. He paused for a moment, his eyes scanning the path ahead. "I don't know, as okay as we can be i guess"

The three of them pressed on, their footsteps echoing through the narrow passageways. The air grew colder, the darkness deeper. The bioluminescent flowers flickered weakly, their light barely enough to guide their way. The catacombs seemed to stretch on forever, an endless maze of stone and shadow.

And then, they saw it.

A faint light in the distance, barely visible through the darkness. It was a small, flickering glow, like a candle in the wind. For a moment, they hesitated, unsure if it was real or just another trick of the catacombs.

But Belial didn't stop. He moved toward the light, his steps quickening. Xin and Raven followed, their hearts pounding with a mixture of hope and fear.

As they drew closer, the light grew brighter, illuminating a small chamber at the end of the passageway. The walls were lined with ancient carvings, their meanings lost to time. In the center of the room stood a pedestal, and on it rested a single, glowing crystal.

Belial approached the pedestal cautiously, his eyes fixed on the crystal. It pulsed with a soft, golden light, casting a warm glow over the room. He reached out, his fingers brushing against its surface.

And then, the ground beneath them began to shake.