Part 17 - The Destruction Awaiting

After the devastating final attack, the ancient room was drowned in a suffocating silence. The energy explosion that had previously shaken the stones and pierced the air now only left emptiness, with dust and shattered stones swirling across the floor. The deep darkness seemed to embrace them tightly, but nothing could be heard except their heavy, labored breaths.

Ethan stood in the middle of the room, his body heavy, pain assaulting every joint, but his eyes remained sharp, focused on what lay ahead. "Zerathis is gone... at least for now," he said in a hoarse voice. Though his words tried to sound firm, doubt echoed through them.

Asha, who was tending to Kael's severely injured body, lifted her gaze to Ethan. "The darkness he left... it's worse than we thought. We've only defeated a part of its power, Ethan," she said, her voice filled with concern. Even though she had healed Kael's wounds, the fear still haunted her. The dark energy they faced was so powerful, spreading to every corner of the room.

Rowan stood a little apart from them, his eyes scanning the room carefully. The room was vast, covered with unfamiliar symbols, stone altars carved with strange and mysterious figures. "You're right, Asha," he said, his tone grim. "This is more than just Zerathis' power. I can feel it... something is awakening here. Something bigger."

Lila, standing beside the altar, extended her hand to touch the symbols on the stone, feeling the energy flowing from them. A faint light began to emerge from every carved line, as if they had just been awakened to speak of something long dormant. "These symbols... they're not just ordinary clues. They are prophecies or warnings about an ancient power that's been sealed," Lila said with a worried tone. Her face was filled with deep concern, trying to understand what was truly happening.

Kael, despite swaying weakly due to the lingering pain from his wounds, tried to gather the remaining strength of his mental powers. The medallion around his neck faintly glowed, signaling that his telepathic and mental powers were reaching their limit. "We don't have much time," Kael said in a low voice, trying to calm himself. "Zerathis may be gone, but what's here is more dangerous. We need to understand what's happening before we get trapped even longer."

Asha looked at Kael with worry. "You need to rest, Kael. You're too injured. We'll face this together, but you can't keep fighting in this condition."

Kael smiled weakly, though the pain was evident. "I'll be fine, Asha. But you're right, we have to move. We need to find out what's hidden here."

Ethan looked at his friends and then turned his gaze back to the altar and the symbols surrounding them. The only sound filling the space was the beat of their hearts, as though a force was lurking, ready to pounce. "We've made it this far together," Ethan said with a firmer voice, though there was a deeper darkness in his words. "We have to continue. This is no longer just about us. Our world depends on what we do next."

They all exchanged glances, realizing the undeniable truth—their battle had only just begun. While Zerathis may have retreated, a greater threat had risen, hidden behind the ancient symbols etched into the stone floor.

Lila brought her palm closer to the largest symbol on the altar, feeling the energy growing stronger, as if the entire space had come to life. "This isn't just about Zerathis," she said quietly, "it's about something older, something darker."

Ethan looked at her seriously. "We have no other choice. We have to face this threat at its source."

Their footsteps began to echo in the silent, mysterious space. With hearts full of concern and bodies exhausted, they moved forward towards the heart of this ancient room, where they knew they would find the answer—or perhaps a threat even more terrifying than anything they had faced before. Their world, Elyndra, now stood on the edge, and they had little time to confront it.

What awaited them at the center of this room could not be predicted, but one thing was certain—nothing would ever be the same again.