13

Roland turned to speak to Sebastian and the girl, but what he saw froze him to the spot. Sebastian staggered, his gaze fixed on nothing, his face pale and sweating. His wounds, combined with the oppressive presence that had just manifested, had been too much for him. His knees buckled, and he fell to the ground with a soft thump, unconscious.

The sight of their fallen companion jolted Markus and Liam out of their stupor. The fear was still present, but the need to act propelled them into motion. "We have to get out of here!" Markus shouted, his voice trembling.

Roland nodded, his gaze fixed on the girl who remained motionless in the corner. Though unconscious, the atmosphere around her remained dense and cold. The smell of ozone and ice lingered, reminding them of the immense power that had just manifested. We have to leave… before it happens again, Roland thought, a shiver running down his spine.

The three adventurers headed towards the door they had entered through, intending to escape this cursed place. But as they reached the threshold, an invisible force stopped them. It was as if a wall of ice had risen, blocking their path. They tried to push, to hit, even to use their weapons, but the door remained sealed, cold to the touch like frost itself.

"It's locked!" Liam yelled, pounding on the door in fury. "We can't get out!"

Roland felt a pang of despair, a coldness that spread through his stomach. He looked back and saw the girl, still unconscious in the corner. The red light of the chamber reflected on her pale face, giving her an almost ghostly, unreal appearance. Despite her state, the presence emanating from her remained oppressive, as if the chamber itself was alive and watching them with invisible eyes.

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble. It wasn't a violent tremor, like an earthquake, but a soft yet constant vibration that gradually intensified, as if a giant was awakening underground. A sound began to resonate in the chamber: a low, constant whisper, like the murmur of thousands of voices speaking in an ancient and unknown language, a language that chilled their blood.

The adventurers clung to whatever they could to avoid falling. The ground vibrated with increasing force, and the whisper turned into a dull roar that resonated in their bones, making them feel as if their very souls were trembling. The air grew even colder, and the smell of ozone and ice intensified until it was almost unbearable, burning their nostrils.

Then, the red light of the chamber began to flicker erratically, alternating with flashes of a glacial blue that emanated from the girl's inert body. Each flash was accompanied by a wave of cold that chilled them to the bone, slowly paralyzing them, as if winter itself was embracing them with its icy claws.

Roland, his heart pounding in his chest, understood the terrible truth. They weren't fighting a girl. They were fighting the unconscious power of an ancient and terrible entity, a power that transcended their understanding and far surpassed them, a power that seemed to exist before time and space. It's… as if winter itself has awakened… or something worse, Roland thought, his mind clouded by terror, a terror that stole his breath.

The adventurers tried to fight, wielding their weapons against nothing, against the invisible force that oppressed them, against the cold that paralyzed them, against the roar that deafened them. But their attacks were useless, like trying to stop an avalanche with bare hands, like trying to extinguish a fire with a sigh. They felt small and insignificant before the immensity of that power, like dry leaves swept away by a relentless storm, destined to be pulverized by its fury.

The ground trembled violently, the whisper now a deafening roar that seemed to tear at the very fabric of reality. The red light flickered uncontrollably, alternating with flashes of glacial blue emanating from the girl's inert body. Each flash was like a stabbing of cold that chilled them to the bone, slowly paralyzing them.

Roland, his teeth clenched and his body shaking uncontrollably, tried to stay on his feet. We have to… we have to stop it, he thought, though the idea sounded absurd even in his own mind. How could they stop something that seemed to be a force of nature, a storm of cold and chaos unleashed by an unconscious child?

Markus, his breathing ragged, clung to a nearby pillar, his face flushed with exertion. I can't… I can't anymore, he thought, feeling his muscles straining to their limits. The cold chilled him to the bone, and the constant roar resonated in his head, making him feel like his skull was about to explode. He looked at Roland, searching for a sign, a glimmer of hope. But all he saw in his friend's eyes was the same terror he felt himself.

Liam, his eyes wide and his face bathed in cold sweat, tried futilely to shield himself with his arms. It's like… like hell itself has opened before us, he thought, his mind clouded by panic. I've never… I've never felt anything like this. The cold burned his skin, and the roar drilled into his ears, making him feel like he was losing his sanity.

Roland, with desperate determination, drew his sword. The blade trembled in his hand, reflecting the bluish flashes emanating from the girl. It's useless, he thought, knowing that no mortal weapon could harm this force. But I have to try. I have to do something.

With a cry of rage and despair, Roland lunged towards the girl, swinging his sword with all his might. The blade cut through the air, but as it approached the girl, an invisible force deflected it, as if it had struck a wall of ice. A sharp pain shot through Roland's arm, causing him to drop the sword, which fell to the floor with a dull clang.

Markus, seeing his friend fall, felt a wave of despair wash over him. No… Roland…, he thought, trying to reach him. But another wave of cold stopped him, paralyzing him completely. He felt his blood freezing in his veins, and a sharp pain shot through his chest. He fell to his knees, unable to move, his gaze fixed on the girl.

Liam, seeing the futility of the fight, collapsed to the ground, his gaze lost in the void. It's… the end, he thought, with bitter resignation. There's nothing we can do. The roar intensified even more, and the cold became unbearable, plunging him into an icy darkness.

Roland, his arm aching and his body trembling, struggled to his feet. He looked at his fallen companions, at Markus kneeling and motionless, at Liam lying on the ground, his gaze lost. The girl was still there, unconscious, but the power emanating from her continued to grow, like a storm intensifying with each passing second.

I have to… I have to warn them, Roland thought, with desperate determination. Though his legs barely supported him, though the cold chilled him to the bone and the roar drilled into his ears, he forced himself to move towards the door, trying one last time to escape this cursed place.

But the door remained sealed, an impassable barrier that separated him from the outside world. Roland leaned against the door, his head bowed, feeling defeat and despair take hold of him. He knew there was no escape. He knew they were trapped. He knew they were going to die there.

The roar reached its climax, a deafening crash that shook the very foundations of the dungeon. The bluish light flooded the chamber, enveloping the adventurers in a glacial cold that froze their souls. And then, everything was plunged into darkness and silence. A silence that was no longer oppressive, but absolute, a silence that spoke of the end.