Chapter 7 : The Cellar's Shadow

The cellar door was tucked away in a corner of the kitchen, almost hidden behind an old wooden pantry. Eliza retrieved the heavy iron key from her pocket and hesitated, her hand trembling as she placed it into the lock.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked, glancing at Daniel.

"We need to know what's down there," he said. "It might be the key to ending this."

The lock clicked open, and the door creaked on its hinges, revealing a narrow staircase that descended into darkness. The air that wafted up was damp and earthy, tinged with a metallic scent that made Eliza's stomach churn.

Daniel flicked on a flashlight and stepped down first, his beam cutting through the gloom. Eliza followed, her breath shallow as she clutched her lantern.

The cellar was larger than she remembered. The walls were lined with stone, and the floor was packed dirt. Old wooden shelves sagged under the weight of dusty jars and broken tools, and cobwebs clung to the ceiling like ghostly veils.

At the far end of the room, something caught the light—a large stone slab set into the floor, its surface carved with intricate symbols.

"What is this?" Eliza whispered, kneeling beside the slab.

Daniel crouched next to her, his expression grave. "It's a binding stone. Your grandmother must have used it to contain the Watcher."

Eliza ran her fingers over the symbols, their edges worn smooth by time. "Why would she keep it down here? Why not destroy it?"

"She couldn't," Daniel said. "Binding stones are ancient. They're meant to trap entities, but they can't kill them. Destroying this stone would release the Watcher completely."

Eliza's heart sank. "So what do we do?"

"We need to find a way to weaken the Watcher before the ritual," Daniel said. "There's something else here. I can feel it."

As they searched the cellar, Eliza's lantern flickered, the light dimming until it extinguished entirely. The darkness was immediate and suffocating.

"Eliza," Daniel said sharply, his voice low.

"What?" she whispered, her pulse quickening.

"Don't move."

She froze, her breath hitching. A cold wind swept through the cellar, carrying with it the faint sound of whispers. They grew louder, circling around her like a swarm of insects.

"Eliza..."

She turned, her eyes wide, but saw nothing in the blackness. The whispers turned to laughter—low, mocking, and inhuman.

"Eliza!" Daniel shouted, grabbing her arm. "We need to get out of here. Now."

They bolted up the stairs, slamming the door shut behind them. Eliza's chest heaved as she leaned against the wall, her heart racing.

"What was that?" she demanded.

"The Watcher," Daniel said, his voice tight. "It knows we're getting closer. And it's not going to let us stop it without a fight."

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