The Echoing Ruins

The carriage wheels crunched over the gravel path as Bella and Khione neared their destination. Dense trees loomed on either side of the road, their gnarled branches intertwining overhead, casting deep shadows despite the midday sun. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and aged wood, yet there was something oddly unnatural about the atmosphere.

Khione noticed it almost immediately—the absence of sound. No rustling leaves from scurrying creatures, no distant calls of birds. Just silence.

Bella stepped out of the carriage first, her boots sinking slightly into the softened dirt. She took a deep breath, scanning their surroundings before turning to Khione as she followed behind.

"We'll be starting with the Echoing Ruins," Bella stated. "After that, we'll head to Serpent's Hollow, then finish with Verdant Cavern."

Khione gave a small nod. "Sounds like a plan."

Bella adjusted the sword on her hip before continuing. "The Echoing Ruins will test more than just your combat skills. Navigating a place like this is just as important as fighting whatever lurks inside. If you lose your way, you're as good as dead."

Khione glanced toward the dense forest ahead. Even from here, she could sense the weight of the unknown pressing against her. "Noted," she replied simply.

With that, the two set off into the woods, following a barely visible trail that wove through the towering trees. The deeper they went, the more the silence wrapped around them like a suffocating shroud.

After a few minutes, Khione spoke up. "This is the first time either of us has been to the Isles, isn't it?"

Bella hummed in agreement. "Yeah. First time for both of us."

Khione glanced around at the towering trees and thick undergrowth. "It feels… different. The air, the atmosphere—everything. It's not like the forests in the Empire."

Bella nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. The forests back home feel more… structured. Even the wild areas have an order to them. This place feels ancient in a way that's hard to explain."

Khione ran a hand along the bark of a tree as they walked. It was rough, with deep grooves as if something had clawed at it long ago. "I heard the Isles have a lot of places that haven't been fully explored," she mused. "Old ruins, hidden dungeons—places no one knows the full history of."

Bella smirked. "Sounds like the perfect place for you."

Khione scoffed. "I don't go looking for trouble."

Bella raised a brow. "You don't, huh?"

Khione crossed her arms but didn't argue.

They continued in comfortable silence for a while before Bella spoke again.

"You ever wonder what it was like before all this?" she asked, gesturing vaguely around them. "Before the Isles became what they are now?"

Khione considered the question. "I assume it was still full of nobles who thought too highly of themselves."

Bella snorted. "Probably."

They walked for another half mile before the dense tree line opened up, revealing the ruins.

Khione stopped in her tracks, taking in the sight before her.

The Echoing Ruins were aptly named. What remained of the ancient structure was a graveyard of towering stone pillars, their surfaces marred with cracks and erosion. Collapsed walls lay in heaps of rubble, consumed by creeping ivy and moss. Time had gnawed away at the foundation, leaving jagged archways that seemed to defy gravity, standing tall despite the years of neglect.

At the center stood a massive stone entrance, its doorway partially buried beneath fallen debris. Faint carvings lined the archway, their meaning long lost to history. Despite the decay, there was an eerie sense of something lingering beneath the surface, as if the ruins themselves still breathed with the remnants of a forgotten era.

Bella took a step forward, motioning toward the entrance. "Let's go."

The two descended into the ruins, stepping carefully over loose stones as they approached a stairway leading underground. Unlike the crumbling exterior, the staircase was relatively intact, its steps lined with flickering torches that bathed the path in an orange glow.

Khione ran her fingers along the damp stone wall as they descended. "Odd that the torches are still lit."

Bella shrugged. "Probably enchanted. Either that, or someone—or something—replaces them."

Khione didn't particularly like the second option.

At the bottom of the stairs, they emerged into a wide chamber. The air was thick with the scent of mildew and decay. Broken crates and shattered pottery littered the floor, their contents long since turned to dust. Moss crept up the walls, intertwining with veins of roots that had forced their way through the cracks in the ceiling.

Two archways stood at opposite ends of the room, each leading into a different corridor.

Bella turned to Khione. "We'll take the left passage."

Khione followed as they stepped into the hallway, their footsteps echoing softly against the cold stone floor. The corridor stretched ahead, its path winding slightly but remaining mostly unobstructed.

Minutes passed, and yet, nothing stirred. No shambling undead. No traps. Nothing.

Khione slowed her pace slightly. "Is it weird that we haven't seen anything yet?"

Bella, who had also noticed the lack of resistance, furrowed her brows. "A little," she admitted. "But it's not a big de—"

A sound cut through the passage.

A quiet, distant screech.

It was faint, barely more than a whisper against the silence, but it sent a chill down Khione's spine.

Bella smirked, placing a hand on her sword. She glanced at Khione.

"There's your enemy."