A Too-Quiet Entrance

Absolute darkness wrapped the room like a suffocating shroud. No shape, no relief—only that crushing void pressing down on their shoulders. The distant echo of running water resonated somewhere ahead, accompanied by barely audible murmurs—disturbing, subtle, yet impossible to ignore. Each sound danced at the edge of perception, feeding a tension that hung in the air like a blade.

Veil flinched as a familiar voice rose behind him, breaking the silence.

"Little Wolf, can you check the door? Like you did at the entrance," she asked gently, yet firmly.

He frowned into the darkness.

"The door? We can't see a thing in here... How am I supposed to find it?" he muttered, annoyed.

Despite the grumble, he reached out into the void, hands blindly searching. His fingers soon met the cold, damp surface of a stone wall. He followed it slowly, one hand extended, each touch bringing a faint, unpleasant tingle to his skin—as if the very rock was oozing a latent hostility.

"This atmosphere... everything here feels like it wants to make you feel unwelcome. This isn't normal," Veil murmured.

After several meters, his hands brushed against something different: smooth, cold, and slightly metallic.

"There," he breathed.

He ran his fingers over the surface with care, searching for any kind of mechanism. But nothing happened. No vibrations. No click. Not even resistance.

Just silence. And that same, suffocating dark.

"Nothing. It won't budge. This door's different... or it's locked in another way," he added with a sigh.

He heard Alynia shift behind him, her voice echoing faintly through the heavy air, laced with a note of restrained tension.

"Then we move forward. No other choice," she said, calm but resolute.

Veil nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see it. He stepped in behind her, keeping close to the sound of her footsteps echoing against the stone floor. The atmosphere grew heavier with each movement, as if the very shadows thickened and wrapped around them.

Suddenly, a faint glow shattered the monotony of the dark.

Violet torches, fixed along the corridor walls, flickered to life one after the other. Their dancing flames gave off an eerie glow, with dark tendrils of smoke slithering from them like ghostly serpents.

"Flames... but why don't they make me feel any safer?" Veil whispered.

The light revealed a long hallway stretching out before them. The walls, built from dark, slick bricks, gleamed with moisture that seeped constantly from between the cracks. The floor was uneven, as though assembled in haste, and murky puddles had formed between the misaligned tiles.

Alynia stopped abruptly, raising her hand to silently signal Veil to halt.

"Stay on your guard..." she murmured.

"Do you hear anything?" he whispered.

She tilted her head slightly, not turning toward him, her white ears standing tall and focused.

"Nothing. Just water. But this silence... it's too perfect. That's almost worse," she answered softly.

She stepped cautiously toward one of the violet flames, drawn to its otherworldly glow. Her hand slowly reached out, compelled by the unnatural light that pulsed like a living thing.

"Are you sure you want to...?" he asked, worried.

"I won't touch it. I just want to see..." she breathed quietly.

Her fingers stopped mere centimeters from the flame—close enough to sense the energy it should have emitted… and instead, felt nothing.

"No warmth. No feeling. This isn't natural," Alynia whispered.

She slowly pulled her hand back, jaw clenched.

"Best to stay away. Things like this don't exist without a reason," she said cautiously, her brows slightly furrowed.

Veil, curiosity getting the better of him, stepped closer.

"No warmth? How can a flame be so... cold?" Veil murmured.

He extended his hand, confirming what Alynia had said. No warmth, no draft. The flame simply floated—isolated in a void, divorced from the laws of nature.

"You're right. It's... unnatural," he added.

Alynia shot him a serious look before turning her focus back down the hallway.

"Stay behind me. If these torches are here, we're not alone. Be ready," Alynia said, calm but determined.

Veil clenched his fists and gave a firm nod.

They moved forward once more, their shadows trailing behind them, warped and elongated by the unnatural violet light.

The air thickened, pressing down on them like a warning. Each step echoed faintly, a reminder that something waited ahead—silent, unseen, but very much awake within the depths of this dungeon.

As they continued forward, the walls began to reveal strange carvings. The patterns—though reminiscent of those they'd seen near the entrance—seemed to grow more intricate, more deliberate, like an ancient language etched into the very bones of the stone.

Veil paused, his eyes fixed on the symbols.

"These runes... they're unlike anything I've ever seen. Who could have carved this, and why?" Veil muttered, slightly frustrated.

Alynia, moving cautiously ahead, came to a halt to scan their surroundings. Her pale blue eyes darted over every detail, sharp and alert, searching for traps or hidden mechanisms. The appearance of the runes—especially in tandem with the eerie flames—was far from reassuring.

"This dungeon... it's not normal. I've never seen anything like it. Never," she whispered to Veil.

Her voice was steady, but the tension beneath it was undeniable. Veil furrowed his brows, a chill running down his spine.

"What have we gotten ourselves into? I thought these dungeons were... 'simple.' That's what you said, right?" Veil asked, his voice low and hesitant.

Alynia turned her head slightly, as if to respond, but her focus remained on the runes. Deep down, she knew Veil was right. She'd believed this would be a routine descent. Yet everything around them now—every step, every soundless whisper—challenged that belief.

Veil moved closer to the carvings, his hand reaching out instinctively to brush the damp stone.

The moment his fingers touched the surface, an odd sensation surged through him—a tingling, like a current rising from the stone and crawling up his arm.

Then came the pain.

It wasn't sharp, but deep—a dull, swelling pressure in his skull, as if something within him was trying to break through.

He staggered back a step, jaw clenched, fighting to keep from crying out.

What is this...? This pain... why now? Veil thought.

He gritted his teeth, forcing the discomfort down, unwilling to show it. Alynia already had enough to worry about with the pressure of the dungeon bearing down on them.

But his shallow breath, the stiffness in his posture—those didn't go unnoticed.

Alynia's ears twitched slightly, and her gaze flicked back toward him. Silent. Watchful. Suspicious.

Alynia glanced at Veil from the corner of her eye, her gaze lingering for a moment on the tension in his posture, the stiffness in his movements.

There's something wrong with him. But what? He's trying to hide it... why? Alynia thought.

She waited a heartbeat, watching for any reaction. He didn't answer right away—but his silence spoke volumes. She didn't push further. For now, their priority was to keep moving.

Their footsteps echoed softly in the corridor, blending with the steady trickle of unseen water and those strange, whispering voices that lingered just out of reach—present yet maddeningly elusive.

"Stay alert, Little Wolf. This calm... it's too perfect. Something could appear at any moment," Alynia advised cautiously.

Veil nodded silently, words feeling too heavy in the oppressive air. His heartbeat quickened, not from fear exactly, but from that primal instinct—the one that screams when danger is near.

The symbols along the walls grew more numerous as they advanced. Each one more detailed, more sinister, as if carving out a forgotten warning in a language neither of them could decipher. The deeper they went, the thicker the atmosphere became, like they were walking into the lungs of something ancient.

Then, Alynia smirked, breaking the tension for a brief moment.

"If this is meant to be a warning not to go any further... they should've thought of that before locking us in," she said, half-serious, half-ironic.

Veil glanced at her—but didn't respond. The throbbing in his skull, the blurred edges of his focus, the suffocating weight of the place… it all left him drained. Smiling was the last thing he could manage.

He's even quieter than usual. That's not a good sign. If only I knew what's going on with him... she thought as she watched him.

The corridor seemed to stretch endlessly before them, each step bringing them closer to a mystery waiting to be revealed. But deep down, they knew the answers they might find could be far darker than anything they could imagine.

Minutes passed, though any sense of time had long since vanished. Here, in this extraordinary dungeon, nothing indicated how long they had been walking. The corridor felt infinite, and the dim glow of the violet flames only deepened the unsettling impression that they were going in circles, without end or purpose.

Veil narrowed his eyes, casting a wary glance around him.

"Are we actually making progress... or is this dungeon just messing with us?" Veil whispered, slightly frustrated.

Alynia walked ahead, her sharp gaze sweeping over every detail of the path. Her movements remained fluid, but her posture betrayed constant vigilance.

Then, without warning, the atmosphere subtly shifted. The runes etched into the walls began to fade, their mysterious lines dissolving as if melting into the stone. The violet torch flames gradually lost their unnatural hue, adopting a more natural—yet still eerie—glow.

Alynia slowed slightly, her eyes tracking the gradual vanishing of the runes.

"Something's changing... But is that a good sign, or a warning?" Alynia murmured, wary.

The ground, once rough and uneven, became smoother, almost polished. The damp brick walls gave way to a dark, uniform surface, radiating a coldness that felt almost tangible.

A sudden, piercing scream shattered the silence.

Alynia and Veil froze instantly, their bodies tense, ready to strike. Alynia raised her weapon, her gaze scanning every corner. Veil, behind her, drew his blade as well, heart pounding faster.

"What was that...?" Veil whispered, uneasy.

"I don't know. Stay behind me," Alynia murmured, focused.

They waited, motionless, but nothing emerged. The silence returned—heavier than before. After a moment that felt endless, they resumed their march, weapons held firmly.

Ahead, a shape slowly took form in the shadows. It was a doorway—simple, yet imposing. Alynia turned to Veil, her blue eyes locking onto his with intensity.

"I know I've said this before, but stay alert. All of this... it's too quiet. By now, we should've already encountered some creatures. Even weak ones," she reminded him, her tone serious.

Veil nodded silently. He shared her concern. This quiet was anything but reassuring.

They reached the door, and Alynia came to a stop, hesitating.

She brushed her fingertips against the cold wood, a flicker of suspicion in her eyes.

"And if opening it triggers a trap...?" she whispered, concerned.

She glanced at Veil, but before she could say another word, he motioned for her to step back.

"Let me handle it," Veil said firmly.

"Little Wolf, wait..." Alynia murmured, surprised.

But he didn't give her time to object. He placed a hand on the door, turned the handle, and pulled it open gently, instinctively stepping in front of Alynia to shield her from any potential threat.

A light breeze drifted down the corridor, lifting Alynia's long silver hair. The door revealed a spiral staircase descending into even deeper darkness.

Alynia, visibly furious, grabbed Veil by the arm and pulled him back.

"You're reckless! What if that had triggered a trap? Or something worse?!" she snapped, her tone harsh, almost scolding.

Veil lowered his eyes, guilt written all over his face.

"I... I'm sorry. I just didn't want you to be in danger," Veil said sincerely, though hesitant.

Those words, spoken with such seriousness, made Alynia flinch slightly. She quickly looked away, her fingers unconsciously brushing the edge of her cape, as if needing something to keep her hands busy.

Why does he have to say things like that...? she thought, troubled.

She turned her gaze away again, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

"Your intentions don't matter. Dungeons aren't toys, Little Wolf. Every choice we make here could cost us our lives. Don't ever do that again," Alynia replied firmly, hiding her unease.

Veil nodded, clearly affected by her words. He now understood that his action—though driven by good intentions—could have been fatal.

Alynia placed a firm hand on his shoulder, a gesture that was both reassuring and instructive.

"Listen carefully, Little Wolf. If you don't understand how it works, just follow me. Every stone, every step could hide a trap. There's no place for recklessness here. Many died believing dungeons were simple," she declared, calm but authoritative.

She moved ahead, taking the lead once more, while Veil followed, still burdened by guilt.

They descended the staircase in silence, the atmosphere growing more and more oppressive.

"Things are probably about to get serious. Now more than ever, caution is essential," she murmured, focused.

A loud thud suddenly echoed behind them.

BAM.

The door they had just passed through slammed shut, sealing their path.

"No turning back. Every step now takes us closer to danger," Alynia breathed, tense.

They exchanged a glance. Their only option was to move forward.