Awakened Terror

In fact, after thinking hard, he traced the strange feeling back to the moment he started his trial. It was the reason he was so careful while moving through the pathway in the first place.

Back then, it wasn't strong enough to rouse any suspicion. It was nothing but a nagging feeling at the back of his mind. But now, it was too hard for him to ignore. He squinted his eyes and looked closer, confirming it was fine.

'So it's not the door.'

Then he let out a sly, disturbing grin and said.

'That means it's what's behind it.'

The question now was, should he open it? A rational person which is what Mathew considered himself to be, wouldn't dare entertain the thought. Opening a strange, magical door in an equally strange and dangerous place crawling with monsters wasn't the brightest idea. But that nagging sensation of being watched was only getting stronger the closer he got.

'Should I just, risk it?'

Well, whatever he did, he wasn't going to get any answers without opening the door. At least not in that empty and eerie cobblestone maze. He glanced around once more, took a deep breath, and collected himself. He took a deep breath, reached for the rusted handle, and pushed the old door open.

'Here I go.'

It creaked loudly as the young cynic pushed it with all his might. The door opened slightly then the hinges groaned then gave way. Mathew frowned, grit his teeth, and pushed even harder. The base of the door scraped against the ground. Leaving jagged splinters in its wake. Soon He had opened a gap wide enough to squeeze through and stopped.

Leaning against the door, he struggled to catch his breath. When he had, Mathew stepped cautiously into the room. His first steps inside felt off. His feet squelched on the damp and smooth cobblestone floor. The dim light from the hallway barely illuminated the space, revealing dust motes danced in the musky air filed with a faint, earthly scent that hung around him, invading his nostrils and drawing a slight, irritated twitch.

'What the hell is that smell?'

As he strode deeper into the room his footsteps echoed eerily, amplifying the silence that surrounded him. In the corner, he spotted a faint shimmer in the shadows. Mathew moved closer, his curiosity piqued. The closer he did, the brighter they shimmered. Soon, he found himself in front of a cave.

'This is starting to feel a little too creepy.'

Was creepy the right word for his situation? Maybe? Whatever was, Mathew couldn't find it or he didn't know it. But this was certainly more, than just creepy. He glanced at the inner walls. Along its surface, there was a strange viscous liquid that streamed down.

'What is this stuff?'

Mathew scowled, looked to the side where the room went deeper then back to the cave, then sighed.

'I'm already here anyway.'

His curiosity pulled him forward. Deeper and deeper into the cave. the walls grew increasingly narrow and constricting. The rhythmic sound of his squelching steps grew louder, merging with a soft whispering of a slight breeze that made his skin crawl.

The glistening light at the end of the path grew brighter, and brighter until Mathew found himself in a massive chamber. A massive and damp space. Its walls were covered in the viscous liquid. Mathew strode through the damp earth and in the corner of the room, found a mound of translucent, papery fragments. Crouching closer, he reached out and picked up a piece, recognizing it to be a layer of shed skin.

They were fragments of skin from some sort of reptilian creature, maybe a lizard? But these fragments were larger than anything that he had heard of. What he was used to seeing were smaller, and thinner. the ones in his hands were large enough to cover his body, and thicker than the width of his fingers.

Whatever abomination these came from, he had no plans on finding out.

He suddenly felt a presence behind him. Quickly glancing over his shoulder, fully expecting to see someone—or something—lurking in the shadows, he was left disappointed. There was only darkness.

Mathew let out a relieved sigh, then placed the shed skin back onto the pile and ventured deeper into the chamber. The air only grew heavier and warmer as he ventured further. Radiating outward like a hidden furnace at the room's heart.

Now stood at the center of the chamber, a sense of wonder enveloped him. Before him was a large alabaster egg resting on a mound of soft earth at the center of the chamber. Its smooth, pure white surface glistened and Mathew took an instinctive step back, a chill crawling up his spine despite the oppressive warmth.

He stood frozen, but only for a moment as his mind raced with a flurry of thoughts. None being as significant as.

'What is this thing?'

There was an ominous energy surrounding the egg that sent a wave of instinctual fear that urged him to retreat. And yet, he felt an unnatural and undeniable pull drawing him closer. Was it that same energy he felt drawing him to the door earlier? No. While it was somewhat similar, the energy surrounding the egg was different. There was something mixed in with that energy. And that something, just felt, wrong.

It felt, evil.

But then that made it even more intriguing. What could make such a beautiful egg feel so sinister? What kind of monstrous abomination dwelled within it? Mathew reached out his hand, his trepidation raging, but he pushed it to the side. The egg was just too alluring for him to avoid.

His hand brushed against the cool surface and a jolt of warmth surged through him. Just then, the voice of the codex resonated in his mind.

[You have Encountered a voidspawn: Awakened Terror's Embryo, Gila Scavenger.]

An Awakened terror! Mathew stepped back a few meters. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as his heart raced. He was barely able to process the mere thought of such a beast. He was barely able to avoid death after facing a feral Voidspawn, now he was before an Awakened one.

A monster that no matter what the young cynic did, whether it was flee or fight, he would never stand a chance. At least not in his current state as a candidate. Mathew forced himself to focus, scanning the room for any signs of danger. But found none. It was just him and this egg that glistened softly.