**Chapter 15 - The Abyss Stirs part 2**

**Chapter 15 - The Abyss Stirs part 2**

The water around them surged with a sudden, unnatural force, sending violent ripples outward as the luminous blue eyes beneath the surface widened. Ethan's instincts screamed at him to move, but the chilling grasp of fear locked his muscles for a split second too long.

Then the lake exploded.

A monstrous form erupted from the depths, a towering amalgamation of flesh and stone, its body covered in pulsating blue veins. It was unlike anything Ethan had ever seen—a grotesque fusion of organic matter and ancient ruin, as though the lake itself had birthed something primal and forgotten.

Kayla let out a curse, firing her rifle at the creature's massive, shifting torso. The bullets struck but did little more than splatter the beast's outer layer, the wounds closing almost instantly. Brent followed with his shotgun, but the creature barely flinched.

"It's not going down!" Brent shouted, wading faster toward the monolith in the center of the lake.

Ethan clenched his jaw, his grip tightening around Ash. The tree trembled in his grasp, sensing the overwhelming presence before them. Ash's roots extended into the water, but as soon as they touched the lake's surface, a pulse of energy surged back, forcing them to recoil. The lake itself rejected them.

"Whatever this thing is," Ethan muttered, "it's tied to this place. We need to find another way to stop it."

The beast roared, a guttural sound that sent tremors through the cavern walls. From beneath the surface, tendrils of water and stone lashed out, slamming into the fleeing trio. One narrowly missed Ethan's head, striking the water beside him with enough force to send a tidal wave cascading over them.

They pushed onward, half swimming, half running, until they reached the base of the ancient monolith. Up close, the structure radiated an eerie hum, the symbols carved into its surface glowing brighter as they approached.

Kayla reached out, pressing her hand against one of the glyphs. The moment she made contact, the entire structure shuddered.

A deep, resonant voice echoed through the cavern—not in words, but in emotions, in memories that did not belong to them.

A warning. A plea. A desperate command to leave.

The beast roared again, this time in pain. It recoiled, as if the monolith's awakening burned it. The blue veins coursing through its body flickered, disrupted. Ethan exchanged a quick glance with the others.

"This thing—this temple—it's keeping it at bay," Ethan realized. "We need to activate it fully."

Brent ran his hands over the carvings. "How the hell do we do that?"

A deep tremor rolled beneath their feet, and a series of circular runes ignited one by one across the structure's surface. Ash pulsed in Ethan's grip, its roots lashing toward the symbols as if drawn to them. The tree's energy resonated with the ancient power lingering in the stone.

Ethan didn't hesitate. He pressed Ash's roots against the monolith. A surge of power rippled outward, and the carvings blazed with sudden intensity.

The beast howled, its tendrils thrashing wildly as it was repelled further into the lake. The waters churned violently, turning against the creature that had once controlled them.

Then, with a deafening crack, the temple released a shockwave of pure energy.

The force sent Ethan and the others sprawling backward. The lake shuddered, its surface fracturing like glass. The creature screeched, its form convulsing as the energy engulfed it. Cracks spread along its body, glowing with the same ancient power that now radiated from the temple.

And then, with a final, ear-splitting wail, the beast imploded, its massive form dissolving into nothingness.

Silence followed. The once-turbulent waters of the lake settled into an eerie calm. The monolith, its purpose fulfilled, dimmed once more.

Ethan slowly sat up, Ash still wrapped around his arm. Brent and Kayla did the same, their expressions dazed but victorious.

Kayla exhaled. "What the hell just happened?"

Ethan stared at the now-still lake. "I think… we just killed a god."

Brent gave a nervous chuckle. "Yeah? Let's make sure there aren't any more before we start celebrating."

They dragged themselves to the temple's inner chamber, hoping to find answers—and maybe, just maybe, a way out of the abyss that had nearly claimed them.