Charter: The Depth Of Dark Eyes

The desires were so strong that she did not notice how the tablet began to change. The tension in the room grew. The air temperature dropped sharply. Lian took a step forward, but something made him stop, as if an invisible wall blocked his path.

The tablet began to glow, its writing began to rotate like a huge mechanism, and at that moment, Calcium felt voices resounding in her head.

"Are you ready to find out the truth?" – one of them asked.

"The truth can kill you. Your eyes can't stand it."

"Will you bravely take on the burden?"

Calcium swallowed, her hand tightening on the tablet. "I'm ready."

And then something happened that defied any explanation. Everything around her exploded. A vortex of energy exploded in space.

When the energy around her finally settled down, Calcium opened her eyes. The world was different. Everything around her dimmed, and the light of her tattoo stopped glowing as before.

Instead of the usual blue glow, she felt a strange warmth in her body, as if an invisible hand was holding her shoulder, comforting her and at the same time filling her with an inexpressible weight.

The tablet was gone. She didn't understand where this great book had gone, which had just seemed so real and powerful. There was only light dust in her hands now, and there was a strange smell in the air–the smell of antiquity and locked knowledge. It was a frightening moment, as if she had just broken up with something she could never get back.

Lian's voice was wary. He stood a step away from her, but did not dare to approach: – What happened?

She didn't answer immediately. Words and images were still ringing in her head, something invisible for a moment gripped her mind. An incredible storm of emotions was spinning in her soul–bitterness, pain, fatigue. She could feel a lot of things changing inside her. For the first time in a long time, she felt that the knowledge she was looking for was beyond her.

But there was something else.Something dark.

As if an ancient secret, for which she had paid with her soul, could change her path forever. She was ready for this, but she didn't know how to deal with it now.

–I... I do not know what happened. – She whispered softly, and her voice was almost drowned in silence: – I just... felt that I couldn't stop. It was like a call. It was as if the tablet itself attracted me.

Lian studied her carefully, as if trying to figure out what was hidden behind that confused and confused expression on her face.

–What are you going to do now? – His voice was cautious, but there was concern in it.

Calcium shook her head, trying to clear her mind. The task was completed. The tablet was gone, but something inside it had changed. She felt something ancient and sinister stretching inside her body, like a trace that would remain with her for the rest of her life.

"I have to move on"

The knowledge she gained was significant. But she wasn't ready to accept them all at once.

–We have to go.– With that, she turned around without waiting for a response from Lian: – We haven't found what we were looking for yet. Now... it's time to move on.

Lian, although he remained with questions, did not argue. He nodded and followed her, but there was a slight worry in his gaze. He didn't know what exactly had happened, but he felt that Calcium had changed. And perhaps not for the better, perhaps it was that dark tail of knowledge that trailed the silver-haired Tattoo Artist of Stories.

But his interest, as always, was stronger than his fear. After all, they both knew that this temple was hiding more than just answers. He was a maze of ancient magic that could lead them to anything.

And together they stepped into the darkness, continuing on a path that they both knew would never be the same.

The darkness around them intensified with every step, as if the walls of the temple were absorbing light and space itself, making it unbearably cramped and lifeless.

Calcium felt her consciousness dissolve more and more into this shadow, and her steps became more confident and fast. Despite the slight anxiety that she still couldn't explain to herself, her body seemed to know where to go.

Lian followed her, his footsteps sounding quiet, as if he felt that their approaching future would not be as simple as it seemed at first. There was wariness in his eyes.

He had long ago realized that there was more to this woman than he could have expected.

Suddenly, Calcium stopped. She felt something–an invisible barrier, as if an unknown magic hung in the air. That cold itch in her body wouldn't let go of her, and she realized that their path couldn't be that simple.

"Something's wrong – she whispered, lost in thought.

Lian came closer, cautiously scanning the dark corridor.

–Do you feel it? – He asked, his voice anxious but secretive.

She nodded, pressing her hand to her chest.

Her tattoo, which had been glowing a short time ago, was now extinguished, as if the magic itself had faded into the background.

But a strange feeling of heaviness and ominous expectation did not leave her.

Calcium looked around and realized that the walls were starting to flicker slightly.

Somewhere in the darkness, a faint light began to appear, vague and strange, as if something was looking for them, waiting for their movement.

–It's not just darkness. – She said, her voice full of determination: –It's... something strong. This is something that awaits us. We are not alone.

Lian remained silent, listening to his feelings. He knew that if she said that, it wasn't just her fantasies. He felt it too, though not to the same extent as she did. The magic around them grew thicker, and Lian realized that they had crossed an unknown boundary.

Maybe they just touched something that wasn't meant for them.

Suddenly, a strange sound was heard in front of them – faint but clearly audible, as if someone was walking on old stones, holding their breath. They both froze. And at that moment, an inconspicuous figure appeared in the air.

A shadow that has no clear outline, but is absolutely real, invisible to the eyes, as if the darkness itself had taken shape.

–Who are you? – Her voice was barely audible, like the soft whisper of the wind, but it was impossible to avoid it.

Calcium took a step forward, but Lian immediately grabbed her shoulder, preventing her from moving.

–Stay back. – He whispered: - It could be a trap.

The shadow sighed, as if she had heard their conversation, but wasn't paying much attention to it. Its shape changed, as if the smeared darkness had spread out, and now a figure stood in front of them– a tall being clothed in an ancient robe that seemed to be woven from the very night sky. Two deep voids stared at them from under the hood.

–You shouldn't be here. – Said the figure with a slight accent, almost like a whisper of time itself: –You've disturbed the peace of this place. Why did you come?

Author: I'll tell you briefly, she was led to the wrong tablet altogether…

//To be continued, please like and save…