**Chapter 8: Beneath the Surface**

**Chapter 8: Beneath the Surface**

Jack clutched the old leather-bound book to his chest as he exited the library, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. The passage about Eldrin wasn't just a myth—it felt like a warning, a prophecy written long before he ever set foot on this path. The town around him moved in its usual rhythm, but Jack felt the weight of something unseen pressing down on him, an urgency that wouldn't let him rest.

Shadow padded beside him, his ears flicking at every noise. Jack glanced down at his companion, nodding slightly. "We're running out of time," he muttered. "If Eldrin is a place between worlds, we need to find the way in before the Veilborn do."

He pulled out his **Spectral Vision Goggles** and slid them over his eyes. The town looked different now—shadows stretched unnaturally, and strange energy lines crisscrossed the streets, forming patterns that didn't exist in the normal world. A faint, pulsing glow led away from the library, vanishing down an alley behind the old church.

Jack followed it.

The alley was narrow, lined with damp brick walls and rusted dumpsters. At the end stood a heavy iron grate leading to the underground tunnels. The glow pulsed beneath it, calling to him.

"This can't be a coincidence," Jack murmured.

He crouched, examining the grate. The lock was old, rusted but still intact. Shadow sniffed at the edges, letting out a low growl. Jack pulled out his **Emberfang Crowbar**, the heat pulsing beneath his grip as he wedged it into the gap and forced the lock open with a sharp snap.

The tunnel yawned before them, damp and dark. A set of stairs descended into the unknown. Jack took a deep breath. "Stay close," he whispered to Shadow, then stepped inside.

The air was thick with moisture, carrying the scent of earth and something else—something ancient. His boots echoed against the stone steps as he descended. The walls were lined with faded carvings, symbols he recognized from the sigil in the train yard.

Jack ran his fingers over one of them. A sudden pulse of energy shot through his hand, and for a brief moment, he wasn't in the tunnel anymore.

He saw flashes of another place—a great underground city bathed in blue light, towering spires stretching toward a ceiling of jagged rock. Cloaked figures moved through its streets, their faces hidden, their voices whispering words of warning.

Then it was gone. Jack stumbled back, gasping. His hand tingled where it had touched the carving. **This place… it was connected to Eldrin.**

Shadow whined, sensing his distress. Jack shook his head. "I'm fine," he muttered, though his heart still pounded. "Let's keep going."

They moved deeper, the passage narrowing until they reached a stone archway covered in the same glowing symbols. At its center, embedded in the rock, was a circular indentation.

Jack's mind worked quickly. **A key. I need a key.**

He reached into his **Spatial Storage**, pulling out the small metallic emblem he had taken from the train yard. He hadn't known what it was at the time, but now, it felt right.

He pressed the emblem into the indentation.

A deep, resonant hum filled the tunnel, the symbols igniting in brilliant blue light. The archway trembled, then slid open, revealing a cavernous chamber beyond.

Jack stepped through cautiously, Shadow at his side. The chamber was vast, its walls lined with strange, towering monoliths pulsing with the same blue energy. At its center stood a stone pedestal, an open book resting upon it.

Jack's breath caught. The book was the same as the one in the library—**but this one was alive, its pages shifting as if whispering to the air.**

He approached, reaching out carefully. The moment his fingers brushed the page, a voice filled the chamber.

**"Eldrin is the threshold. The gate to what was lost."**

The symbols on the walls flared. Jack felt the power surge through him, filling every inch of his being. Images flashed in his mind—**a great battle, a city falling, a door sealing something away.**

Then, the voice changed.

**"They are coming."**

The light in the chamber flickered. The air turned heavy. Jack's heart pounded. **Something else was here.**

Shadow barked, snapping Jack back to reality. He spun around just in time to see the entrance seal shut behind them.

Jack gritted his teeth. **No turning back now.**

**To be continued...**