The Mystery Of The Forgotten Medallion (4)

Atlas was in no hurry. Time seemed to stretch out here in these dark corridors, as if a cave was trying to take him into its abyss, but Atlas himself felt that the more he stayed in this place, the more he began to understand its nature.

He walked to the nearest wall, where a faint glow continued to emanate from the ancient symbols. He couldn't say exactly what it was, but now that he had been in this place longer, he could feel how this light was awakening something important inside.

His mount animal, the shark, swam by his side, as if waiting for something. Atlas patted her fin, feeling her getting stronger and more confident with every movement.

He noticed how her fins were now not just flexible, but almost physically tangible to Atlas himself—her energy began to fill the space.

Suddenly, a crunch sounded from the depths of the cave, and a sound echoed as if something huge was moving towards them. It was not a noise, but a constant sound of footsteps, with heavy and deep thuds, as if the cave were alive.

–Be on your guard. –Atlas said, looking around and taking the weapon in both hands. The shark did not slow down, its body was already ready for action, its energy was in the air.

But instead of attacking immediately, Atlas felt his body begin to react. His reflexes improved, his senses became sharper, as if with each battle he gained a new awareness of himself.

And it had nothing to do with his weapon. It was precisely the consciousness that became deeper and clearer.

[ Atlas Level: 6 ]

[ New Skill: Threat Response (Current Level: 1) ]

But the moment for the attack has not yet arrived. Atlas knew that it was important to observe. What was coming was not just an enemy, but something more.

He intuitively felt it. With each step, the cave grew darker, and Atlas realized that they were approaching something important, which would be not just a test of strength, but also of skill.

Finally, a dark figure appeared in front of them—a guardian, but in a new guise. It was a gigantic, almost monumental guardian, its body was covered not just with metal, but with an old stone, as if it were part of the cave itself, part of its ancient energy.

Atlas took aim, but noticed that the shark was not moving, as if it was waiting for something. She was ready to attack, but something stopped her.

– Why don't you attack? Atlas asked softly, looking at his beast.

And then he realized that the shark seemed to be able to sense not only the danger, but also the essence of this enemy. It wasn't just a guardian, but something more, perhaps not just an object to be destroyed, but something to interact with.

–Don't rush it. – Atlas said, taking a step back. He carefully put down the weapon and made a gesture for the shark to stop. There was a pause in the depths of the cave, almost as if the space itself had frozen, waiting for their action.

The guardian didn't move, and the light around them grew brighter, but it wasn't a dangerous glow. It filled the cave not with fear, but with an incomprehensible energy that seemed to seep through the stones and walls.

Atlas froze, trying to read the situation, and suddenly realized that this was a test, not a fight.

A communication test, he thought.

The shark, starting to move slowly forward, touched the huge guardian. Instead of attacking, she absorbed some of that energy. Atlas watched as her body began to glow in the same light that came from the guardian.

He could feel the energy of the cave flowing into her, improving her, strengthening her.

[Mountain Beast Level: 4 ]

[New Skill: Energy Absorption (Current level: 1) ]

The guardian, without saying a word, simply disappeared into thin air, as if his energy had been redirected into Sin.

Atlas realized that they had passed this stage, but now they were approaching the most important thing.

The light in the cave became brighter, and the sound of water could be heard from afar. Atlas realized that they were nearing the source, where their powers might face a new form of test. He stood there, still feeling how slowly but surely his strength and the strength of his beast, as a whole, were developing, bringing them closer to an unknown horizon.

Atlas felt the air around them getting colder. His mountain beast, Sin, moved smoothly forward, her body glowing more and more, as if she had become not just a part of this world, but something more significant. Her every move became more confident, and there was a new understanding in her eyes, something that Atlas couldn't immediately grasp, but that he clearly felt.

The cave was getting bigger with every step. The space was expanding, and the light that came from the walls was no longer just an ordinary glow, but something otherworldly, as if the very structure of the world was trying to convey some kind of message to them.

Atlas felt it like a cold stream that slowly penetrated his consciousness, forcing him to listen more attentively to every sound, to every vibration in the air.

–We're almost there. – he said softly, looking at his baby shark.

Ahead, in the very center of the cave, a strange mist-like light appeared. This light wasn't bright, but it was so thick that you could almost touch it. Atlas stepped in his direction, and immediately felt as if his body was wrapped in this light.

His breathing became a little heavy, but not from fear, but from the feeling that time was different here.

The shark stopped next to him, not moving. Atlas could feel her body vibrating and realized that she was feeling something too.With each step, the light grew brighter and brighter, as if they were walking into something beyond logic.

And so, a huge hall opened up in front of them, and in the center of the hall stood something that immediately attracted their attention — a pillar of light. It was not solid matter, but rather an ephemeral object with no clear shape, but at the same time it created a sense of weight, as if the entire hall were a part of it.

Atlas felt his body begin to fill with power, but it was not the power he had felt before. This force was different—deep, almost cosmic, as if the entire reality around them was beginning to change.

–It's... something.– Atlas said, feeling his inner powers begin to awaken.

The shark smoothly swam up to the pillar, and suddenly the light coming from it began to interact with this pillar. It began to glow brighter, and Atlas felt the energy being transferred not only to her body, but also to his own. It seemed that the world itself had begun to rewrite the rules.

[New quest opened: "Merging Worlds"]

[New ability: "Energy Resonance" (Current level: 1) ]

Immediately after that, the pillar of light disappeared, as if it had never existed.

//To be continued, please like and save…