Chapter 12: Whispers Beneath the Stone

The ruins stretched farther than Lena had expected.

Towering pillars, half-buried structures, and crumbling pathways covered in thick moss. The remnants of something ancient, something that had been here long before she arrived.

She moved carefully, stepping over shattered stone and tangled roots. The air was still—too still.

Behind her, Riven followed without a sound.

Lena reached out, tracing a carving on one of the weathered walls. The same elongated figures she had seen before. Their eyes were wide, almost unnatural, their hands outstretched toward something she couldn't quite make out.

A notification flickered into view.

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[Quest Progress: 40%]

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Lena exhaled. (So, I'm getting closer.)

She turned to Riven. "You've been here before."

A pause. Then, calmly—"Yes."

Lena's fingers curled slightly. "And you never thought to mention it?"

Riven met her gaze, unreadable. "You never asked."

(I hate him.)

She let out a slow breath. Fine. If he wasn't going to answer, she'd find out herself.

She moved deeper into the ruins.

Then—a sound.

A low hum. Faint, distant.

Lena froze. Riven did too.

Not the whisper from before. This was different.

A vibration, coming from beneath the stone.

The ruins weren't just old.

They were alive.

And something beneath them was stirring.

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End of Chapter 12