The spiral staircase wound deep into the earth, carved from a stone that shimmered faintly in the darkness. Kael gripped the railing tightly as he descended, the air growing colder with every step. Behind him, Selene followed in silence, her expression unreadable.
A strange hum vibrated through the walls. It wasn't loud, but it crept into their bones, a low, steady tone that made Kael's skin crawl.
"How far does this go?" he asked, more to break the silence than expecting an answer.
"Farther than most ever return from," Selene replied softly.
Eventually, the steps opened into a narrow corridor lined with mirrors on both sides. But these weren't ordinary mirrors, they didn't reflect the present. Instead, Kael saw flickers of the past. One mirror showed a younger version of Selene kneeling in front of the broken seal. Another revealed Kael as a child, holding a pendant he no longer remembered owning.
"What is this place?" Kael whispered, staring at his younger self.
"The Echoing Gate doesn't just test your strength," Selene said. "It tests your truth."
The hallway twisted, then opened into a circular chamber. In the center stood a black obelisk covered in glowing runes. The hum was louder here, resonating from the stone itself.
Kael stepped closer, drawn by an unseen force. As his fingers brushed the obelisk, his vision went black.
Suddenly, he was standing in a field of ash. The sky was red, the ground scorched. Around him were shadows, figures of people he didn't know, yet somehow felt responsible for.
A voice echoed in his head. "Would you carry their burden? Would you take their fate to protect your own?"
He turned and saw a girl, eyes hollow, body burned. She looked at him with sadness, not hate.
"I don't even know who you are," Kael said.
"But I know who you will become," she answered.
The vision faded. He was back in the chamber, gasping for breath. Selene knelt beside him, her hand on his shoulder.
"It showed you something, didn't it?" she asked.
Kael nodded. "It showed me… what I could lose."
Selene looked at the obelisk. "It showed me that years ago. That's why I returned to the surface. But I always knew I'd have to come back."
"Why?" Kael asked.
She paused. "Because the god beneath the ruin… it's not just sleeping. It's waiting. And the seal won't hold forever."
Kael stood, steady now. "Then we'd better be ready."
From the shadows of the chamber, the hum changed. It became a voice. Low. Rumbling.
"Two bear the mark… Two must decide."
A hidden door behind the obelisk slid open, revealing a final staircase descending into pitch black.
They looked at each other. No words. Just a shared understanding.
And then they descended.