My legs trembled with every step, the cold sweat clinging to my skin a stark reminder of how close I had come to falling into the darkness below. I paused, trying to steady my breathing, and glanced back at the pit, now hidden by the twisted shadows and the treacherous rope that had been my only lifeline. A shiver ran down my spine, and I forced myself to look away, focusing on the narrow passage ahead.
The air grew colder as I squeezed through the tight, jagged walls of the passage, my shoulders scraping against the rough stone. It felt as though the cave was trying to swallow me whole, the darkness pressing in from all sides, making it hard to breathe. I could hear the faint drip of water echoing from somewhere deep within, each drop feeling like a countdown to something worse.
After a few minutes, the passage began to widen, and a faint light appeared ahead.
As I stepped into the chamber, my breath caught in my throat. The room opened up before me like the hollowed, out heart of a giant beast...vast, cold, and unfeeling. The stone floor stretched out in jagged, uneven slabs, each step forward feeling precarious, as though the ground itself might betray me at any moment. The faint glow of the strange carvings illuminated the room in a dull, wavering light, making the shadows dance erratically along the stone walls.
The walls were massive, towering upward into the darkness where the ceiling should have been. They were covered in intricate symbols carved deep into the stone, lines, spirals, and sharp geometric shapes that seemed to pulse with a faint, eerie glow. Some of the carvings flickered as though alive, while others lay dormant, fading into the cold gray rock.
The vases were scattered across the floor like sentinels in some forgotten ritual. Each positioned with deliberate precision around the chamber. Their surfaces shimmered faintly, the symbols etched into them matching some of the designs on the walls. But their presence was unsettling, as though they were silently waiting for something, or someone to act.
I took another step forward, and the chamber's true terror revealed itself as I approached the far end of the room. My heart sank when I saw it: a bottomless pit stretched across the chamber, an abyss so deep it swallowed the light. The edge was sharp and jagged, as though the stone had been violently split apart long ago.
The pit was massive, cutting a deadly line between the platform I stood on and the far side of the room. There, on the other side, just beyond the void, was the exit, a small archway carved into the stone, barely visible through the gloom. The distance was impossible to jump, utterly unforgiving. There was no bridge, no clear way across, just empty space and the endless dark below.
The floor around me creaked, the subtle sound of shifting stone reminding me that I needed to be very careful. I glanced at the vases again, and directly opposite the pit, I could make out five deep slots carved into the stone, a mechanism of some sort, their purpose tied to the vases.
The whole room felt like a puzzle, a cruel test meant to break anyone who dared to reach this point.
I approached one of the walls, stepping cautiously on the uneven ground. The symbols were carved deep, some glowing faintly, others fading into the stone. I stared at them, trying to make sense of their design, their shapes. The symbols reminded me of the ones I had seen earlier in the other parts of the cave, but these were more elaborate, more precise. Each one was different, some were jagged and sharp, others more fluid and curved, winding like spirals or branching off like tree limbs.
I furrowed my brow, leaning in closer to trace one of the lines with my finger. The stone was cold to the touch, and I pulled my hand back quickly, feeling the sharp bite of the chill. I let out a breath, fogging up the air in front of me again.
What do these mean? I wondered. The symbols seemed purposeful, like they were trying to tell a story or convey a message, but it was one I couldn't read. Some of the shapes almost seemed familiar, tugging at the back of my mind, like I had seen them before, but I couldn't place where.
As I continued along the wall, I noticed that some of the symbols repeated, though slightly altered in shape. Others were unique, standing alone with an almost ominous presence. My eyes darted between them, trying to make mental notes of their structure. There were a few that seemed like letters, or maybe even numbers, but none that I could decipher.
My fingers itched to draw them, to sketch them out and try to piece together their meaning, but there was no time for that now. I needed to focus. I needed to figure out why they were here, what they were trying to tell me.
But the cold was distracting. My teeth began to chatter as the chill deepened. I pulled my jacket tight around me, thankful I hadn't left it behind. Even then, the cold seeped through the fabric into my bones, making it hard to concentrate. I shifted on my feet, trying to generate some warmth, but the air was stagnant and unyielding, and my thin clothes weren't doing much to help.
I squinted at one of the larger symbols, tracing its shape in my mind. It was circular, with several lines radiating out from the center. It reminded me of something old, something elemental, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I stepped back, trying to get a better view of the entire wall, but the shadows kept shifting, making it hard to see the full picture.
I felt a growing unease in the pit of my stomach. There was something wrong here. Something I couldn't explain. It wasn't just the cold, it wasn't the pit, it was the feeling that I was being watched. The darkness seemed to shift and move with a life of its own, and every time I glanced over my shoulder, I half-expected to see something lurking in the shadows. But there was nothing. Just silence.
The symbols. I forced myself to focus on them again. If I could just understand them, maybe I could figure out what this chamber wanted from me. But the longer I stared, the more they seemed to blur together, twisting and shifting before my eyes.
I stepped closer to the wall again, determined to focus, but as I did, I felt a sudden drop in temperature. The cold became unbearable, and I found myself wishing, no, begging for my jacket. I wrapped my arms around myself again, shivering violently now, and my breath came out in short, sharp bursts.
And then I heard it.
A faint whisper, too soft to catch at first. I froze, my heart skipping a beat as the sound grew louder, filling the chamber with a low, droning murmur. It was disorienting, like the hum of a thousand voices blending together into a single, indistinguishable noise. My pulse quickened.
The whisper started soft, barely audible,just a fleeting breath against the cavern walls. It wasn't threatening, at first. Just unsettling.
But as the seconds dragged on, it began to build, like a cold draft that slowly crept into the room until it filled every corner.
"You should have tried harder."
I froze. The words slithered through the air, soft yet cruel, twisting around me.
The chill in the air grew sharper, cutting through my thin clothes like icy blades. The sweat on my skin turned freezing, and I shivered violently. I rubbed my arms, trying to warm myself, but it was useless. The cold wasn't just on my skin, it was inside me, deep in my bones.
"You're weak."
The whisper grew louder, reverberating off the walls. My heart stuttered.
"You don't belong here."
The voice was mine but twisted, darker, dripping with venom and regret. It was the voice that echoed in my worst moments, the one I had shoved into the back of my mind for so long.
"Why even try? You'll never be strong enough."
My legs felt heavier, as though the stone floor itself was pulling me down. I stumbled forward, but the voice followed, relentless.
"You're pathetic. You agreed to this. You chose this!"
"Shut up!" The words ripped out of me before I could stop them, raw and shaking. "I didn't choose this, and I'm not backing down."
But the voices only pressed harder, like they fed on my defiance.
The words hit like hammer blows, each one shattering something inside me. My chest tightened, and my vision blurred with unshed tears. My throat felt raw, like I couldn't breathe. The darkness pressed in, and I finally broke.
My knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the cold, unforgiving ground. My palms scraped against the jagged stone, but I barely felt it. The pressure in my chest burst, and a sob tore its way out of me...loud, ragged, and ugly.
Tears spilled down my cheeks, hot against the freezing cold. I gasped for air, but the voice wouldn't stop.
"You'll never change. You've always been worthless."
I clutched my head, pressing my hands against my ears, as if that could block it out. But the voice was inside me. It knew every weakness, every regret.
"You couldn't even stand up to Kofi. And you think you can survive this?"
My shoulders shook, and I cried harder, my body folding in on itself as the weight of every mistake, every fear, crushed me. I had tried so hard to forget, to push it all away...but here it was, relentless and unyielding.
The sobs wracked my body until I felt hollow. The cave seemed to watch in silence, as though it had been waiting for me to break.
For a long moment, I couldn't move. I couldn't fight. All I could do was cry.
I collapsed to the ground, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I tried to regain control. The weight of the accusations was overwhelming, and for a moment, I thought I would lose myself entirely. My vision blurred, and I fought the urge to give in to the darkness pressing down on me.
But then, through the fog of despair, I noticed something,five empty slots set into the center of the chamber, each one shaped to hold an object. My gaze fell on the vases scattered around the room. Five of them. My heart pounded as I realized I needed to place the vases into the slots but the voices, they wouldn't stop. They clawed at my mind, making it hard to think.
"You don't have to," the whisper slid through the chamber. "No one would blame you for stopping here."
I grabbed the nearest vase, my fingers brushing over its rough surface. It was heavier than I expected, cold like ice in my grip. The carvings on its side caught my eye...spirals radiating outward, almost like ripples in water, with jagged lines cutting through them like cracks in glass. I stared at it, trying to decipher its meaning, but it was like staring at a puzzle without any pieces.
My heart pounded in my chest as I stepped toward the slot in the center of the chamber. The pit loomed behind me, and I could feel its pull...a bottomless void just waiting for me to make a mistake. I took a breath and lowered the vase into place.
Click.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then, a pulse of light shot out from the slot, illuminating a section of the wall to my right. My heart leapt, but as I turned to look, the excitement died in my throat.
The glowing symbol on the wall was different. It didn't match the one on the vase.
I stumbled back, a cold realization sinking in. It's wrong.
"You've already failed." The voice cut through the cold, sharp and mocking.
"No. Not failed. Just wrong," I muttered through clenched teeth, forcing my shaking hands to grab another vase. "I can fix this. I'm still here."
"Why even try? You never get it right the first time."
I clenched my teeth, refusing to answer. My hands trembled as I reached for another vase. The voice pressed on, relentless.
"You're just guessing. You don't belong here. Turn back before you embarrass yourself more."
I shoved the vase into the slot, forcing myself to breathe. A deep, bone-shaking rumble filled the chamber. The floor shuddered beneath my feet, and I watched in horror as a jagged crack tore across the stone, splitting its way toward the edges.
"No, no, no!" I yelled, panic clawing at my chest.
One of the slabs near the pit broke loose and crumbled, falling into the darkness below. I didn't hear it hit the bottom. I clenched my fists, fighting the rising tide of fear.
I have to match them.
My eyes darted between the walls and the vases scattered across the floor. Symbols covered every inch of the stone floor...dozens, maybe hundreds of them. My head spun as I tried to focus, but it was impossible to know which symbol belonged where without testing each one.
I forced myself to move, grabbing another vase. This one felt different, smoother in some places, rougher in others. The carvings on it formed a jagged starburst surrounded by looping curves, like a sun radiating beams.
I swallowed hard and slid it into the slot.
Light exploded from the center, and I spun toward the wall. The symbol there lit up, a perfect match. Relief surged through me.
"Yes!" I whispered, barely able to believe it.
But my victory was short-lived. The floor groaned, and I felt the tremor beneath my feet. I hadn't noticed before, but the cracks were still spreading, slowly but steadily. The first mistake had set something in motion that couldn't be stopped. The ground was crumbling away piece by piece.
I need to hurry.
My eyes darted back to the remaining vases. Five slots. Five symbols. My stomach twisted. I didn't have time to think. I just had to try.
I grabbed another vase and placed it in the slot.
The floor trembled again, harder this time. I stared at the empty slots and the vases. I needed to figure it out, fast. Every second I wasted, the cracks grew wider. More of the floor was disappearing into the darkness. If I didn't get this right soon, there wouldn't be any ground left.
Sweat dripped down my face as I grabbed the next vase, my hands trembling. I slid it into place.
I ran looking for the symbol that matched the second vase, the symbol on the wall stayed lit as it did for the first but no platform rose from the pit. I double checked the markings and it was right. I paid it no mind and moved to the third.
Focus.
The rumbling grew louder, a constant roar beneath my feet. I barely had time to react as the cracks spidered across the chamber floor, spreading in every direction. I turned, eyes wide, as the ground behind me began to fall away, huge chunks of stone breaking free and plummeting into the abyss.
My heart stopped as I watched one of the vases tip over the edge. It wobbled for a moment, almost like it was fighting to stay upright before vanishing into the dark.
No!
I whipped around, frantically counting the remaining vases. More were sliding dangerously close to the pit's edge. I clenched my fists, panic rising. I was running out of time, and options.
I reached the fourth slot and grabbed the next vase without thinking, fitting it into the second slot. The light flared, illuminating the corresponding symbol on the wall. I squinted, scanning the carvings on the vases still scattered around me. My gaze darted from one to the next, desperation clawing at my chest.
Then I saw it, the vase with the matching symbol. It was at the very edge of the crumbling platform. The pit loomed below as the vase teetered, seconds from falling. My legs burned as I sprinted toward it.
"You'll never make it."
The voice hissed like acid in my ears.
"You're too slow. Too weak. You'll miss it, and then what? You'll fall trying...like always."
My breath caught in my throat as the stone beneath it cracked and shifted. The vase wobbled once. Twice.
It's going to fall!
"Let it fall," the whisper urged. "It's easier to lose one piece than break yourself chasing it."
The ground in front of me splintered, opening into a gaping hole. I leapt without hesitation, heart slamming against my ribs. My foot caught the edge of the next slab, and I hit the ground hard, sliding across the rough stone. Pain shot through my arms and legs as my skin scraped against the jagged surface, but I didn't stop.
The vase teetered, the stone beneath it crumbling away piece by piece.
"You're pathetic. Always reaching and failing."
"I've failed before," I spat, pushing off the cracking stone as I lunged, "but I'm not failing now."
I pushed off the ground, ignoring the burning in my muscles, and lunged. My hand closed around the vase just as the last bit of stone gave way. I stumbled back, clutching it to my chest like it was my lifeline.
Lucky again!? It won't last forever."
I gasped for breath, my heart pounding as I scrambled to my feet and raced back toward the slots. My legs felt like lead, every step an effort. But I didn't stop, not until I reached the final slot and slammed the vase into place.
The rumbling slowed, but it wasn't over yet. The final slot remained empty. I had one more chance, just one...to get this right.
I held my breath as I placed the last vase into the final slot. The symbol on the wall flared to life, its glow bright and sharp. For a brief second, I thought I'd done it.
But something was off.
I squinted, stepping closer. The symbol wasn't an exact match. The lines were almost identical, but the curves were off, just barely. One line was longer than it should have been, twisting in a way that the others didn't.
My stomach twisted as the light in the symbol began to flicker. Then, like a dying flame, it faded completely.
Wrong.
"This is exactly why Kofi walked all over you. You've always been weak. And now you're going to fall." The voice was ferocious. Sweat dripped down my face. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst, but I forced myself to focus. The voices screamed in my head, but I shoved them aside.
The ground beneath me groaned, a deafening crack splitting the air as another slab fell away into the abyss. Dust and stone rained down from above, and the platform beneath the slot began to tremble violently.
"No, no, no!" I spun around, eyes darting across the remaining vases. There had to be another one, a perfect match. I ran, searching, skidding to a stop when I saw it.
There it was.
The vase with the exact same symbol. The light of the carvings danced across its surface, confirming what I already knew.
The cold bit at my joints but without thinking, I grabbed it and sprinted back to the slot. The ground gave way behind me, sending more vases plummeting into the pit. I pushed forward, ignoring the sting of stone scraping against my skin as my leg dangled over the darkness below. I got to my feet, my heart hammered in my chest as I reached the slot and slammed the vase into place.
The chamber erupted in light as every symbol on the walls flared to life, their golden glow spreading like wildfire across the carvings. The walls pulsed, humming with ancient energy.
But the floor was still falling apart.
I stepped back, breathing hard as I stared at the glowing symbols, waiting for something, anything, to stop the collapse. But the rumbling continued, cracks widening as more slabs dropped into the void.
Why isn't it stopping?
"You think you're clever, but you're just guessing." The words gnawed at me, heavy with every insecurity I'd ever felt.
I stood there, my body trembling as I watched the stone slabs rise from the pit. The first vase had caused one to rise. There was only one slab though, not enough to get me across the pit to the other side.
The truth hit me like a punch to the gut. It's not just about matching the symbols.
"You'll get it wrong. Over and over again. That's what you do." I squeezed my eyes shut for half a second, blocking it out.
There was an order to this, not just matching symbols. The mechanism wanted the right sequence.
I reset the slots and tried the obvious first run. One, two, three, four, five. The first vase lit up, the nearest slab rose from the pit, but when I placed the others nothing else happened. The symbols dimmed, and the slabs froze. Wrong.
I yanked them back out, heart hammering. I tried again, one, three, four, two, five. The first slab still rose, but the rest refused to move. Dead again.
"Everyone you've ever disappointed... They were right about you."
"No," I whispered. I wasn't going to listen. Not this time. I took a deep breath and placed the vase into the slot.
I gritted my teeth. One, five. My chest jumped when a second slab answered, rising at the far end of the pit to join the first. Progress.
I scrambled through more attempts, swapping pieces fast, sweat stinging my eyes. One, five, two, nothing. One, five, four, still nothing. The floor cracked wider each time, like the cave itself was growing impatient.
Then it clicked. One, five, three. Another slab surged up from the middle of the abyss, locking into place. The bridge was taking shape.
My hands shook as I tested again. Two, four... silence. No movement. Wrong.
"You can't think under this weight," it said, calm and steady. "The cracks will reach you before the answer does."
"Think," I muttered, dragging them out again. I slammed them back down in order. One, five, three, four. The fourth slab groaned upward near the end of the pit.
Only one gap left. I stared at the last slot, then at the final vase in my hand. The second symbol glowed faintly, waiting. I shoved it in.
The chamber roared as the last slab rose to meet the others. The bridge stood complete.
The silence that followed was deafening.
For a second, everything went still. The rumbling stopped, and the cracks seemed to freeze in place. Then, with a deafening roar, the last of the stone slabs rose from the pit, locking into place to form a complete bridge.
I stared at it, barely able to believe what I was seeing. I'd done it.
I let out a shaky breath, wiping the sweat from my brow. My legs felt like jelly. The archway across the bridge glowed faintly, calling me forward.
The ground beneath me was solid once more, and I stood shakily, my muscles burning with fatigue. The cave had thrown everything it had at me...physical danger, mental torment, and I had come out on the other side, battered and bruised, but still standing.
You're not done. This isn't real."
My legs shook, but I stepped forward.
"You're still that scared little boy. No bridge can change that."
I took another step.
"One wrong move, and it all crumbles again."
I stopped at the center of the bridge, gripping the sides of my shirt, taking slow, deliberate breaths.
"You don't deserve to win."
"I do," I whispered, stepping forward again. The voices felt farther away now, more desperate.
"You'll never be enough."
"I am," I said louder, as the archway drew closer.
"You'll always be afraid."
"Enough!" I shouted, the word echoing off the chamber walls. "I'm done listening to you. I'm not worthless. I'm not weak. Not anymore."
I stepped through the archway. The voices dissolved into silence.
I moved forward, not looking back but I had a very strong feeling: this wasn't over yet.