Chapter 18 — The Trial of the Seal
By now, the fort was no longer simply stone.
It was a living labyrinth of dread, winding corridors that shifted, rooms that moved, shadows that breathed.
The air itself tasted of iron and despair.
Arjun followed Ananya, who moved ahead with purpose.
Her eyes glowed gold in the dim torchlight.
Her lips moved in whispers no mortal should hear.
> "This way," she said softly.
"The seal is here."
Arjun didn't trust her voice anymore.
It sounded layered, not entirely hers.
But he followed anyway.
---
The Endless Corridor
They entered a corridor that seemed impossibly long.
No matter how far they walked, it stretched beyond sight.
The torchlight warped. The walls seemed to breathe.
Whispers surrounded them — soft voices murmuring names, promises, threats.
Arjun felt his mind faltering.
Visions flickered before his eyes:
The lost team members.
Their screams.
Their faces twisted in agony.
> "Arjun…"
"Riya…"
"Sid…"
The names came in chorus.
Arjun gripped his rifle tighter.
The corridor seemed to close in around him.
---
The Chamber of Trials
At the corridor's end was a chamber unlike any they had seen before.
The walls were carved with intricate runes glowing gold.
At the center was a stone seal, cracked and pulsing faintly.
The air vibrated with chanting.
Ananya stepped forward without hesitation.
> "This is it. The trial."
Arjun studied the seal.
Symbols writhed across it, changing as though alive.
The air grew thick, heavy.
A voice inside his head whispered:
> "Touch it… break it… and all will end."
Ananya placed her hand on the seal.
The chanting rose.
Her body trembled.
Her voice became layered with others.
> "Arjun… join me…"
---
The Breaking of Reality
The chamber began to shift.
The floor cracked.
The walls twisted like living flesh.
The seal pulsed faster.
Visions of the fort's past — of sacrifices, of ancient rituals — flooded Arjun's mind.
He saw Ananya's face change.
Her golden eyes were no longer hers.
Her lips curled into a smile that was both hers and not hers.
> "The seal breaks… and the bride returns."
Arjun tried to pull her away.
But something held him — the fort itself.
The whispers became screams.
The seal cracked fully.
Light burst forth.
Shadows devoured it.
---
End of Chapter 18