Chapter 95:Thread Cutter: Chants of the Abyss
Deep in the tunnel beneath the hill, June and I made our way towards Moraine and Catalina. Ever since we entered down here, I could now clearly see where they were through sonar scanning, and their situation was not looking good. But neither was ours; we were surrounded from all angles, or I could say that we were being watched from all angles. The walls of the tunnels had a million small worm-like creatures crawling on them, and on the ground beneath our feet was water.
The water seemed stagnant, reflecting the dim light of our aetheric vision. Its unsettling stillness mirrored the tension in the air as we ventured further into the depths. The occasional drip echoed like ominous whispers, creating an eerie symphony in the underground labyrinth.
As we approached the chamber adorned with cryptic symbols, the sonar scanning revealed an intricate network of tunnels branching off in various directions, concealing unseen horrors. The walls, covered in the peculiar creatures, seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy, reacting to our presence.
" I feel cold , Stephen." June moved closer to me
"Me too , but we are almost there?"
Our footsteps echoed through the tunnels, a stark contrast to the unsettling silence that followed. It wasn't long before the sonar scanning picked up the distinct sound waves of Moraine and Catalina, seemingly trapped in an unknown predicament up ahead.
The atmosphere thickened as we moved closer, the walls seeming to close in on us. Shadows danced with an unnatural fervor, casting grotesque shapes on the tunnel surfaces.The air became charged with malevolence, as if the surrounding darkness held secrets beyond mortal comprehension.
Upon entering a certain chamber, the sonar revealed the impending ritual unfolding. The altar stood as a focal point, surrounded by the million crawling creatures, their movements synchronized with the eerie chants that reverberated through the cavernous space.
"S-steph are you seeing this?" June's voice echoed throughout the chamber
The chamber was full of artifacts seemingly cursed artifacts.
The cursed artifacts adorned the surroundings, each seemingly telling a tale of forgotten rituals and ancient malevolence. The was an amulet in particular that seemed to pulse with an ethereal glow, casting distorted shadows on the walls as if whispering the secrets of its dark past.
Unseen eyes watched us from the shadows, and the million creatures on the walls seemed to writhe in anticipation. The water beneath our feet held a hidden menace, its still surface betraying the lurking horrors beneath.
In the heart of the ritual stood a hollow, dressed as a Shaman, its hollow eyes betraying an eerie intelligence, it was sentient. It opened it's maw and spoke in a guttural, otherworldly language that sent shivers down our spines. Other smaller hollows surrounded it, kneeling in front of the Shaman hollow. It held a knife, glinting malevolently, about to sacrifice Moraine to who knows what.
The hollow's speech echoed through the chamber, a haunting melody that intertwined with the chants and created an unsettling harmony. Moraine, bound and helpless, looked towards us with eyes pleading for salvation.
As the hollow Shaman raised the knife, the million creatures on the walls seemed to bow in unison, amplifying the ritual's sinister energy. Our presence had been noticed, and the air crackled with an impending confrontation that would determine the fate of Moraine and Catalina, and perhaps, the very fabric of the Reaper's Nest itself.
The amulet's glow intensified, casting an otherworldly light that danced upon the cursed artifacts. Its presence in the ritual seemed more than symbolic; it held a malevolent sentience, as if aware of the impending sacrifice and reveling in the unfolding horror.
With each passing moment, the amulet became a focal point, drawing our gaze even as Moraine's life hung in the balance. Its ethereal glow seemed to seep into the very fabric of the chamber, amplifying the dark energies at play.
The amulet, a silent witness to age-old rituals, seemed to hold a power transcending the physical realm. As we faced the impending confrontation, it became clear that the amulet was not just an object but a conduit to a malevolent force that sought to intertwine the fates of the living and the shadows that lurked beneath the Reaper's Nest.
Breaking the eerie silence, June's voice carried disbelief, 'I've heard rumors of a hollow capable of human speech and dressed in human clothes, but I never believed it.'"
Turning to her, I inquired urgently, "Did the rumors mention an amulet? This chamber?" The gravity of the situation now intertwined with the whispers of the supernatural, as if the very fabric of folklore had woven itself into our perilous reality.
June shook her head, looking skeptical. But, before we could grasp what the amulet meant in the ongoing ritual, the hollow Shaman turned our way. A ghastly smile revealed disgusting, razor-sharp teeth with pieces of squirming flesh stuck in them.
"Welcome back, Plague Doctor. How long has it been?" The hollow's voice, once guttural, now held a sinister familiarity. Both June and I widened our eyes in stunned surprise at this unexpected revelation.
"Why do you look so surprised, Stephen? Why do you look so surprised, Doctor? This is your doing, after all. But I found a way to fix it—yes, yes, I can make it all better, yes, no, stop it! What do you mean he's going to kill us?" The disjointed words spilled from the hollow Shaman's mouth, a chaotic dialogue that echoed the madness within . The Shaman turned his head back to us with a smile and asked looking at me
"Are you going to kill us? Are you? You won't, right? RIGHT?! Shut up! No, you shut up! Ugh, you disgust me," the frantic words tumbled out in a chaotic exchange, revealing the unraveling sanity within the hollow Shaman. June instinctively held my hand and I could feel her trembling form beside me .
Fear had grappled me but I steeled up and looked directly at the Shaman before asking "who are you ?"
The Shaman started maniacally laughing and it laughed for a good while before calming down "Good one, Stephen, huh? What do you mean it's not? That was a good joke. Oh, what do you know about humor, you illiterate buffoon?" The mad shaman's erratic speech continued, reflecting a distorted sense of reality.
" have you really forgotten me Doctor? Have you? After everything we did together ? After everything you've PUT ME THROUGH?! He says he has forgotten about me...ME! You forgot me , just like how the rest of the gods forgot our world and almost left us for oblivion but I found salvation ,yes I did . He promised us good things , great things and now all I have to do is sacrifice the bearer of the undying heart to him , you raised a fine one Doctor but I need her life to save concilia , a life for a world . A world worth protecting , he said he can make me a God yes me a God. And I will go after all those gods that abandoned us"
"Have you really forgotten me, Doctor? Have you? After everything we did together? After everything you've PUT ME THROUGH?! He says he has forgotten about me...ME! You forgot me, just like how the rest of the gods forgot our world and almost left us for oblivion. But I found salvation, yes, I did. He promised us good things, great things, and now all I have to do is sacrifice the bearer of the undying heart to him. You raised a fine one, Doctor, but I need her life to save Concilia, a life for a world. A world worth protecting, he said he can make me a God, yes, me a God. And I will go after all those gods that abandoned us." The hollow Shaman's disjointed rant conveyed a mix of desperation and delusion but what bother me the most was how it kept talking like it knew me?
""What did he promise you? Maybe I too can fulfill those promises, but you have to let them go, please." I really did not know what I was saying, but I had to type something.
The Shaman looked at me with a hint of disdain. "What did he promise me? Maybe in the past I would have considered your offer, but right now, you are nothing but a shell of your former self, Doctor. Plus, my eyes have been opened to the truth. Only he can save us, and now I have to finish up the last part of the ritual. You surround them and make sure they don't intervene with this," the Shaman commanded his hollows.
The hollows quickly moved and surrounded us from all angles. June squeezed my hand, and I turned to look at her. Instead of fear, I found determination in her eyes, despite her trembling form.
"We have two more patients to save, Doctor, so let us get to work, shall we?" June whispered into my ear as she embraced me tightly.
"Wake up Mí'tûr , wake up dimwit.".....
....
Finn and Lenard rode on top of Finn's mount on their way towards the gates of Bermun. They both had serious expressions on their faces, unsure if their plan was going to work. Lenard turned to Finn, "Finn, now."
Finn immediately released his fiery aura, hoping to bait out the gatekeeper, Badu Larohua. It didn't take a few breaths before the gatekeeper appeared right before them, causing the mount to stop mid-air. The huge three-headed serpent stood before them, with all three enormous heads looking at them, or more precisely, at Finn.
"I told you that it is him, brothers. Now, what should we do with them?" the middle head spoke.
"Gatekeeper Badu Larohua, forgive us for baiting you out like this, but we need your help," Lenard quickly spoke before the other two heads could respond.
"How bold of you to speak in front of us without our permission. You mortals do not know your place," the head at the left side spoke, his tone hinting at apparent disdain for mortals.
"Why don't we hear them out, brothers? I have a good feeling that whatever they want to say would prevent a catastrophic event from happening," the head at the right side spoke, his eyes full of intelligence.
The other two heads stared at each other before nodding to what their brother said. "Alright, mortals, speak up. Brother has pleaded for you."
Finn and Lenard glanced at each other first before nodding.
"There is a new destroyer woven from a double thread and he is coming for us all."