Aefia tried her best to stay silent despite the heels of her boots making slight contact with the ground and making a small, 'click!' sound. The monster, from Aefia's height, could easily represent a very famous monster with the head made of sirens, that was part of a video game. Even when Aefia turned her head, it could make the gigantic monsters alert that something is wrong in their crowd and once they spotted Aefia, they wouldn't dare to stop unless they had actually caught and ate her.
The dungeon unfolded as a vast, subterranean void, so immense that the distant walls were swallowed by an absolute, velvety darkness, which even at Aefia's position, it was merely still invisble. In this echos if stomping, the scale of the architecture becames overwhelming, designed for beings far larger than any normal human, meaning this was originally the place where the first generation humans lived.
The floor was composed of polished obsidian that reflected the dim light like a frozen lake, stretching out toward an unreachable horizon. This wasn't merely a room, but a cavernous monument to ancient humans, where the air still felt heavy with the weight of dust and particles and the ozone.
Standing in a perfect, wide-reaching formation are sixteen, Library of Alexandria like pillars, spaced so far apart that they seemed to guard the very edges of the wall. Each pillar was carved from a single block of stone, carved with intricate, winding dragons that appeared to shift when viewed from the corner of the eye. These stone leviathans served as the main part of the ritual and of the hall, their scales catching the flickering light and reflecting it towards the epicentre of the entire dungeon always meant that any magic user will have their magic sucked out of them.
The distance between the pillars created a sense of profound isolation, making anyone standing among them feel like a mere speck in a cosmic design. At the base of every pillar, fourteen slender candles were arranged in a precise, ritualistic arc. Despite the stillness of the air, the flames moved with a strange, vigorous life, casting long and distorted shadows across the floor, adding more chill to the environment and surroundings.
These were no ordinary fires, each of the sixteen pillars were illuminated by a unique hue of flame, ranging from a ghostly violet and deep crimson to a brilliant emerald and shimmering gold. The kaleidoscopic light struggled against the candle's gloom, creating a vibrant but eerie corona around each massive column of stone, marking the perimeter of the sacred space.
In the exact epicenter of this colossal arrangement lied a massive, glowing circle that dominated the floor. This central sigil was a stark contrast to the dark obsidian, making it seem like it were the creation of a ritual, but it couldn't be confirmed whether it was true or not. The circle was filled with incomprehensible runes, almost similar to the ones Aefia and the others had carved out earlier, and geometric patterns that were accompanied by multiple mathematical calculations which could make any student's minds go haywire upon seeing it.
The interplay of the sixteen different flame colors and the singular blue glow of the central circle created a haunting visual harmony itself, leaving out the creepy white monsters. The light didn't reach the ceiling, leaving the upper reaches of the room looking like a void, as if the pillars support the very weight of the deep, dark space. It was a singular room of impossible proportions, where light and shadow engaged in a beautiful, eternal struggle within the echoing deep.
The dungeon and the monsters altogether, was a newly found fear for both Aefia and Helio, and most possibly her lady and her son. Despite using her magic most of the time, she was still left with more than half way unfinished. For everything she had to do, it would turn into a riddle for only her to solve and it felt like a punishment because she also brought other people into this dungeon and their lives too were something she would have to be responsible for.
While worried about the others, having to deal with the poison affecting her memories and her current position, she felt like in a dead end with no other paths to return back to. Walking straight, was to walk directly into dealing with the bigger antagonist of the dungeon, walking back would kill time, and walking left or right would be dealing with much danger and later with much more.
There is something with these flames here. Each of them must be a different colour for some reasons, it can't just be there to add more intriguing detail to this hall of void. So far, I know that the second stage is going to be full of mysterious clues that will be of temporary use, but also, clues from that room will be of permanent use all the way to the final dungeon.
Now, the colour of these flames, it must have a meaning. Back at Nikoan, Ms. Avry had taught us about the different definitions of colours. If I look carefully, and search my memories for my art lessons from Earth, I can see that the...strong, bright, deep red colour is a crimson. It often means that there are or were Ritualistic Guardians associated with this dungeon.
A yellow-orange metallic hue, gold. It often means one of the three Spiritualistic Guardian's rule has been broken in this dungeon and they are currently in no position to be able to change the fact to punish the wrong-doer.
A dark, sophisticated cyan-blue pigment has the same colour, prussian blue. That often means the spirits who are the original owners of these monstrous bodies, are still wandering around this dungeon and wish to intervene but is blocked due to a barrier casted by an unknown entity.
A bright, vivid green with a touch of blue, emerald green. This states that there is life present, and that is obvious, whether it means us or the monsters or the ritualist. Once the green candle flames go out, it means all life source has died.
A warm, reddish-brown earth tone, burnt sienna. This states that this dungeon contains outer world residues. It can either point to me and Helio or the things stuck on our shoe soles. This often means this dungeon is dirty and in need of cleaning.
A soft, pale blue-purple, lavendar. Hmmm...I don't remember what it meant but most probably, it is pointing to the presents of past lives that are reincarnated to these lives, but I can't confirm it.
A rich, opaque, and fiery orange, cadmium orange. That is supposed to be the aftermath of a coloured flame that had a very deep meaning earlier. But once the flame changes to this colour, nothing can be found out about its previous colour, so it has already happened and finished.
A saturated, dark blue-green, deep teal. This indicates the presence of a submerged consciousness. It suggests that the monsters in this area are linked by a single hive mind or a sleeping entity that can "feel" every footsteps through the floor.
A pale, greyish-violet, mauve. Often signals temporal instability. It means that the time spent in this room does not align with the time passing outside, five minutes here could be five hours elsewhere, or vice versa.
A natural clay earth pigment colour, ochre. This marks a binding pact with the soil. It means the dungeon walls themselves are "hungry" and will attempt to petrify or absorb any organic matter that stays still for too long. That puts Helio in danger, but zi can't warn him now.
A brilliant, deep blue, ultramarine. This is the mark of High Sovereignty. It signifies that a "true" King or Queen of the monstrous race resides nearby, one who possesses actual intelligence and can be negotiated with, unlike the common beasts.
A grey-green, sage. This points to stagnant magic. It suggests that a spell was cast here centuries ago and was never properly dissipated, it now lingers as a thick, invisible fog that drains the magic of anyone who breathes it in. That too could be one reason why we are depleting in power slowly.
A very dark grey, charcoal. This is a warning of void-contamination. It means that the area has been completely stripped of its spiritual essence. Even the ghosts avoid these zones because there is "nothing" left to feed on, not even despair. And that is why these abnormal creatures came out the second we arrived.
A vibrant, pinkish-orange, coral. This represents false sanctuary. It often appears in areas designed to look safe or beautiful, but it actually signals a trap intended to lower the intruder's guard before an ambush. Makes sense for Helio when he was first "captivated" by these harmful decorations.
A delicate, creamy white, ivory. This denotes ancient debt. It signifies that the dungeon was built upon the ruins of a holy site, and any violence committed in this room will cause the intruder's harm or make the explorer's weapons heavier with every kill. Oh right, that reminds me of my own weapon.
A dark, reddish-purple, plum. This is the sign of royal mourning. It means the master of the dungeon has recently perished or been replaced, and the current residents are in a state of chaotic, leaderless frenzy. But it seems that it isn't completely "leaderless" otherwise. Someone or something is manipulating them and the "someone" is obviously the one Helio had claimed seeing.
By now, Aefia had already arrived at the first pillar from where the count down of stones started. This was when a stone dropped for every time they wait to stare at the thing that they are not supposed to be looking at, that now counted the monsters. Even when one or two of them were down to chasing them, they couldn't look back to check.
Once the stones filled up the entire epicentre, the monsters would be alerted about the human beings present and that is the ending of the game for anyone still present. Which was all that Aefia had known but had forgotten due to the poison. But it was of no good use because she had to endure it until the start of the third stage.
In the distance, she noticed Helio frantically trying to escape the falling rocks and the first thing that came to her mind was the thing that she carried out. And after that task was completely, she was more than drained for her magic power. She needed to be healed instantly or her last thirty health would be the ones to officially 'kill' her.
Red strings wrapped around Helio's limbs as it pulled them together into a tight space and more red thread wind around him as he was pulled into the air. Suddenly, he was falling from fifty feet high and the strings let go. From there, he already knew what to do. He ran towards the second cat statue while keeping a low profile.
In order to do all that, Aefia had to cut her own finger off which triggered the spirits to follow the smell of human blood. Without any further hesitation, she stood on her feet and ran towards the first cat statue. The monsters noticed how there were suddenly loud clicking noises and moved to face Aefia.
There, now I have fallen into the trap. I am afraid of how her lady and her son are doing this. Although, I am assured that they aren't as weak as they seem. In real time, the are way more intelligent then the creator of this dungeon. I have a feeling that they are probably already at the second stage.
Slowly enough, she could feel her fingers starting to freeze. It was the poison already killing her neurons. If she didn't hurry, the poison would kill her faster than expected, and to make things worse, the poison was now travelling much faster due to her ongoing run from the monsters.
The fourth pillar...the third pillar...the second pillar...the first pillar...the cat statue!
Aefia counted down as she reached the gigantic circular black void on the wall. They were both lucky to reach the hole at the same time, but the entrance was blocked by a screen that asked for a passcode. It was a five digit passcode and no one had the luxury of time to take a closer look at the walls or the pillars, therefore they didn't know the passcode, or did they?
"What is the passcode?!" Helio asked since since the screen was much closer to him then to Aefia. "I have no idea! Just try whatever comes to your mind!" Aefia replied while completely breathless.
"Um...what about sixteen fourteen two?!" Helio asked as he reached the screen. "No! Try sixteen two fourteen! Or the other way around!" Aefia remembered.
Helio quickly typed up the code and a black lock appeared near Aefia's side. Seeing this, Aefia reached her hand out as the monsters neared and Helio ran to the centre. 'Shing!' Bright sparks appeared as the monsters all collapsed to the ground and they both dissappeared.
***
"Ma! Do you know what the passcode is?!" Her lady's son shouted to his mother who was currently collecting the blood of the monsters into a test tube.
"Sorry dear! But it seems that my work had kept me distracted the whole time. Maybe try inputting random values? I think that is what that girl would have done." Her lady replied while standing up. She put the test tube away and teleported towards the black void. "Was this screen supposed to be here before?"
"I don't know ma, I think it is supposed to appear after someone enters a specific range. But I don't think it would be necassary." Her son spoke and the both turned towards the door at the other end of the dungeon.
Suddenly, two black arms wrapped around the both of them and they both dissappeared into the dark hole.