The Winds of the New World-Chapter 51 - 48: Echoes of the Past

The golden medallion pulsed faintly beneath Edmund's garments as the group advanced through the dark corridors of the ruin. The air inside was dense and oppressive, heavy with dust and a silence that seemed to contain centuries of forgotten stories. Each step echoed against the walls, reinforcing the feeling that they were walking through the tomb of a lost civilization.

The torches flickered, casting dancing shadows over the reliefs carved into the black stone. Humanoid figures with severe expressions adorned the columns, depicted in strange rituals, carrying gleaming artifacts, and battling beings that seemed to emerge from the depths of the earth. There was something unsettling about the artwork—the faces did not display glory or heroism, but despair.

Kieza, still wounded, pressed a cloth against her shoulder to stem the bleeding, but her eyes swept the environment, analyzing every detail. Her instincts, honed by a harsh life at sea, told her that something here was still awake.

"This civilization..." Edmund broke the silence, running his fingers over the sculpted reliefs. "They sealed that creature, but why?"

Voss stepped closer, frowning. His gaze settled on a particularly disturbing scene: warriors clad in ornate armor, wielding rune-etched blades, surrounding a massive creature—something eerily similar to the monster they had just fought. Below the depiction, a worn inscription barely visible beneath the passage of time.

"It looks like they fought these things before," Kieza pointed to a circular symbol just beneath the battle scene. "And this symbol... We've seen it before."

She referred to a similar marking they had found on the altar where the Sleeper had been released. Edmund pulled the medallion from his pocket and compared its shape to the carving in the stone. They were identical.

"This might be a key..." Edmund murmured.

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Before they could continue analyzing, a deep sound echoed through the corridor. A guttural noise, distant, like stones shifting on their own. It was a slow, reverberating creak—something was moving deep within the ruin.

The three turned in the same direction, feeling the cold intensify around them. Small bluish lights began to materialize at the end of the hallway, flickering like spectral flames. Tiny orbs of energy floated in the air, forming a path leading to a massive obsidian door covered in arcane symbols.

Voss tightened his grip on his sword."This doesn't feel natural..."

"Nothing here does," Kieza replied, her voice low.

Edmund took a deep breath and ran his fingers over the surface of the door. The stone was as cold as ice and vibrated slightly under his touch. Suddenly, the medallion around his neck grew hot, responding to the energy emanating from the door.

With a sharp crack, the symbols began to glow, and the massive structure slowly opened, revealing a vast chamber beyond. A staircase led to a central altar, surrounded by pillars covered in inscriptions, with dry bones scattered across the floor.

Edmund exchanged looks with his companions."If this civilization left any answers, they're beyond this door."

Kieza and Voss nodded, and the three stepped forward.

Whatever they were about to uncover could change everything.