Lord of Shadows: Rise of the Grand Talisman

Chapter 38: The Whispers Grow Louder

Elias steadied himself, the echo of the void still lingering in his mind. Whatever he had glimpsed in that moment of falling, whatever entity had observed him—he could feel it. Like a distant presence pressing against the edges of his thoughts, waiting.

Leira watched him carefully. "You saw something, didn't you?"

He hesitated. "Not just saw. I felt it."

The masked speaker chuckled softly. "Good. That means you are listening."

Elias turned his gaze toward the others. Some of them still stood before the table, eyes wide with shock or fear. Others remained motionless, as if unwilling to face whatever visions the ritual might bring.

The speaker moved toward the door leading deeper into the underground halls. "Come. You have been marked now. There is no turning back."

Elias exchanged a glance with Leira before stepping forward, the weight of the Forgotten Manuscript still in his grasp. The others followed, some hesitant, others determined.

They descended further, the air growing denser, heavy with something unseen. The passage opened into a grand chamber—its ceiling stretching impossibly high, carved with sigils that pulsed faintly with an eerie blue light. At the center of the room stood an altar, its stone surface inscribed with intricate patterns, worn with age.

The speaker gestured toward it. "This is where the first of the Seekers made their vow. Where they took their first true step beyond the veil."

Elias stepped closer, his gaze tracing the symbols. Something about them felt familiar, as if they were on the edge of his understanding, just beyond reach.

Leira's voice was quiet. "What happened to them?"

The speaker's smile was unreadable. "Some vanished into the unknown. Others… became something else."

Elias felt his pulse slow. He wasn't sure which fate was worse.

The speaker gestured toward the altar. "Kneel."

He hesitated for only a moment before obeying. The others followed, forming a half-circle around the ancient stone.

The air shifted.

A whisper curled through the chamber, barely audible.

"Do you seek?"

Elias felt the words, rather than heard them. They resonated inside his skull, threading through his thoughts.

He exhaled. "I do."

The whisper grew stronger.

"Then you shall find."

The sigils flared to life, their blue glow intensifying. Shadows twisted around the altar, stretching unnaturally, moving against the flickering torchlight.

And then—

A sensation.

Something brushed against his consciousness, feather-light but vast. It was not human, not even close. It was ancient, deep, and hungry.

The air crackled. The others gasped, some clutching their heads as the presence swept over them.

Elias gritted his teeth, forcing himself to remain still.

The whisper returned, threading into his mind, deeper now.

"You have been seen."

The light flickered—

And the chamber went dark.

A heartbeat of silence.

Then, as if nothing had happened, the torches blazed back to life.

Elias exhaled, his chest tight. He could still feel the presence, lingering just beyond perception.

The speaker nodded approvingly. "You are ready for the next step."

Leira's voice was calm, but he could hear the tension beneath it. "And what is that?"

The speaker smiled.

"You must witness the truth with your own eyes."

Elias clenched his fists.

He didn't know what lay ahead. But he had already stepped beyond the point of return.

And something in the darkness was watching.

To Be Continued…