Chapter 109: Beneath the River
The stranger’s final words remained hanging between the trees.
It moved.
Kael looked at the river.
The surface was calm.
Too calm.
He turned back toward the three men.
"Take me there."
The man with the spear hesitated.
"You don’t understand."
"Then explain it on the way."
"We can’t."
"Why?"
"Because the place is dangerous."
Kael gave him a flat look.
"I’ve noticed."
For the first time, the stranger almost smiled.
Almost.
Then his expression became serious again.
"You really intend to see it?"
"Yes."
"Even after what I told you?"
Kael looked toward his soldiers.
"They came with me."
Lyra stepped forward.
"We’re not leaving you alone."
Seren nodded.
Torren sighed.
"I suppose someone has to make sure you don’t destroy whatever structure we’re standing on."
Kael looked at him.
"I wasn’t planning to."
"That’s what worries me."
Kael shook his head.
The stranger finally lowered his spear.
"Then follow us."
They left the small wooden shelter behind.
The three strangers moved through the forest with practiced familiarity.
Kael noticed the difference immediately.
They didn’t walk like soldiers.
They didn’t walk like hunters either.
They knew where to step.
Which branches to avoid.
Where the ground became soft.
Where the roots could give way.
These people had spent a long time here.
Eventually they reached a steep section of the riverbank.
The water flowed between two walls of dark stone.
Kael looked down.
"There."
The stranger pointed.
A narrow opening existed beneath the cliff.
Water flowed into it.
Kael stared.
"That’s where you found it?"
The man nodded.
"Yes."
Torren approached the edge.
"That’s not natural."
Kael looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"Look at the stones."
Torren pointed toward the opening.
"They’ve been shaped."
Kael examined them.
The stones were too smooth.
Too precise.
Someone had built something beneath the river.
Something old.
The stranger said quietly:
"We discovered the entrance when part of the riverbank collapsed."
Kael looked at him.
"How long ago?"
"Nine months."
"And you never reported it?"
The man’s expression hardened.
"We did."
"To whom?"
"The provincial authorities."
"What happened?"
"They told us to stay away."
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
"They didn’t believe us."
The man looked toward the water.
"Then people started disappearing."
Kael looked at the entrance again.
"How many?"
"Twenty-three."
Nobody spoke.
Twenty-three people.
Gone.
Kael’s expression darkened.
"Take me inside."
The stranger shook his head.
"No."
Kael looked at him.
"You just told me twenty-three people disappeared."
"Exactly."
"Then I need to know why."
"You need to know what you’re walking into first."
The man opened the wooden case he’d been carrying.
Inside were several objects.
Ropes.
Lanterns.
Metal hooks.
Small glass containers.
And something that looked like a piece of black stone.
He picked it up.
"We found this inside."
Kael stared at it.
The moment he saw the stone, the system appeared.
[Unknown Material Detected.]
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
[Analysis incomplete.]
He reached toward it.
The stranger pulled it away.
"Don’t touch it."
Kael looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because the last person who did..."
He stopped.
"What happened?"
The man’s expression became grim.
"He stopped speaking."
Kael’s eyes moved back to the stone.
"How long?"
"Three days."
"And then?"
"He walked into the river."
Kael stared at him.
Nobody joked.
Nobody laughed.
The forest suddenly felt colder.
Kael looked toward the opening.
"Then we don’t touch anything."
The stranger nodded.
They entered the tunnel.
The moment Kael stepped inside, the sound of the river changed.
Outside, the water had been peaceful.
Inside, it sounded enormous.
Their footsteps echoed through the stone passage.
Torren held a lantern.
The light revealed walls covered in strange markings.
Kael stopped.
He recognized them.
The same symbol.
Three curved lines surrounding a circle.
His hand moved toward the fragment in his coat.
The system appeared.
[Related Symbol Detected.]
Kael’s breathing slowed.
He looked at the wall.
The symbol appeared again and again.
Some were small.
Others were enormous.
One covered nearly the entire wall.
Lyra whispered.
"What is this place?"
Nobody answered.
They continued deeper.
The tunnel eventually opened into a massive chamber.
Kael stopped.
The ceiling disappeared into darkness.
Stone pillars rose from the water.
Ancient bridges connected them.
And at the center of the chamber stood a massive circular structure.
It looked like a gate.
But it wasn’t made to allow people through.
It was sealed.
Chains wrapped around it.
Hundreds of them.
Some were made of ordinary metal.
Others looked completely different.
Kael stared.
"What is that?"
The stranger’s voice was barely audible.
"We don’t know."
Kael stepped closer.
The system appeared again.
[High-energy source detected.]
Then—
[Warning.]
Kael stopped.
The chamber suddenly became silent.
Even the river seemed to quiet.
One of the chains moved.
Just slightly.
Clink.
Everyone froze.
Another chain shifted.
Clink.
Torren whispered:
"That’s impossible."
Kael stared at the sealed structure.
Something was moving behind it.
Slowly.
Heavy.
Alive.
The stranger grabbed his spear.
"Back."
Kael didn’t move.
A deep vibration passed through the stone beneath their feet.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
The water rippled.
Then a sound came from behind the seal.
Not a roar.
Not a growl.
Something deeper.
Something that sounded almost like breathing.
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
His blood power reacted immediately.
His veins warmed.
The system appeared.
[Unknown Lifeform Detected.]
A second message followed.
[Classification unavailable.]
Then the largest chain snapped.
BOOM.
The entire chamber shook.
Kael drew his sword.
The others raised their weapons.
The stranger stared at him.
"You said you wanted answers."
Kael kept his eyes on the sealed gate.
"I do."
The stranger tightened his grip.
"Then you’re about to get one."
Another chain began to crack.