Chapter 2: Awakening in the Shadows
The ruins loomed darker as Seth and Andrea made their way through the twisting corridors. The entrance was marked with an inscription carved in weathered stone, a single word written in an ancient language: "Zorvath." The letters were jagged, harsh, as if meant to ward off intruders. Even Luna's confident expression faltered as she eyed the ominous script.
"What do you think it means?" Andrea asked, her voice echoing faintly in the vast silence of the ruins.
Seth traced his fingers over the worn letters. "Not sure. But doesn't it make you feel like we're about to uncover something big?"
Andrea shook her head, giving him a skeptical look. "Only you would think that walking into an ancient tomb marked with a warning is a good idea."
They continued deeper, the path narrowing as they moved forward. The stone floor grew uneven, and small pits appeared in random intervals, some concealed by shadows. Their footsteps echoed ominously, and the air grew colder, tinged with the faint scent of age-old dust. The walls around them were lined with carvings of ancient creatures and symbols neither of them recognized.
Suddenly, Seth's foot caught on a loose stone, sending him stumbling. He tried to regain his balance, but the ground gave way beneath him, and with a desperate cry, he plummeted into a dark pit.
"Seth!" Andrea screamed, her hand reaching out, but she was too late. She watched helplessly as he disappeared into the shadows below.
He hit the ground with a dull thud, wincing as he landed on a strangely soft surface. For a moment, he lay there, catching his breath and taking stock of his surroundings. Faintly illuminated by an unknown source, the room around him was filled with ancient text etched into every wall. Symbols and strange markings covered the stone, and as he looked around, a sense of familiarity began to pulse within him, as if something in this room had been waiting for him all along.
Drawn by an unseen force, he found himself walking toward a glowing stone set into the far wall. His hand reached out, almost on its own, and touched its cool surface.
A sudden jolt of energy coursed through him, sharp and intense, making him gasp. The stone began to glow brighter, filling the room with an eerie, bluish light. A voice echoed within his mind, cold and dispassionate.
"How dare you awaken me."
Before he could react, an invisible force attacked, sending him staggering back. His body felt heavy, as if it were being torn apart. But just as he thought he couldn't bear it any longer, something strange happened. The pain lessened, and a sensation of warmth washed over him. He looked down to see blood dripping from a shallow cut on his hand, mingling with the stone's glow.
The system seemed to pause, almost as if analyzing the blood. Then, in a calm, mechanical voice, it stated: "Connection to Juan Miguel, creator of the Celestial Nexus System, unknown… DNA match confirmed at 99.99%."
With that, the glowing stone merged into his body, the light enveloping him. His wounds began to close, and the exhaustion faded. Sebastian rose slowly, his mind racing with questions he didn't know how to answer.
"Seth!" Andrea's voice echoed from above, filled with panic.
He looked up, feeling a wave of relief. "It's okay!" he called back. "Jump down. There's a soft landing here. You'll be fine."
There was a moment of hesitation, but finally, Luna leaped down, landing beside him with a cautious look around the room. Her eyes widened at the sight of the ancient text etched across the walls.
"This… this is incredible," she whispered, awe mixing with apprehension as she took in their surroundings. "Did you find anything?"
Sebastian hesitated, a part of him wanting to tell her everything about the strange system he had just awakened. But he chose to keep it to himself, at least for now. "Just a bunch of ancient text," he said, nodding to the walls.
Andrea looked at him with a glint of excitement. "Well, then, let's see what secrets we can uncover. After all, you dragged me into this—might as well make it worth it."
They exchanged a look, and with a newfound sense of purpose, the two friends began to explore the hidden chamber, unaware of how much this moment would change the course of their lives forever.
End of Chapter 2