The temple's interior was eerily quiet, the only sound being the rhythmic pulse of the silver orb resting atop the ancient stone pedestal. The air inside was thick with forgotten magic, remnants of a time when forces far greater than mortals had walked these halls.
Mary wiped sweat from her brow, catching her breath. The battle outside had been relentless, and she could still hear the Forsaken's inhuman screeches echoing beyond the sealed doorway.
"What is this place?" Loosie muttered, stepping cautiously forward.
Kael knelt before the pedestal, his gloved fingers hovering just above the orb. "A temple of the First Keepers," he said solemnly. "The ones who came before the gods. The ones who swore to guard the heart of the world."
Mary exchanged a glance with Lela. "And where exactly is that heart?"
Kael exhaled slowly, then placed his hand on the orb. The silver light flared, expanding outward in concentric circles before images formed in the air around them—ghostly, shifting visions of a place far beneath the surface of the world.
They saw tunnels of obsidian, lined with glowing runes. Caverns where rivers of molten light flowed like veins through the earth. And, at the very center of it all, a floating crystal, pulsating with energy so ancient and raw that even through the vision, they could feel its power.
Kael's voice was grim. "The heart of the world… is hidden deep within the Underlayer."
Silence fell over the group.
Lela tightened her grip on her spear. "You mean we have to go underground?"
Kael nodded. "Not just underground. We have to go deeper than anyone has ever gone before. The Underlayer isn't just beneath the earth—it's a realm that exists between existence and oblivion."
Loosie let out a long whistle. "Great. Just what I always wanted. A one-way trip to the land of nightmares."
Mary stepped closer to the vision, studying the pulsating crystal. "And what happens if the Forsaken reach it first?"
Kael's expression darkened. "Then everything we know—everything that exists—will collapse. The heart isn't just a source of power. It is the balance of our world. If they corrupt it, they will unmake reality itself."
Mary took a deep breath. "Then we can't let that happen."
Kael removed his hand from the orb, and the vision faded. The temple grew dim once more.
"There's a passage," he said. "An entrance to the Underlayer. But it's not easy to find."
Lela raised an eyebrow. "Where is it?"
Kael's eyes flickered with something unreadable. "In the ruins of the gods' last stronghold."
The Road to the Ruins
Leaving the temple wasn't easy. The Forsaken still lurked outside, their shadowy forms shifting beyond the sealed doorway.
Kael knelt by the ground, whispering an incantation. A second exit revealed itself—a hidden passage that led deeper into the cliffs. The group moved swiftly, emerging into the twilight hours without the Forsaken noticing.
From there, they traveled west, through abandoned roads and forgotten valleys, moving closer to the gods' last stronghold. The journey was long, spanning days, and the deeper they ventured, the more the land seemed to resist their presence.
The world was changing.
Storms brewed in skies that had been clear just days ago. The ground cracked in places where no earthquakes had ever been recorded. The air felt heavier, charged with unseen forces stirring beneath the surface.
It was as if the world itself knew what was coming.
On the fifth night, as they rested near the remnants of an old fortress, Loosie sat sharpening his blade while Mary stared at the fire.
"So," Loosie said casually, breaking the silence. "You trust him?"
Mary didn't answer right away. Her gaze drifted toward Kael, who sat alone, watching the horizon.
"I don't know."
Lela, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. "He knows things we don't. And whether we trust him or not, we need him."
Loosie shrugged. "Just saying, if he tries anything, I get first stab."
Mary smirked. "Noted."
Despite their attempts at humor, none of them truly felt at ease. They were heading toward the last place where the gods had ruled. Whatever awaited them there was beyond anything they had ever faced before.
The Ruins of the Gods
By the seventh day, they reached the ruins.
It was a graveyard of stone and shattered monuments, remnants of a war long forgotten. Towering pillars, once carved with divine symbols, lay in heaps of rubble. Faint traces of power lingered in the air, whispering through the cracked remains of once-great halls.
Kael led them forward cautiously. "Stay alert. If anything still lingers here, it will not welcome us."
They moved through the ruins, searching for the entrance to the Underlayer. Hours passed, and just as frustration began to set in, Mary felt something shift beneath her feet.
A faint hum. A pulse of energy, buried deep underground.
She knelt, brushing away debris. Beneath the dust lay a circular stone plate, inscribed with markings unlike any they had seen before.
Kael's eyes widened. "This is it."
Mary looked up. "How do we open it?"
Kael hesitated, then reached into his cloak and retrieved a small obsidian shard. The moment he placed it against the stone, the symbols ignited with golden light, and the earth rumbled.
The plate split apart, revealing a spiraling descent into darkness.
A chill wind rose from the depths below, carrying whispers that did not belong to this world.
Lela exhaled. "Well. No turning back now."
Mary stepped forward, peering into the abyss. The Underlayer awaited.
And so did whatever horrors lay within.