The group followed Ali through the brush, their feet crunching over dry grass until they reached a shadowy cave with an altar at its mouth.

  "What in the world...?" Sufian whispered.

  Yusuf looked confused.

  Ali's eyes lit up. "Lookit the size of this thing!"

  He gestured to the elaborate carvings decorating the altar's entrance.

  "Wow... are these ruins?" Jeremy muttered. "Hmm... These look pretty old."

  "Say, any idea what this is?" Ali asked, glancing at Yusuf.

  "Not a clue... I’ve never heard of anything like this. If it’s like the shrine’s sacred prohibited space, I’d get why no one talks about it... or at least, I wouldn’t be surprised," Yusuf said.

  Then, a flash of realization crossed his face.

  "Don’t tell me... Amaya went in there?"

  His eyes widened.

  "There’s no way a girl would go into a place like this..." Malak said hesitantly.

  "That’s where you’re wrong. If it’s her we’re talking about—I guarantee she went inside," Yusuf replied, voice tense.

  "I bet you Bayan ran right in after her, huh? All 'ooo' this and 'ahhh' that," Ali chuckled.

  "That... does seem to fit her," Malak admitted with a sigh.

  "AMAYAAA!" Yusuf shouted, clearly losing patience.

  "Come ON, what was I JUST talking about?!" Jeremy groaned, looking nervous.

  Yusuf stared at the altar, determination growing. He was going in.

  "Wait, Yusuf! Don’t go off on your own!" Sufian called after him.

  Yusuf glanced back. "I can’t just wait around here! What if something happens to Amaya?!"

  Without waiting for a reply, he stepped inside.

  "Yeesh... all right. Guess we have no choice," Sufian muttered. "Let’s go too!"

  "Heeey, Bayaaaan! Yoohoo! Matt!" Ali hollered.

  "If you hear us, please answer!" Malak called as well.

  They entered the altar’s inner chamber.

  A beam of light cut through a narrow window in the ceiling, illuminating a sacrificial altar in the center of the room.

  "Ahhh, there you are!" Ali shouted... then blinked. "Hmm?"

  Yusuf stood still, looking drained and ready to give up.

  "Ali? What’s up?" Sufian asked.

  "You just ran off. Don’t worry us like that..." Malak scolded softly.

  "Oh... uh, sorry," Yusuf mumbled.

  Sufian turned his attention elsewhere—and stopped.

  "What the—? I don’t believe it!"

  His gaze locked onto the walls.

  "Plus, look at this... a mural across the whole wall... This is really something else..."

  He sounded breathless.

  "Whoa, you’re telling me. I feel like I could get swallowed up by it," Ali muttered.

  "Exactly. How do I explain it... There’s just something ominous about it," Malak added.

  (Maybe it wasn’t danger or retribution that caused people to close off this area... Maybe they were trying to protect something.)

  "Hey, now’s no time for gawking. Or did you forget what we came here for?" Yusuf snapped.

  "Riiight, right, right. Sorry. Just got caught up in all this," Ali said sheepishly.

  (He’s right. We have better things to do right now.)

  "What is it about this place...? I can’t take my eyes off of it," Sufian muttered.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "We should go, Sufian. I’m kind of... well, scared," Malak admitted.

  "C’mon, we can check this place out once we find the others," Ali suggested.

  "Yeah, you’re right."

  (Huh? I hear footsteps by the entrance... could it be the others?)

  "Hmm? And you are...?" a voice called out.

  "Ah, hello there..." Sufian responded.

  "Whozzat?" Ali blinked.

  "Your guess is as good as mine..." Jeremy said, squinting at the newcomer.

  "What are all of you doing here? Surely you know you can’t be in here," the man said sternly.

  "Ah, um... well, you see..." Jeremy stammered.

  "That’s our line, man. What are you doing here?" Yusuf asked, eyeing him with suspicion.

  "Oh, no need to worry. My purpose here is far from nefarious."

  "I am a researcher of the Hubal tome passed down in this region. This altar is connected to said tome. I just got permission to investigate it."

  "Researcher...? Investigate? Are you a scholar of some sort?" Malak asked.

  "Indeed. I study ancient history. Researching for a university nearby."

  "Then, uh... that makes you a professor?" Jeremy asked.

  "Ha ha! I’ve been shunned from the scientific society... ah, forget that last part."

  (So this place is valuable enough to be worth researching, huh?) Sufian thought.

  "Well then, what has brought all of you to a place like this?" the professor asked.

  "Yes, well... you see, sir..." Jeremy began.

  "I’m gonna go look somewhere else," Yusuf cut in, annoyed by the lengthy conversation.

  "Hey, Yusuf!" Jeremy called after him.

  "Now, now, Jeremy," Ali said, raising a hand. "Let’s just let him do his own thing for now, yeah?"

  (I get why Yusuf's feeling restless... but I’m really curious about this place. No idea if Bayan and the others came here, but let’s look around for some clues. This shrine is pretty weird. Maybe I should talk to the professor, or inspect the mural.)

  "Have you all come here to study Hubal as well?" the professor asked.

  "Yes, we’re on a school trip," Malak replied.

  "But we actually came to look for some missing people," Sufian added. "Our friends... and that guy’s sister."

  "Yeah, he came to look for her," Ali nodded.

  The professor’s eyes widened.

  "In this, the Hubal shrine? I hope she hasn’t been spirited away."

  "Spirited away...?" Sufian echoed.

  "Yes. There’s a legend about Hubal passed down since ancient times. But it’s more than a legend... the stories are true, you see."

  "True, you say?" Malak whispered.

  "Indeed. It was once custom to offer up local children to Hubal as sacrifices."

  "How awful..." Malak winced.

  "It was a desperate measure—to ensure the harvest, or perhaps to prevent disasters. Yet these children did not die. Supposedly, they were taken somewhere unharmed."

  "So that’s what you mean by 'spirited away'?" Jeremy asked.

  "Yes. But the custom was lost to time, and this angered the ancient Hubal. Over time, such abductions were no longer seen as sacrifice, but as a curse. A retribution. Many legends about it remain in this region. I place no faith in fairy tales, of course—there must be a scientific explanation. Continuous disappearances... Some kind of mental block, perhaps. Or a way for people to escape reality..."

  (He seems pretty worked up somehow. Is he mad...? Or upset, maybe?)

  "I know you came looking for your friends," the professor continued, "but I’m glad you could see these legendary ruins. Interest in history is a wonderful thing. I support it wholeheartedly!"

  He smiled warmly.

  "Ah, um, thank you, sir," Jeremy said.

  "Take a good look at this. Who knows—it may end up being of use to you all."

  The group examined the wall.

  "The discovery of minerals here led to rapid development. A population boom... more missing persons... dwindling resources, depopulation... These legends may reflect the region's troubles. I suspect the recent landslides are due to unchecked development. Bit by bit, it makes sense."

  "Yes. Learning from the past can help us in the present..." Malak murmured.

  "Wow. Thank you so much, professor! What a wonderful and unexpected lesson we’ve learned here today!" Jeremy said.

  "Yeah, shukran jazeelan, prof!" Ali added with a big grin.

  His smile clearly said “I understood none of that, but I’m trying to be polite.”

  "Hey now, show some respect," Malak nudged him.

  Sufian wandered to the far wall, where foreign script marked the edge of the mural.

  "So these are all drawings of Hubal and his servants? They come in all shapes and sizes, huh?" Ali asked.

  "Why do you think there are so many of them in the first place?" Malak wondered.

  "Do you have a hunch, sir?" Jeremy asked the professor.

  "Indeed. Unique terrain may be responsible—steep slopes, magnetic fields, strange flora... It could explain why people get lost."

  "Ahh... like the red spider lilies, then?" Malak suggested.

  "Exactly. There’s something in the minerals here that might alter perception. Perhaps even the creatures once linked to Hubal’s faith were changed by it..."

  "I see... that would make sense," Jeremy nodded.

  "...Huh. What’s with this wall? Is this writing or something?" Ali asked.

  "Hmm... are these drawings, or some kinda text?" Sufian added.

  "Yeah, something like that. There’s all sorts of stuff on this crazy wall painting," Ali muttered.

  "I’ve never seen anything like it," Malak said in awe.

  "Huh... something’s written here. Maybe I can read it... Nope. Not a word of it," Ali shrugged.

  "This is just a conjecture," the professor offered, "but I think it says 'Zodiark.' I’ve deciphered some of the symbols as I researched."

  "Izzat so..." Ali blinked.

  Suddenly, a loud huffing and yelling broke the moment—

  "EEYAWAWAWAAA!"

  "Yikes! What the heck was that?!" Ali jumped.

  "Oh! It’s you, Amaya," Malak gasped.

  "What is it? Did something happen?" Sufian asked.

  Amaya was pale and shaking, eyes wide.

  "Some weird creep popped out of nowhere, so I took off..." she mumbled.

  Then she froze.

  "Ah. Oh no, I left Bayan behind..."

  A sharp scream echoed from outside.

  "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!"

  "That voice... BAYAN?!" Sufian cried.

  "It came from outside—near the shrine! Come on, let’s go!" Ali shouted.

  ?????

  The professor just wouldn’t stop talking, huh? :3

  If you made it to the end, you’re a real one.

  – Suso :> (who clearly needs an editor...)