The air within the cavern felt heavier as the party delved deeper into the ancient ruins beneath Drakemoor. The faint torchlight barely illuminated the intricate carvings on the walls—stories of forgotten gods and warnings of peril. Aric held the torch high, its flickering light casting long shadows that danced menacingly across the damp stone walls. Behind him, Thalrin adjusted his hammer, his usual bravado subdued by the eerie atmosphere.

  "Feels like this place is alive," Thalrin muttered, breaking the oppressive silence.

  "It’s the magic," Liora said softly. Her voice carried a note of caution as her eyes scanned the walls. "These ruins are steeped in it. Old, ancient magic. The kind that doesn’t sleep."

  Elyndra trailed her fingers along the carvings, her eyes narrowing as she deciphered the worn script. "This isn’t just a ruin. It’s a labyrinth," she said, her voice tinged with concern. "A maze meant to keep something hidden—or to keep someone out."

  Aric tightened his grip on the torch and glanced at his companions. "We’ve come this far. Whatever lies ahead, we face it together."

  The corridor widened into a circular chamber, and at the other end stood a towering obsidian door. Symbols etched into its surface pulsed faintly, and a chill emanated from the stone. Above the door, an inscription glowed faintly.

  "It’s a riddle," Elyndra observed, stepping closer to the door. "These symbols... they’re not just decoration. They’re a test."

  Liora looked at the script intently and tried budging the door open, “The magic here is binding. This door won’t open unless we solve it."

  Thalrin huffed, stepping forward. "A riddle, eh? Let’s hear it. I’ve bested more than my share of puzzles."

  The glowing script read:

  “I speak without a tongue, hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with the wind. What am I?"

  The group exchanged glances. Silence filled the room as they mulled over the riddle. Aric paced, his brow furrowed in thought.

  "A spirit perhaps?" Thalrin offered, scratching his beard.

  Elyndra shook her head. "No, that doesn’t fit. It’s something more... Complex."

  "What comes alive with the wind?" Liora murmured, her gaze distant. "A voice?"

  Aric stopped pacing and snapped his fingers. "An echo," he said. "It’s an echo."

  The symbols on the door flared dimly, confirming his answer. "Not bad, Aric," Thalrin said, clapping him on the back. "Quick thinking."

  “Here’s the next one, it’s a bit more difficult:

  I creep without sound, I fly without wings,

  I shroud the earth in shadowy strings.

  I hide the truth and obscure the way,

  Yet flee before the light of day.” Aric says.

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  Aric says, “It’s a shadow right?” The symbols stay the same.

  Liora responds, “no it can’t be that simple. It’s something dark though.” She thought to herself and started muttering.

  “Wait a minute, it’s darkness!” Says Elyndra.

  The symbols on the door grew brighter but still, the door did not open.

  “I don’t see another riddle?” Thalrin says. “Why has the door not open yet.”

  Riven, at the other side of the corridor, was mumbling to himself reading the symbols above the arch from where they walked in from.

  “I stretch every moment, yet I do not move,

  A silent companion, your patience I prove.

  I’m neither a start, nor an end in sight,

  I’m the space in between, both day and night.” Riven said while scratching his beard with confusion on his face. “Can anyone else try to figure this one out?”

  Thalrin chimes in, “Ah yes a difficult one that is, but I’ve heard that one from my grandfather many years ago when I was a youngling. It’s not what you think either. Waiting is the answer.” He crosses his arms in confidence as the symbols grew even brighter, but the door still remained unmoved.

  Everyone looks around looking for another riddle on the walls but don’t see anything else. “We solved all the riddles, right? Everytime we got them right the door got brighter. And there’s no more writing on the walls.” Liora exclaims.

  Aric looks down into a puddle that was in the middle of the room and looked into his reflection as everyone else looked around the room for more writing or symbols. He can’t help but feel like there’s something missing. He looks closer and noticed something above him on the ceiling. It was hard to read because it was backwards in the reflection of the water. He looked up to the ceiling and turned so he could read it. “3 words must be spoken for the final doors to be opened.” Aric says softly.

  He mulled over the riddle for a moment in his head. “3 words must be spoken for the final doors to be opened. What does it mean?” he thought in his head. “Wait a minute. 3 words, 3 riddles, 3 answers. Echo, darkness, waiting. Those were the 3 answers.” He thought. Aric yelled out, “echo, darkness, waiting!”

  But nothing happened. “3 words must be spoken for the final doors to be opened. It says it up here on the ceiling.” Aric points to the words on the ceiling and shows everyone. “I don’t understand, those have to be the 3 words to be said in order to open the final door.”

  Riven then slowly walked to the large obsidian door and said, “So that’s what that crazy old man was trying to tell me in the town. Until now it didn’t make sense at all. It just sounded like a bunch of gibberish. He kept saying in a low tone almost mumbling, “The Echoes of Darkness Await.”

  Just then a deep rumble echoed through the chamber as the obsidian door began to slide open, revealing a narrow passage beyond.

  The passage was steep, descending into darkness that even the torchlight could not penetrate. The air grew colder with every step, and an unnatural stillness filled the space, as if the world itself held its breath. They moved cautiously, each step echoing ominously in the confined space.

  "This place is unsettling," Elyndra whispered. "It feels like we’re being watched."

  Aric tightened his grip on the torch, his free hand resting on the hilt of his dagger. "Stay close. We must be getting near the end of this labyrinth."

  The passage opened into a vast chamber, its ceiling lost in shadow. Strange, glowing crystals jutted from the walls, casting an eerie light over the room. At the center stood a stone pedestal, and upon it rested a shimmering orb, pulsating with an inner light that seemed to draw the eye.

  "That’s definitely magical," Liora said, her voice wary. "And probably dangerous."

  As they approached the pedestal, the air around them grew heavy, and shadows began to coalesce at the edges of the chamber. Figures emerged from the darkness—twisted, humanoid shapes with glowing eyes and elongated limbs. Their movements were jerky, unnatural, as if they were marionettes controlled by unseen hands.

  "Looks like we’ve got company," Thalrin growled, raising his hammer.

  "Protect the orb!" Liora shouted, her voice commanding. "It must be important to whatever power lies here."

  The shadows surged forward, their inhuman screeches filling the chamber. Aric ducked under a clawed swipe, slashing at the creature with his dagger. The blade bit into the shadowy form, and it recoiled, its edges shimmering like disturbed water.

  Thalrin charged another, his hammer smashing through its torso with a resounding crack. The creature dissolved into wisps of darkness, but more took its place.

  Elyndra stood by the pedestal, her hands glowing with arcane energy as she chanted a spell. Bolts of light shot from her fingertips, striking the shadows and driving them back.

  "There’s no end to them!" Liora shouted, her daggers flashing as she danced between the shadows, cutting them down with precise strikes.

  Aric’s breath came in ragged gasps as he fought, his movements fluid despite the chaos around him. "We need to figure out how to use the orb!" he called out.

  "On it!" Elyndra replied, her focus shifting to the pedestal. She placed her hands on the orb, her voice rising as she began to chant. The light within the orb flared, and a wave of energy burst forth, driving the shadows back. The creatures shrieked and dissolved, their forms evaporating into the air.

  The chamber fell silent, the only sound their labored breathing. The orb’s light dimmed, its pulsating glow stabilizing.

  "Well, that was intense," Thalrin said, leaning on his hammer. "Everyone alright?"

  "For now," Liora replied, sheathing her daggers. "But this isn’t over. That orb is tied to something powerful."

  Aric approached the pedestal, his gaze fixed on the orb. "Then we need to figure out why the shadows are protecting it.”

  Elyndra nodded, her expression serious. "Agreed. But first, we need to rest. Whatever’s ahead, we’ll need to be ready."

  The group settled in the chamber, their thoughts heavy with the challenges yet to come. The labyrinth held its secrets close, and they had only begun to uncover the mysteries that lay within.