The words spoken abruptly were mysterious and unintelligible and chilled his spine. He thought these words were significant because they were the key to the situation here.
He took one small step forward, and his naked feet echoed against the cold stone. His walking style was not the same as his natural one.
"What in the world is up with this!?"
Aisles and arches, corridors and passageways stretched out in front of him. He realized he couldn't stay in the chamber for as long as he wanted. He needed to find answers to certain questions. His transmigration, the realities of the location, and the haunting song.
When Kael entered the chamber, he took a deep breath and steadied himself. The unnatural light illuminated the room, revealing wall carvings depicting winged beasts, fragmented skies, and robed figures holding symbols such as the one burned in his palm. The robed people resembled the broken-down statues he discovered in the chambers on the ground.
To make another attempt, he touched his throat again, just as he would have done deep in the chamber if he had encountered me in the meantime. However, his voice was no longer masculine but rather feminine.
"What the hell?"
"I am a girl!?"
As he continued to wander, his reflection shone on a highly polished stone floor, confirming his guess: his person was slim and very pale, with skin marked with sigils, short jet-black hair, and silver eyes. She had a weak tattoo on her wrist, which was partially covered. By the way, she had a minor mark on her body that Kael was unaware of. The height and shape of her body indicated to Kael that whoever he had transmigrated into was still in her youth (mid-20s). His robe rested on a frame that was thinner than he was.
Kael began to calm down, emitting some brief breathing.
"Get it together," he said quietly, his words sounding feminine. He clenched his right fist, the sigil pulsing slightly.
When I noticed and observed his appearance, the haunting chorus of voices reappeared, sounding faint and distant but chilling.
"Seek truth in shadows. The Spire awaits; the path unfolds."
As he approached the far end of the chamber, he noticed other figures across the distance, vaguely outlined bodies in motion. Although their features were indistinguishable, their presence could be felt. He certainly wasn't the first.
As he followed the passage, he noticed that there were small rooms cut into the walls, which were illuminated by glittering stones. Every crystal glowed, throwing more light into the passage, and there were strange shadows on the walls outside.
He reached out his hand and touched one of the crystals. He experienced an electric shock of energy. His mental eyes became filled with images, turning white: lines and swirls, an older Erynn in robes surrounded by a younger, and a field of broken statues. He shrank in horror and staggered backward. He experienced the same emotion as when he was given Erynn Vael's memories.
"I am Erynn Vael, trapped in her body, in this strange world." Kael murmured as if to test his name. "I do not want to be trapped here. There must be a way out."
"Could I have transmigrated into this world?"
As a detective, Kael Renard was skeptical of the supernatural. Who knew he would transmigrate into a world of crumbling stone plazas under the sky devoid of stars and broken statues of robed figures?
Turning to a corner, a figure emerged from the shadows, blocking his path. Tall and slender, clad in dark armor, its face hidden behind a mask.
He noticed a dim light ahead of him while attempting to interpret the situation at hand in the passage. His heart beat against the hope and excitement that accompanied his increased pace of steps. Perhaps it was a breakout. Perhaps it was a means of escaping from this strange environment.
He smacked the tunnel's dead end, and the Shattered Threshold appeared in front of him, all cracks crackling with that dim rift-light. In a split second, good vibrations turned bad, and he felt the wrath and pain. It was the same alley where he had burned in remembrance—and a small, sickening reflection of it, eddying with life, was here, with stressed and smudged black lines. He got closer as the charge drew him in. Then the flicker—haggard canyons in a sky that should be flat and starlit, a labyrinth of mirrors, and finally, darkness.
Staring at the rift, he muttered, "Seek truth in shadows," echoing the chorus.
Was this rift a clue? A way out of this place? Or by chance, a trap?
He took two steps and grabbed the edge, and his arm tingled as though he had touched a high-voltage wire. Sparks darted in front of his eyes, and he jerked his hand away. Palpitation entered his heart, along with the sound of his ears ringing. The sigil burned, and Erynn's memories returned: "They connect the floors, but they are still alive. They hunger."
Kael jerked his hand back, his heart pounding. Alive.Hungry. What these meant was unknown to him. Whatever Erynn's memories revealed, he was unable to bear the weight of what was about to happen. He needed a plan, a way out of this bizarre situation.
"I would rather be dead in my world than be here," he said. He looked at the sigil on his palm, which had interwoven lines and circles that were faintly glowing.
Figuring out a plan to escape the chamber, a distant brattle echoed through the chamber, snapping him out from his thoughts. His fingers brushed against the hilt of a dagger strapped to his thigh, its blade etched with sigils that mirrored those on his palm. Drawing the dagger, its weight felt familiar, and its hum matched the pulse of the sigil. The brattle became louder, as if it were approaching him, and was accompanied by a low, guttural growl that sent shivers down his spine.
He could feel his hands trembling and sweat dripping down his face. He remained low as he moved towards the nearest archway. The chamber walls appeared to change slightly, and the carvings writhed in the corner of his eye. One could not trust this place—or the Spire, whatever it may be. The growling became more intense, the rubble shook the chamber, and a formless and massive shadow emerged from the darkness beyond, its eyes like smoldering embers. A Shadowborn Hound. A hound of the Spire, predisposed to fear and hesitation.
The Shadowborn Hound, known for its fearsome scent, patrolled the spire. Kael tightened his grip on the dagger, and his pulse quickened. Erynn swallowed once, and the hound countered with a single gulp, slashing deep with its claws and sliding among the rocks, and Kael leaped, rolling to his feet with dexterity he had not realized he possessed.
The sigil on his palm flared, and a surge of energy coursed through him. The dagger tore up and through the hound's shaded back, hissing as it went. The thing yowled, and the chamber trembled, and rubble flew through the air, extinguishing its embers. Kael staggered back, panting, the dagger still vibrating in his hand. The sigil's glow had faded, but its strength persisted.
"What the heck is that thing?" He gasped, his voice trembling and his tongue clicking. The Shadowborn Hound sprang forward with a claw bound. Kael sprang away from its dodged upthrust, and its claws clattered against the chamber's wall. He simply could not stay here with these things pursuing him. Kael became increasingly afraid. Soon enough, a silhouette appeared in the chamber. Hearings stood up as he saw the same vague shadows gliding along. The Shadowborn Hound smacked his cheater across the chamber with his tail, knocking Kael into the corner. With five legs, it walked slowly up to Kael, the jaw hanging and dripping blood. The chorus's words echoed again—"The path unfolds"—and glanced at the rift shimmering in the distance.
He rose from the floor, scabbarding the dagger, his hands still trembling from the Shadowborn Hound's attack, and slowly moved himself into position on the rift. The Shadowborn Hound's eyes locked on Kael, and the eerie smile he received made him even more afraid.
"What kind of eerie smile is this?"
The atmosphere began to thicken around them, and the odor of ozone became more intense. When Kael moved into the rifts position, the welt on his hand began to ache. And as he approached the edge of the rift, he turned and looked into its whirling depths. The Shadowborn hound charged at Kael, preparing to lunge. The chorus sang softly, warning and invitation intertwined with the melody.
"Seek truth in shadows," he said, bracing himself. The Shadowborn hound approached cautiously, not knowing where the rift would lead him. He heaved a huge sigh as he looked down at the sigil on his palm, hurling himself out of the chamber and into the rift.
In any case, the dark shadows were standing on top of the room, gazing down at Kael.
"Welcome, Ascendant," the figure said, its voice cold and emotionless. "Your journey begins now."