*Zander*
As I was talking to Seer, my eyes suddenly fell on the altar. The top stone abruptly changed its color, emitting a beam of red light that shot straight into the distance. My eyes followed the path and I saw the light fall on dense bushes.
I handed the phone back to Maddox without finishing our conversation, as this event had me strangely intrigued, and I walked towards the bushes.
“Alpha, where are you going?” Maddox was hot on my heels.
“Look at this, Maddox,” I said, pointing to the beam of light falling on the bushes. “There’s something there, and I need to find out what it is.” Maddox didn’t argue.
As we reached the bushes, the light suddenly faded, making the corner darken abruptly.
“What the fuck just happened?” Maddox groaned. “This place is full of puzzles and I still think we should find Luna and leave immediately,” he mumbled as advice.
“Maddox, you wait here and let me see what is behind these bushes,” I said as I stepped forward.
“Wait, Alpha, I can’t let you go alone,” he responded firmly. “I will come with you.” I smiled amusedly at my Beta, knowing how protective he was of me.
“Let’s go then,” I nodded as I led the way.
I separated the bushes and made a path through.
“Oh my goddess!” Maddox gasped as an illuminated circle appeared out of nowhere between the bushes. “What is this?” he mumbled again.
“Frankly, I don’t know Maddox, but my instinct tells me I can find answers to my questions here,” I said, taking a deep breath as I stepped forward.
As soon as my foot landed on the illuminated circle, it sank into the ground, and the earth beside it shifted to reveal a downward path.
“What the fuck!” Maddox blinked in astonishment.
Throwing a quick glance at him, I looked at the newly opened way in the earth and took a determined step forward, not knowing where it would lead me. But I knew I had to do it. To my surprise, stairs abruptly appeared beneath my feet, and the hollow was illuminated with an ethereal gleam.
“Oh my goddess! It’s a secret passage to somewhere underground,” Maddox mumbled.
“It seems like it,” I sighed deeply and began descending. Maddox followed close behind, and we kept going down with no end in sight to the steps.
The air grew cooler as we descended further, each step echoing in the vast emptiness below. The flickering light emitting from its walls eerily penetrated the thick darkness, casting shadows on the rough stone walls.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, we emerged into a vast underground chamber.
I stopped in my tracks, astonished by the scene before us. Before us lay what it seemed the centre of an ancient temple, its grandeur both awe-inspiring and intimidating. Massive stone columns, etched with intricate runes and symbols, rose from the ground to support a ceiling lost in the shadows above. The walls were adorned with faded murals depicting scenes of worship and arcane rituals, their colors muted but still visible.
At the center of the temple stood a colossal statue of a godlike entity, his stern face gazing down at us. His eyes, though carved from stone, seemed to follow our every move. Around the statue were altars and offering tables, now covered in dust but still bearing the remnants of ancient sacrifices.
I walked slowly around the chamber, my footsteps echoing in the silence. The walls told a story through the carvings upon them. It seemed as if the entity was the warlock God, and the king and his people used to worship it.
Maddox moved beside me, his face a mix of wonder and apprehension. “This place… it’s incredible,” he said, barely above a whisper. “And this seems like a ritual,” he pointed to a story depicted through the carvings.
“The King offered something to the God, and he was granted his wish,” I mumbled while examining it. “But what could the wish have been, and how did the kingdom end up doomed?” I couldn’t help but wonder.
There was also something written in ancient warlock language which we couldn’t decipher. So, it seemed like the vampire kingdom was once the warlock kingdom in ancient times. Maddox took out his phone and snapped some pictures.
“I’ll send these to the research team and see what they find,” he muttered while photographing all the corners of the temple.
“Imagine the power that must have been wielded here, the secrets these walls have witnessed.” I glanced around, still feeling the powerful magic in the air.
“Zander, leave this place immediately,” Lyon suddenly growled in my mind.
“What’s wrong?” I mind-linked, growing as my eyes searched the surroundings once more for sign of something unusual.
“”My wolf instinct is sensing danger here,” Lyon uttered with urgency, and then it seemed the shadows around us began to move.
Suddenly, I heard a hissing sound in the air and my senses made my head move along with the movement.
“Maddox, watch out!” I shouted, lunging at Maddox and falling to the ground, taking him with me before the silver arrow touched him.
It pierced through the air and stuck into the wall behind Maddox. Fuck! It was a close shot. But why couldn’t Maddox’s wolf sense the attack on him? My eyes widened with realization.
The black magic!
The magic in the air was blocking our senses. However it couldn’t affect Lyon.
I got to my feet and gave Maddox a hand, pulling him to his feet.
“Attacking from behind shadows? Show yourself, you coward,” I growled in my alpha voice.
Maddox looked at me in shock, then his eyes lifted to glance over my shoulder. Breathing heavily, I turned to follow Maddox’s gaze as a shadow came into physical form.