Chapter 4: Into the Abyss
The submersible lurched forward, drawn by an unseen force. Elise's scream died in her throat as the emergency lights flickered, casting erratic beams across the massive interior.
They had crossed the threshold.
Inside, the walls were lined with carvings—impossibly intricate, shifting in the dim light as if alive. Symbols spiraled in endless patterns, unfamiliar yet disturbingly familiar. They pulsed, as though breathing.
The whispering returned. Louder. Closer.
Tobias frantically pressed buttons, trying to override whatever force had seized them. "I've got nothing," he rasped. "No power, no control, no—"
A deep thrum vibrated through the submersible. The glass viewport shuddered.
Then, something moved.
At first, Elise thought it was part of the ruins. A massive statue standing at the far end of the chamber, its surface cracked and worn. But as the lights flickered again, she saw the truth.
It wasn't a statue.
It was a door.
And it was opening.
Beyond it lay the Lost City.
Not just ruins. Not abandoned.
Something still lived here.
And it had just noticed them.