After defeating the Gatekeeper and finding the mysterious altar, Raka couldn't stop here. The answer he was looking for was still hidden deeper. If his blood was truly the key to opening or destroying this gate, then he had to find a way to use it properly, or at least understand what danger was truly sealed within. He examined the altar once more. There were strange symbols around it that seemed to indicate a map to something. As he fingered one of the symbols, a section of the floor suddenly moved back with a loud creak.
"Damn, a trap?!"
However, instead of trapping him, the floor opened up into a staircase that led down, into deeper darkness.
"Secret tunnel?" Raka took a deep breath. There was no other way, he had to go down.
EXPLORING IN THE DARKNESS:
His steps echoed as he walked down the long, steep stone stairs. The air inside was so cold, it pierced his bones. The further he went down, the more he felt something watching him from the shadows. The walls around him were filled with ancient paintings, depicting events that seemed to have happened thousands of years ago.
The first picture: A large city stands majestically under the sunlight, with people living in peace.
The second picture: A man in a white robe stands in the middle of the city, holding a light in his hand.
The third picture: Something comes out from underground, a large black creature with many red eyes.
The fourth picture: The city is destroyed in fire and shadow.
The fifth picture: The man in the white robe fights the creature, then seals it in a black gate.
"So, this is the story of the first great war?"
However, there was a sixth image that was even stranger, different from the others. In it, the white-robed man was split into two. One stood in the light, the other sunk in shadow.
"Two figures… Does this mean… there were two bloodlines born after him?" His heart beat faster. If this was true, then he was not the only one who possessed the blood of the Last Guardian—there was someone else out there, someone who might share the same fate as him. But was that person on the side of the light… or had he fallen into the darkness? He had no answer now.
ENTERING THE SHADOW LABYRINTH: The stairs eventually ended at a giant stone door covered in strange symbols that glowed in a dark red light. As Raka approached, the symbols reacted to his presence.
"Only blood can open the way," a voice whispered in his head. Without hesitation, he scraped the tip of his sword across his palm and let his blood drip onto the surface of the door.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
The stone door swung open on its own, revealing a giant labyrinth beyond. The walls moved like a living creature, pulsing with black energy. The floor was littered with ancient footprints, the footprints of creatures long dead… or still lurking within. The air inside was filled with faint whispers, as if something were speaking a language no human could understand.
Raka stared into the darkness. He knew one thing for sure, there was no turning back. With firm steps, he entered the Shadow Labyrinth.
---
Raka's footsteps echoed in the narrow halls of the Shadow Labyrinth. The light of the torch he carried seemed dim compared to the darkness that enveloped this place. The stone walls seemed to move slowly, pulsing like living creatures breathing. The more he walked, the clearer the whispers echoed in his ears.
"Welcome… guardian blood…"
The sound came from all directions. Layered voices, speaking an ancient language.
Raka quickened his pace, but the maze was changing. Walls that had been open were now closed, and the passage he had passed through was now branching into two.
"Damn, this isn't just a maze. This place is alive."
He scanned the tracks on the floor, looking for signs of movement by other creatures. Several claw marks were embedded deep in the stone, indicating that he was not alone.
THE DOOR WITH THREE CARVINGS:
In the middle of the labyrinth, he found a large room with three stone doors, each with a different carving.
1. The first door had a carving of a giant eye with tears of blood dripping to the ground.
2. The second door was decorated with a picture of a person bound in chains, with black shadows coming out of his body.
3. The third door showed a picture of a man in a white robe stabbing his sword into his own chest.
"These three doors must have a meaning."
As he approached, the voice came again, clearer than before.
"Choose your path, O descendant of the guardians. But remember… no path is without sacrifice."
Raka thought for a moment. Each door seemed to represent something, perhaps a test, or worse, a trap.
"Bloody eyes… shadowy man… or sacrifice?"
He closed his eyes, trying to sense which one called to him the most.
After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and chose the second door, the one with the carving of a shadowy man. The door opened by itself, revealing a dark hallway that seemed to have no end. Raka stepped inside… and as soon as his feet crossed the threshold, he felt as if he had fallen into a different world.
---
THE WORLD BEHIND THE MAZE:
As soon as he opened his eyes, he was no longer in the narrow hallway. Around him now stretched a stretch of black land, with a dark sky decorated with a strange greenish light. In the distance, shadows moved like living mist, gathering and whispering to each other.
"Where is this?"
He looked back, and was surprised. The maze had disappeared. He is now trapped in another world.
In the midst of his shock, a figure began to emerge from the mist. It was over two meters tall, its body was thin with long arms that looked like bones. Its face was covered by a black hood, but two glowing red eyes stared at him sharply.
"You have chosen my path… now you must prove yourself."
The figure raised its hand, and from within the mist, dozens of faceless shadows began to emerge, surrounding Raka. They moved like smoke, but their claws were clearly sharp and real.
"The test begins."
And in an instant, they all attacked.
SRAAAATTTT!!!
The first black claw almost ripped Raka's neck, but he twisted his body quickly, dodging nimbly. The shadows moved like smoke, but once they attacked, their claws and teeth felt as solid as steel.
"If they can hurt me, then I can cut them too!"
Raka drew his twin swords and slashed towards one of the shadows.
SLAAASSHH!!!
The creature screamed as his sword pierced its body, but its body immediately shook and recovered in an instant.
"Damn! They can't be destroyed with ordinary attacks!" Meanwhile, dozens of other shadows jumped towards him at once.
Raka bit his lip, thinking quickly. If ordinary physical attacks couldn't kill them, then maybe there was something in this world that could weaken them. His eyes caught something in the distance, a green torch burning on a stone altar.
"That fire… might be able to destroy them!"
Without wasting any time, he leaped into the air, dodging a barrage of attacks, then ran toward the altar.
BOOM!!!
One of the shadows exploded into a thick mist and instantly reappeared in front of him, blocking his path!
"I don't have time for this!"
He jumped up, kicking the creature's head hard. PLAAAKK!! The creature flew away, its body turning into smoke. With great speed, he shot towards the altar and grabbed the green torch.
As he held it, the green flames suddenly crawled up his body! "AARRRGHHH!!!" However, instead of burning, the flames enveloped his twin swords, turning them into green glowing weapons that burned with mystical energy.
The shadows began to retreat. They trembled, as if they sensed something far stronger than them. Raka grinned.
"Now it's your turn."
SLAAAASHHHH!!!
With one slash, three shadows were instantly destroyed, burning in green flames.
"It worked!" Raka began to rage.
SLASH! SLASH! BOOOM!
One by one, the shadows were destroyed without being able to regenerate. In a matter of seconds, the battlefield that was previously full of terrifying creatures was now empty, leaving only black smoke swirling before disappearing.
Only one figure remained, the hooded creature who had first spoken to him. The figure nodded slowly.
"You have proven yourself… now you may go further." Then his body disappeared in the mist. And suddenly, the sky changed.
The world began to shake. The ground beneath Raka's feet changed, as if the labyrinth itself was changing its shape.
"What is this again…?"
---
When the shaking stopped, Raka realized something, he was no longer in the middle of the empty black ground.
Now, before him stood an old city sunk in shadow, its walls covered in black roots that pulsed like living flesh. In the sky, the red moon was shining faintly.
"This city... Could this be the city depicted on the relief earlier?" He stepped in carefully.
The streets were filled with ruins, but there were also traces of life. Some buildings seemed to still be standing, and there was a faint light from within some of the houses. Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him.
"Who's there?!"
He turned quickly, his sword raised. From behind the ruins, an old man emerged.
His robes were shabby, his eyes were empty… but his face was similar to the relief of the white-robed man in the carving that Raka had seen before. The man stared at him intently and said in a hoarse voice: "You've finally come… Blood of the Last Guardian." "I've been waiting for you for hundreds of years."
Raka was shocked.
"What do you mean?! Who are you really?!" The man just smiled thinly.
"If you want to know the truth… come with me." Raka considered for a moment, then nodded.
If this man truly knew something about this world, and about his destiny, then he had no choice. He followed the old man deeper into the shadow city…toward answers that had long been hidden.
--- To be continued...