Chapter 288: Something Truly Terrifying (2).

“We can’t go there!”

The words hung in the air.

Arthur’s excitement dimmed slightly, though the hunger in his eyes remained. “Why not?”

Nero wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand, leaving a dark smear across his skin. His breathing was still uneven, his pupils dilating and contracting.

“Because whatever is in those ruins…” He paused, searching for words. “It’s underground. Deep underground. And it’s covered in fungus.”

Jacob’s brow furrowed. “Fungus?”

“Not normal fungus. It is glowing with strange blue spores everywhere, coating the walls, the floor, everything. The whole place was saturated with it.” Nero’s hands trembled as he spoke. “And there’s something in there. Something ancient and evil that should have died eons ago.”

Arthur exchanged a glance with Jacob, then turned back to Nero. “How far underground?”

“I don’t know. But it seemed deep.”

“And you’re certain it’s nearby?” Arthur pressed.

Nero hesitated, then nodded. “The direction was clear. Maybe half a mile from here, toward the deeper parts of Thornwood.”

Arthur’s expression shifted into something more calculating. He paced a few steps, his hand resting on his sword pommel. When he turned back, there was a gleam in his eyes that made Nero’s stomach sink.

“We should go take a look.”

“What?” Nero stared at him. “Did you not hear what I just said? There’s something down there.”

“You said there’s fungus and old architecture. That’s hardly unprecedented in corrupted areas.” Arthur’s voice took on a reasonable tone.

“We don’t have to go inside. Just find the entrance, confirm it exists, and report it back to the higher-ups. If it’s as significant as you say, the information alone will be valuable.”

Nero pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the way his legs wobbled. “You’re not listening. Whatever is down there, it might not just be a regular Abomination. If we even dare approach, we might be putting our lives in danger.”

Jacob scratched his jaw, considering. “Ignoring why or how you received such a random vision, that does sound problematic.”

“Thank you,” Nero said.

“But,” Jacob continued, and Nero’s heart sank, “Arthur’s right. We don’t have to go in. Just verify the location, give a description of the entrance if we find it, and let the Templars handle the rest. That’s what they’re for, isn’t it?”

“You can’t be serious.”

Arthur stepped closer, his expression earnest. “Nero, I understand your concern. But think about it rationally. Either way, you’re not in the best state to make decisions right now. Look, your nose is still bleeding and you can barely stand without shaking. Let us handle this. Just tell us where it is…”

Nero’s eyes twitched, ’This freaking guy…’

“If you say what I saw, you’ll also be frightened,” Nero said through gritted teeth.

“Exactly. You’re frightened, and fear makes everything seem worse than it is.” Arthur placed a hand on Nero’s shoulder. “We’ll be careful. The moment anything seems wrong, we turn back. I give you my word.”

Nero wanted to argue further, but he could see it was pointless. Arthur had already made up his mind, and Jacob was nodding along with the plan. The promise of discovering undiscovered ruins had hooked them both, and no amount of warning would shake them loose.

He thought about refusing to guide them, but that would only delay the inevitable. They’d search the area themselves, blundering around and possibly triggering something far worse than if he led them directly there.

“Fine,” he said finally. “But we don’t go inside. Not one step past the entrance.”

Arthur’s smile was brilliant. “Agreed. Just a quick look, then straight back to report to Sergeant Aldric.”

Jacob hefted his axe onto his shoulder. “Well then, which way?”

Nero closed his eyes, trying to recall the sensation from his vision.

He opened his eyes and pointed toward the deeper forest. “That way.”

They set off, Nero leading despite every instinct screaming at him to run in the opposite direction.

“How much further?” Arthur asked impatiently after they’d been walking for a few minutes.

“Not far. Maybe another few hundred yards.”

The light had grown dimmer here, the canopy so dense that it felt like twilight had come. Strange growths clung to the tree trunks—bracket fungi the size of dinner plates, pale and ghostly in the gloom. Some of them released tiny puffs of spores when disturbed by their passing, creating small clouds that drifted lazily through the still air.

Jacob wrinkled his nose. “Smells like a tomb down here.”

He wasn’t wrong. The air had taken on a musty quality, thick with the scent of decay and something else.

Nero held up a hand, and they stopped. “There.”

He pointed to a formation ahead that at first glance looked like nothing more than a natural outcropping of stone breaking through the forest floor. But as they approached, the shape became clearer.

It was the remains of a structure, mostly collapsed and overgrown, but unmistakably artificial. Broken pillars jutted from the earth at odd angles, their surfaces covered in moss and creeping vines. Between them, a depression in the ground suggested where the main building had stood before sinking or being swallowed by the earth.

“Gods,” Arthur breathed. “You were right.”

They approached slowly, their footsteps muffled by the thick layer of decaying plant matter covering the ground. As they got closer, Nero could see markings on the exposed stone—symbols eroded by time but still visible in the dim light.

The moment they neared, he felt reality tremble slightly. His eyes widened.

’Just like back then…’

“We should leave now.” Nero said with a frown.

But Arthur wasn’t listening. He’d found something…

A gap between two of the collapsed pillars where the earth had eroded away, revealing darkness beneath.

“Here,” he called out. “I think this is it.”

Nero and Jacob joined him, peering down into the opening. It was perhaps three feet wide, irregular and jagged. The darkness below was absolute, swallowing the meager light from above.

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