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墨書 Inktalez
The darkness hung heavily in the air, like a thick fog that obscured everything, and the feeling of blurred vision began to fade away, slowly plunging them into complete "darkness." The surroundings had turned into an absolute blind spot.
"The muddy path has come to an end," Seven said. In the darkness, the sound of their footsteps was particularly prominent; they relied on it to determine each other's positions.
"We can't see anything now. How are we supposed to find Big Brother?" Second said. Third sniffed the air and replied, "This situation is not in our favor. We have no idea what lurks in the darkness."
Suddenly, Seven interjected, "The wind is picking up." Second remarked, "Hasn't there always been wind? No, this wind is getting stronger." Just as Seven finished speaking, Third shouted urgently, "Get down!"
The two immediately crouched down to protect their heads, and Third's voice rang out again. A black whirlwind swept through quickly, its howling sound oddly out of place in the darkness. They were tossed around like leaves in a storm, but fortunately, none were seriously harmed. "That wasn't too bad," Seven said after regaining his footing. They brushed off the dust from their clothes.
"We should hurry," Second urged. The group began to move hastily through the darkness; the ground was relatively flat. They called out for First repeatedly, but after a while, Third concluded, "There's no need to call anymore. Big Brother is definitely not here. With his abilities, he couldn't possibly stay here for long unless he was dead."
Seven confidently replied, "We can completely rule out the second point." After exchanging information, they fell silent again, only the sound of their footsteps echoed in the night as they started descending a slope. Their pace quickened uncontrollably; Third warned, "Everyone maintain your balance." As he spoke, their steps involuntarily accelerated.
"This slope is steeper than I thought," Second exclaimed.
The darkness grew thicker, engulfing everything that could be discerned by sight.
"Don't panic now; keep your footing," Third reminded them. Suddenly, Second suggested, "Let's crouch down to lower our bodies; it might help. We did this during battles before." The other two snapped back to reality; Seven remarked, "Second is really clever." They crouched down and used the friction of their feet to control their speed more steadily. Seven noted, "This slope must be at a 75-degree angle, and with such a long hypotenuse, we’ll probably slide down for a while longer." As expected by Seven, their shoe soles were nearly worn through.
Eventually, they managed to steady themselves. The darkness deepened further, making it difficult to discern direction; their steps became clumsy as they paused after taking a few steps.
"This isn't right," Third said seriously. The darkness was too oppressive here; it felt as if their senses were being hindered.
They found themselves trapped in a situation where moving even an inch seemed impossible. The darkness felt like a curse that made them grit their teeth in frustration but left them unable to mount an effective counterattack.
"Environment and terrain cannot be determined, so we can't have the slightest understanding of this place," Seven said.
"Damn it, we have to get through even if it's a mountain of knives or a sea of fire," Second muttered.
"We're currently in a blind spot; we have no idea what lurks in the darkness," Seven continued. Hearing this, Second gradually calmed down and stopped acting recklessly.
Third remained silent, deep in thought. After a while, Third spoke up, " Second, Seven, when we move forward later, let's hold hands."
This situation was indeed quite unusual; the darkness was overwhelming, and their senses felt as if they were blocked. The three of them held hands and began to move forward. Their footsteps sounded heavy and chaotic in the dark. They could only feel their own presence, as if they were confined to a limited space. Although this area was vast and they could step anywhere within it, once they moved beyond their previous position, they lost all connection, as if they had never existed.
It was yet another strange place.
"I really don't know which idiot designed such a thing," Second remarked. His voice was low, but it echoed loudly in their ears, making them wince. Second immediately shut his mouth, looking surprised.
The other two were also taken aback to varying degrees. The three of them tacitly decided not to speak anymore and continued to feel their way forward, stumbling along the way.
Just as they were struggling to move, a swarm of creatures flew over their heads, making a cacophony of harsh and mournful cries. The sound was piercing and painful; the three covered their ears in agony, nearly rolling on the ground from the pain. Fortunately, the cries came quickly and faded just as fast.
Once the noise subsided, they remained crouched on the ground for a while longer, their eardrums still vibrating. "What the hell was that monster?" Second's abrupt comment tortured them further before he quietly apologized. Afterward, Third spoke softly, "If I'm not mistaken, that should be the Death Bird."
Seven mimicked Third's tone and said, "It's a crow; it's a type of spirit bird that has been considered an omen of misfortune since ancient times."
Second gently cleared his throat and whispered, "What you guys are saying is kind of unsettling." Third continued from Seven's statement: "This creature is said to predict death; it likes to live in groups and eats anything. Its survival ability is very strong."
Fortunately, this flock of crows showed no interest in them. Crows typically feed on dead flesh but could attack living beings at any moment; human nature is unpredictable, and so are the habits of creatures.
The three stood up again and fumbled around in the darkness for a while before managing to grasp each other's hands once more and set off again. Suddenly, Seven suggested, "How about we walk side by side?"
The two of them expressed no objections after hearing this. The three began to move toward the side, walking like young maidens taking small, cautious steps, afraid to make any sudden movements that might disrupt their composure.
The darkness began to engulf them from another direction. After about ten minutes of moving, Seven reached the wall. As soon as he touched it, he felt a dry, smooth sensation, finally giving him a sense of stability. The others leaned against the wall in turn and continued forward; the path started to narrow, but none of them noticed.
Seven was at the front, feeling the wall as the path began to turn. He continued to move forward and walked for a while along this bend. His hand brushed against something protruding, and his heart tightened. He stopped in his tracks. Second, sandwiched in between, bumped into Seven. Seven pushed Second with his other hand, signaling him not to move. Third sensed something was off ahead; both of them were anxious for Seven. Third wanted to step forward but was overtaken by Second. The three formed a small Surrounding Circle, and Seven dared not move his hand until the other two followed Third's lead and touched the object. The first to feel it, Second, went from tense to surprised. It was fire; excitement surged within them all.
Moreover, there was a spark. Once this lamp was lit, the flame grew from weak flickers to a robust glow, expanding the circle of light while causing their eyes to sting.
Instinctively, they covered their eyes and slowly opened them after a while, feeling that the light had softened somewhat. When they finally adjusted their vision to see everything clearly, they were met with a small shock: every wall was intricately carved with patterns, and even the stone slabs beneath their feet bore engravings. These carvings absorbed the light from the pipes and cleverly focused it to create excellent illumination.
They couldn't help but touch the patterns with their hands while their eyes roamed around. Then they spotted a series of runes; this time there were more of them—about seven or eight lines. Third stared intently, trying to imprint these seemingly textual symbols in his mind. Suddenly, Seven spoke up as he approached the runes: "Before I joined you all, I encountered these strange symbols once again."
Third calmly asked, "Did you figure anything out?"
Seven chuckled slightly and replied, "I can only conclude that it is definitely not a map."
As the sound spread with the brightness of the lamp, some kind of taboo began to fade away, normalizing their volume.
Upon realizing this principle, Second shouted excitedly, "Damn it feels good! Finally able to speak normally!"
For a moment, they were all taken aback by this change and took the opportunity to assess their surroundings and plan for the unknown path ahead.
Seven focused on the lamp; it had a bronze tray with intricate carvings on top—an exquisite piece that must have been difficult to create. The word "antique" floated into his mind. He reached out to try and move it but received no response. Turning around to look at his surroundings revealed several more standing against the walls, each with different patterns. Curious, Seven moved closer to examine another one. A sense of excitement began to stir within him.
On the ground, Third discovered footprints and crouched down for a closer inspection. Based on these traces, he estimated that they had been left not long ago—within three days at most—and noted that they appeared unsteady with dragging marks that suggested haste.
Looking at Seven, who was acting suspiciously, Second walked over and called out, "What are you doing, Seven?" Once Seven realized it, he perked up and shared his speculations along with a small plan for making money.
"An antique? You think this broken lamp is an antique?" Second questioned incredulously. Seven nodded seriously. Second gave him a light punch and said, "Stop daydreaming. Let's focus on serious matters and find Big Brother first."
Seven nodded and abandoned the idea of the lamp. The three gathered together as Third shared his discoveries and deductions with everyone.
"This means someone was here before we arrived," Second concluded. Third nodded heavily in agreement.
Under the dim light, they looked ragged like beggars, each bearing various wounds. Second lit several lamps around them, instantly illuminating the narrow passage as bright as day. The sudden brightness startled them; it was indeed surprising to see everything so clearly.
Before setting off, Second had brought along a fire source. The various styles of lamps along the way dazzled them. As they walked and lit the lamps, the area became brightly lit, causing them to feel uneasy about being so exposed.
" Second, maybe we shouldn't light so many lamps," Seven suggested. The three exchanged glances and silently agreed with this proposal. The lights dimmed significantly, and they all felt a sense of relief.
With their minds settled, they continued forward. The path twisted and turned like a maze, with some bends exuding a faint fragrance of incense.
It felt somewhat like a deep alley on land that seemed endless. They began to feel dizzy from walking so long. "This can't be a maze, can it? It's so long," Second remarked as the dim light elongated their shadows. A fourth shadow was stretched behind them in one of the bends. "This path doesn't seem like a maze," Seven assessed.
Third frequently glanced at the traces on the ground, trying to track clues; the footprints from earlier appeared sporadically. After walking for a while, he spotted the footprints again and bent down to examine them closely. This time, the prints were tangled together—there were more than one set of footprints here; a struggle had occurred. Third silently noted this and crouched down to move forward until he finally saw a footprint that changed his expression—it was a military boot print; it must belong to First. Only a few had come in wearing military uniforms; there shouldn't be anyone else.
As they moved ahead, they also discovered some bloodstains. Third stood up and said, "Hurry up!" before taking off ahead. Second followed behind, lighting lamps without forgetting to keep the illumination extending with their steps. The three were now running; Second's lighting actions became hurried as Since stopped lighting altogether, and they pressed forward in darkness. "What's wrong, Third?" Seven asked. Third spat out a few words: "Big Brother might be in trouble!"
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