Paths That Should Not Exist

The narrow passage was silent except for breathing.

Heavy. Uneven. Exhausted.

Kemp lay on his back, staring at the cracked stone ceiling above him. His chest rose and fell painfully. Every muscle in his body felt stretched, like it had been pulled too far and barely put back together.

The light around his hands was gone.

Only weakness remained.

Serdihun 2 sat beside him, hugging her knees.

Serdihun 2:
“…I really thought we were going to die back there.”

George leaned against the wall, reloading his guns slowly.

George:
“Yeah.”
(pause)
“That was close.”
(pause)
“Too close for my liking.”

Alir knelt beside Birson, checking his arm. His skin had darkened slightly where the watcher’s energy had brushed him.

Alir:
“Does it hurt?”

Birson shook his head.

Birson:
“No.”
(pause)
“It will heal.”

Alir looked relieved—but her eyes still held fear.

Serdihun sat quietly next to Sarmon. She watched him carefully. His expression was calm, but his breathing was shallow.

Serdihun:
“You’re injured.”

Sarmon glanced at her, surprised.

Sarmon:
“It is nothing.”

Serdihun frowned.

Serdihun:
“You say that every time.”
(pause)
“And it’s never true.”

For a moment, Sarmon did not argue.

Instead, he sat down.

That alone worried Kemp.

Kemp pushed himself up slowly.

Kemp:
“…Okay.”
(pause)
“So what just happened?”

Everyone looked at him.

Birson answered first.

Birson:
“You forced the Echo Chamber to respond.”
(pause)
“No one has done that before.”

George added.

George:
“And you made a watcher hesitate.”
(pause)
“That’s like making death stop to think.”

Serdihun 2 shivered.

Serdihun 2:
“I don’t like how that sounds.”

Sarmon spoke next, his voice heavy.

Sarmon:
“The prison felt fear.”
(pause)
“That is dangerous.”

Kemp frowned.

Kemp:
“Dangerous for us?”

Birson shook his head.

Birson:
“For everyone.”

Silence fell again.

The tunnel around them felt wrong—too quiet, too still. Even the air felt thick, like it was listening.

Alir broke the silence.

Alir:
“So…”
(pause)
“What now?”

George smiled faintly.

George:
“Now?”
(pause)
“Now the prison reacts.”

As if to prove his words—

The ground trembled.

Not violently.

Gently.

Like something shifting far away.

Serdihun 2 felt it.

Serdihun 2:
“…The ground moved.”

Sarmon stood up slowly.

Sarmon:
“The forgotten paths are opening.”

Kemp blinked.

Kemp:
“Opening?”

Birson nodded.

Birson:
“Yes.”
(pause)
“The prison is full of sealed roads.”
(pause)
“Places that should not exist anymore.”

Alir looked confused.

Alir:
“Why would the gods leave paths like that?”

George chuckled.

George:
“Because gods make mistakes.”
(pause)
“They just hate admitting it.”

Sarmon walked to the end of the passage. He placed his hand against the wall.

The stone rippled.

A thin crack of pale light appeared.

Serdihun gasped.

Serdihun:
“It’s opening…”

The wall slowly split apart, revealing a wide tunnel beyond.

This tunnel was different.

The stone was smoother.

The air felt warmer.

And faint symbols glowed along the walls—old, broken, but alive.

Kemp stood, ignoring the pain in his body.

Kemp:
“This place feels…”
(pause)
“Less heavy.”

Birson looked at him closely.

Birson:
“Because the seal is weaker here.”
(pause)
“And because you passed through the Echo Chamber.”

Serdihun 2 tilted her head.

Serdihun 2:
“So this tunnel wasn’t here before?”

George shook his head.

George:
“Oh, it was.”
(pause)
“It just didn’t want to be found.”

They stepped into the tunnel.

As they walked, strange things happened.

The walls shifted slightly as they passed.

The symbols flickered brighter when Kemp came close.

Sometimes, the tunnel split into two paths—then sealed one off on its own.

Alir stayed close to Birson.

Serdihun stayed close to Sarmon.

Kemp noticed again.

Serdihun 2 noticed too.

Serdihun 2 leaned toward Kemp and whispered.

Serdihun 2:
“…Are they even trying to hide it anymore?”

Kemp sighed quietly.

Kemp:
“Nope.”

George laughed softly.

George:
“Love makes people stupid.”
(pause)
“Even in hell.”

Birson stopped suddenly.

Birson:
“Quiet.”

Everyone froze.

Ahead of them, the tunnel opened into a massive underground plain.

But it was not empty.

Structures stood in the distance—broken towers, half-buried buildings, roads carved into stone.

A city.

Ruined.

Dead.

Alir’s eyes widened.

Alir:
“…There were really cities here.”

Sarmon nodded.

Sarmon:
“This is one of the first.”
(pause)
“A place the gods erased halfway.”

Kemp felt a strange pull in his chest.

Kemp:
“This city feels familiar.”

Birson looked at him sharply.

Birson:
“You feel the echoes.”

Serdihun 2 whispered.

Serdihun 2:
“There could be survivors here…”

George’s expression darkened.

George:
“Or worse.”

They moved carefully through the ruined streets.

Shadows moved where no light should exist.

Broken statues watched them silently.

Some statues looked human.

Some did not.

Suddenly—

A voice echoed.

Unknown Voice:
“…You shouldn’t be here.”

Everyone turned.

From behind a collapsed wall, figures emerged.

Humanoid.

Thin.

Their eyes glowed softly.

Not monsters.

Not fully human.

Survivors.

Sarmon stepped forward.

Sarmon:
“We mean no harm.”

The figure studied Kemp.

Survivor:
“…The bridge.”

Kemp froze.

Kemp:
“You know me?”

The survivor nodded slowly.

Survivor:
“We felt you.”
(pause)
“The prison shook.”

Murmurs spread among them.

Fear.

Hope.

Curiosity.

Alir whispered.

Alir:
“They’ve been hiding all this time…”

Birson spoke loudly.

Birson:
“The seals are weakening.”
(pause)
“And the watchers are waking.”
(pause)
“You cannot stay hidden forever.”

The survivors looked at one another.

Finally, an older woman stepped forward.

Her voice was tired.

Leader:
“…If the prison breaks…”
(pause)
“…everything changes.”

Kemp stepped forward.

Kemp:
“That’s the point.”

The ground trembled again.

Stronger this time.

Far above them—

Something roared.

Not the watcher they faced before.

Something bigger.

George cursed under his breath.

George:
“…That’s not good.”

Sarmon tightened his grip on his sword.

Sarmon:
“The prison is sending a message.”

Birson looked at Kemp.

Birson:
“You’ve opened paths that should not exist.”

Kemp nodded.

Kemp:
“Then we walk them.”

Serdihun stood beside Sarmon.

Serdihun:
“We won’t hide.”

Alir stood beside Birson.

Alir:
“Not anymore.”

Serdihun 2 took a deep breath.

Serdihun 2:
“…Guess this is the part where everything gets worse.”

George smiled grimly.

George:
“Yeah.”
(pause)
“And more interesting.”

Above the ruined city, cracks of light spread across the ceiling of the world itself.

The prison was shifting.

Paths were opening.

And once opened—

They could never be closed again.