Book One – Chapter 10

The rift through which she continued had formed at the culmination of an underground river, its dwindling currents absorbed by the stony ground. As Midnight followed the path upwards, the pallid streams thickened into a small subterranean river, fed by seepage from the surrounding walls. Advancing along the course, the faint rivulets swelled and evolved into interconnected pools, sprawling into grand, hollow chambers.

Amid the soft echo of trickling water and the gradual hush of settling streams, Midnight discerned a haunting sound emanating from the surrounding tunnels. Exiting the grand chamber, she entered the weeping tunnels, where the very stone itself seemed to mourn. These passageways were saturated with a melancholic energy that bore down heavily on her spirit. Navigating through this oppressive atmosphere, she encountered sorrowful wails and distant whispers echoing into the subsequent chambers. In one such chamber, where the sorrow reached its zenith, Midnight perceived a haunting melody. The beautiful tune beckoned from the edge of the largest pool, promising solace, while an undertone hinted at concealed secrets.

Midnight felt the seductive pull to follow the enchanting voice that so soothingly disrupted the oppressive atmosphere, but she resisted. She suspected the melody to be a trap, a lure seeking to entice those who listened too closely into the river’s depths. Likely a siren. Midnight didn’t do sirens. The setting, the melody — it all evoked disturbing memories; far too familiar for comfort. She and Yves had gone through exactly this before, and Midnight had absolutely no desire to ever do that again.

With no tolerance for sirens and her past experiences granting her great resistance against enchanting sounds, courtesy of the Feathers of Varna, Midnight passed by. She left both the alluring melody and the haunting wails behind, focusing instead on the emerging silence as the distracting sounds faded with every step.

A day later, Midnight encountered another odd entity that produced music. It was a being of humanoid stature, yet not a race Midnight could identify. This being played a flute and danced around a rod. A minor serpent, pierced atop of the rod, emitted a soft glow. Midnight observed from a distance without approaching, choosing to pass by.