CHAPTER 246: CHAPTER 246 WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS

"It’s here! It’s really here!" he exclaimed, running his fingers over the inscriptions carved into the platform’s surface. Without wasting a second, he began deciphering them on the spot.

Not wanting to disturb him, the other four stepped back in silence, simply listening as Elric muttered a stream of incantations and fragmented phrases under his breath.

Suddenly, as if struck by a brilliant idea, Elric’s eyes lit up. He stood abruptly and stepped back until he reached the edge of the platform. Raising his staff high, he began chanting the incantation.

Moments later, the platform trembled beneath them, and the ground shook violently as if an earthquake had struck. Addison staggered, struggling to keep her balance, but Zion caught her just in time and steadied her.

She didn’t have the chance to push him away or think of anything else; her gaze remained fixed on Elric, mesmerized by what was unfolding.

After five long minutes of chanting, the rumbling intensified. The platform glowed with a radiant light, and streaks of brilliance shot through their feet, extending outward toward the four cardinal runes they had uncovered earlier.

Those runes began to shake and emit a bright glow, until the light from all five points merged, forming a vast magical circle beneath their feet, each rune marking the edge of the glowing sigil.

As the enchantment progressed, Elric didn’t pause; if anything, he seemed to pour even more magic into the spell. The final words slipped from his lips, and gradually, the trembling beneath their feet ceased.

But the rumbling persisted, growing louder, until the platform before Elric slowly shifted open, revealing a hidden staircase descending into the darkness.

Elric barely had a moment to celebrate before an overwhelming wave of exhaustion hit him. He felt his strength drain rapidly, far more than he had anticipated. Even as an Archmage, activating the array had nearly depleted his mana reserves.

This realization struck him deeply; the magic circle must have been created by at least two powerful sorcerers, or, if forged by just one, that individual must be far stronger than Elric himself.

Despite the fatigue weighing on him, Elric managed a tired but proud grin directed at Addison, as if to say, ’We’ve done it.’

Exhausted and drained, Elric had no choice but to rely on Levi, who hoisted him onto his back as they began descending the staircase. Addison took the lead, holding the lantern steadily before her, its flickering light barely piercing the darkness. Maxwell and Zion flanked her on either side, eyes sharp and muscles tense, fully alert to any threat.

As they stepped deeper underground, a sudden gust of cold wind brushed against their faces, carrying with it the damp, earthy scent of moss and musk. Addison’s gaze swept the cavern beneath the platform, it was a vast underground cave filled with jagged limestone stalactites and stalagmites.

The only sound breaking the silence was the distant drip of water echoing eerily through the vast space. Beyond the lantern’s glow, the darkness was absolute, thick and heavy, amplifying the creeping sense of dread that settled over them.

Even Maxwell and Zion, strong Alphas, felt a chill run down their spines. Low growls escaped their throats as primal instincts flared, and danger lurked in every shadow, pressing in from all sides.

Addison could feel it too. With every step they descended, the sensation grew stronger. The deeper they went, the more she sensed an aura radiating from the heart of the cave, an aura she couldn’t quite describe.

It felt dangerous, yet not overtly hostile. Perhaps it was slumbering... or perhaps it simply deemed Addison’s party too insignificant to bother with. She couldn’t tell.

The stairs seemed carved directly from the cave’s limestone walls, spiraling endlessly downward. They must have gone a hundred meters beneath the surface by now.

Fortunately, being werewolves meant they felt no fatigue from the long descent, though the unchanging scenery and endless spiral warped their sense of time and direction. It was almost as if the deeper they ventured, the more the dark fairies’ influence pressed in around them, subtly distorting reality itself.

Fortunately, they carried the lantern imbued with divine fire, its light guarding their sanity throughout the descent. At last, they reached the bottom of the stairs and found themselves in a vast cavern, its ceiling lost in darkness.

There was only one visible path, so they pressed onward. Yet, even here, they had not encountered a single dark fairy from the legends; it was strange. Perhaps it was the lantern Silas had given Addison that kept the creatures at bay. No one knew for certain, and frankly, they preferred it that way.

After another hundred meters, they came to a halt before a massive door. Elric’s excitement flared again, and he urged Levi to come closer so he could examine it.

Running his fingers over the carved text on its surface, he recognized the same script they had seen on the runes and the platform. Without Elric needing to explain, the others already understood, this was yet another riddle for him to solve.

It meant he would have to open the door with magic, decipher the meaning of the text, and chant the correct spell.

While Addison and her team delved deeper into the cave, the sky outside grew unnervingly dark. The darker it became, the more restless the caravan grew, their unease sharpening when eerie screams began to echo from the forest where Addison and the others had vanished.

Hearing this, Lance’s worry surged, and every instinct urged him to rush into the forest to find her. But he knew he couldn’t abandon the caravan. Addison had entrusted these people to him, and without his guidance, they would be like headless chickens in this forest.

"No one leaves the barrier, no matter what!" Lance barked. In the center of the caravan, the mages Elric had brought sat cross-legged in a circle, a complex magic array glowing faintly between them, crafted from crushed magic stones and rare materials.

They poured their mana into it relentlessly, determined to keep the barrier strong. As the sky outside grew darker, they intensified their efforts, reinforcing the shimmering shield. Beyond its edge, the fog thickened until nothing could be seen, yet the mages could feel the deepening gloom pressing in from all sides.

One of the guards, after hearing Lance’s orders, grew more alert and peered beyond the barrier, scanning for any sign of Addison and the others’ return. A shadow flickered past him, barely visible through the thick fog.

Frowning, he stepped closer, narrowing his eyes to focus. Then, a ghostly silhouette drifted by again, this time it paused to face him, before suddenly darting toward him as if to snatch him away. Every hair on his body stood on end, and he stumbled back in alarm.

"Wh-What’s that?!" the guard beside him shouted, quickly grabbing his arm and hauling him upright. Both retreated several paces, hearts pounding.

Shouts of alarm soon echoed from every direction around the caravan. In the swirling fog, countless shadowy figures emerged, circling them like predators closing in.

"Wh–What are those things?!" one of the guards blurted out, eyes locked on the shadowy figures. Driven by curiosity, he started to step closer for a better look, only for Lance to clamp a firm hand on his shoulder, stopping him.