The hidden compartment yawned beneath him— a hollow chamber, its walls smoother than the rough temple above. The air that wafted up was different, heavy, like it hadn't been disturbed in centuries. A stale mix of stone and rot.

Levi crouched, pressing two fingers to the ground for balance as he leaned closer. The leech squirmed below, already recovering from the fall, its flesh twitching unnaturally as it righted itself.

Levi's eyes narrowed. Even from this distance, he could feel it through their connection— not pain, but agitation. A restless unease rippled along the tether that bound them.

"Go on". Levi gave it a command, urging it to go in and explore for any sign of danger.

The leech obeyed, dragging its pale, swollen body deeper into the chamber. Its slick flesh scraped faintly against stone, the sound carrying back up to Levi's ears.

And it felt like whispers rising from a tomb.

Levi couldn't see, it hear what the leech was experiencing, but he could feel the uneasiness through the link between them.

He waited for five minutes before he decided to head inside.

His gaze swept the now slightly lit chamber again. Smooth walls, yet marred with deep scars. The marks stretched downward, curling in jagged arcs that ended in the black slit of a tunnel.

The gouges weren't shallow— they were furrows, as if whatever carved them had dragged its claws with purpose, tearing a path through living stone.

'Enough watching'. Shaking his head at his cowardice, he muttered to himself. "I'm going down."

He rose, straightened his back, and with one smooth movement dropped into the chamber below. Dust burst around his boots as he landed. The stale air closed in tighter here, damp, suffocating, tasting of rusted iron and decay.

The leech slithered toward him immediately, circling his feet like a nervous hound. Levi extended a hand and it stilled, though its body remained taut.

'Damn it, stop acting so nervous'. The leech's uneasiness was making him nervous, was they something that made the leech fear for it's life?

'They can't be anything in here.... right?'. Levi thought nervously. But the fact that he hasn't encountered a single being since he got here was enough to calm his wildly beating heart.

But he was also wary, what thing was responsible for stopping any other creatures from nearing the ruins?

'The Star Gaze'. This was the only reason he dared to enter here in the first place. If the Star Gaze was responsible for the shielding of the ruin, him giving up would be his loss.

Levi's boots echoed faintly as he took a step forward, the sound dull against the unnaturally smooth floor. The chamber was larger than he first assumed— a hollow belly beneath the temple, shaped less like a room and more like a vein burrowed into the world.

The claw-gouges ran along the walls in jagged spirals, trailing deeper into the dark tunnel yawning at the far end.

They weren't just scratches. They were reminders left by something that had no need for tools to ensure a painful death to those that dared to trespass.

Levi's gulped as his gaze lingered on them, his chest tightening, the leech on the other hand, hasn't stopped twitching ever since the journey begun.

The leech crawled near his feet, pressing low to the ground. Levi reached down and tapped its slick body with two fingers. The creature steadied but did not relax.

Levi rolled his shoulders back, forcing his breath to steady. "Get a hold of yourself". He whispered, unsure if he meant the words for the leech or himself.

He stepped further in, boots brushing dust that had lain undisturbed for centuries. The air grew thicker, weighted, as if each inhalation carried the weight of memory. The silence was absolute, oppressive.

Seconds stretched into minutes, and then— the tunnel opened into a wide hall.

Levi stopped at the threshold. Several tunnels converged here, their mouths gaping black. Symbols of stars were carved everywhere across the walls, jagged and crooked.

Bones littered the floor. Not human, not beast, but something in between— long limbs, crooked spines, ribcages stretched too wide. Their skulls had half-formed snouts, jaws frozen open as if caught mid-howl.

Seven of them lay scattered, but one caught Levi's eye. It knelt before a miniature altar, its hands folded together as if in prayer. In its grasp, an orb gleamed faintly.

Levi's breath hitched. 'Star Gaze'. He hadn't seen it before, but the murals outside had etched its image into his mind.

Excitement surged through him, but he clenched it down and turned to the leech.

"Go."

The leech resisted, trembling at the command. Levi had to push harder with his will before it finally crawled forward, inch by inch toward the altar.

Nothing happened.

Still, Levi waited— five whole minutes, every nerve tense, before he dared step inside himself.

He moved slowly, brushing past the bones. The silence shattered as soon as he crossed the threshold— the sound of rushing water crashed in from one of the tunnels, stunning him. Only then did he realize how absolute the silence in the ruin had been.

Steeling himself, he advanced to the kneeling skeleton. The orb in its hands was carved with a single symbol— a full circle etched into its surface.

Levi reached out cautiously, pried it free, and stepped back fast. His heart thudded as he braced for a collapse, an explosion, something.

He had watched enough movies to know how this goes, but nothing came.

He let out a slow breath, finally staring down at the orb. The circle nagged at him. He tried to match it to the story, to any detail from the murals— but nothing came.

Shaking his head, he focused on the orb itself. 'How do I activate it?'.

And idea came to his mind, he then controlled a thin string of origin energy into it. The orb lit at once, glowing with a lavender light.

Levi's face darkened. His origin energy was a misty silver, much like frosted glass— this color came from his soul essence bleeding into it. But he pushed the thought aside and concentrated.

The energy circled the orb, then suddenly surged back through his hand, rushing into his head. A cool wave spread through him, lifting a weight he hadn't known he carried.

'...Wow.'/ Levi blinked. His mind felt clearer, sharper, though part of him sagged in disappointment. He had hoped for a shield, a weapon— not just a lightened head.

'Tch. Can't be greedy.' He muttered inwardly, clutching the orb tight.

He turned to the leech. "We're done here. Whatever this is, it was a gift from a constellation. It has to be useful."

But just as he prepared to leave, the system's voice buzzed in his mind.

[ I found something. ]

Levi smirked. "What? Your usefulness?".

[ N-No… I mean— yes! I am useful! ]

"Sure, buddy. Whatever helps you sleep at night". But the next words from the system made his smile froze.

[ Something here, apart from you and that leech… is alive. ]

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