I walked over to the edge of the platform. Some of the miners confused as to why I was investigating over there but eventually shrugged it off as they minded their own business. However as I focus on the empty watery abyss in front of me, I could faintly see a shimmer. Not reflections made by our lights but a soft crystalline shimmer slightly underneath the surface of the pool. Whatever it was, my body felt compelled to trust it but my mind says otherwise. Whatever it was, it could have been anything. A shiny rock, some sort of fish, or maybe one of those special moss again. Every single rational thought told me to never trust the dark waters that await but deep within the back of those thoughts is a calling. A string of reasonings that compels the clouded thoughts to rest, thus making way for my instincts to push through.
As a result, I closed my eyes and let out a deep growling breath, going against all of my fears and rationales before I took a step forward, trusting the voice of the latter. As I moved forward, I could hear the panicked screams of the people behind me. Yelling at me to stop and any other words of reasoning to halt my actions but I simply ignore these calls, focusing on the one in my head instead. As my foot makes contact with the water, it sinks.
But not any deeper than the soles of my boot. The water breaks upon my weight as my shoe rests on top of some sort of invisible platform. My other foot joins in as I let out a chuckle, mainly to ease my nerves and relax my thoughts. Whatever I was stepping on, if it could hold even my weight, it could support the others.
I turn to the group and gesture them to join in with a smile drawn across my face, but as I soon looked over, their panicked faces soon turned into those of frustration and anger right before a barrage of scolding came my way. All I could do was apologize.
"The fuck made you even do that Torin?" The captain says with a weary breath as he walks to the edge closest to me.
A question I was asking even to myself. "I...I don't know. I just went for it." I answer truthfully as the Captain lets out a confused sigh before guiding the others to join me.
Some were still a little bit skeptical in stepping into the scary abyss but as I made space, everyone soon joined me on this platform above the dark waters. It was strange, being on top of this unobservable structure. We could walk over and feel said structure from underneath our footwear but as we look down, it was as if we were stepping on the water itself. There was only a slight shift in the shape as we took each careful step across but we weren't sure if it was more of the confusing attributes of the structure or if it was the water that rests above it. We continued on, pushing through the structure until we made it to a certain point on the bridge.
Solemn hums started to echo through the empty walls of the caverns. Quiet, yet melodic. Almost peaceful and tranquil in a way. It was as if these voices sang with the ripples of the water as droplets dripped from the shadowy ceiling above. This left the crew in high alert as swords were drawn and everyone immediately turned their backs with each other to form a defensive perimeter, defending the non-combatants within while leaving me as the Vanguard in front. Just as we practiced.
But I did not raise my weapon. As these voices were the same as the ones that called for me during that leap not too long ago. As the choir continued to sing, the statues began to move, their heads start to look high, as if to look to where their arms pointed, even the ones without heads acted the same. Stranger still, was the stone. It moved as if it were truly cloth that covered a body. It almost seemed alive in a way. As the statues stopped, their dark visages started to gleam into a bright beacon aimed at the palms of their hands and in a blinding display of light, we all were forced to cover our eyes. Leaving ourselves vulnerable to this cacophony of song and sight. The voices became louder as the light shone brighter until it cuts.
The voices slowly fade into echo while the lights dim to a comfortable level, lighting up the cavern with a level not even the daylight could manage. As our eyes adapt to the new level of brightness within the area, we were at awe at what sat before us yet again. Just a few meters away from us was a small island sat within the center of the cavern. Surrounding it were bridges and statues, similar to the ones we were on but some were either broken or sunken far enough to be inaccessible. It seemed like luck was on our side as our bridge seemed to be relatively safe or at least structurally sound enough for an expedition like ours to walk across.
In this new light, it is also revealed that the sunken platform we had stood on seemed to be a bridge, but created in a material none of us know. It had the same properties as marble but the stone looked like it was alive. It's patterns moved and shifted the more we observed it as it seemed to react positively to light. Strange.
Looking forward across the bridge and into the isle was ground. Your typical dirt and stone and grass, but something was strange about it. As we stepped on to it, the earth felt...warm? As if it welcomed us and this was its way of greeting. From our studies, it also looked healthy. Too healthy to be this deep underground. The air was also light. Like the first breeze on a spring or summer day. The grass flowed, as if to dance with the quiet song among the cavern and the trees stand tall and proud. Everything on this island seemed to be in perfect condition, yet not preserved nor contained and we may have a thought as to what might be the source of this life. Our feet crunch against the fallen leaves that rest on the dirt path that is laid before us as we made our way to the center of the very small island where a beacon of light shoots upwards into the ceiling, feeding into the hands of the statues behind us. It wasn't long until we crested the hill and behold our eyes on this even more magnificent sight.
Sat within a low crater was this altar or shrine. It was made from the same material as the light bridges that connect the island. Maybe perhaps those bridges branched out from this structure as the foot of the altar seemed to dig into the ground. and snake out into the dirt, like the roots of a tree reaching outwards. Within the edges of the altar were small circular pillars that ended in indescribable ways. It moved outward like splashes of water frozen in time, flowing and moving. However it was also like the branches of a tree, chaotic and rigid. These strange patterns seem to try and reach out for the beacon of light that sits at the center of the altar, and below this light was a statue unlike any of us have ever seen.
It was humanoid yet unlike any humanoid creature we have ever seen. Its figure was thin and frail yet the statue was large enough to depict this sense of strength and authority. Its features seemed solemn and serene, like a mother caring for her child, yet the child in this context was the light this statue looked up upon. Its arms reached up as if to cradle this light, or perhaps to hold it and keep it still? The cloak that wraps this figure suggests it was feminine in nature. However it was hard to tell since parts of it were shattered and broken, yet floating still. These pieces float in places that suggests the stone remembered where they were originally positioned. The light seemed to be originating from this statue as the cracks from where it is presumed to be its heart seemed to be where the light poured out from. Yet the pose of the statue suggests this figure was willing to surrender the light.
As our eyes continued observing this figure, I fall to my knees as I feel tears run down my cheeks. My breath escapes me, my mind unable to find the words to speak out what I am feeling at this moment. Is it hope? Is it praise? Is it admiration? Whatever it is, my heart fills with warmth as I am bathed in the light of this figure. The others seemed to be overwhelmed with the same emotions as they kneel and pray in this light. Their hands clutched together as they soon raise it high and praise the name of the visage before us.
We knew who this was. As her name and actions were taught to us at a very young age. This figure is who everyone prays to as their Diety. The one figure that everyone, no matter their age or race, looks to for hope and admiration. For miracles and light in darkest days. The one who made the land we walk on. It is none other than-
"PRAISE BE! PRAISE THE LIGHT OF LADY ENES!!!"