In the darkness,
A stone fell on John's head.
Then he fell unconscious.
At first, there was nothing.
No sound.
No light.
No sense of time.
Then… pain.
A dull ache spread slowly through
John's head as consciousness returned in fragments.
His breath came uneven, shallow at first… then deeper.
Cold.
That was the first thing he truly felt.
Cold stone beneath him.
Cold air against his skin
John's eyes opened suddenly.
Darkness.
Complete.
For a brief moment, panic surged through him.
His body tensed, his breath quickened.
"Okay… okay…" he whispered to himself.
Slowly… he moved his hand.
Searching.
His fingers brushed against something.
The flashlight.
Rest a moment.
He grabbed it quickly and pressed the button.
Nothing.
Try again.
A flash.
Then— A faint beam of light pierced the darkness.
John rose slowly, wincing. His memory returned in flashes.
The storm.
The tunnel.
The voice.
Then… nothing.
"How long was I out…?" he murmured.
The light trembled slightly in his hand as he stood.
The tunnel around him looked different now.
Wider.
The walls smoother… less natural.
He frowned.
"I didn't come this far…"
A chill ran through him.
He turned slowly, scanning the space.
The narrow passage he remembered was gone.
Or at least… he couldn't see it.
Behind him was only darkness.
Unbroken.
John swallowed.
He hadn't just collapsed.
He had been moved.
The thought settled heavily in his mind.
He tightened his grip on the flashlight and began walking forward.
Carefully.
Step by step.
The air grew stiller the deeper he went.
No wind.
No sound from the storm outside.
Only the faint echo of his own movement.
Then…
the tunnel opened.
John stopped.
Before him was a chamber.
Large.
Circular.
Carved entirely from stone.
The beam of his flashlight swept slowly across the space.
Walls covered in carvings.
Symbols.
Lines.
Patterns.
He cut himself off.
He opened his backpack, searching for his water bottle.
He took a sip.
Then he whispered to himself,
The same symbols.
But here...
They were whole.
Not scattered pieces.
Not broken fragments.
A full design.
John stepped inside slowly.
The air felt heavier here.
Ancient.
At the center of the chamber stood something raised from the ground.
A platform.
Stone.
Smooth.
Deliberately shaped.
And above it…
etched deeply into the floor—
A massive symbol.
The eye.
Surrounded by waves.
Exactly like the disk.
John felt his heart pounding in his chest.
"This… this is it…"
He reached for his mobile phone to take some pictures.
Before it ran out of battery.
He approached.
He was almost drawn to it.
As he drew closer to the center, something strange happened.
The air changed.
A slight change.
But it was clear and unmistakable.
The temperature dropped.
And his breath became visible.
And the light from his flashlight…
flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then steadied.
John stood directly over the symbol now.
Looking down at it.
Slowly… he reached into his backpack.
His hand trembled slightly as he unwrapped the metallic disk.
He held it above the symbol.
For a moment—
nothing happened.
Then—
A faint glow.
The disk.
It began to emit the same soft light as before.
The carvings beneath it responded.
Lines lit up.
One by one.
Like something awakening.
John stepped back instinctively.
"What is this…?"
Fear began to creep into John's heart.
The light spread across the floor.
Following the pattern.
Completing it.
The entire chamber began to glow faintly.
And then—
Sound.
Low.
Deep.
The same vibration he had felt before… in the sea.
John's eyes widened.
"No…"
The sound grew stronger.
And suddenly—
Images.
Not on the walls.
But in his mind.
Waves.
Immense.
Endless.
Cities swallowed whole.
Mountains cracking beneath the water.
The sky darkened.
The world is sinking.
John stumbled backward, panting.
"This... this is what happened..."
A voice answered.
"Yes."
John froze.
Slowly…
he turned.
At the far side of the chamber…
a figure stood.
Not fully visible.
But present.
Watching.
"You're remembering," the voice said calmly.
John's breath was unsteady.
"This… isn't memory…"
The figure stepped slightly closer.
"It is."
A pause.
"Not yours."
John shook his head.
"No… no, that's impossible…"
The figure stopped at the edge of the light.
Still hidden in shadow.
"You saw the beginning," it said.
John's heart pounded.
"What beginning?"
A long silence followed.
Then the answer came.
"The last flood."
The ground beneath John trembled slightly.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
The light intensified.
And for the first time—
John realized something far worse than the visions.
This place…
Was not showing the past.
It was reacting.
To something happening now.
The figure spoke again.
"And this time…"
A pause.
"…there will be no warning."
The light flared.
The ground shook harder.
And somewhere far above—
beyond the mountain…
beyond the island…
the ocean moved.
John sat down to catch his breath.
Everything around him seemed strange.
He lost all track of time.
He gathered his strength and looked at his watch.
He was astonished.
My God, it's four o'clock in the afternoon.
I have to get out of here quickly.
John stumbled backward.
The light in the chamber pulsed violently now, casting shifting shadows across the walls.
The ground trembled again—stronger this time.
Dust fell from above in thin streams.
"No…" John whispered.
"This place isn't stable."
The figure across the chamber did not move
Did not react.
It simply stood there… watching.
John didn't wait.
He turned sharply and ran.
Back toward the tunnel.
His footsteps echoed loudly now,
Mixing with the deep vibration that seemed to come from the.
very core of the mountain.
The flashlight flickered in his hand as he moved quickly through the narrow passage.
Behind him—
a low cracking sound.
The chamber.
Something inside it was shifting.
Breaking.
John didn't look back.
The tunnel twisted slightly, narrowing in places.
He had to steady himself against the walls as he pushed forward.
His breath grew heavier.
Faster.
"Keep moving… just keep moving…"
Another tremor.
Stronger.
A rock fell from above, striking the ground just behind him.
Fragments scattered across the path.
John flinched, nearly losing his balance.
The sound of the storm returned faintly ahead.
Wind.
Rain.
Distant… but real.
The exit.
He pushed forward faster now.
Ignoring the pain in his legs.
Ignoring the burning in his lungs.
Then—
light.
Faint.
Gray.
Natural.
John burst out of the tunnel and stumbled onto the rocky slope.
The storm was still raging.
Rain lashed against him.
Wind howled across the mountain.
The sky above was dark, heavy with clouds.
He turned instinctively toward the entrance.
The opening behind him…
was gone.
Or at least—
it no longer looked the same.
Where the narrow passage had been…
there was now only jagged rock.
Collapsed.
Sealed.
John stared at it in disbelief.
"No… no, that's not possible…"
But there was no time to process it.
The mountain trembled again.
Stronger.
Longer.
John turned and began descending.
The path was more dangerous now.
Mud.
Scattered gravel.
Water flowing in thin streams.
Move carefully... but quickly.
He slipped occasionally.
He clung to the ground.
In the middle of the road...
He stopped.
Something caught his eye.
Far below…
the island.
The town.
Dark.
Still without power.
But that wasn't what froze him in place.
It was the sea.
Even from this height…
he could see it.
It was not calm anymore.
The surface was shifting.
Restless.
Unnatural.
And far on the horizon—
a faint line.
Rising.
John's breath caught.
"No…"
The memory returned.
The retreating water.
The silence.
The warning.
He stepped back instinctively.
Then turned—
and ran.
Down the mountain.
Toward the town.
Toward the hotel.
The wind roared louder now.
As if chasing him.
As if pushing him forward.
Behind him—
deep within the mountain—
something collapsed completely.
A dull, heavy sound echoed through the land.
And ahead…
the island waited.
Unaware.
Unprepared.
John didn't stop.
Because now he understood one thing clearly—
This was no longer a mystery to solve.
It was a race.
Against something vast…
ancient…
and already in motion.
John was now closer to the hotel.
He walked along a long sidewalk on the city's main street.
He quickened his pace to get there quickly.
The heavy rain had stopped.
His clothes were soaked and dirty.
His face was pale, his eyes tired.
He raced against time as the sun began to set over the island.
Then John finally arrived at the hotel.
He entered without saying hello.
The receptionist turned around, surprised.
Are you alright, sir?
John answered in a low voice,
"Yes."
"Please, I'd like a meal and a bottle of water to my room.
And some bandages, if possible."
"Of course, sir," she replied quickly.
"Do you need any help?"
John answered,
"No, just what I asked for, thank you."
Then he went up to his room, leaning against the wall.
Finally, he reached the room.
He opened the door.
He threw the bag off his back onto the floor.
Then he pulled the blanket over himself and lay down on the bed.
Like a small child tired from playing too much.
.....
" If you liked the chapter, leave a comment ❤️"