As the first rays of sunlight pierced through the thick canopy, the boys woke up, stretching their stiff limbs after a restless night. The weight of their situation settled in once again—they were lost, deep in a mysterious forest that seemed determined to keep them trapped.
Despite the fear lingering in the back of their minds, they had one goal: to either find their way back or uncover the hidden temple.
Sunil rubbed his eyes and sighed. *"Alright, first things first—we need to check the book again. Maybe we missed something that could help us."*
Nobin, already digging into his bag, pulled out the old book. *"We definitely did. Last time, we only focused on the landmarks we had already seen—the twisted tree, the whispering stones, and the silent river. But there was a lot more written here that we didn’t pay attention to."*
Darik, taking a bite of a dry biscuit from his bag, scooted closer. *"Yeah… we got too excited and ignored the details. Let’s not make that mistake again."*
Nobin flipped through the worn pages, his eyes scanning the faded ink. Then, he stopped and read aloud :
*"The seekers who follow the first path shall face the greatest trial. The forest bends to protect what lies beyond. Only those who see beyond the obvious shall find the way."*
Sunil frowned. *"‘The first path’? What does that mean?"*
Darik groaned, running a hand through his messy hair. *"Great. That probably means the road we took was the worst choice. No wonder we’re stuck."*
Nobin nodded. *"Yeah, it says here that the direct path to the temple is nearly impossible to cross. But look at this…"* He pointed to another passage.
*"The hidden temple reveals itself only to those who follow the forgotten signs—where shadows never fall, where water runs against the wind, and where the earth opens its mouth."*
Sunil raised an eyebrow. *"Earth… opens its mouth? That sounds terrifying."*
Darik leaned forward, intrigued. *"Wait, that could mean a cave or some kind of underground passage!"*
Nobin nodded. *"Exactly. We need to search around us. If we find any of these signs, we might be able to get out of here—or better yet, find the temple."*
*Discovering the Hidden Path*
After finishing a quick meal, they started exploring the area, carefully looking for anything that matched the descriptions in the book. They walked through the thick forest, the morning mist still lingering around them, making the trees look even more eerie.
*"Keep an eye out for anything unusual,"* Sunil reminded them.
Darik smirked. *"You mean besides the fact that this forest literally erased the road we came from?"*
After nearly an hour of searching, Nobin suddenly called out. *"Guys, over here!"*
They rushed to his side and saw what had caught his attention—an opening in the ground, partially hidden by overgrown vines and moss. It looked like a natural tunnel, dark and ominous.
*"The earth opens its mouth,"* Sunil murmured, glancing at Nobin.
Darik grinned, stepping forward. *"Looks like we found our way in. Are we really doing this?"*
Nobin took a deep breath, gripping the book tightly. *"We don’t have a choice. If this really leads to the temple, we might find another way out from there."*
Sunil hesitated for a moment, then nodded. *"Alright. But we stick together, and if it gets too dangerous, we turn back."*
With that, they took their first steps into the underground passage.
*The Cave of Many Paths*
The tunnel led them deeper into the forest, twisting and turning until they finally emerged into a hidden valley surrounded by towering cliffs. In front of them was a massive cave entrance, its gaping maw looking like something out of a legend.
Sunil shivered. *"Well… this definitely fits the description of something that wants to eat us."*
Darik chuckled. *"Come on, scaredy-cat. Let’s check it out."*
With cautious steps, they entered the cave. The air inside was cool and damp, and their footsteps echoed against the stone walls. After walking for a few minutes, they reached a large chamber where multiple tunnels branched off in different directions.
*"Great,"* Darik muttered. *"Now what? Which one do we take?"*
Nobin immediately opened the book again, flipping through the pages. He stopped at a section that described the cave.
*"The labyrinth of paths is treacherous. Only one leads to the temple; the others lead to endless darkness or worse. To find the right path, seek the sign of the lost ones—where the old words still speak."*
Sunil’s face paled. *"‘Endless darkness or worse’? I don’t like the sound of that."*
Darik rolled his eyes. *"Relax. We just need to find whatever ‘the lost ones’ means. Maybe some old carvings or writings."*
They carefully examined the walls of the cave, shining their flashlights along the rocky surface. After a few minutes, Nobin gasped.
*"Here! Look at this!"*
Carved into the stone above one of the tunnels were ancient symbols, partially worn away but still visible. It looked like some kind of warning, but next to it, a single arrow was etched into the rock, pointing into the tunnel.
*"That has to be it,"* Nobin said.
Sunil swallowed hard. *"And what if it’s not? What if we’re walking straight into something dangerous?"*
Darik exhaled. *"That’s a risk we have to take. The book says there’s no way back except through the temple. We either go forward… or we stay lost forever."*
Silence filled the cave as the reality of their situation settled in.
Then, Nobin took a deep breath and stepped forward. *"Let’s go."*
One by one, they followed the ancient markings into the unknown.
Shivai Miraculous
*Into the Depths of the Unknown*
As the first rays of sunlight pierced through the thick canopy, the boys woke up, stretching their stiff limbs after a restless night. The weight of their situation settled in once again—they were lost, deep in a mysterious forest that seemed determined to keep them trapped.
Despite the fear lingering in the back of their minds, they had one goal: to either find their way back or uncover the hidden temple.
Sunil rubbed his eyes and sighed. *"Alright, first things first—we need to check the book again. Maybe we missed something that could help us."*
Nobin, already digging into his bag, pulled out the old book. *"We definitely did. Last time, we only focused on the landmarks we had already seen—the twisted tree, the whispering stones, and the silent river. But there was a lot more written here that we didn’t pay attention to."*
Darik, taking a bite of a dry biscuit from his bag, scooted closer. *"Yeah… we got too excited and ignored the details. Let’s not make that mistake again."*
Nobin flipped through the worn pages, his eyes scanning the faded ink. Then, he stopped and read aloud :
*"The seekers who follow the first path shall face the greatest trial. The forest bends to protect what lies beyond. Only those who see beyond the obvious shall find the way."*
Sunil frowned. *"‘The first path’? What does that mean?"*
Darik groaned, running a hand through his messy hair. *"Great. That probably means the road we took was the worst choice. No wonder we’re stuck."*
Nobin nodded. *"Yeah, it says here that the direct path to the temple is nearly impossible to cross. But look at this…"* He pointed to another passage.
*"The hidden temple reveals itself only to those who follow the forgotten signs—where shadows never fall, where water runs against the wind, and where the earth opens its mouth."*
Sunil raised an eyebrow. *"Earth… opens its mouth? That sounds terrifying."*
Darik leaned forward, intrigued. *"Wait, that could mean a cave or some kind of underground passage!"*
Nobin nodded. *"Exactly. We need to search around us. If we find any of these signs, we might be able to get out of here—or better yet, find the temple."*
*Discovering the Hidden Path*
After finishing a quick meal, they started exploring the area, carefully looking for anything that matched the descriptions in the book. They walked through the thick forest, the morning mist still lingering around them, making the trees look even more eerie.
*"Keep an eye out for anything unusual,"* Sunil reminded them.
Darik smirked. *"You mean besides the fact that this forest literally erased the road we came from?"*
After nearly an hour of searching, Nobin suddenly called out. *"Guys, over here!"*
They rushed to his side and saw what had caught his attention—an opening in the ground, partially hidden by overgrown vines and moss. It looked like a natural tunnel, dark and ominous.
*"The earth opens its mouth,"* Sunil murmured, glancing at Nobin.
Darik grinned, stepping forward. *"Looks like we found our way in. Are we really doing this?"*
Nobin took a deep breath, gripping the book tightly. *"We don’t have a choice. If this really leads to the temple, we might find another way out from there."*
Sunil hesitated for a moment, then nodded. *"Alright. But we stick together, and if it gets too dangerous, we turn back."*
With that, they took their first steps into the underground passage.
*The Cave of Many Paths*
The tunnel led them deeper into the forest, twisting and turning until they finally emerged into a hidden valley surrounded by towering cliffs. In front of them was a massive cave entrance, its gaping maw looking like something out of a legend.
Sunil shivered. *"Well… this definitely fits the description of something that wants to eat us."*
Darik chuckled. *"Come on, scaredy-cat. Let’s check it out."*
With cautious steps, they entered the cave. The air inside was cool and damp, and their footsteps echoed against the stone walls. After walking for a few minutes, they reached a large chamber where multiple tunnels branched off in different directions.
*"Great,"* Darik muttered. *"Now what? Which one do we take?"*
Nobin immediately opened the book again, flipping through the pages. He stopped at a section that described the cave.
*"The labyrinth of paths is treacherous. Only one leads to the temple; the others lead to endless darkness or worse. To find the right path, seek the sign of the lost ones—where the old words still speak."*
Sunil’s face paled. *"‘Endless darkness or worse’? I don’t like the sound of that."*
Darik rolled his eyes. *"Relax. We just need to find whatever ‘the lost ones’ means. Maybe some old carvings or writings."*
They carefully examined the walls of the cave, shining their flashlights along the rocky surface. After a few minutes, Nobin gasped.
*"Here! Look at this!"*
Carved into the stone above one of the tunnels were ancient symbols, partially worn away but still visible. It looked like some kind of warning, but next to it, a single arrow was etched into the rock, pointing into the tunnel.
*"That has to be it,"* Nobin said.
Sunil swallowed hard. *"And what if it’s not? What if we’re walking straight into something dangerous?"*
Darik exhaled. *"That’s a risk we have to take. The book says there’s no way back except through the temple. We either go forward… or we stay lost forever."*
Silence filled the cave as the reality of their situation settled in.
Then, Nobin took a deep breath and stepped forward. *"Let’s go."*
One by one, they followed the ancient markings into the unknown.
*To be continued*
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 9