The Immortal’s Vow

The Forgotten Ruin

They stood at the threshold of the ruin where fragments of what had once been a towering structure now lay in crumbled heaps, overtaken by wild shrubs and moss. The air was colder here, sharper, as if the ruin itself carried the chill of its ancient past. Lyra instinctively pulled her jacket tighter around her body, trying to fend off the cold that bit through to her bones.

Rhett, standing next to her, seemed unaffected by the wind. At six feet three, he loomed tall against the darkening sky, his broad frame almost motionless despite the gusts. Harrison, looking somewhat impatient as he bounced on the balls of his feet, his hands stuffed into the pockets. He surveyed the wreck excitedly, almost oblivious to the cold breeze that was blowing around.

“Where’s the crew?” 

Lyra’s voice barely carried over the wind.

Harrison shrugged, his gaze fixed on the ominous stone structure ahead. 

“Packed up for the night, probably,” he replied. “Not like they’re expecting company out here anyway.”

Rhett exhaled, his breath a cloud in the biting air. 

“Let’s just make this quick. The wind is getting worse..a storm is coming.”

The ruin was standing before them, proud and very old. Deteriorated banners warning danger were flapping back and forth in the strong winds; the writing was faded but still read: 

DANGER UNSTABLE STRUCTURES KEEP OUT NO TRESPASS. 

Still, the absence of any guards or even repair workers in the area suggested that the structure had not only been left unattended by people but also devoid of history for a long while. In spite of the danger signs, no one made a move to retreat. Either it was the adventure mongering or maybe their foolishness that made them remain.

Once again, the heavens spoke, a low threatening growl of thunder, timorously resounding far away. Lyra stared at the broken archway ahead. Jagged, crumbling stone, like teeth of some long-dead beast, stood as the entry point into the ruin. 

Further away stood the blackened remnants of what was probably once a spectacular hall or temple. Its walls were in a chaotic tangle of vegetation. The stones were decorated with odd designs and engravings, which have long lost their significance, yet which were no less creepy for that.

Harrison was the first one to step through the arch. He was brimming over with excitement, even in the presence of the scary ruins. 

“Let’s go!” he called, beckoning the rest to come forward. “This is amazing! Look at this place!”

Rhett glanced over at Lyra, his usual calm demeanor giving way to a hint of uncertainty. 

“We can still turn back,” he said softly, his gray eyes scanning the ruin. “This place gives me the creeps.”

Lyra nodded. She felt it too, the way the air seemed heavier, as though the ruin itself were alive and waiting for them. “Yeah, me too. This doesn’t feel right.”

But Ivy, standing a few paces behind them, was less concerned. Her auburn hair whipped around her face as she secured her flashlight, the beam cutting through the growing darkness. 

“Are you guys serious? This is what we came for!” 

She responded by smiling even more and the excitement could be seen in her eyes. “Isn’t it even a bit of fun to be a little terrified of an adventure?”

Lyra looked at her quizzically. “Just wait till something moves. I know you will be the first one to scream.”

“Come on,” Ivy replied with a chuckle. “What could be worse? It’s just an old ruin.”

Rhett’s eyes flicked to the dark clouds gathering above them, the wind pulling at his jacket. “I don’t know… something feels off.”

Ignoring the growing tension, Harrison pushed further inside, moving toward the entrance of what appeared to be the central chamber of the ruin. Lyra and Rhett exchanged a glance, and though Rhett’s reluctance mirrored her own, there was something magnetic about the ruin. Lyra felt it too—the pull to explore what lay within.

They followed Harrison through the archway, the wind growing louder, howling as it funneled between the ancient stones. Inside, the temperature plummeted even further. 

The rising and levelled walls, as they stood, after so many years of wear, intricate carvings adorned them. The carvings were swirled and twisted into different shapes that came to life with the light of their torches. 

Harrison was in his zone marveling at the carvings with the zeal only he could possess. 

“These markings…” he croaked as he swept the flashlight beam over the bizarre lettering. “I mean, they’re just... insane. I’ve never seen anything like that before.” 

As usual, Ivy the optimist made her way next to him, and her eyes were sparkling with thrill. 

“As if we entered another dimension,” she couldn’t help but say. “I can’t believe we are actually in this place.” 

Lyra walked behind them; every nerve inside her bayed for her to retreat. 

The air inside the ruin felt wrong, thick with something she couldn’t name. Each step forward felt like pushing against a force she could not see, a resistance that only she seemed to sense. The wind outside had become ferocious now, rattling the broken stones, but it wasn’t the storm that unsettled her. It was the ruin itself. The deeper they went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became, as if the place were alive and watching them.

Rhett kept close to Lyra, warily scanning their surroundings. "I don't like this," he muttered lowly. "Something's not right here.”

Lyra nodded the whole time. She couldn't shake off the feeling that they were being watched, that they were stepping onto something antique and perilous. 

"I know," she whispered back. "We need to be careful."

Too caught up in their excitement, Harrison and Ivy barely noticed the tension growing between Rhett and Lyra as they pressed deeper into the ruin, their flashlights illuminating past broken pillars and crumbling walls to more carvings–even more unsettling in nature. The symbols became increasingly complex the further they went, twisting and spiraling in ways that made Lyra's skin crawl.

Then, as if on cue, a low sound echoed through the chamber—a whisper, soft and indistinct, but unmistakable. 

Lyra froze; her heart pounded in her chest. She turned sharply, but there was nothing behind them, just the wind howling through the ruins.