Chapter 3: Into Darkness Water trickled over the rocks, creating a shine in the darkness. On the other side of the door was a large tunnel that led back into the dark. Holes and cracks in the ceiling allowed small bits of light to find their way down from the mountain top above. The cave was uneven rock with a small creek feeding the plants that had grown here. The creek itself ended before the door, trickling across the stone and soaking in beneath the door. As Mar stepped forward the door shut behind him, casting him into the pitch black. His eyes adjusted to the change of light and he began to see small cracks through the walls that glowed a dim blue. The light inside pulsated along veins in the walls. It gave just enough glow to see where to go. The tunnel sloped gently uphill, he walked carefully, stepping in small shelves that created a natural walkway in the rocks. He walked forward and listened to the hollow sound of plants swaying in the wind, but there was no wind. The pulsating veins placed the whole tunnel in a blue tint. It all felt out of place, as if this place shouldn’t be real. Mar stared at every inch and studied everything as he worked his way forward. His ghost scanned the environment for molecular composition. “These cracks, they aren’t crystals or rocks, they are something else. The composition is made of molecules that I cannot identify. Though the substance is in a liquid state, it’s pumping from somewhere.” Mar reached out to one of the cracks and held his hand just above the fluid. He glanced over to see is ghost look questionable towards him. Mar touched the vein expecting a hard cover. Instead the contents pushed against his finger and built up around is finger and back into the vein. Mar pulled his hand back and the fluid continued back on its normal route. This environment didn’t sit right with Mar, but he was driven by finding out what this place was and what that flicker he was chasing was. He moved forward along the tunnel, carefully stepping along the pathway. The walk through the tunnel was silent, Mar knew his ghost felt the same as him. Several minutes passed before Mar found the end of the tunnel. The walls turned and opened to a larger area. The ceiling raised high above Mar and walls pushed out. The creek continued straight ahead. A large crack in the ceiling allowed for light to show everything below. Mar walked forward still searching for what was in this place. He came to a spot and looked up to the rock above. Before him stood two towers, only framework made of metal. They reached up into the cold stone ceiling and only allowed several feet of gap between them. The framework was intricate and detailed, there was beams connecting the two towers and spreading across the structures for support. It was a gateway. A soft crashing sound came from beyond the towers. Mar stepped between them and walked closer. After the towers the cave grew larger, the walls spread to the sides and curved back around on the far end. The ceiling reached high above. There was massive holes and cracks above, letting the floor below to be nearly completely lit up. On the other end of the cave was a massive waterfall. He fell from above and protruded from the walls. He pushed out and curved back into the walls behind it. Below the waterfall was a large pool of water. It took up nearly half of the floor. He channeled into the creek that lead out. On either side of the large pool was grass, rich and green. The blue veins spread throughout the chamber and reached behind the waterfall. Mar looked over everything, amazed by the environment here. It was beautiful. He stared out at the waterfall. It crashed down into the pond, though the normal roar of crashing water was not there. While Mar watched he caught the flicker again. It danced behind the waterfall. He jumped up and stared at it, seeing what it was going to do next. The flicker stopped moving and faded away. Mar quickly scanned the edges of the waterfall, looking for a way through. There was a brim of grass on the right side that would work. He sprinted over and worked his way along the wall. He slowly pushed himself under the waterfall. The force pushed him down and caused him to come to a near stop. He pushed through to the other side. The ground widened here and created a grass platform. It was oddly quiet and calm. Mar looked at the waterfall before turning his attention to another tunnel that lead down into more darkness. Mar didn’t look very long before he run forward into the hole. He chased the flicker down a long winding tunnel. The rocks became rougher and slippery, forcing Mar to slow down. He kept pushing ahead, needing to know what was down there. Something was pulling him in. He no long controlled his own will. He kept going, pushing, running forward. The path led him deeper down into the darkness. Along the way he came to splits in the tunnel, paths leading in different directions. Every time he ran after the flicker, not thinking about where he was going. The light stayed just enough in front of him that he knew where it was going, but not what is was. It lead him through a maze of caves and paths. There was a whole world down here. Some areas opened into massive chambers or canyons, others became small and hard to move through. Finally the flicker stopped. Mar ran into a cave that was pitch black. There was a large cavern before him, but he could see nothing. Only then did Mar notice that there wasn’t any veins here, no light pulsating. Mar began to regain his sense, and he knew this was wrong. He should not have come down here, he should not have left the city. He needed to get out. Mar turned back to where he had come from, but something stopped him. The sound of rocks being scratched rang through the cavern. Mar froze in place. The air grew heavy and hot, the moisture thickening. It was dead silent, except for one sound, Claws scraping along rock, Scales rubbing across stone. Mar reached down to his thighs, grabbing the handles of two daggers he carried with him. Then another sound broke the air. He resonated through the stone and through Mar. The sound was a voice, deep and wicked. “You are not lost child of light, you are precisely where I want you to be.” The Rise of a Legend Chapter 1: The City https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/120713153 Chapter 2: The Gate https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/120713816 Chapter 4: Faded Light https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/124308809