Chapter 5 The Circles Call

The mill loomed like a ghost under the moonlight. Ethan, Marcus, and Lila crept inside, flashlights cutting through the dark. The journal had hinted at a hidden chamber, and Ethan was determined to find it. The basement was eerier at night, every creak amplified. They searched for hours, finding nothing but dust and broken glass.Then Lila spotted a loose brick in the wall. Ethan pried it free, revealing a narrow tunnel. "This is it," he whispered.The tunnel led to a circular chamber, its walls carved with the same broken-crown symbol. In the center was a stone altar, stained dark.

Ethan's heart pounded. "This is where it happened," he said. "Whatever 'it' is."Lila read from the journal. "The guardian must offer their light to bind the shadow. The vial is the key."Ethan pulled the vial from his pocket. It pulsed in his hand, warm to the touch. "What if I open it?""Don't," Marcus said. "This is some horror movie nonsense."But Ethan felt drawn to it, like the vial was calling him. He uncorked it, and a wisp of dark smoke curled out, forming shapes in the air-faces, hands, eyes. A voice echoed in his mind: You are the next.Lila screamed, dropping the journal. The smoke vanished, but the air felt heavier, like a storm was brewing. "We need to leave," Marcus said.Back at home, Ethan couldn't sleep. The voice lingered, and the journal's pages seemed to shift, revealing new words: The shadow wakes soon. He didn't know what it meant, but he knew he couldn't ignore it.