Beneath The Surface I

Beneath the Surface

The alien wind howled through the jagged peaks, carrying with it a strange, almost melodic hum that set Lyra’s teeth on edge. She shivered as they descended into a narrow canyon, the air growing colder and thicker with each step. The terrain was unforgiving, the rocks sharp beneath her feet, but she forced herself to keep moving, unwilling to show weakness in front of Thalor.

He led the way in silence, his movements impossibly graceful despite the uneven ground. Every time she stumbled, he would glance back at her, his glowing eyes unreadable, but he never offered help. Lyra gritted her teeth, refusing to ask for it. She had survived this long without anyone’s assistance, and she wasn’t about to start now.

Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this planet was watching them, its pulse growing stronger the deeper they ventured into its core. The air itself seemed to vibrate with energy, and every breath she took felt heavy, as though the atmosphere was pressing down on her chest.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked, her voice barely carrying over the wind.

Thalor didn’t turn. “To a place of safety. For now.”

“For now?” Lyra repeated, her frustration bubbling up. “I need answers, not vague promises.”

At that, Thalor finally stopped. He turned to face her, his tall form silhouetted against the eerie blue glow of the canyon walls. “You want answers, human?” His voice was as cold as the wind whipping through the rocks. “Then understand this: you are not safe. Not here. Not anywhere on this planet. You will be hunted.”

Lyra frowned, her heart skipping a beat. “Hunted? By what?”

“By this world’s keepers,” Thalor said, his gaze darkening. “Ancient guardians that do not tolerate intruders. They sense you, Lyra. They sense your presence here, and they will come for you.”

A cold knot of fear twisted in her stomach. “And what about you? Why aren’t they after you?”

Thalor’s expression flickered, just for a moment, with something she couldn’t place—regret, perhaps, or guilt. “I am different,” he said quietly. “I belong here, in a way you do not.”

Lyra’s frustration surged. She felt like she was constantly grasping at half-truths, with Thalor always holding the real answers just out of reach. “You keep saying that, but what does it mean? You belong here? What are you, really?”

Thalor studied her for a long moment, his gaze piercing. “I am bound to this planet,” he said softly, his voice laced with something dark. “As you are bound to me.”

The words sent a jolt through her, the weight of their meaning settling heavily on her chest. Bound to him. What did that even mean? The pull she felt—the strange connection that tugged at her every time she looked at him—was it more than just attraction? Was it something deeper, something supernatural?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a low rumble that reverberated through the canyon, making the ground tremble beneath her feet. Lyra tensed, instinctively reaching for the plasma torch at her side, though she knew it would be useless against whatever force was coming for them.

Thalor’s eyes narrowed, his gaze shifting to the sky. “We must move. Now.”

He turned and started down the canyon, his pace quickening, and Lyra had no choice but to follow. Her legs burned as they navigated the rough terrain, the blue glow of the alien plants growing brighter the deeper they went. The rumble grew louder, echoing off the canyon walls like the roar of a distant beast.

“What is that?” Lyra asked, struggling to keep up.

“The first of the keepers,” Thalor said without looking back. “It senses us. We cannot fight it—not yet.”

Lyra’s heart pounded in her chest, the fear rising with each step. She wasn’t sure what a “keeper” was, but the fact that Thalor was running from it was enough to convince her that it was nothing good.

They reached a narrow crevice in the canyon wall, barely wide enough for Thalor to fit through. Without hesitation, he slipped inside, and Lyra followed, squeezing through the tight space. The crevice opened up into a hidden tunnel, its walls lined with glowing veins of blue energy. The hum of the planet’s pulse was louder here, almost deafening.

Thalor led her deeper into the tunnel, his pace steady but urgent. Lyra’s mind raced as they moved. The keepers, the strange energy coursing through the planet, the pull she felt toward Thalor—it was all connected, but she couldn’t see how. She needed more information, but now wasn’t the time to press him.

The tunnel twisted and turned, its walls narrowing and widening at odd intervals, until they finally emerged into a vast underground cavern. Lyra’s breath caught in her throat as she took in the sight before her.

The cavern was enormous, its ceiling towering high above them, dripping with strange, luminescent stalactites. The floor was covered in a shimmering, iridescent moss that seemed to pulse in time with the planet’s heartbeat. In the center of the cavern was a massive structure, half-buried in the ground, its metallic surface gleaming faintly in the dim light.

It looked like a ship. Or what was left of one.

Lyra’s eyes widened. “What is this place?”

Thalor stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the structure. “This is where you will find some of your answers.”

Lyra approached the wreckage cautiously, her heart racing. The ship was ancient, its hull corroded and scarred from centuries—maybe millennia—of exposure to the planet’s harsh environment. Strange symbols were etched into the metal, glowing faintly with the same blue light that seemed to permeate everything on this world.

Her fingers brushed the surface of the hull, and a jolt of energy shot through her, making her gasp. She pulled her hand back, staring at the ship in shock.

Thalor watched her, his expression unreadable. “This is a remnant of those who came before,” he said quietly. “Those who, like you, were brought here against their will.”

Lyra’s mind spun, the pieces of the puzzle slowly starting to fall into place. “This planet… it’s a trap, isn’t it? For anyone who comes too close.”

Thalor nodded, his gaze somber. “It is a prison, of sorts. A place where those who do not belong are trapped, bound to its will.”

Lyra’s stomach churned. “And the keepers? They’re here to make sure no one escapes.”

“Yes,” Thalor said. “They are the guardians of this world’s secrets. And they will stop at nothing to protect those secrets.”

Lyra’s pulse quickened. “Then how do we fight them? How do we escape?”

Thalor’s gaze darkened, his expression grim. “There is no fighting the keepers. Not directly. But there may be a way to weaken their hold on this world.”

Lyra frowned, her mind racing. “How?”

Thalor stepped closer to her, his eyes intense. “The bond between us—between you and me—it is not just a connection. It is a key.”

“A key to what?” Lyra whispered, her heart pounding.

“To unlocking the power of this planet,” Thalor said. “To controlling it.”

Lyra stared at him, her mind reeling. Control the planet? Was that even possible? And what did he mean by the bond between them being the key? She could feel the pull between them, stronger now than ever before, but she had no idea what it meant, or how to use it.

As if sensing her confusion, Thalor reached out and took her hand, his touch sending a shockwave of energy through her. “We are linked, Lyra,” he said softly. “Our fates are tied together. If we are to survive—if we are to escape—we must learn to harness that connection.”

Lyra’s breath caught in her throat as his words sank in. She had spent her entire life relying on her own skills, her own strength. But now, standing in the heart of an alien world, bound to a mysterious being she barely understood, she realized she couldn’t do this alone.

For better or worse, she and Thalor were in this together.

The rumble that had been chasing them through the canyon suddenly grew louder, and Lyra’s heart leapt into her throat. The ground trembled beneath their feet, and the air around them seemed to vibrate with a strange, ominous energy.

“They’re here,” Thalor said, his voice low and urgent.

Lyra’s grip tightened on his hand, her pulse racing. “What do we do?”

Thalor’s eyes blazed with determination. “We run.”

He pulled her toward the far end of the cavern, and Lyra didn’t hesitate. Together, they sprinted across the moss-covered ground, the rumble growing louder with each passing second. As they reached the mouth of another tunnel, Lyra glanced back, her breath catching in her throat.

Emerging from the shadows of the cavern were the keepers—massive, hulking creatures with bodies made of stone and glowing blue eyes.