“...the great floodgates of the wonder-world swung open...”

- Herman Melville, Moby-; or, The Whale

"Is it just me, or is freezing down here?" Luhan whispered as the nine of you stepped down the dark stairway. "I agree, there's something strange at works here," Oric answered with a nod. Baekhyun stood in front, changeling his core energy to produce small spheres of light, trying to illuminate as much of the walk way he could. Yes, it was cold, almost unnaturally cold. There was a strange presence in the air. The atmosphere was thick, stuffy, and wet. You felt something dense in the air enter your lungs as you inhaled, as if there was a mist flowing through the passageway.

You walked closely beside Kai, a image of through the caves of Jareth flashing in your mind. The darkness was getting you to and you became on edge. Looking about the rocky passageway, you absentmindedly held your wrist daggers tighter. Why did everything suddenly seem more closed in and compact? Was the tunnel closing in on you? Was something going to come out and attack you? It was very much possible. "Hey," Kai whispered against your ear, taking hold of your hand, "don't worry. I'm right here." He had noticed how anxious your eyes were and decided to ease your mind. You looked up at his face, illuminated by the golden light, almost glowing as he sent a gentle smile to you. A shaky breath escaped your lips and you griped his hands more. "Okay," you whispered. Kai grinned softly, pulling you closer to his side as he helped you walk down the steps. "Watch your step."

Kris eyed you two and frowned slightly. He felt burning jealousy rise up within him, so he looked away and tried to focus on the stairs. "Is something the matter?" Tao asked the older, noticing his change of expression. Kris shook his head and remained silent, causing Tao to frown. But he chose not to press him any further. "Guys! Do you hear that?" Baekhyun asked, causing a hush to fall over the group. Everyone became silent, listening carefully. It sounded like the rushing of water echoing through the passageway. "Where is that coming from?" Lay asked softly, looking around in every direction. You felt chills go down your spine the further you traveled.

"It it just me, or is it getting louder?" Kai said as he looked around the passageway. "No, you're right. It's getting exponentially louder," Tao told him with a nod, the man's eyes dilating slightly. Kris slowly reached for his blade as the noise rose to an almost deafening level. "Everyone be careful," he said. "Wait!" Suho paused, holding his hand up and making everyone stop in their tracks, "Oric... did you feel that?" The younger boy closed his eyes for five seconds before opening them and nodding his head. "I do. What is it?" he acknowledged, his eyes staring fearfully at the other. Suho's eyes gazed down the stairway, his senses heightening. "We are about to step into a holy presence," he whispered, taking in a deep breath and gulping, "Come on, let's go."

Suho moved to the front and stood beside Baekhyun. He motioned with his hand for the other to follow him and began walking forward into the darkness. Baekhyun quickly created more light and followed behind Suho. Kai squeezed your hand and led you along as the rest of you went after them. But even his hands felt tenser as you stepped down the the stairs. The noise continued to grow louder and louder. BAM! The sudden sound startled you and you jumped a bit, holding onto Kai's arm. "Guy's there's a door," Suho said as Baekhyun moved one sphere of light close to it so you could see. The door was gold colored, but had a lot of dirt covering it. You could barely make out the symbols inscribed into it. "The presence is strong here," Oric whispered with a shaky breath. "So let's go in and find out what this is all about,"  Luhan said, confidently urging the other to open the door.

Suho glanced at him and nodded before looking at the doorway to find a handle. "Guys... I can't find a handle," he told them. Baekhyun brought his light closer and analyzed it carefully before sighing, "I don't see one either..." Your furrowed your eyebrows. "There has to be a away to open it," Lay whispered, moving to the front of the group to try his luck. "Maybe there's something on the door but we can't see it because it's covered in all this dirt," Kris suggested as he ran his hands through his hair in thought. "Try cleaning it," Kai told Suho, who nodded his head and began creating an orb of water. The scribe brought the liquid to the top of the door and released it, moving the water in currents so every speck of dirt and gravel could be swept away.

Once he had finished you could see a large emblem in the center of the door, gleaming that beautiful gold color as if it was brand new. "Guys! It's the insignia of the sea," Suho gasped. The insignia began to glow and a sudden pulsation of power burst through the atmosphere, forcing your body to jerk backwards because of how intense it was. With the rest of the water left on it, the Insignia