Chapter Text
[SAMAR, PHILIPPINES]
12:27 NN PHT
“Almost there!” The young professor called from several feet below, her voice echoing across the vastness of the cave. “Careful! That’s thousands of dollars worth of equipment!”
“Sorry, Ma'am!” A man peered from the opening of the cave high above, squinting his eyes beneath the glare of the flashlight on his safety helmet.
Maraiah Queen Arceta PhD., an associate professor from De La Salle University School of Archeology and one of the lead researcher of their cave expedition, held her thumbs up in the air as she and another member of their team carefully guided their equipment to the ground before they unlatched the harness from it, setting things up as they went while the rest of their team gathered and began putting together their tools and gears needed for collecting data.
“Is this everything, Aiah?” Jerry, another one of her students and researchers, frowned at the equipment they were setting up.
“We won’t stay long so make sure to record every single corner of this cave and leave no stones unturned.” The professor began. Another member handed Aiah a freshly charged headlamp as she spoke and she fixed it on her helmet as she laid the ground rules to her team.
Merely for precautions, since they have spent months preparing and debriefing for this exact moment so Aiah was confident that everything would go smoothly from there on out. She laid instructions and responsibilities to each member that entered that cave with her, their PhD students and a fellow professor who had years of experience in digging sites and exploring undiscovered caves throughout his career as an archeologist.
They all geared themselves up with helmets, caving suits, waterproof boots and gloves along with boxes and ziplock bags needed for collecting any specimens and artifacts that they would be bringing back to the surface with them.
“Do not wander anywhere farther than the areas marked in our GIS map without asking me or Professor Ramos first,” she added as she gestured at the older professor with them, then pointing at the few laptops and tablets set on one corner as their makeshift tech hubs where they could input new data and information. “Remember, everyone, there have been no recorded explorations in this cave before so we don’t know what kind of dangers we’ll find if we stray too far from one another.”
“Copy that, Professor!” The members of their team murmured their assents, heads nodding in unison.
“And also let us know right away should any of you begin to feel lightheaded or nauseous. It’s normal to feel that way especially for first time explorers like some of you,” Aiah gave each of their members a reassuring smile before continuing. “We’re hundreds of feet below the ground so the pressure, the temperature—it is very different from the surface. We know how it feels, we've been there before.”
Professor Ramos grunted from his spot while he was setting up his tablet. “It takes a while to get used to it, to be honest.”
Their team smiled at one another, shrugging.
“I’m all cool!” Terence, a genius twenty-four year old PhD student and a member of their team with thick-rimmed glasses and a goofy smile, held his hand up. He turned to Jerry beside him. “Dude, it’s like being in a dungeon!”
Aiah grinned at his enthusiasm even though he had been on this dungeons and dragons thing ever since they entered the cave, letting the pause linger for a few moments longer. “We’ve found one of the oldest and long-forgotten Pagan sites in the Philippines—perhaps even the whole world… All those endless days and nights of digging through countless books and research has led us to this very spot and we wouldn’t have made it here without the help of every single one of you.” Aiah pointed a finger above. “Including, of course, our team above.”
“Amen to that.” One of her students concluded, grinning from ear to ear.
She studied their faces for a while and Aiah saw the same eagerness and thirst for knowledge in each of their eyes, reminding her of a younger version of herself who was just as curious about everything, if not more.
They gathered in a circle for the last time, all seven of them, as Aiah led a quiet prayer—wishing for a safe and fruitful mission so they would all finally return to their lives in Manila after a couple of months of being out in the wilderness.
Once done with their respective preparation, Aiah, Professor Ramos, and their team dispersed within the cave to gather what they all came there for. All of them were properly equipped with the necessary tools and techs needed for efficiency. The drones were dispatched in different areas, their high-definition cameras had helped their exploration tremendously with their 3D mapping technology—allowing them to expand the areas that needed to be searched since they could navigate even on narrow tight spaces.
Aiah pulled out her radio and pressed it close to her mouth. “Ground team? We’re all set up. Research Team has begun data gathering at…” her eyes peered at her wrist watch. “Thirteen twenty-five hours. Over.”
The device crackled in her hand, then a familiar voice from their team responded. “Copy that. Do you need any assistance, doctor?”
“Negative,” Aiah confirmed, eyes trained on her team. “Remain on standby until further instructions. Over.”
“Copy that.”
She slipped the radio back into one of the multiple pockets of her cruiser vest before turning her attention to her tablet. Another member of her team had set a camera on a tripod to document the events of their research process and another had placed high-beamed LED lights on various corners of the cavern they were in.
The team worked in silence. Methodical, orderly and with the efficiency of a group who had been working together for months—years for some of them even. Days and nights spent gathering clues, reading old texts, studying grainy images of clay carvings from ancient artifacts just to locate the very place they were standing on at the moment.
The Madulom Cave in Samar was exactly as their guide said it was, tricky and quite treacherous at times if not thread through with the utmost care. Every chamber was extensive, towering stalagmites and stalactites hang intricately from the ceilings in various formations, they have seen a number of underground rivers on their way, each with their own unique ecosystem within.
And those were just a bit beyond the entrance. As their team went deeper within the cave systems, they had collected a variety of rock minerals and photographs after photographs of just about every fascinating thing they found along the way.
Within hours, their team worked as a synchronized unit as they combed through every inch of the cave within reach. The chamber they have camped in was massive, with carvings of strange runes and glyphs all over the walls and ceilings.
Aiah had spent a whole hour staring at the wall in mere fascination. Her endless wonder to the unknown and natural curiosity just couldn’t wait to find answers and uncover the meanings behind every symbol they have found in that cave.
Adjusting the pair of eyeglasses perched on her nose, Aiah took a step back and snapped a quick picture of the wall itself using her cellphone camera, smiling at how exciting it would be to send it to her girlfriend the moment they returned to the surface.
“Ma’am?” Their guide stepped in, a man in his mid-fifties, and gestured towards the rope ladder they left by the opening. “Ella said she was feeling light-headed.”
Ella was one of their students.
“Is Marvin not back yet?” She asked, concerned. Marvin would be their designated medic that went down into the chamber with them. He left a while ago to accompany one of their colleagues in exploring a tunnel they found.
“I’m here!” A man in his late thirties came rushing over, taking off his gear as they all rushed to get to Ella.
“I’m fine,” Ella reassured them, her face white and covered in cold sweat. “Just my vertigo, I guess.”
“I got you,” Marvin gave the woman a smile before he scooted over to her with the first aide kit in hand.
Aiah studied the student for a moment, a frown on her forehead. “Take some rest for a bit, okay? Have some food if you have to.”
“I-I will. Thank you. You guys should keep doing your thing. I’ll be fine.”
Nodding, she placed a hand on her student’s shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. “I’ll check up on you in a bit.”
Aiah let Marvin deal with Ella and returned to the other chamber along with her tablet. Professor Ramos was standing on her previous spot when she came back, studying the etchings on the wall with the same gleam of curiosity in his eyes.
“An underground temple? Sanctum? What do you think?”
The old man squinted his eyes. “Looks like it. But any idea as to who?”
Her eyes scanned the number of images carved on the walls, shrugging helplessly when she couldn't decipher what they could possibly mean. “Could be anyone, really. Doesn’t necessarily need to be a god, does it? The aboriginal people worshipped a ton of nature spirits and deities…”
“This one had quite the followers, though,” Professor Ramos nudged the crumbling clay jars on the corner of the chamber with the tip of his boot. They found so many of them, along with the old bones of animals that they figured were set aside after rituals.
There were altars and alcoves carved along the cave walls as well, where life-sized statues stood like sentient guards on this massive ceremonial chamber. They were still trying to figure out how to take these statues back to the surface with them to study since they must weigh a ton despite the crumbling state they were in. They would need more equipment to transport them out of the cave in one piece.
“Dr. Arceta? Dr. Ramos?” Someone called for them from a distance, their breathless voice echoing from all around them.
Their colleague, Jerry, appeared from the entrance, clutching a tablet against his chest for dear life. “You might want to check this out.” A grin formed on his face despite the state of anxiousness he was in. “So… one of our drones, Gamma three, was sent out on the southern part of the cave and it picked up on something.”
Aiah approached him immediately, eager eyes already fixed on his tablet screen. “Has anyone checked it?”
“I was about to go but I figured you guys might want to be there.”
“Of course.”
Professor Ramos peered over their shoulders as Jerry played the grainy footage for them. At first there were only the usual dark tunnels and passageways within the cave system, then the drone halted like it sensed something and turned the camera point-of-view towards a random wall where some black thorny vines covered the dusty rock wall of the cavern.
“What are we looking at?” Professor Ramos questioned, eyes squinting at the screen. “Are those plants or something?”
Aiah shrugged. “Looks like it.”
“Now, now… that was interestingly weird plants, yes, but,” Jerry paused dramatically, then pressed commands on the drone control system, changing the setting into scanner mode. The surroundings on the screen turned dark and the camera turned into laser vision as it scanned the black curtain of vines on the wall.
Their eyes widened the moment a tall rectangular-like shape appeared behind it.
An opening.
“Is that a door?” Aiah breathed out in disbelief.
“I think so.” Jerry grinned on both of them.
“Can we scan what’s behind it?” Professor Ramos requested, nodding at the tablet.
The man between them shook his head. “I don’t think so, sir. The wall and those doors were too thick to laser through.”
“That’s fine,” Aiah replied. “It’s still a find. Let’s check in with the others then gear up. We have to see what’s behind them.”
Jerry looked like he was told he could unwrap his Christmas gifts early because he left right away to gather what they needed.
Less than an hour later, the three of them stood in front of the black vine curtain without the others. Two of their colleagues had left exploring for the west tunnels while Marvin opted to stay behind with Ella in their little encampment until he was sure she was okay.
They brought lamps with them aside from the LED lights on their helmets. On their other hands were half-faced gas respirator masks. Jerry had brought a new drone with him since the previous one had lost power, along with another camera in his hand.
“Masks on,” Aiah instructed, already putting hers around her face before securing her helmet back on.
They have no idea what would be waiting behind those doors. As far as they know, no one had ever explored within this part of the cave, nor was there any documented research pertaining to these particular doors. The chance that the inside of this chamber remained undisturbed for centuries on end and the air alone could kill them instantly would be a high probability.
For minutes, only the sound of their scuffling movements and their breaths through the masks could be heard.
“Remember,” Professor Ramos spoke behind his respirator. “Always be careful. We stay together.”
Both she and Jerry nodded in assent.
The doors were made of thick dark wood and some jet black metal they couldn’t identify, covering the surface with some intricate patterns depicting scenes that Aiah had made sure to take pictures with for them to study once they were done in the cave.
They exchanged glances for the last time before Jerry and the professor worked on opening the doors with the steel crowbars they brought with them while Aiah held up their LED lamps in the air for them.
Thick dust and dirt exploded all around them once they finally unlatched the pair of doors, making them turn away quickly despite the masks on their faces. Once their surroundings settled, Jerry immediately sent the drone through the opening and they began to prepare for entry.
Aiah distributed the lamps to her colleagues before they carefully approached the doors. Professor Ramos had his crowbar held up in the air while Aiah kept her free hand to her belt where a hunting knife gifted to her by her girlfriend had been strapped in, ready to be used should things go sideways.
But any caution they had vanished instantly the moment they entered the chamber as their eyes widened at once and they all collectively sucked in their breaths when their lights hit the entirety of the cavern.
If it was even supposed to be a cavern.
They thought the previous chambers were big, spacious—but this one was certainly so massive it looked like they were standing in the middle of a stadium. Aiah stopped right in the middle of a stone aisle and turned around in circles, the lights and shadows dancing across the ceiling as she moved.
“What is this place?” She murmured in absolute wonder.
Compared to the other ones who held small altars and niches on the walls, this chamber looked more like a castle hall than anything. An aisle made of smooth stone ran all the way from the doors and towards the foot of an elevated surface where a gleaming throne-like chair made of pure black crystals and stones stood proudly in the middle.
Professor Ramos walked slowly towards it, almost in trance, gravitated by the mere sight of it. Aiah marveled at the number of statues that littered across the chambers, a bunch of seven-foot humanoid sculptures lining up the walls like royal guards poised to protect whoever was supposed to be seated on that chair in the middle. And the walls—every inch of the chamber seemed to have been covered with symbols and images carved with impressive care.
They would spend years trying to decipher every single one of them if they have to. This could be the discovery of a lifetime… Aiah realized, the thought alone made her heart skip a beat.
She could write books after books on everything they have found in this chamber alone.
“Holy shit,” they heard Jerry exclaim in glee, his laughter cracking from beneath his mask.
Aiah couldn’t help but agree. Holy shit indeed.
Time was completely forgotten as they wandered across the chamber like a bunch of kids lost in a toy store. On one side just a few meters away from the throne was a large altar littered with bones both atop of it and on the ground around the space. Stunned, there was no denying that these bones were not of any animals but pieces of centuries old human remains.
Human sacrifices… an antiquated ritual done by most civilizations during the ancient times.
A shiver ran across her skin at the thought.
“Uh, professors?” Jerry called hesitantly. “Come check this out!”
Shaking all thoughts of rituals from her head, Aiah made her way over to the other side of the chamber where Jerry was taking a video of a man-made stone pool filled with pitch black liquid to the brim.
Aiah winced, catching a whiff of the smell coming from it despite the respirator on her face. “Oh, God… what is that?”
“Old, old water?” Jerry guessed, extending his foot like he was going to touch it with the tip of his boot.
The strong scent of sulfur and methane-like gas combined with the smell of decaying human flesh was emanating from it.
“Don’t do that!” Professor Ramos scolded.
Jerry stumbled out of balance for a bit and the sole of his boot caught some of the sticky black substance from the pool, the disturbance causing a slight ripple across the surface.
They froze simultaneously, waiting for something to happen—or some creature to emerge from the depths of that pool—but the chamber remained in silence aside from the loud beating of their anxious hearts.
Jerry chuckled apologetically, shaking the substance off his boot. “Sorry!”
“Let’s not touch anything for now,” Aiah reminded warily, backing away from the pool.
The smell, the black liquid… something about it made Aiah want to stay as far from it as possible. The place was obviously an ancient religious site, and it didn’t matter if they were people of science, Aiah wouldn’t dare disrespect or tamper with places that held such significance.
But before they could move on to some other things, the lamps in their hands began to flicker. The drone, which had been flying around the chamber for the last thirty minutes or so, died and they heard it shatter into pieces on the ground somewhere.
“Guys,” Aiah whispered, not liking what was happening at all. “That can’t be good…”
The lamps flickered back on and they all took a deep sigh of relief. “I’m sure it’s nothing,” Professor Ramos replied, though he didn’t sound as certain as he was hoping he was. “Drones were known to cause power interference from time to time.”
Jerry nodded, trying to convince himself as well. “That’s—That’s true, sir.”
Aiah didn’t think it was that. There was a shift in the air, something heavier, and the scent of sulfur was almost too hard to ignore at this point. Looking around, the statues around the chamber looked even more formidable as the shadows on the corner seemed to crept closer.
“We should probabl—”
A distant scream tore through the silence of the chamber and they all flinched, looking around frantically for the source.
A female scream.
In sheer agony or terror, Aiah couldn’t tell.
Her own blood curled with sudden fear, heart trying to jump out in panic as the urge to run had set in.
Jerry looked at them, face pale and sweaty. “Who—”
Another scream echoed across the tunnels, louder this time.
“Ella!” Professor Ramos recognized it, eyes widening in alarm.
Then another scream followed and that one was deeper. Male.
“Marvin!” Jerry called before bolting towards the entrance.
Professor Ramos was right behind him, lamp held high along with his crowbar.
“Guys—” Aiah was about to chase after them when an invisible force slammed against her, throwing her backwards to the edge of the pool. Her head spun from the impact as she landed hard on the ground, her helmet and glasses cracking and flying off a few feet away. “J-Jerry! Prof—”
The back of her arms stung from the way she skidded across the rough floor, her shirt scraped and torn. Aiah scrambled to lift herself up, disoriented and in pain. Her legs shook underneath her as she unsheathed the knife from her belt, aiming to use it if necessary.
She blinked to clear her vision but without her glasses, there was only so much her eyesight could do with the limited lighting she had.
A figure stood not far from her and for a second, Aiah thought that the professor had returned for her.
But the figure didn’t look like Professor Ramos at all.
It was tall, slim, the body of a woman shrouded in darkness with long greasy hair almost reaching her waist.
The cold and the stench of sulfur coming from the figure made her stumble backward in shock, but Aiah held the knife between them, ready to fight back if need be. “S-Stay back! Don’t—Don’t you…”
Every nerve in her body screamed for her to hide, to run away from whoever it was—but how can you run from something who moved like the air and shadow itself?
So Aiah stood her ground, refusing to fall in fear. “Don’t y-you come near me! I know how to use this!”
The figure let out a gargling sound deep from her throat and it took her a second to realize it was laughter.
A cold, sinister laughter.
Then a voice suddenly spoke in her head—a string of obscure words that sounded ancient and made no sense for her at first. Aiah froze when she realized it wasn’t her head voice at all but a deeper throaty rasp of someone who hadn’t spoken for a long long time—and the sentences instantly changed into something she understands as if the woman realized she doesn't understand it. A body… at last...
The figure tilted her head, almost in a curious manner that took her by surprise.
I want…
“Stay back!” Aiah warned, grunting in pain as the back of her boot hit the edge of the pool. Her breath caught in her throat when she almost stumbled backwards.
You will…
…suffice…
With the blink of an eye, the figure vanished and appeared right in front of her. A pait of ice cold hands grabbed her face roughly, a set of long bony fingers covered in black slime that kept an iron grip around her jaw. Aiah tried to scream and break free, but her foot dipped into the black substance and immediately covered her leg with whatever it was.
“L-Let…Go—” Aiah struggled to free herself, suffocated by the smell and the grip around her face. She raised the knife in the air but it was ripped away from her grasp like it was nothing.
The woman—whatever she was—pressed against her. Its blurry image showed no features at all, just a collection of shadows forming the figure of a woman. You are… brave…
“What—W-What… are… you?!” She grunted in her effort to form words, an attempt to buy herself time as she figured out a way to free herself.
I will be… The creature paused, drawing out its words like it was just learning a language it never spoke before. It sounded fascinated, eager… its face creeping closer and closer to Aiah. Before she could push against it, the creature used its inhuman force to push Aiah backwards onto the pool and she fell out of balance.
“HELP—!” Aiah flailed in a miserable attempt to keep herself afloat but it was hopeless. The shadowy creature had kept its hand on her face, pushing her mercilessly deeper into the pool. "Mikh..."
The thick black liquid crawled all over her body like it had a life of its own until it entered her ears and mouth and whatever words she was screaming out were drowned by it along with the last oxygen from her lungs before she completely vanished beneath the pool.
For a moment, silence took over the chamber once the young professor had disappeared. Then the shadows crawled and the voices crept along the walls, murmurs of prayers filled the void as they moved almost reverently towards the pool when a woman slowly emerged from its darkness.
The queen…
The queen has risen…