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墨書 Inktalez
Alice's flashlight beam carved a faint arc through the damp air, the shadows of the cave lying like fabric carelessly discarded on the ground, languid and heavy. She took a deep breath, feeling an unusual chill in the air. This cave was no longer the place she once knew; the dry riverbed, the slick rock walls, even the echoes seemed to mock her helplessness.
"Fox..." she whispered, her voice swallowed by the echo, vanishing instantly into the darkness. She had lost count of how many times she had called that name; the emptiness before her seemed to grow even more silent, as if her cries elicited no response.
As she walked, memories of the day Fox went missing flooded her mind. They had been discussing masks that day when Fox suddenly wandered off, claiming he had found a new clue, and then disappeared deep into the cave. Alice remembered not being overly worried at that time, thinking Fox had simply stumbled upon something intriguing. Yet he had never returned. Each time she recalled that moment, a sharp pain pierced her heart, as if an invisible hand were tightly gripping it.
Suddenly, she paused; a faint sound seemed to reach her ears. "Alice..." The voice echoed from deep within the cave, reverberating like a memory. Alice whipped around, but all remained quiet; only her breathing echoed in the air.
"Fox?" she called out, urgency and confusion lacing her tone.
The air offered no reply. Her heart raced as her previously weary steps quickened once more. She knew she was getting closer to Fox, yet she dared not feel too hopeful—every time she heard that voice, unease washed over her as if everything were controlled by some unseen force.
She quickened her pace along the narrow passage of the cave. Just when she felt her confidence waning, a glimmer of light appeared ahead in the darkness. Her eyes widened; the source of light was a small crack through which she could see familiar things—a rope, a trail of footprints, and even tools left behind by Fox. She knew he must be nearby.
"Fox!" Alice shouted again, hope filling her voice. This time, her call was not swallowed by echoes; she could almost feel Fox beside her.
She squeezed through the crack and jumped into a more spacious underground chamber. The chamber was empty, but Alice's eyes quickly scanned the surroundings for any clues. Moving to one side, she noticed some broken rocks scattered on the ground alongside a severed rope. She crouched down to examine it closely; the frayed end of the rope was clearly torn apart by some immense force.
"Fox..." Her voice turned low again. Something had clearly happened here.
As she inspected the rope, a faint groan came from the other side of the chamber. Alice's heart nearly stopped as she looked up abruptly. She dashed toward the source of the sound, her flashlight beam dancing through the darkness ahead until finally—there he was—Fox, curled up beside a massive stone, his face pale and his eyes dazed.
"Fox!" Alice rushed over and grasped his shoulders urgently, her voice trembling with emotion. "Are you okay?"
The fox lowered his head, panting heavily, clearly weak. However, when he saw Alice's face, a flicker of surprise and warmth crossed his eyes. "Alice?" He struggled to lift his head, managing a faint smile that was filled with exhaustion. "You finally found me."
Alice's heart eased momentarily, but a wave of questions quickly followed. "What happened to you? Why did it take so long to find you?"
The fox shook his head, his fingers trembling slightly as he pointed toward a stone wall nearby. "There... is something here; it seems to be a trap." His voice was filled with helplessness. "I tried to uncover the secret of the mask, but this place seems to hide something. I almost..."
His voice quivered, and Alice immediately understood. The fox had been trying to reveal the truth behind the mask and had ended up trapped here. She took a deep breath, suppressing her anxiety and anger, and helped the fox to his feet. "We need to get out of here quickly; this place is too dangerous."
As she supported the fox's shoulder and turned to leave, she suddenly halted. In one corner of the cave, a faint glimmer of light caught her eye. It was a wooden box, old and worn, its surface covered in dust and cracks as if it hadn't been touched in ages. Alice's heart raced; she knew this must be the "thing" the fox had mentioned.
"Wait a moment, Fox," Alice whispered, gently setting him down before approaching the wooden box. She moved cautiously, afraid of triggering something she shouldn't touch. As she got closer, she carefully lifted the lid of the dilapidated box. Inside, the items were shrouded in dust, almost indistinguishable, but she could still sense a powerful aura emanating from within.
With determination, she fully opened the lid and finally saw what lay inside—a peculiar stone slab etched with intricate symbols that glowed with a dark red light. Alice's heart raced even faster; she knew this slab must be connected to the secret of the mask. The fox had mentioned that this cave concealed some ancient power, and this slab was clearly the key to that power.
"Alice, don't touch it!" the fox suddenly called out in a low voice filled with warning. "That slab... it will alter all your memories; you'll never be able to escape from it."
Alice froze mid-motion and turned to look at the fox. "Are you saying this slab has some kind of magic?"
The fox nodded painfully. "Yes, its power is enough to control a person's consciousness and lead them into endless confusion. Everyone who comes here is eroded by its power until they completely lose themselves."
A chill ran down Alice's spine. She realized that the slab before her was not only key to unraveling the mystery of the mask but also posed the greatest danger for both her and the fox.
"We must destroy it," Alice said through clenched teeth, her tone resolute.
The fox looked at her, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes. "Destroy it?" he murmured, "Do you think that will solve everything? No, that's only part of it. The power of the mask is far greater than we can imagine."
Alice ignored the fox's warning and resolutely approached the stone slab, raising her hand to shatter it. But just then, a powerful force suddenly surged from the slab, knocking her off balance. She clutched the nearby stone wall tightly as the scene before her began to blur, all sounds muffled as if separated by a thick curtain of water, making everything around her feel incredibly distant.
"Alice!" The fox's voice seemed to be pulled into fragments, his figure gradually fading. "You can't destroy it! You have no idea what its true meaning is!"
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