The Veil Between Worlds

Chapter 4: The Unseen Threat

As Maya's heart raced with fear, she felt a hand grip her shoulder from behind. She whirled around to find her friend, Mark, standing there, his eyes wide with alarm.

"Maya, we need to get out of here," he said urgently, his voice barely above a whisper. "There's something... something terrible happening in this temple."

Maya nodded, relief flooding through her as she realized she wasn't alone. Together, they turned to flee, but as they made their way back through the labyrinthine corridors, they found their path blocked by a group of hooded figures.

The aghoris advanced on them, their eyes gleaming with malevolence. Maya and Mark backed away, their hearts pounding in their chests, but there was nowhere left to run.

"We can't let them stop us," Maya whispered, her voice trembling with determination. "We have to find the others and get out of here."

With a shared glance, they bolted down a side corridor, hoping to evade their pursuers. But as they rounded a corner, they stumbled upon a sight that froze them in their tracks.

Before them stood Sarah, her eyes glazed over, her body swaying as if in a trance. Surrounding her were the hooded figures of the aghoris, their chanting growing louder and more frenzied by the second.

"Sarah!" Maya cried out, but her friend didn't respond. She was completely under the aghoris' control, lost to whatever dark magic they were invoking.

Desperation clawed at Maya's chest as she realized they were trapped, with no hope of escape. But just as all seemed lost, a sudden commotion erupted from the chamber ahead.

The aghoris' chanting faltered, and Maya and Mark exchanged a bewildered glance. What could have caused the disruption?

With cautious steps, they crept forward, peering around the corner to see what lay ahead. And what they saw sent a chill down their spines.

The hooded figures were no longer chanting. Instead, they were frozen in place, their faces twisted in expressions of terror.

Maya and Mark exchanged a confused glance. What could have caused the aghoris to falter in their ritual?

As they watched, a low, guttural growl echoed through the chamber, sending shivers down their spines. And then, emerging from the shadows, they saw it.

A creature unlike anything they had ever seen before stood before them, its eyes burning with malevolent fire. It was a demon, summoned forth from the depths of the abyss, its presence filling the temple with an overwhelming sense of dread.

With a roar, the demon advanced on the aghoris, its claws slashing through the air. And as Maya and Mark watched in horror, they realized that they were not the only ones trapped in the temple.

For something far more sinister lurked within its ancient walls, and it hungered for their souls.