Ancient Ruins
The interior of the ancient ruins is even more vast than it appears from the outside. Crumbling stone pillars stand in rows, and the high ceiling blends into the darkness. A cold breeze blows through, and eerie sounds can be heard from somewhere. “Be careful,” the old hunter whispers, keeping a watchful eye on our surroundings. “There are all kinds of traps set up in these ruins.” We move forward cautiously. Moss covers the floor, making it slippery. Ancient characters are carved into the walls, but most of them are indecipherable. Suddenly, a faint flash of light streaks past my feet. I instinctively leap back, narrowly avoiding danger. “It’s a trap!” the old hunter shouts. “Don’t go near where the light flashed!” We press further inward, avoiding the spot where the light had flashed. Suddenly, a massive pit appears right before our eyes. The bottom of the pit is pitch black; we can’t see a thing. “This pit is deep and dangerous,” says the old hunter. “We’ll have to go around it.” We bypass the pit and head down another passageway. The passage is narrow, dimly lit, and feels oppressive. Bizarre paintings adorn the walls, seeming to glare at us. Emerging from the passageway, we enter a large hall. In the center of the hall stands an altar, upon which a black crystal sits. An evil aura radiates from the crystal, intimidating us. “That is the source of the evil power,” the old hunter says, pointing at the crystal. “Unless we destroy that, we cannot rid these ruins of the evil power.” However, several evil spirits are lying in wait around the altar. They glare at us and prepare for battle. “So, you’ve come after all…” I raise the Harp of Atlantis and steel myself. “We must destroy this crystal and defeat the evil spirits.” The evil spirits attack us all at once. I play the Harp of Atlantis, unleashing a sacred melody. The melody slows the spirits’ movements, but there are so many of them that it’s not very effective. The old hunter also swings his staff, launching attacks at the spirits. However, the spirits are quick and dodge the old hunter’s attacks. While playing the lyre, I keep the spirits off balance. I also use the wind spirit’s conch shell to harness the power of the wind and blow the spirits away. However, the spirits keep attacking one after another. My stamina is draining, and I’m gradually being cornered. At this rate, the old hunter and I might be wiped out. I have to find a way out of this. I scan my surroundings, looking for anything I can use. Then, in the corner of the hall, I spot an old stone monument. Ancient characters are carved into it, but some have crumbled and are unreadable. I approach the monument and try to decipher the remaining characters. It turns out the text pertains to ancient wind magic. The monument featured a diagram of a magic circle designed to amplify the power of the wind, along with instructions on how to activate it. However, the magic circle was extremely complex, and I couldn’t fully understand it. Still, using the magic circle on the monument as a reference, I decided to try casting a spell of my own to amplify the power of the wind. I picked up the wind spirit’s seashell, and
