CHAPTER 67: THE MARK

THUD!

They hit ground (Valkyrie and Bulb), rolling across cold dirt and dust. For a moment, there was nothing. No sound. No movement. Just the silence of something buried deep beneath the earth.

Valkyrie groaned softly, pushing herself up. The darkness was absolute— dense and suffocating. She couldn’t even see her own fingers. "Bulb?" she whispered, her voice trembling slightly.

"I’m here," his voice answered from somewhere near, low and steady, a comfort in the void. "Are you hurt?"

"No... I’m not hurt" She took a slow breath and lifted her hands. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yes I am, Damn" he cursed under his breath coughing uncontrollably.

Then— Blink.

Valkyrie raised her hands slowly, the darkness swallowing everything around her. Then, whoom— light burst softly from her palms.

Golden and colored light unfurled like liquid fire, rippling through the air in graceful waves. The glow clung to her fingers and trailed upward, casting faint halos across her face.

Shadows bent and twisted as the light reached outward, brushing the stone walls and revealing fleeting carvings half-buried in dust.

"What is this place?" she breathed.

Bulb turned slowly, his eyes scanning the shadows. "I don’t know. But it feels old. Like... an underground tomb."

They began to move carefully, their footsteps crunching over debris. The faint hum of Valkyrie’s magic filled the silence, flickering softly against walls etched with strange symbols.

The markings looked like they had been carved with claws rather than tools— ancient writings curling in unknown shapes, illuminated briefly by her shimmering hands.

Valkyrie traced one with her fingers, her voice soft and curious. "This isn’t Angelic markings... or Devilish either. These are markings of the unknown. I’ve never seen them before..."

Bulb frowned. "I don’t understand half of what you’re saying, Val, but whatever this place is, it doesn’t feel right."

Valkyrie moved closer to the walls, the soft light from her hands sweeping across the rough stone surface. The ancient carvings came alive beneath her glow— lines, circles, and runes woven together in a language older than memory.

She brushed her fingers lightly over one of the markings, tracing its shape as if trying to awaken a forgotten part of herself.

"These symbols..." she whispered under her breath, the light flickering gently with each word. "They look...really really familiar, Bulb."

The further she walked, the more intricate the engravings became. They seemed to pulse faintly in response to her magic, as though recognizing her presence. Then she stopped, catching her breath.

There, etched into the wall, was a mark— a curved symbol encased within a circle, with three smaller lines extending from its center like rays of light. It glowed faintly blue beneath her touch.

(Mark illustration description — simple, circular sigil with a flame-like center and three radiating strokes.)

Her hand trembled. "Wait..." she murmured, staring at it. The shape wasn’t just familiar. It was identical.

Without thinking, she turned slightly away, hesitating. The air grew thick with silence as Bulb stepped closer, brow furrowed in concern.

Valkyrie’s pulse raced, she could feel the heat rise in her cheeks but she needed him to see.

"This mark..." she began softly, then exhaled and tugged the edge of her mini skirt slightly down at her hip— just enough to reveal a faint sigil burned into her skin, the same circular mark shining dimly beneath the pale light.

Bulb froze. His eyes widened, not from impropriety but from pure disbelief. The mark on her skin pulsed once, as though answering the one on the wall. It was identical to the curved mark on the same wall she was showing him. Unbelievable.

"...Look, it’s the same mark on my hip, it’s exactly the same..."

Bulb’s eyes widened. "What the hell..." he muttered under his breath, quickly averting his gaze though his face flushed red. "You...you’ve had that since when?"

"I... I don’t know," Valkyrie stammered, hurriedly adjusting her skirt back into place. "It’s been there since I was young. I never thought it meant anything."

Bulb scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, uh, I mean...that’s definitely the same one. No doubt. The...uh...uhm..." He cleared his throat "hm hmm" eyes darting anywhere but her. "Nice mark..." he grinned awkwardly.

Valkyrie shot him a sharp look. "What does this mean? What connection do I have with this place?"

"Connection?" Bulb asked.

"I can feel it calling unto me...calling my name" Valkyrie said as she kept looking at other marks on the wall. Then she whispered, almost to herself, "Why do I have this...?"

Bulb looked at her— this time, with more seriousness. "Maybe it’s not just a mark," he said quietly. "Maybe it’s a sign."

They kept walking slowly, still trying to figure out where they were.

Then— crack

.

Valkyrie froze, lowering her light toward her feet. Her boot had pressed against something dry and hollow. The glow revealed the curve of a bone, fragile and pale. Slowly, she crouched, following the trail with her light— one bone, then another, until her breath caught.

A skeleton sat slumped against the far wall, its head bowed, its ribs cracked open as though time had devoured it. It looked ancient and centuries old.

Valkyrie gasped "Aaah" stumbling back.

Bulb moved instantly, stepping in front of her, his hand igniting with orange flame. "Stay behind me," he ordered, his voice was sharp, the flickering fire reflecting in his eyes.

But Valkyrie reached out, gently touching his arm. "Wait. It’s not moving."

She stepped closer, the light still trembling in her palm. There was a faint metallic gleam around the skeleton’s neck. A necklace. She squinted and blowed the dust away with careful breeze until the engraving became clear.

"Scar... Tharos," she read aloud, the name sounding heavy, powerful, and wrong all at once. She looked up at Bulb. "Who’s Scar Tharos?"

He shook his head, tension still etched across his face. "Never heard of that name before. And I don’t want to. Val, don’t touch anything. Whatever this place is, we need to get out of here now."

She hesitated. "But..."

"No buts Val. We find another way out, and we report this to the principals, this might be one of Darren’s trick."

"This is real, it don’t...seem like a hallucination. Principal Darren has no idea of my birthmark...it can’t be a coincidence either..." She said, confusion written on her voice.

"Right, the mark" Bulb said. "However we have to find a way out before night falls completely"

But Valkyrie’s curiosity was stronger than caution. "Just one look..." she whispered inaudibly to herself, her fingers already reaching for the necklace.

"VALKYRIE...WAIT...!" Bulb’s voice rose too late.

Then—

—CHIMMM

She grabbed the necklace.

The moment her hand brushed the pendant

BOOM!

The ground convulsed beneath them. The walls began to tremble violently as a deep rumble echoed through the cavern. Pebbles rained down, followed by massive stones tearing loose from the ceiling.

"Run!" Bulb shouted, grabbing her arm.

They bolted, the earth splitting and roaring around them. Dust filled the air...the sound of collapsing rock thundered like a storm. Valkyrie’s light flickered wildly, casting chaotic shadows as they sprinted through the shaking tunnel.

Another quake. The ground behind them cracked open, swallowing the skeleton whole.

"There!" Valkyrie pointed ahead— an open tunnel, faintly glowing with the shimmer of fresh air.

But the path was crumbling fast. Bulb’s wings snapped open— batlike and immense—and he grabbed Valkyrie around the waist. "Hold on!" he yelled. He grabbed her up, and in the air...

Valkyrie spread her angelic wings in sync— white feathers catching the light. Together, they leapt, soaring upward as the tunnel began to collapse beneath them.

Thom! Thom! Thom!

Rocks slammed into the walls beside them, shards slicing through the air. Dust stung Valkyrie’s eyes as she ducked under a falling boulder. The roar of destruction filled the space behind them like the growl of a beast.

"Faster!" she cried.

"I’m trying!" Bulb gritted, his wings straining as another burst of flame erupted from his palms, propelling them forward. The glow of the exit grew brighter and closer— until...

Whoosh!

They shot out through the narrow opening, bursting into a different chamber— glowing faintly with light from a crack in the ceiling above. Both landed hard on the stone floor, panting and covered in dust sand.

For a moment, they said nothing, listening to the echo of falling rocks behind them.

Valkyrie caught her breath first, her hands still glowing faintly. She looked at the necklace clutched tightly in her fist— the same one she had pulled from the skeleton’s neck. It shimmered with faint red light that hadn’t been there before.

Bulb turned to her, eyes widening as he saw the faint sigil glowing against her skin. "Val... your hand."

She looked down— and gasped. "What the hell? What’s going on?" A small red mark had begun to burn its way across her palm, in the exact shape of the symbol engraved on the pendant.