Blog Post 2: The Alchemy of Ivy Mae
Title: "A Door Once Opened"
Jas's grip tightened on the flashlight, the flicker finally steadying under the tension in their hand. Roman’s shadow stretched long across the cracked floor, his arrival as sudden and inevitable as a thunderstorm.
“Ivy, you promised you’d stop dragging us into this kind of mess,” Roman snapped, stepping closer.
Ivy met his glare with a steady gaze, the faint glow of the book in her hands reflecting in her dark eyes. “I didn’t drag anyone. You chose to follow.”
“Yeah, to make sure you don’t get yourself killed,” Roman shot back, his voice rising before falling into a frustrated groan. He turned to Jas. “And you? Why are you even here?”
Jas opened their mouth, but no words came out. It wasn’t Ivy’s recklessness that had drawn them here—it was the promise of something extraordinary. Something different from the suffocating sameness of their days.
“Forget it,” Roman muttered, throwing up his hands. “Let’s just get out of here before—”
A low hum filled the air, vibrating through the floor and into their bones. Ivy, Jas, and Roman froze as the sound grew louder, more insistent, like a swarm of bees descending on the room. The light from the book intensified, casting shifting patterns on the walls.
“Uh, Ivy?” Jas’s voice was barely a whisper.
“I didn’t do anything,” Ivy said, but her fingers were still on the book, the warmth now a burning heat. She tried to let go, but it wouldn’t budge.
The hum shifted into a series of sharp clicks, like the turning of a lock. And then, with a final, deafening crack, a panel in the floor slid open, revealing a spiral staircase that descended into darkness.
The three stared at it, their breaths shallow, hearts pounding.
“Tell me that was already there,” Roman said, his voice trembling just enough for Ivy to notice.
“Nope,” Ivy said, her lips curving into a grin she couldn’t quite suppress. “But I think we’re supposed to go down.”
Roman took a step back. “Oh, hell no. We’re leaving. Right now.”
Jas peered into the opening, their curiosity outweighing their fear. “What if it’s... important?”
“It’s a hole in the ground,” Roman said. “It’s the opposite of important.”
But Ivy was already moving, her steps deliberate as she descended into the unknown. “Suit yourselves. But I’m not walking away from this.”
Jas hesitated only a moment before following, the flashlight beam dancing ahead of them. Roman stood at the edge, cursing under his breath before finally relenting.
“Fine,” he muttered, “but if we die, I’m haunting you both forever.”
And with that, the three of them disappeared into the depths of the foundry, the door sliding shut behind them as though it had never existed.