With each step deeper into the cavern, the light from my lantern flickered against the damp walls, revealing eerie formations of stone that looked like frozen screams. Shadows danced as I moved, and the air thickened with an otherworldly presence. Just as I began to settle into the rhythmic sound of my footsteps echoing, the temperature plummeted. A sudden draft swept through, carrying with it a sense of dread.

My breath came out in visible puffs as I instinctively tightened my grip on the lantern. Then, through the thickening fog, a figure emerged. It was a ghost—a wrinkled, semi-transparent apparition with hollow eyes and an anguished expression that seemed carved from the very essence of fear. Its mouth opened wide in a silent scream, and the air around it shimmered with an unnatural energy.

Before I could react, a wave of exhaustion washed over me. I felt my energy being pulled from my body, like a magnet drawing metal. It was as if the ghost was siphoning the very life force from me, its expression a mix of longing and despair.