The whispers intensified, a chorus of guttural sounds that vibrated through the ledge, making their teeth chatter. Isla and Kai pressed against the smooth stone wall, desperate to find an escape. The air grew heavy, thick with a sense of dread, as if the darkness itself was alive.
"There has to be a way," Kai muttered, his fingers frantically tracing the wall's surface.
Isla, her eyes scanning the wall, noticed a faint, almost invisible inscription. She ran her fingers over the symbols, feeling a slight vibration as she touched them.
"I think I found something," she whispered, her voice trembling.
She deciphered the inscription, her voice barely audible above the whispers. "Where light does not touch, and silence speaks, the stone will reveal its secrets."
Kai looked at her, his brow furrowed. "What does it mean?"
Isla hesitated, her gaze drawn to the glowing stone fragment Anya had dropped. It lay at the edge of the ledge, casting a faint, eerie light.
"The stone," she said, her voice filled with realization. "We need to use the stone."
They carefully retrieved the stone fragment, its surface cool and smooth against their skin. As they held it, the whispers seemed to grow louder, more insistent, as if the darkness was trying to stop them.
Isla pressed the stone against the inscription, and a faint click echoed through the chasm. The smooth stone wall slid open, revealing a narrow passage leading into the depths of the mountain.
"Let's go," Kai said, his voice filled with urgency.
They stepped into the passage, leaving the whispers behind. The darkness swallowed them whole, but the faint glow of the stone fragment guided their way.