A World Apart

After your surroundings disappear in a bright flash, you worry you've made a mistake.

An eternity seems to pass before you regain your senses. First, you feel a heat wave washing over you. Then, you hear the sound of rushing water. Finally, you notice your friends nearby as the world around you comes into focus.

You're in a deep cavern with glowing, crystal-covered walls. Before you, a stone bridge extends into the cave, leading to a grand archway.

Elder Tharah skips ahead, impatient to explore. "The Alta Sprites! There are so many of them here. And they're all so —"

Her expression changes. "Something's coming toward us. I can't sense if it's a sprite or … "

You look past her. Across the bridge is a silhouette of a person, radiating powerful light. The scene has a strange sense of déjà vu, as if you’ve encountered this mysterious figure before. The light it emanates creates an ethereal halo, obscuring its features and giving it an almost otherworldly aura.

As you step closer, the ambient glow from the crystal-covered walls casts shimmering reflections on the stone bridge, which looks like a delicate façade of polished granite interspersed with embedded crystals. The bridge, though ancient and cracked, exudes an unspoken promise of stability and strength.

Talik stands beside you, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "Do you feel that?" he asks, his voice a mere whisper. "It's like the air itself has a bouquet of power, an almost tangible presence."

Elder Tharah nods, her face serious. "I've never felt anything like it. It's as if the entire cavern is alive, and this figure is its heart."

As the silhouette draws nearer, you can make out more details. The figure’s light dims slightly, revealing a person clad in robes that shimmer with every movement, each thread woven with the essence of the crystals around you. The figure's eyes glow with an inner fire, and their presence commands an air of authority and mystery.

"Who are you?" you ask, your voice echoing softly in the cavern.

The figure pauses, their gaze sweeping over you and your friends. "I am a guardian of this realm," they say, their voice resonant and melodic, a connoisseur of the ancient magics that flow through these stones."

Elder Tharah steps forward, her curiosity overcoming her caution. "Why have you brought us here?"

The guardian smiles, a cryptic expression. "You were chosen, guided by the Alta Sprites, to witness the true power and secrets of this place. But be warned, not all who seek knowledge are ready to bear its burden."

As you stand there, the enormity of your situation sinks in. The glowing walls pulse softly, and the air is thick with potential. The bridge, the archway, the guardian—everything feels like pieces of a grand puzzle waiting to be solved.

5 words that have their origin in French but are commonplace in English now were in that paragraph.  En eux ici in Thy Quests Below.