Ash and embers drifted in the air, carried by waves of heat that made the ground shimmer. The temperature kept rising as they moved forward through the cracked stone path.
Asher pulled out the dungeon's projection map and pointed at a red mark flashing over the structure ahead. It was a mansion, half-sunk into lava and still burning from the inside.
"This is it," he said.
Valeris stepped closer and looked at the map. "The core?"
"Yeah," Asher said. "The boss. Flame Duke Osiris."
Veyra's eyes narrowed. "Duke Osiris… Sounds like this place was once a dukedom."
"It is—or was, in the past," Asher replied. "And here, it still means something to him. That's why his ghost still lingers. Over the years, through this world's unique laws, it's turned into a dungeon."
