The deeper we went, the more oppressive the air became, thick with mana that hummed low beneath my skin. The weight of it was palpable, almost suffocating, like I was walking through a wall of energy itself. Each step I took felt like sinking deeper into the earth, the dense mana pressing against my chest, filling the spaces between my bones. It was an assault on all senses.
But for me, it was more than just the physical pressure. My vision—or lack of it—made everything harder to process. Outlines that refused to resolve into anything clear. My eyes were useless here, in the thick of the energy, and though I could feel the presence of everything around me, my sight could only grasp the vaguest impression of movement.
Instead, I relied on my other senses. The mana threads that spiraled through the air were the clearest sense I had, flowing around me like an invisible current. I could feel it, taste it, and hear it in the vibrations of the ground and air. It was as if my entire body had become an antenna for the world's energy, every pulse of power sharp against my skin. My staff hummed with it, too—the vibrations of the elements whispering through its length. The elements were clear, even in the darkness. Water, earth, fire, air, and frost were all just a heartbeat away.
But the weight of the mana here was unlike anything I had ever encountered. It wasn't just the environment—it was alive, too. The air around me was heavy, but it also felt like it was watching us. I could feel its presence in the tremors beneath my feet, in the way the air shifted, warm in some places, cold in others.
Ramon, ever grounded and solid, walked beside me, his footsteps steady despite the shifting mana around us. I could sense his wariness in the way his presence flared every now and then, the faintest ripple of his mana that signaled his readiness. He was on edge, and I didn't blame him.
Lycian moved ahead of us, calm, but his energy flared with precision, carving through the thick mana with practiced ease. His movements were fluid, almost effortless, as if he were drawing from the very air around us. There was something about him—something dangerous, but also useful. The deeper we ventured, the more I could feel the steady pulse of his mana. He knew this place, and it made me wonder how much he had really seen in the depths.
The silence stretched, heavy, until Ramon broke it. "I don't like this," he muttered.
I could feel his eyes darting about, though I couldn't see what he was looking at. "It's not about liking it," I replied softly, keeping my voice steady despite the unease crawling along my skin. "We're here to push ourselves. Get stronger. These grounds…" I paused, trying to find the right words, "…they're made for it. But we need to keep our wits about us."
"Sounds like a trap," Ramon said.
"Maybe," I replied, "but if we want to survive what's coming, we need to get stronger. And that's not going to happen if we're afraid of what's waiting for us."
The sound of Lycian's footsteps echoed faintly in front of us, as he glanced back over his shoulder. "You're both cautious," he said, his voice smooth, but there was a slight edge to it now. "Good. The beasts here are unpredictable. High-ranked. Some of them are smarter than you'd think. But they're not the real challenge."
I could feel his mana shift, the air around us thickening. "The real challenge is the land itself. These grounds aren't just a place to fight. They're alive. You can't just take what you want. You have to earn it."
I tensed, feeling the pulse of mana underfoot, the ground shifting as if reacting to Lycian's words. That warning echoed in my chest. "Then what are we waiting for?" I asked, my voice steady despite the unease gripping me. "We came here for power. For artifacts. And to test ourselves. Let's get on with it."
Ramon didn't speak, but I could feel the weight of his gaze. He wasn't sold on Lycian, but he was here because he knew the stakes were high.
A low growl, deep and rumbling, vibrated through the ground beneath us, and the air seemed to thicken even further.
Lycian's expression didn't change, though his mana flared slightly, like he was preparing for something inevitable. "Get ready," he murmured. "It's here."
From the shadows, something massive moved. A blur of shifting, serpentine shapes surged from the darkness, its body rippling with stone and vines. Its limbs were elongated, covered in a hard, bark-like exterior, and its eyes glowed with a sickly, green mana, it's mana so thick i could tell exactly what it looked like to regular vision . The creature towered above us.
I could sense its energy before I saw it—a wave of earth and poison, crackling with danger. A creature of this magnitude wasn't something that just appeared out of nowhere.
Lycian's smile was tight. "Be careful. This one's evolved by the thick mana."
With that, the beast lunged.
The air rushed as Ramon moved first, his hatchet flaming with earth-infused fire, swinging toward the creature's leg. I felt the surge of power as his strike hit, the earth and flame crashing into the creature's side, but it barely flinched. The impact left a small crack in its stone-like armor, but it wasn't enough.
I followed his lead, shifting to the side to avoid the beast's swipe as it tried to strike at us with its massive claws. The creature's movements were jerky, unpredictable, but powerful. My staff danced in my hands, splitting them into twin blades, and I infused them with the elemental energy. frost.
But every time I struck, the creature's body seemed to heal itself almost as quickly as the wounds I made. Poison oozed from its body, thick and pungent, and I could feel it in the air, trying to suffocate us. It was like a wall of darkness pressing in on me, but I focused. The mana lines—thin, delicate, but clear—were the only things I could truly see. I let my senses follow the pull of the creature's energy, aiming my strikes at the points where its magic was weakest.
Ramon's movements were quick and solid, striking the beast's other limbs with his flaming hatchet, but the creature retaliated, its eyes flashing with intelligence as it swung its massive claws toward him.
Lycian was moving, too, but there was something in his actions. His strikes were quick, precise—evasive, almost. I could see his mana twisting the air around him, guiding his every movement, but it was controlled, restrained. His poison magic didn't hit the creature with the same viciousness I had expected. Instead, he moved in measured, almost artful patterns, disrupting its flow, forcing it off-balance.
It was clear he wasn't using his full power. I could feel it in the way the energy flowed. He wasn't trying to kill the beast—not yet. He was guiding us through it, letting us fight, letting us struggle, pushing us, but holding back.
The creature was strong, relentless, but I could tell now that we were being tested. Lycian wasn't here to help us win—he was here to help us learn.
And despite the struggle, we were learning.
Ramon's hatchet struck again, this time leaving a deep gash along the creature's flank, and I pushed forward, my blades cutting through the air, driven by the rhythm of its energy.
Finally, with one last concerted effort, I struck its heart. The creature let out a low, guttural scream as its magic shattered, and it collapsed, its form disintegrating into the thick air.
For a moment, everything went still.
Lycian looked at us with an unreadable expression. "That," he said, his voice steady but with the faintest trace of approval, "was only a taste."
I wiped the sweat from my brow, still feeling the burn of the battle in my arms. "Then let's get what we came for," I said, voice hardening with resolve.
This place was dangerous. It was alive with mana, unpredictable and violent. But it was exactly what we needed to grow stronger.