The ruin's inner sanctum pulsed with dark, suffocating Essence. The deeper the squad moved into the cavernous tunnels beneath Myrrhfen's shattered plains, the colder and heavier the air became.
Kael halted. So did the others.
A sound—deep, guttural, like stone grinding against bone—echoed from the hollow beyond. Then the Essence around them shifted.
It was suffocating.
From the darkness ahead, something stepped into the half-light.
A towering figure, seven feet tall, cloaked in layers of cracked bone and tattered flesh. Its skin shimmered faintly with a strange, iridescent sheen. Its eyes weren't red like the lower Varnok—they were glowing white, cold and ancient.
Kael's jaw tightened. "…That's no ordinary Varnok."
"Radiant-tier," Sila whispered, voice trembling. "Low-tier, maybe. But that's still… far beyond us."
Riven drew his greatblade. "We retreat—now."
But it was too late.
The Radiant-tier Varnok surged forward with a single step, and the entire cavern exploded in motion. A sonic boom cracked the air as it lunged—far faster than its size should've allowed.
Kael activated Maelstorm Overburn in a single burst. Storm, Flame, and Lightning flooded his limbs as he intercepted the monster mid-strike. Their clash created a detonation that rocked the walls, sending shards of stone flying.
"Move!" he shouted.
Sila cast barriers, layering them around Leiya, who was channeling an Ice-Light pillar to pin the Varnok, even briefly. The beast ripped through it.
Kael unleashed Stormfire Whip Barrage, his arms spiraling as dozens of ethereal, flaming whips lashed out. The whips tore into the monster's torso, searing and cleaving—but the wounds closed, instantly regenerating.
"Not enough," Kael muttered. He pivoted, charging Thunderflare Cataclysm.
Energy compressed around his core. Storm. Lightning. Flame.
But the Varnok moved before he could finish.
It blurred.
A fist the size of a boulder slammed into Sila's barrier and shattered it like glass, sending her tumbling. Riven intercepted the next blow, his sword igniting with raw Essence.
He didn't flinch.
"I'm buying time," Riven growled. "GO!"
"No!" Kael shouted, eyes wild.
But Riven had already moved. He activated a technique Kael hadn't seen before—his aura surged as he poured every ounce of Essence into his next strike. The greatblade exploded with red-gold energy as he leapt, bringing it down in a savage arc.
The Varnok caught the blade.
It roared, a blast of Essence detonating outward. The light devoured them both.
The shockwave blasted the others back. Kael tumbled, blood in his throat, and when he blinked the dust away—Riven was gone.
Just gone.
The beast turned toward them, injured but far from defeated.
Kael stood, face like stone. "We're leaving. Now."
He grabbed Sila, who was barely conscious, and Leiya scrambled beside him. The tunnels began to collapse—the creature's Essence rupturing the ground itself.
Kael didn't hesitate. He blasted through the rock with Thunderflare surges, carving a tunnel upward. Stormfire crackled at his back, shielding them from debris.
Behind them, the Varnok roared again.
But they didn't look back.
They broke the surface hours later—bloody, wounded, and silent.
Only three.