We began our journey toward the Destar Range, the morning sun casting long, golden shadows over the terrain. Each step we took was accompanied by the distant hum of wind brushing through dying branches, a strange stillness hanging in the air—as though the forest itself knew what lay ahead.
Krent walked ahead with a bounce in his step, glancing sideways at Kylon and smirking.
"Hey," he said, breaking the silence, "about that demon you were fighting… how'd you defeat it, Kylon?"
Kylon snorted. "That demon? It was a damn demon. I had to go all in just to keep up. That red bastard sliced right through my aura armor like it was paper."
Krent nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah… the one I fought was different. It used this strange, purplish magic. Never seen anything like it."
Master, who was walking a short distance ahead of them, glanced over his shoulder. His voice was calm but carried a subtle gravity. "That wasn't ordinary magic. It was some Dark energy—demonic in origin. I didn't expect the one you fought to wield it. That's rare."
Krent nodded again, lips tight.
But the seriousness didn't last long.
Kylon glanced at everyone and chuckled. "Ha! Those claws though… I swear, I almost lost my face. Krent, weren't you the one running away screaming like a girl?"
Krent's eyes widened. "Huh?! What did you just say? You were the one sprinting like your butt was on fire!"
Kylon grinned. "Don't lie, bro. You ran first! I only chased the demon because it was after you!"
"Oh really?" Krent scoffed. "Then did the demon you were fighting take a nap or what?"
Kylon laughed, throwing his head back. "Haha! Look at you. You just admitted it—you did run!"
"I did not!" Krent shouted, pointing a finger in exaggerated offense. "I never said I was running away!"
Kylon grinned. "Oh, it hit, didn't it? Just admit it already!"
Master, without even turning, added nonchalantly, "Yeah… Kylon ran first."
Krent burst into laughter. "See?! Even Agious agrees. I was the one who ran after you to save you."
Kylon gaped, betrayed. "Oh, now you're all teaming up against me, huh?"
Master chuckled. "Old habit. Can't help it."
Krent howled with laughter. "Hahaha!"
Behind them, I was walking silently, trying and failing to hold back my laughter. Kylon suddenly pointed at me.
"Ray! You saw it too! Tell me—who ran first?"
I smiled. "I was too busy fighting off demons to notice. Sorry."
Kylon groaned. "You're not getting involved either?!"
I laughed openly now, the sound echoing in the crisp mountain air. "Nope. Not playing this game."
From beside me, Aur's gentle voice echoed in my mind, laced with amused clarity.
'Neither of them ran because they were afraid. The demons retreated deeper into the forest themselves. There wasn't enough space to hold four separate fights at once.'
'I know,' I replied mentally, glancing at both warriors now bickering playfully. 'They didn't run out of cowardice. They're not cowards. They just won't admit the truth because it's more fun this way.'
Aur giggled within my mind, her laughter pure and bright. 'Now they're teasing Kylon just because he opened his mouth first. He started it.'
Kylon shouted again, mock frustration in his voice, "Stop teaming up on meeeeee! It's unfair!"
Master grinned. "Old habits die hard, Kylon."
Krent exploded with another laugh. "Hahaha! This never gets old."
As the laughter faded into warm silence, the terrain subtly shifted beneath our feet. The forest floor gave way to a slow incline, and soon I looked back to see how far we had climbed.
Master came to a halt and raised a hand. "Alright. Enough fun. We're on the Destar ranges now. Time to focus."
Our boots crunched over gravel as we walked upward. The air thinned slightly, and the trees became sparse, replaced by jagged rocks and low shrubs clinging to the edges of the trail.
After some time, the land evened out again into a small plateau, but directly ahead of us stood a natural rise—atop which loomed a large cave mouth, dark and still as a slumbering beast.
We all paused at the base.
"There," Master said, pointing. "That's it. After we pass through this place, we'll step into the realm where the Supreme Beings are."
I glanced at the cave, its mouth large enough to swallow us whole. It breathed darkness, cold air drifting from within like the exhale of something ancient.
"But," Master continued, "we won't need to climb over. The dungeon is here."
We stepped into the dungeon's yawning maw, and the change was instant.
The moment our boots touched the cool, stone ground within, the outside world faded into silence. The only sounds were the distant drip… drip… drip of water echoing from unseen crevices, and the soft, rhythmic crunch of our own footsteps. Shadows clung to the walls like ancient specters, swallowing the light from outside the moment we left the entrance behind.
As we walked deeper, the air grew colder—denser. The faint dampness of the dungeon began to cling to our clothes, seeping into our bones. A strange stillness enveloped the path ahead, one that felt unnatural.
Each of us was quiet.
After several paces, the darkness thickened to the point where even our eyes began to strain. Kylon stopped abruptly and reached into his bag. A moment later, a flicker of orange bloomed to life as he lit a Larten lamp, its warm flame casting long shadows against the jagged stone walls.
"Much better," he muttered, holding the lantern forward.
With light guiding us, the stone walls revealed faint, ancient carvings. Some were worn beyond recognition, while others seemed like distorted figures frozen in agony—etched warnings from the past. No one spoke of them, but all of us noticed.
We pressed on.
It was subtle at first, but I began to feel the shift in elevation. The ground beneath us was sloping.
I turned to Master, who was walking calmly beside me. "I think we're heading downward."
Master nodded. "Yes. Most dungeons are like this. The deeper you go, the more dangerous it becomes. Many older dungeons descend into the earth itself—spirals of death carved into forgotten stone."
Kylon looked over his shoulder, frowning. "But where are the beasts? Shouldn't we have seen at least a few by now? Dungeons always have something lurking in the layers."
Krent agreed, scanning the path behind us. "Yeah. We've been walking for a while now, but there's been nothing. Not even bones."
Master narrowed his eyes as he studied the walls and floor. "That may be because a team of adventurers already came through this section. They might have cleared out the outer layer."
Everyone nodded slightly. The idea made sense. Still, the silence was unsettling. Dungeons were supposed to be alive with threat, but this one… felt like a graveyard.
Soon, we reached a fork in the path—two tunnels stretching out before us in different directions. One veered sharply to the left, while the other curved into a smoother decline to the right.
Kylon muttered with mild exasperation, "Tunnels. Tunnels in dungeons."
Master stepped forward and examined both paths, placing a hand against the stone wall and closing his eyes for a brief moment. The air was different in each—subtle traces of mana lingering, like scents on the wind.
He opened his eyes and made his decision.
"Krent And Kylon. You two take the left tunnel," he said calmly.
Kylon blinked. "Wait, what? Why do we get the creepy-looking one?"
Krent laughed. "Because you're the louder one."
Master continued without reacting. "Ray and I will go right. Stay sharp. If anything seems off, don't push. Fall back and regroup. Keep your aura active. There may be wards deeper in."
The two nodded in unison. Without another word, our party split.