We departed at dawn.
The road to the Abyss of Eryndor was quieter than I imagined. There were no nearby villages, nor outposts. The vegetation grew denser as we moved west, as if the land itself avoided that region.
The map indicated the entrance at the foot of an ancient rock formation. When we finally saw it, I understood why it was called an abyss.
There were no ornate gates. No monumental staircases.
The entrance was a deep fissure in the rock, wide enough to allow comfortable passage, but dark enough that the daylight could not reveal its interior.
The air there was different.
Heavier.
Not in a suffocating sense.
But dense.
Vespera took a few steps forward and closed her eyes for a moment.
"The magical flow is unstable. Not chaotic. Unstable."
"Unstable how?" Lyannis asked.
"Small oscillations. As if it were… breathing."
Breathing.
I observed the fissure again.
I didn't feel fear.
But I felt respect.
"Standard formation," I said.
Liriel took the lead, blade ready, posture firm. Rai'kanna positioned herself on the right flank. Elara kept her bow prepared. Vespera and Lyannis adjusted their distance. I remained a few steps behind the front line.
We entered.
The natural light gradually disappeared, replaced by a faint glow coming from the walls themselves. Crystals embedded in the rock emitted a constant bluish illumination.
The floor was regular. No sign of immediate traps.
"The first floor seems common," Rai'kanna murmured.
"Don't relax," I replied.
We advanced with controlled steps.
After a few minutes, the first enemies appeared.
Humanoid creatures with dark leather skin, dull eyes, rudimentary weapons. They were not legendary demons. They were equivalent to mid rank.
Liriel advanced without hesitation. The first one fell before even completing its offensive movement. Rai'kanna intercepted the second with a precise lateral strike. Elara eliminated the third with a direct shot to the forehead.
Without effort.
Without disorder.
Three more appeared from a side corridor.
Vespera released a short wave of energy that destabilized the entire group. Lyannis advanced, taking advantage of the opening, and finished two. I eliminated the last with a single cut.
Silence again.
"Slow response," Elara commented.
"As if they were testing our reaction," Vespera added.
We continued.
The first floor was completed without any real difficulty. The creatures were numerous, but predictable.
At the end of the main corridor, a spiral staircase descended to the second level.
There was no door.
There was no guardian.
Only a direct transition.
We descended.
The second floor had a different structure. Wider corridors. Interconnected halls. A higher ceiling.
And the air was colder.
This time, the creatures didn't wait in groups. They attacked from different angles.
One came from the ceiling.
Elara struck it before it touched the ground.
Two appeared behind us.
Rai'kanna and Lyannis reacted almost simultaneously.
Liriel kept the front line clear.
I observed the patterns.
Irregular movement, but still within the logic of simple combat.
"So far, nothing outside expectations," Liriel murmured.
"That isn't reassuring," I replied.
At the center of the second floor there was a larger circular room.
As soon as we crossed the entrance, I felt a slight change in the environment.
Vespera noticed at the same instant.
"The density increased."
The walls seemed to pulse almost imperceptibly. Not physically.
But in the magical flow.
Then it appeared.
A creature larger than the previous ones. Robust structure, reinforced natural armor, two bone blades on its arms.
It wasn't rank S.
But clearly superior to the others.
It advanced without hesitation.
"Defensive position," I said.
Liriel intercepted the first attack with a firm block. The impact echoed through the hall.
Rai'kanna spun around the flank, striking the creature's rear leg. Elara fired two arrows that pierced exposed joints.
The creature reacted with brute force, releasing a shockwave that made the ground vibrate.
Vespera neutralized part of the pressure with a short barrier.
Lyannis took advantage of the opening created by the instability of the movement and executed a precise cut at the already weakened point.
The creature staggered.
I advanced.
A direct strike at the center of the bony structure of its chest.
The sound was dry.
The creature fell.
Without exaggerated final resistance.
Without dramatic explosion.
Just a fall.
The second floor was clear.
We breathed in a controlled manner.
No relevant injuries.
"Perfect coordination," Lyannis commented.
"No individual overload," Vespera added.
We raised our eyes to the next staircase.
Third floor.
Up to that point, the dungeon seemed like only a progressive endurance challenge.
But something bothered me.
It wasn't difficulty.
It was the sensation of being watched.
As if we were being evaluated.
We descended to the third level.
The environment changed again.
Narrower corridors. Dimmer lighting. Distant sounds echoing without a clear source.
We stopped for a moment.
"Did you hear that?" Elara asked.
A low sound, almost like deep breathing.
It didn't come from a specific creature.
It came from the environment.
"It's responding to our presence," Vespera said.
It wasn't an anxious statement.
It was a technical observation.
We advanced.
This time, the enemies didn't appear immediately.
We walked through empty corridors for longer than expected.
Prolonged silence.
That created natural tension.
At the end of a particularly narrow corridor, the space abruptly opened into an irregular room.
As soon as we crossed the threshold, the walls moved.
Not quickly.
But enough to alter the entrance we had passed through.
Rai'kanna turned immediately.
"The corridor changed."
It wasn't an illusion.
It was the real structure adjusting.
"No panic," I said.
Liriel maintained a firm posture.
"New route then."
There was no hesitation.
The dungeon was showing its unstable characteristic.
But it didn't catch us unprepared.
We reorganized our formation and followed the new corridor that opened to the left.
The creatures that appeared there were different.
Smaller, but much faster.
Elara eliminated two before they reached the group. Lyannis intercepted a third. Rai'kanna cut down the fourth.
I finished the last one that tried to flank from below.
Even with the structural alteration, our line remained solid.
We advanced for a few more minutes until we found another descending staircase.
We stopped before going down.
"The third floor didn't try to defeat us," Vespera said. "It tried to disorient us."
"Light mental test," Lyannis added.
I agreed.
And that confirmed what Scarlet had said.
The dungeon forces choices.
Until then, we had chosen to remain calm.
I looked at each of them.
None showed any sign of instability.
No doubt.
We descended.
The fourth floor awaited us.
As the steps followed one another beneath our feet, I felt that the true Abyss would soon begin to reveal itself.
But up to that moment, we had crossed three levels without failure.
Not by luck.
But by preparation.
When the fourth floor finally opened before us, I realized the structure was completely different.
And I understood that the phase of real adaptation began there.
I took a deep breath.
The entrance had been completed.
Now, the Abyss was beginning to truly respond.
And we were ready.