They rested longer than Filip expected.
The wind at the summit was cold but steady, carrying the scent of stone and distant forest. Beneath them, the ancient rock still held the warmth of the day. For a while, neither of them spoke.
Oathkeeper slept soundly in Filip's arms, its small body curled against his chest. The faint blue glow that surrounded it no longer flickered wildly, rising and falling instead like a quiet, tired heartbeat.
Eventually, Filip broke the silence.
"I think…" he said carefully, "…it's better if I go down alone."
Rio looked up at him immediately.
Filip kept his gaze fixed on the dark entrance of the pyramid as he continued. "If something's made a nest inside—something aggressive—it's safer if only one of us checks. If I run into trouble, at least you won't be trapped with me."
Rio's ears flattened against his head.
"I don't like it," he muttered.
"I know." Filip finally met his eyes. "But you can't run yet. And if things go bad… someone needs to be able to get away."
The words tasted bitter.
Rio hated that they made sense.
After a long moment, he nodded reluctantly. "…Be careful."
Filip smiled faintly. "Always am."
They moved to the copper statue near the summit, its fox-like form worn smooth by time. Rio lowered himself carefully to the ground beside it, pulling Oathkeeper gently into his arms. The small dragon shifted slightly but didn't wake.
"Good luck," Rio said quietly.
Filip placed his backpack beside him, tightened his grip on the sword, and turned away before hesitation could take hold.
The spiral staircase descended into darkness.
Each step echoed softly as Filip moved downward, the light from above shrinking until it vanished completely.
He expected pitch black.
Instead… he could see.
Not clearly—but clearly enough.
Shadows sharpened. Edges defined themselves. The stone walls glimmered faintly, as if traced by moonlight that wasn't really there.
"…Guess that's new," he muttered.
The deeper he went, the stronger the feeling became.
Something was wrong.
His instincts buzzed like a warning bell, screaming at him to turn around, to run, to leave now. Every step forward felt like pushing against an invisible current.
But turning back meant leaving Rio unprotected.
So Filip kept going.
The descent took longer than it should have. His smaller body moved differently now—shorter steps, unfamiliar balance. The staircase seemed endless, coiling deeper and deeper into the pyramid's heart.
Then—
MOVE.
Every instinct he had detonated at once.
Filip threw himself backward.
A deafening CRASH exploded where he'd been standing.
Pain rang through his ears as something massive embedded itself into the stone floor inches from his face.
When his hearing returned, he stared in disbelief.
A giant axe.
Its blade was buried deep in the ground, stone cracked around the impact point.
That axe had not been there a moment ago.
Filip's heart slammed violently against his ribs.
"That was thrown…" he whispered.
With impossible force.
His eyes darted through the shadows.
Then he saw it.
A skeleton.
It sprinted toward him with unnatural speed, bones clattering loudly against stone. Empty eye sockets locked onto him with terrifying focus.
Filip's breath hitched.
No weapon.
Just raw momentum.
Panic surged.
Run—
No.
If he ran, it could follow.
If it followed—
Rio.
Gritting his teeth, Filip forced himself to stand his ground.
"I… I can do this," he muttered, raising his sword with shaking hands.
The skeleton lunged.
Filip barely managed to bring his blade up in time.
CLANG.
The impact sent a shockwave through his arms, pain shooting up to his shoulders as he was thrown backward, boots scraping against stone.
His hands trembled violently.
The sword had cracked one of the skeleton's ribs—but it hadn't shattered.
"Still moving…" Filip breathed.
He swung back in desperation.
Missed.
His body reacted too slowly—his new form unfamiliar, uncooperative.
The skeleton struck again.
Filip rolled aside at the last second, scrambling to his feet to put distance between them.
His chest burned.
His mind raced.
I can't outrun it.I can't overpower it.
As he raised his sword again, something clicked.
The skeleton wasn't looking at him anymore.
It was looking past him.
Upward.
Toward the stairs.
Toward—
"…Rio," Filip whispered.
Fear unlike anything he'd felt before seized his heart.
And suddenly, losing this fight wasn't an option anymore.