The growling from the newly revealed passage grew louder, a guttural resonance that seemed to vibrate through the very stones of the chamber. Kaelen adjusted his grip on his sword, his knuckles whitening as he braced himself. The shard's lingering power thrummed beneath his skin, a cold, unsettling reminder of what he’d just absorbed.

“Whatever’s down there,” Kaelen muttered, “sounds thrilled we’re here.”

Sigrid moved beside him, her eyes narrowed. She had already begun weaving another incantation, her hands glowing faintly with the pale light of her magic. “We’re in no condition for another fight, Kaelen. Especially you.”

“I’m fine.” He rolled his shoulders, forcing the tension from them. “This new... ‘gift’ has to be good for something, right? Let’s find out.”

Nessa lingered behind them, clearly uncomfortable. “What if it’s worse than the last one? I mean, the first one nearly killed us.”

Kaelen snorted. “That’s the spirit. Great pep talk.”

Sigrid shot him a sharp look. “She’s not wrong. If this is another beast on the same level, we’re at a disadvantage.”

“We don’t run,” Kaelen said simply. “Not after coming this far.”

The growling turned into a series of low, rhythmic thuds, as if something massive was moving toward them. The air in the chamber grew heavy, each breath feeling like it carried a weight.

“Whatever it is,” Sigrid said grimly, “it’s coming.”

The ground trembled slightly as the source of the sound came into view. Emerging from the darkness of the passage was a massive, hulking creature that barely fit within the confines of the stone walls. Its body was a grotesque amalgamation of sinewy muscle and jagged, bony protrusions.

Its head bore an unsettling resemblance to a stag’s skull, but twisted and elongated, with empty black sockets where eyes should have been. Its antlers, dark and jagged, scraped against the ceiling as it moved.

Kaelen tightened his grip on his sword. “You’re kidding me. What is that supposed to be?”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Sigrid’s voice was low and steady. “A Ceryneian Dread. An ancient beast. Rare, but deadly.”

“Let me guess.” Kaelen’s tone was dry. “Not friendly?”

The Dread’s empty sockets flared with a pale green light, and it let out a deafening roar. The sound was so forceful that dust and debris rained down from the chamber’s ceiling.

Kaelen sighed. “Yeah, didn’t think so.”

Without waiting, the beast charged, its massive hooves cracking the stone floor with every step.

Kaelen met the charge head-on, darting to the side at the last second to avoid being trampled. He lashed out with his blade, scoring a deep gash along the beast’s flank. The Dread bellowed in pain, twisting with surprising speed to swipe at him with one of its antlered horns.

Sigrid launched her magic. A series of sharp, crystalline shards formed in the air before her, streaking toward the creature. The shards struck true, embedding themselves into the Dread’s hide, but they seemed to do little more than anger it further.

“It’s barely slowing down!” she shouted.

“Yeah, noticed that!” Kaelen retorted, narrowly dodging another swing of the antlers.

The Dread reared up, slamming its front hooves down in a powerful stomp. The shockwave rippled through the chamber, sending Kaelen and Sigrid sprawling.

Kaelen pushed himself up, wincing. His earlier exhaustion was catching up to him, and the shard’s power was still an unfamiliar, volatile force.

Now or never, he thought grimly.

As the Dread charged again, Kaelen closed his eyes briefly, reaching for the shard’s energy. The cold fire surged through him, and when he opened his eyes, they glowed faintly green once more.

The world around him shifted. The darkness of the chamber seemed to dissolve, replaced by an eerie clarity. Every detail of the beast—its sinews flexing, the faint pulse of its strange, green-glowing blood—was suddenly visible to him, even in the dim light.

He could see its movements before they happened, its muscles coiling in preparation for another attack.

The Dread swung its antlers at him, but Kaelen sidestepped with unnatural precision. He moved like a shadow, his blade finding the beast’s vulnerable spots with uncanny accuracy.

“What the hell?” Sigrid muttered, watching him.

Kaelen didn’t respond. He was lost in the flow of the fight, his movements almost inhumanly fluid. He ducked under a swipe, leaped onto the beast’s back, and drove his sword deep into the base of its skull.

The Dread roared, bucking wildly, but Kaelen held on, driving the blade deeper. With a final, shuddering groan, the beast collapsed, its massive body hitting the ground with a deafening crash.

Kaelen leapt clear, landing in a crouch. His glowing eyes dimmed, returning to normal as he straightened.

Sigrid approached cautiously, her expression a mixture of wariness and curiosity. “That was... unexpected.”

Kaelen shrugged, wiping blood from his blade. “Just needed a little extra push. Guess the shard’s good for something after all.”

Sigrid wasn’t convinced. “What exactly did it do to you?”

“Gave me a new trick or two,” he said vaguely. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I am worried about it,” she countered. “That wasn’t normal, Kaelen. Whatever the shard did

“Saved our lives,” he interrupted. “Let’s leave it at that.”

Nessa emerged from her hiding spot, her eyes wide. “You killed it... just like that?”

Kaelen smirked. “What can I say? I’m adaptable.”

Sigrid groaned. “I’m going to punch you in the mouth.”

Kaelen sheathed his sword, nodding toward the passage beyond the fallen beast. “We can argue later. Something tells me we’re not done yet.”

Sigrid followed his gaze, her expression hardening. “You think there’s more?”

“There’s always more,” Kaelen said grimly. “But we’re still standing, aren’t we?”

With that, he strode forward, stepping over the Dread’s massive carcass. Sigrid hesitated only a moment before following, her magic still humming faintly around her hands.

Nessa, glancing nervously at the beast’s body, hurried after them.

The darkness ahead seem

ed endless, but Kaelen’s new clarity cut through it like a blade. Whatever waited in the depths, he would be ready.