The dungeon walls loomed around us, their rough, jagged surfaces casting long, eerie shadows as we ventured deeper into the unknown. Though there wasn’t any water source nearby, a cool breeze would occasionally brush past, sending a chill through the air. Caser and Liren still maintained their chipper demeanor, their voices echoing through the confined spaces. I quickened my pace, moving ahead to match Borian, who was leading the way in silence, perhaps sensing my need for distance from their chatter.
As we walked, I broke the silence, my voice low. “Tell me more about this dungeon, Borian. It’s too quiet.”
We pressed on, the cave winding like an ant’s nest with too many hollow spaces to get lost in. According to Borian, the cave was once filled with low-level monsters—mana beasts, as they were called—like ground rats with tails resembling snakes. But an unknown beast had driven them away, leading to casualties in a nearby town.
“Three adventurer parties came before us,” Borian continued, his voice grim as he kept a wary eye out for any threats, the light from the hovering torch casting flickering shadows on the walls. “And let me tell you, they had made quite a name for themselves, but all went missing after descending farther down. One survivor, a mage, claimed she saw it—a massive, humanoid creature. She was quite shaken, said she watched her friends get impaled by something… something bigger, before she barely escaped.”
I nodded, absorbing the information while keeping my senses sharp. Caser and Liren were still behind us, their voices distant but cheerful. “You said it’s unknown. Could it be that a beast of that kind shouldn’t be here?” I prodded, extending my Aetheric sense outward. So far, nothing—just rocks and the cold, oppressive air.
Borian’s expression hardened, his gaze flickering to me, uncertainty lacing his voice. “You’re right. A high-level beast wouldn’t just wander into a lower-level dungeon without a reason. But we don’t know why it’s here. Liren has a theory—she suspects the mana density might have something to do with it, and there’s this other particle—”
“Aether!” Liren’s excited voice cut in from behind as she hurried to join us, her eyes alight with enthusiasm. Caser was unexpectedly silent, but still behind. “I’ve been researching it. There’s not much information in the towns around here, but the capital might have more. The thing is they…” She hesitated, her voice trailing off. It was subtle, but I noticed her eyes flicker backward, toward Caser.
I could feel the unease in the air, thick and heavy, like a storm on a horizon. Pretending not to notice, I kept my tone curious, masking the sharp edge of my thoughts. “They? Who are they?”
They exchanged a soft glance, the weight of unspoken words hanging between them. “Archon race, heard about it right?” Liren Finally spoke, her voice just above a whisper, flashing a tight-lipped smile.
I nodded slowly, my thoughts churning as I matched her pace. Borian and Caser Kept their distance, their shadow a flickering dim under the hovering torch. “It is said that Archon were the true master of Aether”, Liren continued, her voice reverent. “Having the expertise unparalleled, they are…were the protector of the lesser realm –until twenty-two years ago, when their realm... fell into ruin”
“What!?”, the words through my throat before I could stop it, my brows pulled together, realization hit me. My carefully maintained façade, crumbling. My mind raced, a thousand thoughts colliding.
“Yes, although they were strong –the”, Liren faltered, her voice stuck on her throat. Caser stepped in, his usual carefree demeanour gone, now replaced by a sharp piercing gaze. “Yes, but why do you look so stunned, Caladrel?”
Twenty-two years? How could that be possible? I had thought only a year, maybe two, had passed while I was trapped in the portal. Panic gnawed at the edges of my mind, thoughts of my mother—the only family I had left—threatening to overwhelm me. And then there was Caser... Something was off, and it made my skin prickle with unease.
“I just felt… a tingling sensation in my head when she mentioned about the year”, I lied smoothly, pressing a hand to the side of my head as if to ease a phantom pain.
“Could be related with your amnesia”, he asserted, his tone casual, but I could feel his eyes boring into me, searching for cracks.
“No clueI focused my senses outward, a faint pulse of mana catching my attention. There it was—a swirl of earth-element mana, faint but unmistakable, coiling around something enormous. I could have warned them.
“Boom!!”
The ground shuddered violently, splitting open with a deafening roar. Cracks spread like wildfire, the floor crumbling beneath our feet. I didn’t bother with my wings, instead leaping from one fragment of rock to another, wind mana swirling around me to soften my fall. My eyes flickered across the cavern, noting the debris raining down, calculating my path with precision.
They can handle themselves. Borian emerged first, shattering the earthen barrier he had conjured mid-fall. Caser wasn’t far behind, setting Liren down with surprising care. He had quite the agility despite the added weight.
“Are you sure you can handle that thing?”, I called out, my voice carrying across the big cave, pointing at the Behemoth now towering before us. twenty feet tall, covered with steel plates, resembling an armour, carrying a big broad sword which gleamed ominously matching his red eye.
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“It’s a sentinel”, Caser growled. his sword already in hand, his voice carrying fire like determination. Liren was beside him, her bow drawn, while Borian stood at the forefront.
“Watch how we destroy this piece of rock,” Caser boasted, the usual arrogance returning to his voice as he prepared to charge. Borian and Liren mirrored his confidence, their battle cries ringing through the air, defying the sentinel’s overwhelming presence.
That feeling again... a deep unease gnawing at me as I watched Caser’s back. Deciding to let the battle unfold without my interference, I leaped back, landing on a high arching rock that had fallen from the cavern ceiling.
Caser rushed forward, fire elements converging around him, engulfing his sword in flames. Borian conjured a massive earthen pillar beneath Caser’s feet, propelling him upwards. The giant sentinel swung its colossal sword, but Caser was already in the air, leaping above the giant’s head. The sword cleaved through the pillar, shattering it to rubble.
Plant vines erupted from the debris, binding the sentinel’s arm with relentless force. “Now!” Liren shouted, her voice sharp as earth and water elements swirled beside her.
Caser’s flaming sword crashed down onto the sentinel’s head with a deafening bang. Cracks splintered through the steel helmet, and the colossus roared in fury, ripping free from the vines. It flung Caser aside like a ragdoll, sending him hurtling toward the dungeon wall, which turned to mud just in time to soften his impact.
“Caser!” Borian’s voice was full of concern as he commanded the earth to respond to his will. Caser struggled to his feet, nodding to signal he was unharmed but his earlier confidence now shaken
“Hyaa!” Liren roared ferociously, as massive tree roots burst from the ground, piercing through the sentinel’s thick armor and anchoring it to the floor. The colossus staggered, crashing to its knees with a thunderous impact that sent rocks and dust flying into the air.
But before they could even catch their breath, the sentinel roared again, its eyes blazing with an eerie blue light. I sensed the earth mana surge, and a moment later, iron spikes erupted from the ground. Borian conjured a wall of earth in the nick of time, but the spikes tore through it, grazing his arm as Liren and Caser leaped back to safety.
The massive sentinel leaped toward Liren, who froze under the pressure, her bow clattering to the ground. The colossus swung its sword in a deadly arc.
“Liren!” Caser shouted, shoving her out of the way just as the sword crashed into him.
BOOM!
Caser was sent crashing through the fallen rocks, slamming into the dungeon wall with bone-crunching force. His sword shattered, fragments scattering like shards of glass. Liren’s anguish scream echoed through the cavern, as she rushed to her fallen friend, her face twisted in fear and desperation.
Borian, now encased in a sturdy armor of rock, launched himself at the sentinel, his fist crashing into its face with enough force to snap its head sideways. A smirk flickered across Borian’s face, but it was short-lived as the sentinel’s monstrous fist slammed into him, sending him flying back.
I watched the scene unfold, the three of them struggling against a foe far beyond their abilities. They were strong, no doubt, but they were outmatched. Then, something caught my eye—Caser, somehow still standing, began to glow with an otherworldly light. Mana and Aether swirled around him, his body crackling with energy.
Short, majestic wings, pure white and radiant, unfurled from his back—the pride of the Archons. Electricity danced across his skin, fire ignited in one hand, while frost gathered in the other. My mind raced, flooded with thousands of questions, possibilities which I hadn’t considered before. I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to stay silent, and watched as the fight took an unexpected turn.
Frost spikes rained down from above, the sentinel raising its arm to shield itself from the deadly hail. But Caser wasn’t finished. With a burst of speed, he darted toward the sentinel, leaping high into the air. A burst of explosive energy propelled him forward, his momentum driving a fiery, lightning-clad fist into the sentinel’s shoulder with a resounding crack.
The colossus toppled sideways, crashing into the dungeon wall, the force of impact shaking the very foundation of the cavern, debris of rocks flew from its force.
But the strain was too much for Caser—his wings vanished, the surge of mana fading, his lips escaped a groan as he began to fall.
Tree vines shot out, catching him gently, and lowering him to the ground as Borian and Liren rushed to his side. Caser groaned again, attempting to stand, but his strength failed him.
I knew I had to intervene. Desperation gnawed at me. I needed them alive, especially Caser—now revealed to possess the power of the Archons. I delved deep within myself, reaching for my Aether Core—only to discover a second layer around it, reinforcing the first.
I searched for an Aether path—there was one, etched with the intent of destruction. Pravam, the Aether path of annihilation, common among the Archons. But there was another, far deeper, as if a veil had been lifted from my core, the path around it shimmered into view, the path of space, defying the constraints of time –It was Antarikam. But having two paths? That shouldn’t be possible.
Shaking off my confusion, I pushed aside the questions. Now was not the time to unravel mysteries.
I flew forward, towering over the injured trio, matching the sentinel’s height. I felt a burning sensation crawling through my arms as dark violet particles began to coalesce around me, the power of Antarikam surging through me. Aether began to condensed around me, swirling like a storm.
The sentinel’s eyes flared with blue light as it leaped toward me, sword raised high. But the violet particles in the air shuddered, responding to my will as I unleashed a crushing force of gravity. The sentinel crashed to the ground, powerless under the immense weight.
“It’s useless,” I said coldly, looking down at the once formidable foe, now powerless under my control.
I reached deep within, drawing on the destructive power of Pravam. The rune etched into my core glowed with a searing intensity, and a dark violet sphere of condensed Aether formed in my palm, swirling with destructive intent.
With a thought, I unleashed it—a beam of pure destruction, tearing through the air with a sound like thunder. The blast struck the sentinel, disintegrating its steel plates, crumbling its arm, and finally reducing its entire form to nothing but dark violet ash.
I’ll call it Void Blast, I mused to myself, the name settling on my mind.
I descended slowly, the trio’s eyes locked on me, their expressions a mix of awe and fear. Their gaze flickered to the pile of ashes where the sentinel had once knelt, then back to me.
“I have some questions for you three,” I called out to them, but my words seemed to fall on deaf ears, their gazes flickering between me and the spot where the sentinel had once stood.
“Do you want me to obliterate you like that?” I asked, my tone carrying a sharp edge.
Liren was the first to break free from the pressure, her voice hoarse but determined. “We’re thankful for your help, Caladrel. Please, you can trust us... I—”
Before she could finish, the air around us shuddered, and the dungeon began to quake. With a deafening boom, a burst of violet light enveloped the entire room.