Kieran flexed his fingers, feeling the faint hum of the Celestial Crest under his skin.

The energy was muted, suppressed by the shackles at his wrists and ankles, but it lingered like an ember waiting to ignite.

The woman beside him, her golden eyes scanning the dimly lit dungeon, shifted slightly.

“Since we’re apparently in this mess together, I suppose we should exchange names,” she said in a measured tone.

“I’m Selene.”

Kieran studied her for a moment, her composure sharp despite their predicament.

“Kieran,” he replied simply.

Her gaze lingered on him.

“Now that we’ve got the pleasantries out of the way,” she said, tilting her head toward his glowing palm, “what’s that?”

Kieran tensed, his hand curling slightly to shield the Crest’s faint light.

“It’s... complicated,” he said, his tone evasive.

“Let’s just say it’s the reason I’m still alive.”

Selene raised an eyebrow, her golden eyes narrowing with curiosity.

“That’s vague. Is it magic?”

Kieran shook his head, frustration flickering in his expression.

“I don’t know what it is,” he admitted.

“But it’s called the Crest. That’s all I’ve got.”

Selene’s lips pressed into a thin line, her gaze flicking between his hand and his face.

“Fine,” she said at last.

“But whatever it is, we’re going to need it. These shackles are designed to suppress energy, and unless we figure out a way to overload them, we’re stuck.”

Selene crouched beside him, her golden eyes darting to the faint cracks in the dungeon walls, her focus razor-sharp.

“They’ve rigged these shackles to feed off our energy, cycling it back into the suppression field,” she murmured, her voice low.

“But there’s a flaw. They didn’t account for two energy sources syncing at the same frequency.”

Kieran raised an eyebrow, skepticism flashing in his emerald eyes.

“Syncing energy? Sounds like something a mage would dream up after a few too many ales.”

Selene shot him a withering look.

“Focus. If we push our energies together at just the right resonance, we can overwhelm the field’s capacity. It’ll cause a feedback loop.”

Kieran frowned, his mind racing to process her words.

“And this loop will do what? Fry the shackles? Blow a hole in the wall?”

“More like short out the suppression field,” she replied, her tone brisk.

“Then we’ll have a window—seconds, maybe less—to channel a burst of energy strong enough to shatter the restraints.”

Kieran considered her plan, weighing the risks.

“It’s a gamble,” he said finally.

“Too much energy, and we risk overloading ourselves instead of the field.”

Selene nodded.

“Exactly. But sitting here isn’t going to save us, is it?”

Kieran sighed, his lips curling into a grim smile.

“Fine. Let’s do this. But if I end up a charred husk, I’m blaming you.”

Selene ignored his jab, already adjusting her position to face him.

“On my count,” she said, her voice steady.

“Match your Crest’s pulse to mine. We’ll start slow and build momentum.”

Kieran closed his eyes, focusing on the Crest’s faint hum.

The energy was sluggish, like a flame struggling against the wind, but he pushed past the resistance, aligning his pulse with hers.

“One,” Selene began, her tone calm but commanding.

“Two. Three!”

The Crest flared in Kieran’s palm, its light intertwining with the faint golden aura that now radiated from Selene.

The shackles around his wrists grew warm, vibrating as the suppression field faltered under their combined assault.

For a moment, hope surged through him.

“We’re getting there!” Kieran gritted out, sweat beading on his brow as he poured more energy into the effort.

Numbers flashed through his mind—a rough estimate of the energy required to breach the field.

If his Crest could output the equivalent of 200 units on the Strength Index, and Selene matched him, they might reach the threshold.

The shackles glowed, cracks forming in the metal.

The suppression field flickered, the faint hum growing unstable.

Kieran felt the strain in his body, the toll of channeling so much energy against resistance.

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His muscles burned, his vision blurred, but he refused to falter.

“Push harder!” Selene urged, her voice tight with effort.

“We’re almost—”

The suppression field detonated in a burst of raw energy, a deafening crack splitting the air.

Kieran was thrown backward, slamming into the dungeon wall with bone-jarring force.

Pain exploded through his shoulder, and he gasped, struggling to stay conscious.

The shackles on his wrists remained, their glow dim and cracked, but still unbroken.

Selene groaned, sprawled against the opposite wall, her golden aura flickering weakly.

Her shackles, too, had cracked badly but still held firm.

Kieran cursed under his breath, his wrath bubbling to the surface.

“So much for your flawless plan,” he spat, dragging himself upright despite the searing pain in his arm.

Selene shot him a glare, but before she could reply, the ground trembled beneath them.

A low, guttural growl echoed through the dungeon, followed by the sound of stone cracking.

Kieran froze, his senses sharpening despite his battered state.

“What was that?” he demanded, his voice low.

Selene’s golden eyes darted to the corridor beyond their cell, her expression grim.

“Our attempt must’ve triggered something,” she said, her tone clipped.

A deafening crash echoed through the dungeon, followed by a low, guttural roar that sent vibrations through the stone walls.

The sound was primal, resonating with a ferocity that made the air feel heavier.

“Something big,” Selene said, her voice trailing off, the words landing with a mix of belated realization and unease.Kieran rolled his eyes, a smirk tugging at his lips despite the growing tension.

“Brilliant observation, Selene. Truly groundbreaking,” he said, his voice dripping with dry sarcasm.

The growl deepened, the vibrations growing stronger.

Kieran’s heart pounded as a massive shadow loomed at the edge of the dimly lit corridor.

The creature stepped into view, its hulking form forcing the walls to tremble under its weight.

It was an Apex Fangbeast, a monstrous predator infamous for its brute strength and relentless aggression, its Strength Index easily in the upper 500s.

Standing nearly twelve feet tall at the shoulder, its thick, plated hide glimmered with an oily sheen, each scale layered like natural armor designed to deflect most weapons.

Its muscles rippled with every movement, the sheer force of its body evident in the deep gouges its claws carved into the stone floor with each step.

Kieran recognized it instantly.

He had overheard stories whispered in hushed tones by veteran hunters in the Wyrmlands—tales of the Apex Fangbeast's unmatched ferocity and terrifying resilience.

The Strength Index of 500 marked it as a regional terror, a beast capable of uprooting trees with a swipe of its claws or reducing boulders to rubble with a single charge.

What set this creature apart, however, was its unique power: a devastating sonic roar that could rupture stone and disorient prey, leaving them defenseless.

Its fangs were serrated and unnaturally long, designed to crush through armor and bone, while its piercing eyes, glowing a molten orange, seemed to read into the hearts of those who dared face it.

The Apex Fangbeast was no mindless brute.

It was known for its cunning ambush tactics, using the environment to corner its prey before unleashing its fury.

And now, it stood before them, a living nightmare brought to life in the dim confines of the dungeon.

Kieran's pulse quickened as he stared at the beast, his body screaming for escape, but his mind calculating, searching desperately for any advantage.

This wasn’t just a creature.

It was a force of nature.

“Perfect,” Kieran said through twitching lips, disbelief flashing in his green eyes.

He couldn’t believe his dogshit luck—the past few days had been a relentless parade of disasters.

And now, this.

“Just what we needed—a giant monster in a cramped dungeon.”

The Apex Fangbeast advanced, its molten orange eyes locking onto them with predatory precision.

Kieran’s pulse thundered in his ears.

The shackles around his wrists and ankles clinked softly as he shifted, pressing back against the cold, jagged wall.

The beast’s massive frame filled the narrow corridor, its bulk scraping against the stone as it moved with lethal purpose.

The chains binding them rattled ominously, reminding Kieran of their dire situation.

“How exactly are we supposed to evade that?” he hissed, glancing at Selene.

Selene’s golden eyes narrowed, her mind clearly racing.

“We don’t evade,” she said sharply.

“We redirect.”

Kieran’s jaw tightened.

The Crest hummed faintly under his skin, its suppressed energy teasing him with possibilities.

“And how do we do that when we’re chained like livestock?” he bit out.

Selene tugged at her own shackles, testing the tension.

“We bait it,” she said, her tone cold and calculated.

Her gaze darted to the ceiling, where loose stones hung precariously above the creature’s hulking form.

“We can collapse part of the corridor.”

“Bait it?” Kieran echoed, incredulous.

“With what? My sparkling wit?”

Selene ignored him, focusing on the rhythm of the beast’s movement.

“Draw its attention, then get it to charge under the weak point in the ceiling,” she explained.

Her golden eyes locked onto his.

“I’ll hold its attention. You make the Crest count.”

Kieran’s fists clenched.

The Crest’s power was still faint, and the thought of relying on it made his gut churn with frustration.

Still, he knew she was right.

The beast’s heavy footfalls drew closer, each step reverberating through the stone.

Kieran’s mind raced.

With a sharp inhale, he let the Crest’s glow flicker faintly, enough to catch the Apex Fangbeast’s attention.

Its molten eyes snapped to him, a guttural growl rumbling deep in its throat.

Selene shifted subtly, her own shackles clinking as she positioned herself to guide the beast toward the ceiling’s weakest point.

As the creature surged forward, its claws raking deep into the stone floor, Kieran yanked against the chains, throwing himself sideways with as much force as he could muster.

The tension in the chains gave just enough slack for him to pivot, the glow of the Crest growing brighter in his palm.

“Here, you oversized lizard!” he roared, his voice ringing off the stone walls.

The Apex Fangbeast snarled, its charge growing more ferocious as it closed the distance.

Selene yanked on her own chains, pulling herself closer to the wall.

“Wait for it…” she muttered under her breath.

The creature lunged, its massive frame crashing into the corridor.

At the last second, Kieran slammed the Crest’s light against the weak point above, sending a shockwave of force through the ceiling.

The stones groaned and shifted, chunks of rock raining down as the corridor trembled.

Selene yanked her body as flat as the chains would allow, narrowly avoiding a falling boulder.

The Apex Fangbeast howled, momentarily stunned as debris cascaded around it.

Kieran panted, his head pounding as the toll of the Crest rippled through his body.

The chains binding him burned against his skin, but he ignored the pain, his focus locked on the chaos in front of them.

Miraculously, both his and Selena's shackles gave a loud "CRACK!" And broke into pieces!

Selene’s voice cut through the din.

“Now, while it’s disoriented! Move!”

She freed her body from the broken shackles, the loose stones providing just enough leverage for them to scramble toward the far end of the wall.

The Apex Fangbeast roared again, shaking off the debris as its molten gaze locked onto them once more.

They were free from the shackles, but not from the Apex Beast.

Kieran swore under his breath.