The cavern was silent now, save for the faint sizzle of the Corrovalk’s ichor eating away at the stone beneath its lifeless body. The massive stalactite still pinned the creature in place, its jagged edges protruding through the ruined mass of its torso.
I leaned against a nearby wall, my breath coming in shallow bursts. The fight had taken more out of me than I cared to admit. Trish stood a few feet away, her chakrams back in their bracelet form, her hand resting on Nyxala’s side as the Lepidomare let out a low, calming hum.
“That was... close,” Trish said, her voice quieter than usual. She wasn’t looking at me; her eyes were locked on the corpse of the Corrovalk, her brows furrowed. “Too close.”
I nodded, my grip tightening on Star’s haft. “It shouldn’t have been here,” I muttered. “Things like that don’t just show up by chance.”
Trish glanced at me her golden-brown eyes sharp despite her exhaustion. “You think it was sent after us?”
“I don’t know.” I pushed off the wall, walking closer to the fallen creature. The acidic stench of its ichor filled the air, burning at the edges of my senses. “But if it wasn’t... then why is this here?”
I gestured toward the blade embedded in its skull. It was jagged, warped, but unmistakable.
Trish’s breath caught. “That’s Max’s sword.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I don’t like this.” I walked over to the creature and yanked the blade free, the sound wet and sickening as it left the ruined flesh. “We need to get moving... now,” I added, my eyes lingering on the weapon. I rotated it in my hand, the warped edges catching the faint light. Without wasting another second, I stashed it into my inventory and turned toward the path ahead.
Trish was already on Nyxala’s back, crouched low in the saddle for speed. I shook off the lingering exhaustion and launched into a sprint.
It had been a long time since I’d truly run like this, and I’d nearly forgotten what it felt like. The cavern walls blurred into streaks of shadow and light as I surged forward. My boots barely seemed to touch the ground, each step propelling me farther and faster than seemed possible. Nyxala hovered beside me, her fins flaring as she kept pace, her movements smooth and fluid.
The air whipped past my face, cold and biting, but I barely noticed. Every muscle in my body burned with effort, yet I didn’t slow. This wasn’t just speed, it was something else entirely, something born of the stats I’d built and the training I’d endured.
For a moment, it felt like the world itself couldn’t keep up. The ground beneath me became a blur, and the sounds of the cavern distorted, fading into a faint hum that thrummed in time with my heartbeat.
And still, I pushed harder.
This wasn’t just a threat to my friends anymore. Something might have already happened. My chest tightened at the thought, but there was no time to linger. Max wasn’t just a friend; he was my best friend. I had to know if he was okay.
Clutching onto hope, I prayed silently that he’d only lost his sword… and not his life along with it.
We weaved through caverns and tunnels so quickly that even the monsters lurking within didn’t have time to notice us flashing past them. What should have been a journey of days was reduced to mere hours. Neither of us stopped to rest. Nyxala, sensing the urgency, moved with relentless determination, showing no signs of fatigue as she hovered alongside me.
When we finally emerged into a vast cavern, I felt a momentary flicker of awe. The space held a smaller town, its beauty rivaling even that of the main city. The glow of the luminescent plants painted the scene with a vibrant, almost ethereal light. Unlike the grand castles embedded into the stone walls of the main city, this village felt intimate and alive, with houses nestled into the rock and scattered across the cavern floor.
We skidded to a halt at the edge of the town, not just to take in the view but in the desperate hope of spotting our friends. My gaze darted across the bustling streets, searching for any sign of them.
Instead of the familiar faces I longed to see, I heard a loud crash from the far side of the cavern. A billowing cloud of dust rose into the air, thick and heavy like smoke. My chest tightened, and I glanced at Trish. She met my eyes, and in silent agreement, we took off toward the sound.
But as we drew closer, I noticed something strange, none of the villagers seemed alarmed. The guards patrolling the outer walls didn’t rush to investigate, their relaxed posture suggesting this wasn’t an unusual occurrence. My sprint slowed to a cautious jog, Trish following suit. Whatever had happened, it seemed… normal here.
We approached the source of the commotion more carefully now, the dust beginning to settle. Shapes emerged through the haze, and my heart wrenched in my chest as I saw Mel and Leo standing over the remains of some felled monsters, weapons in hand. Relief flooded me for a split second, only to be replaced by a crushing weight.
“Where’s Max?” I asked quietly, more to myself than anyone else. The question lingered in the air, heavy and unanswered.
Trish dismounted from Nyxala her expression unreadable as she patted the Lepidomare’s side. She stepped closer and placed a hand on my arm, her grip firm and grounding. She didn’t speak, but her silence carried an unspoken reassurance, a reminder to steady my rising fear before it consumed me.
I took a few steadying breaths, forcing the rising panic back down as I scanned the area. Max had to be here somewhere. Maybe he was just hiding, waiting to pop out from the shadows like he always did, ready to catch us off guard.
But he didn’t appear.
Leo turned and spotted us almost immediately. Relief crossed his face as he waved us over. Mel glanced in our direction, her expression unreadable, but as we reached them, they both pulled us into a group hug. The embrace was warm and grounding, but when I stepped back, the tension in the air returned.
I studied them carefully, noting how much they’d changed. Their armor was worn but well-kept, Mel’s weapon showing signs of frequent use. It was clear they’d trained just as hard as we had, maybe harder. But something about their body language felt... off. There was a heaviness to it, like they were bracing themselves for something.
The silence between us stretched uncomfortably, thick with unspoken words. We stood there, simply taking each other in, searching for answers that no one seemed ready to give.
Trish was the first to break the quiet. “Max hiding in the shadows somewhere?” she asked, her tone wavering between forced hope and barely contained fear.
The question hit them both like a physical blow. Their eyes reddened almost instantly, and Leo’s composure cracked as he gestured for us to sit down.
“No,” I said, shaking my head, my heart pounding. “No, no, no.” Panic clawed at my chest, the denial spilling from my lips before I could stop it.
Leo swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he spoke. “We don’t know if he’s dead…” He paused, the words catching in his throat. “But it’s... it’s the most likely scenario.”
His voice broke on the last words, and I could see him struggling to hold it together. The anguish in his eyes mirrored my own, and even Mel, usually so composed, looked away, her jaw tight.
“That blasted beast…” Mel growled, her voice trembling with anger as her massive orcish hands tightened around the haft of her mace. The veins in her forearms bulged, her frustration palpable.
I pulled the sword from my inventory, its weight oppressive as it materialized in my hands. Slowly, deliberately, I knelt and placed it on the ground between us. The blade gleamed faintly in the dim cavern light, a silent reminder of what we’d lost, or might have lost.
“We found this embedded in a Corrovalk’s skull,” I said, my voice steady but low. My gaze flicked between Leo and Mel, their silence cutting deeper than words. “I need to know what happened when you fought this creature.”
They both stared at the sword, their expressions a mix of sorrow and confusion. Tears spilled freely down Mel’s cheeks, carving trails through the dirt and grime on her face. Leo remained still, but a single tear slid from his left eye, glinting like a star as it lazily traced a path down his northern lights-like skin.
Mel wiped at her face with a rough hand, her voice strained as she spoke. “We were fighting the beast, and at first... it seemed like things were going well.” Her grip tightened on her mace as her voice cracked. “Then Max readied himself for a second flanking attack.”
Leo took a shaky breath, his brows furrowed as if replaying the memory in his mind. “He just... vanished,” he said finally, his voice tinged with disbelief. “One moment, he was there, and the next... gone. It was like the beast’s claw swiped through where he’d been, but there was no impact. Nothing.”
Mel nodded, her face darkening as she added, “He froze. Just... stopped moving. And the monster…” She hesitated, her voice trembling. “It didn’t even hit him properly. He just... shattered. Smoke, dust... gone. It was like he was erased.”
Leo’s voice broke the silence, his tone still carrying a tinge of disbelief. “The strangest thing was what happened next. His sword... it just appeared. Out of nowhere, like it was shot from the void itself. It flew straight into the beast’s skull.”
Mel’s jaw tightened as she continued, anger rising again to mask the pain. “Then Diaz’s friend grabbed us both and ran like hell. He carried us out like we were kids in a burning building.” Her fists clenched, her knuckles whitening. “We froze in the fight. If it weren’t for him, we’d both be dead.”
I frowned, irritation creeping into my tone. “I thought Diaz said his friend could handle something like that beast.”
“It wasn’t the beast that was the problem,” a deep, unfamiliar voice interjected.
We all turned as a giant of a man approached, his presence commanding and weighty. He moved with a deliberate ease, his gaze sharp as he lowered himself to sit among us. The ground seemed to groan under his massive frame.
Stolen novel; please report.
“There was... something else there,” Leo said, his voice trembling slightly. A visible shudder ran through his body, his northern-lights skin dimming as though recalling a terrible memory. “Something dark. It felt... wrong. Like it was watching us, waiting.”
The giant nodded solemnly, his voice rumbling like distant thunder. “We’re lucky to be alive. That wasn’t just a monster, it was bait.”
“Regardless of what it was, it’s dead now,” I said, my tone sharp and final, cutting through the lingering tension. My gaze swept across the group, the weight of my resolve anchoring me. “Now that we’re all back together, let’s go and find him.”
Leo’s brow furrowed, his expression a mix of confusion and doubt. “You think he’s alive?” he asked, his voice quiet but probing, as if bracing for the answer.
Before I could respond, the familiar chime of the system cut through the air. My vision blurred for a split second as a notification appeared in front of me.
QUEST UPDATE: Shadows in the Depths(Cont.)
One of your friends is still missing, he may be the key to discovering what is going on in the depths. You must locate him, whether he is dead, alive, or a thrall. More answers may lie within his discovery.
– Side Note: This is a timed quest. You have one week to find your friend… good luck. –
REWARD: Significant exp.
A surge of experience coursed through me an overwhelming tide that left me breathless. A strange sensation rippled across my skin, and before I could process what was happening, my body began to glow. The light wasn’t warm, it was blinding, electric, and impossible to ignore. Slowly, I felt myself being lifted into the air, weightless yet held in place by some invisible force. Beside me, I noticed Trish was rising too, the same brilliant glow enveloping her.
Blinding beams of light burst from my eyes, mouth, and fingertips, each one radiating raw, unbridled power. A burning heat ignited in my chest, growing more intense with every second. It felt as though the energy was building to an unbearable crescendo, desperate to escape. Pressure pushed outward, as though my body couldn’t contain the force within, while at the same time, a crushing weight tried to force itself in.
I screamed, the sound tearing from my throat as if it were the only way to survive the agonizing transformation. It felt like my skin, muscles, and bones were being torn apart and stitched back together in an endless, merciless cycle. The pain was consuming, yet I couldn’t fight it, I could only endure.
Then it happened. An explosion of light and energy erupted from me, a wave so powerful it felt like the world itself had split apart. A second explosion followed, radiating from Trish with equal force. And then, shockingly, a third burst of power… a shattering surge that came from, was that Star?
The energy dissipated as quickly as it had come, and I felt myself drifting gently back to the ground. The pain vanished in an instant, leaving no trace, as though it had never existed at all. I landed softly, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps. My hands instinctively flew to my body, inspecting for any sign of damage. My arms, my skin, everything seemed the same.
But I wasn’t the same.
I could feel it. A deep, resonant strength thrummed beneath the surface, coursing through every fiber of my being. It wasn’t just physical, it was something more, something unquantifiable. I clenched my fists, marveling at the raw power that now felt like a part of me.
Beside me, Trish landed as well, her expression a mix of awe and disbelief. Whatever had just happened… it had changed us. Forever.
CONGRATULATIONS! You have reached the rank of ADVENTURER! Your stats have been doubled, and any stats you gain from here on will also be doubled!
You now have the option of changing your class, picking a subclass, or choosing an evolution of your class! Please select one of the three choices, if you do not pick within the next 5 minutes, your choice will be made for you.
I instinctively reached down to touch Star’s hilt, a habit born of the battles, but my hand grasped at nothing. My heart skipped a beat as I realized Star wasn’t there. Instead, it hovered beside me, frozen in time, suspended in an eerie stillness.
My eyes flicked toward the weapon, curiosity mingling with unease. Star, are you…?
“I can’t further evolve until you make your choice,” Star interrupted, its voice strained, each word sounding like it was dragged through grit and pain.
A flicker of guilt ran through me. “Understood,” I murmured, giving a small nod before focusing on the glowing notification hovering in front of me. The three options stared back at me like an unspoken challenge.
Changing my class wasn’t even a consideration. I dismissed it immediately, my mind already turning to the other two choices. Subclass or evolution. What’s the difference? I wondered, my thoughts racing as I weighed the possibilities.
Another notification materialized, answering my unspoken question:
Subclasses – Potential to choose a secondary class that synergizes with your current class, adding a unique and complementary element to your abilities.
Evolutions – As you’ve discovered, evolving enhances the abilities of your current class. The difference here is that this evolution allows you to choose the direction your class will take, offering unparalleled power far, far beyond what is gained through a self-discovery evolution.
The explanation sent a jolt through me. The power of evolution, stronger than anything I’d achieved so far, was tantalizing. Yet the idea of a subclass, adding a completely new dimension to my abilities, was equally intriguing. My gaze flicked between the two options as the timer at the edge of the notification ticked down mercilessly. Five minutes.
I stared at the two options, my eyes shifting between the two for what seemed like hours, finally I made my choice.
Please choose between these options:
Supernova Vanguard - Harness the raw, destructive energy of a supernova, focusing solely on obliterating your enemies. As the Supernova Vanguard, your abilities center on overwhelming force and devastating bursts of celestial energy, leaving defense as an afterthought. Your shield becomes a weapon of destruction rather than protection. Survival depends entirely on your ability to destroy foes before they can retaliate.
-Note: Your abilities can harm your allies as well. If you choose this evolution, use your power wisely.-
Celestial Bastion - An evolution that enhances both offensive and defensive capabilities. As the Celestial Bastion, you master the balance of radiant energy, seamlessly blending devastating attacks with strong defensive techniques. You stand at the center of the battlefield, protecting allies while striking with precision. To your enemies, you are an inescapable presence, and they will hunger for your blood.
-Note: While in battle, you exude an aura of threat, sending a constant pulse of taunting whispers into the minds of your enemies. They will be compelled to focus their attacks on you.-
I smiled; my choice was made without hesitation. The notification flickered, its golden text solidifying into my final decision.
One of your abilities has become useless and must be replaced!
You get an extra ability slot as an adventurer!
Please choose two new abilities from these options!
I felt the knowledge of [Celestial Battle cry] leave my mind as my gaze locked on the list of abilities, I stroked my beard as I tried to decide which two abilities I would want.
Solar Flare - Release a burst of concentrated light in a wide area, temporarily blinding enemies and reducing their accuracy. Deals minor damage. Cooldown: 45 sec.
Shield of Constellations - Summon an ethereal shield of stars, increasing your defense and creating a reflective barrier that absorbs and returns a portion of incoming damage. Duration until dismissed. Cooldown: 1 sec. Increases armor by 150%
Stellar Javelin - Hurl a spear of celestial energy at a single target, dealing heavy damage and pinning the enemy in place for a brief duration. Duration 3 seconds. Cooldown: 30 sec.
Astral Wave - Send out a sweeping wave of radiant energy, damaging enemies in a cone and healing allies for a small percentage of the damage dealt. Cooldown: 2 min.
Comet Crash - Leap into the air and descend with explosive force, dealing massive AOE damage and stunning nearby enemies upon impact. Cooldown: 3 hrs.
Guiding Light - Mark allies with celestial energy, granting them increased damage resistance and minor health regeneration. Duration 10 sec. Cooldown: 5 min.
I made my choices after a few moments of thought.
Star began spinning in the air, its light pulsing rhythmically outward in waves. Each pulse carried a faint force, like the gentle push of an unseen hand, nudging me backward with every pass. The energy wasn’t harsh, but it was undeniable, a presence that demanded attention.
I smiled, watching her spin, her light dancing around me like a celestial storm. Slowly, she descended, her motions deliberate, as if savoring the moment. I reached up, my hand steady as she floated into my grasp, fitting perfectly as though she belonged there.
“I…” Star’s voice wavered; her usual sharpness replaced by something softer, almost hesitant. She paused, and for a moment, it was as if she herself was stunned. “I’m… speaking,” she finally said, her tone filled with wonder.
Her words hung in the air, but I didn’t need to hear more. I could feel her emotions coursing into me like a flood, confusion, excitement… and sadness, a sadness so profound it made my knees weak.
“Star?” I asked aloud, my voice trembling slightly. The others watched silently, their curiosity palpable, but I barely noticed. My focus was entirely on her.
“I remember more now,” she whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of her words. And then it hit me. A tidal wave of sorrow crashed into me, her emotions spilling out so violently that tears streamed down my face before I even realized it. I couldn’t hold it back. I didn’t even try.
In an instant, the world around me blurred and faded. The sensation of solid ground beneath my feet dissolved, replaced by the soft glow of Star’s realm. Standing before me was the figure of a woman, her form shimmering like starlight caught in a fragile silhouette.
Her shoulders shook, and before I could stop myself, I stepped forward, wrapping my arms around her. She collapsed into me, her tears soaking into my chest as though I could somehow absorb her pain. Her sobs wracked her body, each one tearing through her as though it might rip her apart entirely.
Her memories flooded into my mind, an unrelenting torrent of anguish and despair. I saw her family, her friends, her people, all of them extinguished like candles snuffed out by the cruel, unyielding void. I felt her helplessness as the void swept through her home, swallowing each light in its path until only darkness remained.
The children… they hadn’t even had the chance to sparkle, to leave their first mark on the great ocean of the universe. I felt her fury, her pain, her utter despair as she watched everything she loved, disappear, unable to stop it.
And then I understood.
She was the last. The final light of her people.
I didn’t speak. Words felt meaningless against the weight of her grief. Instead, I held her tighter, letting her cry, letting her release the eons of pain she had carried alone.
The ground beneath us shook with each sob, her realm trembling. Her breath came in shaky gasps, each one vibrating through the air the realm struggled to hold itself together.
“How could I have…” she began, her voice cracking before she paused to take a deep, steadying breath. “How could I have forgotten all of those people, all of my people. Gone. Just. Gone.”
Her words broke something inside me. Tears filled my own eyes as I held her closer, unwilling to let go, as if my presence alone could somehow give her back all that she had lost.
We sat in silence for a while, her breathing calming as the trembling of her realm began to subside. Slowly, she sat up and turned to look at me. Though her face and body were featureless, her silhouette of dancing blue and gold lights carried a presence that was unmistakably hers.
“Thank you, James,” she said softly. Her voice, no longer a whisper in my mind, carried the same layered resonance as before, like a symphony of a thousand voices. But now, it was undeniably feminine, each word ringing like a gentle melody.
I nodded at her, a small smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. “Of course, Star,” I replied without hesitation.
She hesitated, her glow dimming faintly as though wrestling with her own words. “My name is not Star…” she said at last, leaning back into me, her form trembling slightly. “My name is Virellia.”
The name hung in the air, its weight pressing gently on my chest. It felt ancient, like the echo of a long-lost star finally finding its voice.
“Virellia,” I repeated, the name rolling off my tongue as though it had always been meant to. She gave a slight nod, the lights of her form flickering with a soft warmth at the sound.
The name alone gave more power to our bond. As it echoed in my mind, I felt the connection between us grow stronger, almost tangible. It wasn’t just a name, it was a piece of her identity, a shard of the life she had lost and was now reclaiming.
I could feel it in the way she stayed close, her glowing form leaning into mine as though she feared being alone again. She saw more of me now, too. More of my past, my memories, the struggles I tried to bury beneath my resolve. Her presence pressed gently against the parts of me I tried to forget, as if to reassure me that I didn’t have to carry them alone anymore.