The air changed the moment I stepped through the arch.

It felt heavier, colder, pressing against my skin like an invisible weight. The dim light from outside was gone, replaced by a pale, flickering glow that seemed to come from the walls themselves.

The dungeon wasn’t what I expected.

I’d imagined dark stone corridors dripping with water, maybe some skeletal remains for good measure. Instead, the walls were smooth and metallic, etched with the same glowing runes I’d seen on the arch outside. The floor was black and polished, like glass, and my footsteps echoed faintly as I followed Kiera.

“What is this place?” I asked, my voice low.

“Keep your voice down,” she said sharply, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. “We’re not alone.”

That sent a shiver down my spine. I glanced over my shoulder, half-expecting to see something lurking in the shadows, but the corridor behind us was empty.

For now.

Kiera moved ahead, her steps silent despite the echoing floor. I tried to follow her example, but every step I took seemed too loud, too clumsy.

The runes on the walls pulsed faintly as we passed, casting strange shadows that danced along the corridor. I couldn’t shake the feeling that they were watching us.

“What’s the plan?” I whispered, quickening my pace to keep up with her.

“Survive,” she said without looking back. “And don’t trigger any traps.”

“Traps?” I repeated, my stomach sinking.

As if on cue, Kiera stopped abruptly, holding up a hand. I froze, watching as she knelt to examine the floor ahead.

“There,” she muttered, pointing to a faint groove in the glass-like surface. “Pressure plate. Step on it, and we’ll find out the hard way what it does.”

I squinted, barely able to make out the groove she was pointing at. “How can you even see that?”

“Experience,” she said simply.

We moved carefully, Kiera leading the way as she navigated the corridor. My heart was pounding so hard I was sure it would set off one of the traps on its own.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Don’t rush,” Kiera said over her shoulder, her voice calm but firm. “The dungeon wants you to panic. That’s how it gets you.”

“Right,” I muttered, swallowing hard. “No panicking.”

We reached the end of the corridor without incident, stepping into a wide, open chamber. The walls here were lined with statues—tall, humanoid figures carved from the same black material as the floor. Their faces were blank, featureless, but their heads turned slightly as we entered, their glowing eyes locking onto us.

“What the hell are those?” I asked, my voice shaking.

“Sentinels,” Kiera said grimly, drawing her sword. “Don’t let them touch you.”

Before I could ask what she meant, the statues began to move.

The sentinels stepped down from their pedestals with slow, deliberate movements, their glowing eyes fixed on us. There were five of them, each one towering over me by at least a foot.

Kiera didn’t wait for them to attack. She lunged at the closest one, her sword slicing through the air with precision. The blade struck the sentinel’s arm, and for a moment, it seemed like she’d won—until the arm reattached itself, the black material flowing like liquid.

“Great,” I muttered, gripping my shard of glass tightly. “They can regenerate.”

“Hit them faster than they can heal,” Kiera said, her voice tense. “And don’t stop moving.”

Easier said than done.

One of the sentinels turned toward me, its glowing eyes narrowing as it raised a massive arm. I ducked just in time, the arm slamming into the ground where I’d been standing.

The impact sent cracks spiderwebbing across the floor, and I stumbled, barely keeping my balance.

“Focus!” Kiera shouted, driving her blade into another sentinel’s chest.

I gritted my teeth, lunging at the sentinel closest to me. My shard glanced off its arm, leaving a faint scratch that immediately disappeared as the black material flowed back into place.

The sentinel swung at me again, and I threw myself to the side, hitting the ground hard. Pain shot through my shoulder, but I forced myself to my feet, my breath coming in ragged gasps.

The air around me seemed to warp, and I felt the faint tug of something pulling at the edges of my mind.

[REWIND AVAILABLE.]

The words appeared in the corner of my vision, pulsing faintly. I hesitated, my grip tightening on the shard in my hand.

The sentinel lunged again, and I froze.

Pain exploded through my chest as its arm slammed into me, sending me crashing to the ground. The world blurred, and I felt the sharp edges of the black floor digging into my back.

I was dying.

No.

The thought surged through me, and the glow in my vision intensified. The air rippled, colors and shapes twisting as I felt myself pulled backward.

When the world snapped back into focus, I was standing again. The sentinels were still moving toward us, and the pain in my chest was gone.

Kiera glanced at me, her brow furrowed. “What just happened?”

“Not now!” I shouted, rushing toward the nearest sentinel. This time, I didn’t hesitate.

The shard in my hand struck true, carving deep into the sentinel’s arm. The black material began to flow back into place, but I was faster, slamming the shard into its chest.

Kiera caught on quickly, her blade flashing as she tore through the remaining sentinels. Together, we managed to bring them down one by one, the glowing light in their eyes fading as they collapsed.

When the last one fell, the chamber went silent.

Kiera turned to me, her eyes narrowing. “You’re going to explain that later.”

I nodded, my legs shaking beneath me. “Yeah. Sure. Later.”