"Calm down. What if they're fakes the dungeon created?" I argued.

"You really think that?" Isaac snarled.

"No. But there's always a possibility."

"You and I know both know that's about as likely as you not fucking up a rift!"

"Isaac!"

His eyes widened and he looked away, sliding the mask back over his face. "Sorry. Sereza, you heard nothing."

Her eyes narrowed, but she shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. "There's a lot to unpack after this. But later. Do you think someone is inside every crystal?"

We spent the next five minutes going around the room checking.

Every single crystal deposit had a prisoner. Their faces were unknown to me, and they all had closed eyes, but there were enough people to fill a small village.

Isaac dropped from the wall and retracted his tentacles. His face was hidden behind his mask, but I could see the thunderous expression in his eyes.

He stalked over to the edge and stared down at the bubbling pool of muck. "Let's go; we need to find the others."

Sereza shared a worried glance, and I awkwardly shrugged. There wasn't anything else we could do.

We walked to the otherside of the cavern, Isaac's clone leading the way. The metal door led to a winding path that took us up a flight of stairs. I was curious, but I turned around and examined the stairwell as we reached the top.

"Not a transition between floors. No safe zone."

"Not everything in a dungeon is dungeon-related. We don't even know what is part of the dungeon and isn't." Isaac added.

Fair enough.

Another long hallway with nothing beyond the door at the end greeted us. This time, when Isaac's clone reached for the handle, I raised my spear and slammed it against the door.

Isaac and his clone turned around and crossed their arms. "What?"

Mana. A lot of it.

"Something's inside. Can't you feel it?"

Isaac uncrossed his arms and shut his eyes. He opened them a few seconds later and pulled out his daggers.

"Yeah. Be prepared."

Isaac's clone reached for the door and opened it wide.

We stepped back, ready to dodge or get out of the way, but instead, mana washed over us in waves. It felt thick, heavy enough to slow the other's movements.

I felt it, but not entirely, my body seemingly resistant to the mana.

"Sereza. This reminds you of something?"

"Feels like ether," she panted.

Isaac resisted better than the other folks; his daggers raised high as he followed his clone's movements.

I stepped in front of Sereza and tried absorbing some of the ambient mana, but the crystal coating my body refused.

She stood up straight, but her legs moved as if she had walked through molasses. I reached into my hoodie, slipped my necklace off my head, and slid it over hers.

"Wha-?"

Once Zolnja's amulet was properly settled around her neck, she breathed in, entirely unbothered by the previous pressure.

"Oh, that's nice. Thank you," she grinned.

"No problem."

She shook her head. "Again, whatever your resistances are, it's insane."

We followed Isaac into the new room that was smaller but still larger than the usual temple rooms we encountered.

Another pool created a moat around the central crystal that expanded up to the ceiling. But instead of bubbling black tar, it was bright pink fluid with glittering stars underneath the surface.

It was pretty.

Sereza grunted, and she gripped her daggers tight. "Even with the necklace, I can almost taste it."

Isaac glanced back, noting my stare. "Fuck you."

"Thanks?" I scoffed. "You're not exactly on your knees right now. Got a hidden perk up your sleeve?"

"Maybe. Feel anything?"

I did. The air around me had been slowly caressing my skin and leaving sharp, cold lines against the back of my neck.

"Yeah, danger. Notice how there are no other crystals? It has to be that," I said as I pointed toward the crystal obelisk at the center.

The rest of the room had walls lined with the same glittery substance, looking like salt coating the dark marble.

There was something else: a strange reaction in my gut. Whatever it was, it pulled me toward the central obelisk.

I stepped closer, relying on the amplified mana sense to position me near the east side. Physically, nothing looked out of place. The tile and moat were perfectly circular.

Isaac had stepped close but nowhere near the edge; instead, his clone trodded his way around the moat and toward the other side. From my position, I could see a large metal door, this one reinforced with chains that led into the rock.

"You guys okay?" I asked my familiars.

"Yes."

"Of course!"

Even as they said that, they clung to me tightly, Sturmrorex, in particular, constricting around my throat.

I continued to examine the surroundings, even feeling the floor with my hand. As I did, the sharpness against my neck intensified and tugged my head.

Isaac's clone had reached the chained door and extended a hand toward the lock.

"Isaac, stop! Whatever it is, it's activating my perk."

The clone froze and turned with its arms crossed. Isaac copied its actions and stared.

I sighed. "I don't know. But I'm getting a strong sense of danger if you continue."

"You really got nothing? Nothing at all?"

"No," I said as I eyed the obelisk. "But maybe there's a lead."

"What are you doing," Sereza asked.

"We either go back or go forward. The door seems like a death trap, and there's nothing behind us. So what about the crystal?"

"At least let me be ready to grab you."

I agreed and waited for the others to get into position. Sereza waited behind me, her daggers up and her tail poised.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Isaac had his tendrils resting on the ground. They weren't the strongest appendages but should be enough to catch me if I fell. Sereza was ready to help pull me back in case I slipped.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Ready," Isaac agreed.

"Ready," Sereza added.

My legs tensed, and I secured my familiars, with Áine slipping into my hood. Sturmrorex summoned wind around my feet, copying Eodyne. Though he had far less power behind it, he made my steps feel light as I sprinted toward the edge.

The moment I was within a step away from plunging into the etherous mana, I kicked off, leaping into the air. The ground came fast, and I braced myself by extending my arms. My body jolted as I slid forward and stopped just shy of touching the obelisk.

Now that I stood next to it only inches apart—separating me from the obelisk—I felt the pull intensely. The feeling demanded I get even closer, a churning in my chest rising.

Quit it.

My body didn't care and continued to bang against the bars for attention. As I stood up, knocking inside my chest made me stand still and wait. I gave permission, and Chomperz appeared.

He hovered above my shoulder and stared at the obelisk. When he turned his head, I saw the red in his eyes shining bright.

"Chomperz?"

He turned around and chomped at the air before lowering onto my shoulder, where he gripped on.

That's unusual.

"Master. Look up," Sturmrorex whispered.

I did and saw nothing amiss. The crystal continued to shine with soft light. Its pink glass was smooth and perfectly rounded.

As I stared, Chomperz vibrated, his body creating a buzzing in my ear.

"Woah, what the fuck?" I exclaimed.

"What's happening?" Sereza called out.

I reached a hand to grab Chomperz, but the vibrations stopped, and he chomped the air.

"You okay?"

Chomp!

"Alright, if you say so."

"Cyrus?" Sereza asked again.

"Sorry, he seems fine, but something about the crystal is making him react. I think it..."

"Think what?" Isaac demanded.

I shook my head and extended my hand, my claws reaching the crystal. My claw touched, and I closed my eyes, shutting off external stimuli.

The mana shifted, its sluggish movements crashing against the crystal covering. The fur underneath reacted but resisted.

No.

I forced the crystal to absorb—willing Magnus' skill to work. When pink mana entered my veins, lightning shoot up my arm. It felt like a swarm of insects crawling across my skin.

Yeah, the feeling was familiar, similar to when I touched the ether crystal.

The mana around my fingers began to erode, its solidity slowly drifting apart like particles of sand.

I kept my hand there, squeezing the mana through my veins. Before I could close my eyes, Sturmrorex constricted around my throat, and something bit down on my ear.

I raised my free hand and felt Chomperz's maw digging into my earlobe.

Taking the warning for what it was, I pulled back, and he released his bite.

"Feel like answering now?" Isaac glowered.

"It definitely feels like ether, but something is different. If it was ether, I doubt I could absorb it."

"How much did you absorb?"

I checked and shook my head. "Maybe a drop. It's a shit ton of mana."

"Shouldn't be able to absorb it anyway. Is Chomperz fine?"

Chomperz stared transfixed at the spot where I touched the crystal. His head tracked even as I shifted positions.

"Chompz?"

He raised his stubby arm and pointed.

Does he want me to touch it again?

The spot was just too tall for me to get a good look, but luckily, I had the means to fix that. Closing my eyes, I envisioned the vault that was Chomperz's stomach and selected a crate I knew was solid enough to hold me.

Instead of appearing near my hand, Chomperz leaned down and spat the crate at my feet, rattling the heavy box filled with drinks.

I hopped up and ignored the snicker from Isaac behind me.

As I stood, I peered at the spot and found it different from the surrounding area. The crystal was clear but cloudy on the inside, the bright pink light it gave off easily filling in the space—that wasn't true for the two-inch wide circle.

The circle shined with the clarity of a glass pane that exposed swirling blue clouds deeper within. I stared, narrowing my eyes, and leaned forward.

As I did, Chomperz dug his claws into my jacket, and I felt the pull in my chest intensify. I wanted... No. I needed to see what was inside.

Before I pressed my face to the crystal, I requested Áine, who placed both hands on the base of my neck. Healing mana flooded my body and into my head, but nothing changed. The pull was still there, clawing at my thoughts.

"Be prepared. Something is pulling at me, and I don't think it's mental compulsion. Áine's mana detected nothing."

"I'll impale you if I have to," Isaac chirped.

"I have the paralytics ready," Sereza confirmed.

Leaning forward slowly, I moved my face close enough until my horns clinked against the surface. After adjusting, I heard the clink of my crystal halo hitting the obelisk and ignored it, further peering deeper even as the crystal helmet prevented me from truly touching.

Relaxing my shoulders, I tensed my core and willed the mana to flood my head. It slowly passed through the pores like thick sludge, and I could see the vibrant pink energy zap my skin.

The mana slid down to my neck, where it continued to flow along the fibers and push its way through my chest. Once the first drop hit the receptacle, I felt full but continued pulling.

As I forced a third drop with the skill, brilliant blue light flashed against my retinas, and I blinked, ready to pull away.

Except, I couldn't move my neck.