Lyra smirked. "Experience."

Kaelen raised an eyebrow, feigning annoyance but clearly curious. "Seriously, tell me what that was. I’m dying to know."

Lyra held up a small device, her grin widening. "I sent my lockpick bot through to the other side of the gate while you were busy throwing hands on Kaelen," she teased.

Kaelen blinked, then sighed as realization set in, his tone flattening. "Throwing hands on myself? Oh—right."

Lyra continued, unfazed. "This thing’s the remote control. The lock was crazy strong and complex, but I managed to crack it open in, like, ten seconds. Handy little gadget, huh?"

Kaelen's voice laced with disappointment. "Never expected some teenager from another region would be the one to open this gate."

They stepped through, shadows stretching before them as they ventured deeper into the cavern.

Lyra glanced at him, curiosity sparking in her eyes. "Alright, but let’s set that aside for a sec. What was that insane strength back there? You didn’t just leap twice to reach the top—you kicked the crap out of that creature mid-air. How the hell did you pull that off?"

Kaelen smirked. "All thanks to my Vitalis level. It’s probably at 110 by now."

Lyra: "Wow, that sounds impressive… but, uh, how high is 110, exactly?"

Kaelen sighed. "You’ve got a device that reads Vitalis levels, and you don’t even know what they mean?"

Lyra shrugged. "I don’t knooow… nobody’s ever explained it to me. Besides, this thing isn’t exactly accurate. It just guesses my Vitalis level based on stuff I do."

Kaelen replied, "Alright, let’s put it this way: someone with a Vitalis level of 150 could lift a horse cart—and the horse—with ease. That help?"

Lyra glanced at her device. "Huh… says mine’s 180."

Kaelen’s jaw dropped. "WHAT!? Lemme see that… oh, wait—that’s your Vitalis limit, not your level, genius. The limit’s just the max your Vitalis level can reach, even with training. Priests usually check that when we’re born."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Lyra tilted her head. "So, what’s your Vitalis limit, then?"

Kaelen shrugged. "Honestly, I don’t know. My father always says he… forgot."

Lyra scoffed. "That’s ridiculous. My friend’s aunt used to say Vitalis boosts IQ along with strength, but… I mean, look at you."

Kaelen shrugged again. "That’s a load of rubbish. Vitalis only boosts strength, speed, and durability."

Lyra grinned. "So you admit you’ve got low IQ?"

Kaelen smirked. "I mean… sure, maybe. I can be smart if I want, but who needs IQ when you’ve got insane strength?"

Lyra shook her head. "You’re the perfect example of why IQ actually matters."

Kaelen shrugged. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Lyra tilted her head. "So, according to what you said, you should be able to lift a horse—or at least something close to that weight."

"Yeah, I guess?" Kaelen replied.

She pointed behind him. "Then how about lifting those creatures?"

"Where?" Kaelen’s eyes widened, and he jumped back. "OH FUCK —" He gaped at the monstrous figures she’d pointed to—eight feet tall, covered in spikes, their eyes glowing red like they’d come straight out of hell. "WHEN DID THOSE APPEAR?!"

Lyra smirked. "Come on, haven’t you been here before? That thing shouldn’t be that big a deal, right?"

Kaelen threw her a panicked look. "That thing weighs the equivalent of two elephants! I don’t stand a chance against them—JUST RUN!"

They took off, bolting through the nearest tunnel they could find, winding deeper into the cave as Lyra fired off blasts from a gun emitting ultrasonic waves. The creatures slowed but kept up the chase, and after a solid ten minutes of running, they burst into a vast dungeon. The place was filled with cursed weapons, dark energy swirling around rusted blades, broken shields, and crumbling sculptures of warriors locked in battle with eerie, dark-aura creatures etched into the walls.

Lyra’s gaze landed on one painting where a man held a child in his arms while fighting. Just beneath the painting lay a tattered, stuffed bunny radiating dark energy. She knelt to reach for it.

Kaelen quickly stepped forward. "Idiot, don’t touch that—it’s clearly cursed!"

"But it’s so cute!" Lyra said, her tone almost dreamy.

Kaelen stared at her in disbelief. "How the hell could you think that thing’s cute?"

Lyra proceeds to ignore that bunny and pulls out a scanner. "I’ve got this device that can probably decode the paintings and the weird writing over there." She scanned the wall, reading aloud as the screen filled with text. "Looks like these tools and weapons are leftovers from ancient wars. They got cursed after these dark creatures died, leaking dark energy all over everything."

Kaelen’s eyes fell on a painting showing a legendary sword in a beam of light. "Now this one looks awesome."

But before he could get a closer look, Lyra pulled a lever beside the wall. The ground trembled beneath them, and Kaelen shot her a serious look. "You really can’t stay still, can you?"

"What could it possibly do? It’s not like they had amazing tech back then," Lyra replied.

"Yeah, like that gate with a ‘complex lock system’ was built by your great-grandfather back in Elysian heights right?" Kaelen shot back sarcastically.

Then, a great stone wall suddenly emerged, closing in on them fast.

They didn’t wait to see how close it’d get. They just ran, following the only path forward as the wall forced them down a winding route. When they finally stopped, the wall had too, leaving them surrounded by complete darkness.

A guttural growl echoed through the cavern, making them jump.

Without a word, they bolted toward the only path visible. After a long, winding sprint, they suddenly burst out of the cave, blinking in the daylight, catching their breath.

Kaelen and Lyra both looked at each other, eyes wide.

"What the hell was that?" Lyra breathed, still catching her breath.

They turned around, expecting to see the cave entrance, the looming dark aura, or even a hint of the cursed dungeon. Instead, there was… nothing. Just an endless stretch of grasslands under a clear sky, as if they’d run straight out of nowhere.

Kaelen frowned. "We… definitely didn’t imagine all that, right?"

Lyra shook her head slowly. "Nope. That cave was real. Those things were real." She glanced around, unsettled. "So why does it look like we just ran out of… thin air?"