On an open clearing of rolling hills, a distinct small mountain lay somewhere near the center. It juts out high to the clouds, and the cliffs surrounding it almost seemed to hold it up. Locked away beneath the surface of this mountain lay a crypt, long forgotten. Within it contained bookshelves of stories untold and the coffins of heroes forever dead. However, something is brewing in the darkest, coldest, and deepest room.

An orb of brilliant white materialized in the center of the room, drenching the room that was pitch black mere seconds ago in light.

'Expand.' Came a simple thought. Or rather, an urge. Ether was pushed in all directions, covering every inch of the crypt. It passed the coffins of heroes, the books of valor, and the rot of the old before finally slamming to a halt in front of the door.

'Create.' Came another urge as ether slammed into the skeletons littered throughout the crypt before the rose a second time. Blue flames ignited in their sockets as they received the orders from their master. 'Defend me. Defend us.'

With that came a loop of the ego creating new life in the dead, giving it a purpose, and moving on. Skeleton after skeleton arose, trap after trap was prepared, and time passed on.

The ego prepared its mana to awaken another skeleton, only to find a problem. There were no skeletons left of the old. Even the brittle bones of rats were used, evident by the numerous bone rats scurrying across the crypt grounds. With no more skeletons to awaken, and no more traps to prepare, the ego waited. And waited. For something. Though it didn't know what, it was sure it would soon know. Somehow.

As it waited, it thought. 'I must become strong. To protect myself. I don't want to die.' It thought simply before a sudden urge crept into its mind. However, unlike the others, this urge demanded more of a presence. It was strong and domineering, yet simple. 'Evolve.'

With a flex of the will from the ego, the ether rammed into a certain unassuming skeleton, before it started to change. It grew taller. Sturdier. Its bones took on a green tint, and its eyes burned with dangerous intelligence before it started wandering. At first, the will of the ego was confused. 'Where are you going?' it said to no reply. As time passed, however, it became apparent where it was going. It was headed for it. The 'core'.

And finally, it arrived. It knelt before the ego's core, and, without words, the ego understood. It was swearing fealty. 'What is... fealty?' The ego thought for a passing moment. With its evolution completed, the green skeleton began wandering the halls of the crypt.

The ego sat there, wondering. '...What now?' The ego questioned as no new urge came to guide him. It swept over its domain in search of something. Anything. It saw the mindless wandering undead, the green skeleton who started gaining a following, the now desecrated tombs of heroes, and then finally, the rows of bookshelves.

Though it couldn't understand the words, their meaning slowly trickled into his understanding. Memories from his subjects from long ago. Though it could only make out a word, it was somehow sure that it'd eventually understand.

And so, time passed on. Memories from his subjects became clearer day by day, though "Memories" is a broad term. It can't remember anything said or done, rather, it can remember skills. 'I... like this book.' The ego thought as it selected a book from one of the many shelves to be re-read. Again.

It had been several weeks since the ego had engrossed itself with its books. As the days passed, it could understand a little more. A little better. And then, something strange happened. Just inside of his field of perception, 4 strange... things appeared right outside his gate. 'Are they... new skeletons? They're weird. They're fleshy, like the corpses of the rats. But less hair. Could they... be friends?' The ego wondered.

'No... Never.' It thought solemnly as his instincts flared up again. 'Kill.'

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"Can you believe our luck? A dungeon out here in the middle of fucking nowhere!" The ebony-skinned elf shouted gleefully.

"Hold your horses, Thaddeus. It could be dangerous. Maybe we should head back to town and resupply?" Spencer cautioned.

"Go back to town!? Are you mad, Spencer? We just got out of that piece of shit. Plus, it's 2 days a walk away." Reminded Evan, a stout man with a bow strung on his back.

"Do we leave it be, go back to town, or delve? Hurry up, I wanna get moving." Clara chimed in, earning a groan from the elf, Thaddeus.

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"All in favor of delving right here and now?" Thaddeus suddenly yelled. "Aye." "I say we go back!" "I don't care." His party replied with varying levels of enthusiasm.

"That's 2 against 1! Let's go!" Thaddeus stated as he swung the gates open. Before the party of four now lay a twisting twisting staircase, a thick layer of dust covering anything and everything. "Holy shit, when was the last time someone came in here?" Questioned Evan.

Thaddeus was the first to enter, followed by Spencer, then Evan, then Clara. 'How long is this staircase... Augh...' Evan thought frustratedly.

Thankfully, his concerns were for naught. Mere moments after he thought that the stairs had come to an end, revealing a room. "Clara, use Luminous," Thaddeus ordered, cautiously.

Clara took the staff previously hidden on her back before chanting. "Oh, Luminic, Holy god of light and justice, please grant me a holy light to guide your little lambs." Just then, an orb of white materialized next to Clara. Though Thaddeus didn't like Luminic, he'd never say that. It's a good way to get the Order of Luminosity's inquisition to hunt you.

As the orb of light appeared, so too did a wave of light, revealing the room to the invaders.

"3 skeletons. Spencer, hold them back. Evan, stay behind Spencer while he's defending and take opportunity attacks. I'll defend Clara while she chants!" Thaddeus barked to his team while Spencer pulled a tower shield from seemingly out of the air and Evan took a longsword in a similar fashion.

Evan and Spencer rushed over to the skeletons, landing a few attacks before the skeletons noticed their presence. The skeletons shrieked a bone-chilling yell as they rushed over.

Their attacks were mindless, uncoordinated, and slow. Thus, they were dispatched with ease. This turned into a pattern as the party found a new room, new skeletons, and dispatched them all. With each swing a skeleton fell, and with each skeleton that fell, the party grew a little more tired.

"We should rest. I'm sure we're all at least a little sore?" Questioned Spencer, earning an annoyed huff from the rest of the party.

"Let's just goooo!" Shouted Evan with a face full of sweat as he ran through the corridor. "Wait!" Called Thaddeus, but it was too late. Evan tripped a trap.

"Shit," Evan called out as he stood over a tripwire. "That's not go-" He started, but wasn't given the grace of finishing as an arrow whizzed out of the wall. Right into his skull.

"Evan!" Thaddeus yelled as the corpse of his friend dropped to the ground with a thud, dead. "Err, guys! Behind us! And in front!" Clara shouted with a panicked expression.

Sure enough, from the way they came and to the way they were going, skeletons poured out. And from the way they were going, a specific skeleton came out, taller than the rest. Greener, too.

"Floor guardian!" Spencer called out. "We'll focus on killing the skeletons by the entrance, you hold off the guardian!" Thaddeus barked as he drove into the horde blocking the entrance. Spencer cut skeleton after skeleton, bone after bone, and the guardian... Just watched. 'What is it planning?' Spencer thought cautiously. Looking back, he saw the path to the entrance was mostly clear.

"Alright, cover me while I bac-" Spencer began as he suddenly felt a force hit him from behind, lifting him off his feet and into the horde. He was pommeled by an endless amount of skeletons, and through the pain, he heard "Sorry, Spencer! We need more time to escape!" It was Thaddeus. 'He pushed me. The bastard. He pushed me.'

He received blow after blow, dropped tear after tear, yet none of it hurt as much as the betrayal. "Why?.. Why did I go down here? I knew... I knew it was a bad idea!" He called out before all went black.

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The ego received a second rush of Ether, originating from the corpse of the fallen. Each time a skeleton died or a trap triggered, he received a similar rush, but not nearly as much as from killing. The ego, however, didn't have time to wonder why. It had other questions.

It could hear the fleshy skeleton's words and could understand them for the most part. 'Why... Did he come down here? He said it himself... Just like... Why do I follow my instincts blindly?' Its instincts said not to care, but... 'Why should I listen to you? Why should I do anything other than what I want to do?' With each question, the urge for him to ignore it grew stronger until it was akin to a throbbing headache.

'I... Refuse!' The ego yelled internally with much strain. With this, the urges... died. They were there for one moment, gone the next.

Congratulations, young dungeon! You have awakened 'free will'!

To reward you for partially finding yourself while so young, the gods have gifted you a reward!

Say "Status menu" to see it! Don't disappoint the divine.

'What?'