The ground groaned beneath their feet as Team Emberlight descended into the blackened corridor of the ancient dungeon. Torches on the mossy walls flickered, but they hadn’t been lit by any human hands. A low, pulsating hum echoed through the air—mana, raw and distorted.

  “This place feels wrong,” Kael muttered.

  “It’s alive,” Yuno added, his voice low. “The dungeon… it’s breathing.”

  Kairyuuha stayed silent, eyes narrowed, the darkness reflecting faint light from his heterochromatic eyes—one red, one blue. Lumina walked beside him, her golden irises glowing faintly in the shadows. Her steps were soundless.

  They didn’t speak again as monsters began emerging—strange creatures with fused limbs and distorted mana signatures. The battles started swift:

  **First Floor — Corrupted Golems**

  Kael lunged first, breaking a twisted golem’s knee with a flaming axe kick while Yuno froze another in place with piercing ice lances. Lumina dashed between them, her claws slashing through stone and flesh. Each strike left a lingering trace of draconic energy that exploded seconds later, disintegrating the target entirely.

  Kairyuuha didn’t waste movement. Every attack was perfect—precise bursts of dark magic, teleports timed to the millisecond. He didn’t speak, didn’t breathe heavy, just flowed through combat like a reaper dancing through shadows.

  **Second Floor — Screeching Shades**

  The air turned cold as shades materialized. They screamed illusions into their ears, tried to warp their minds. Kazuki clutched his head briefly—but Kairyuuha raised a finger and muttered:

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  “*Silence.*”

  Dark seals spread like ink across the room, suppressing every sound. The shades flickered—just long enough for Lumina to obliterate them in hybrid form, wings flared and eyes glowing.

  **Third Floor — The Boss Room**

  A vast chamber opened like a broken cathedral. At the center: a towering creature with too many arms, its skin plated with obsidian and its mouth sealed by iron stitches. It rose slowly, each step shaking the ground.

  Kairyuuha stepped forward. “I’ll go first.”

  The fight erupted.

  The boss launched void spears—Kairyuuha vanished in a flicker, appearing above the monster, kicking its head with enough force to crack the ground. The monster reeled—but not before striking back with cursed chains.

  Kairyuuha blocked with a dark-armored forearm, redirecting the blow with a spiral of shadow energy. “Try harder.”

  Lumina soared overhead, shifting into hybrid form. Her claws slashed, and the monster bled glowing ichor. Then—*boom*—each claw strike left a volatile rune behind, exploding in sync with her rhythm.

  “Nice,” Kazuki shouted, impaling one of the creature’s limbs with dark spears.

  Kael and Yuno fought back to back, warding off summoned minions. The fight stretched on—minutes that felt like hours. Their bodies bled. Their stamina dropped.

  But then Kairyuuha appeared above the boss one final time.

  He summoned a sphere of twisted gravity and crushed it downward.

  **BOOM.**

  The floor cracked. The monster collapsed.

  It writhed on the ground, twitching—then opened its mouth. The stitches broke.

  “W-wait… Wait! I surrender!” the boss gasped, half its body smoking. “Spare me—I can give you something greater than power… immortality.”

  The team froze.

  Kairyuuha didn’t even blink. “I’m not interested.”

  “But…” the boss wheezed, raising a trembling finger, “what if you could give that lifespan… to someone else?”

  Kairyuuha’s gaze flicked toward Lumina.

  “…You’ll give it to all of us,” he demanded coldly. “Or I kill you.”

  The boss twitched. “…Very well. But there is a cost. You’ll stop aging… but your bodies will forever be as they are now—sixteen. No more, no less.”

  Kairyuuha narrowed his eyes. Then slowly, he nodded.

  Glowing sigils erupted beneath their feet. Ancient voices whispered through their minds:

  > *You have acquired: [Curse of Eternal Vitality]*

  > *You will never fall to time.*

  > *Your bodies are sealed in their prime.*

  The light faded.

  Kairyuuha stared at his palm. His mana had stabilized perfectly. The whispers stopped.

  Then he turned to the monster.

  “Just to be sure—if you lied…” He raised a single finger.

  The boss began to protest—but in an instant, it was pierced through the skull by a black spear of compressed gravity.

  It crumbled into ash.