The silence after the battle weighed heavily on Ethan’s team. The corrupted ones had retreated, disappearing into the ruins. Not defeated. Not eradicated. Just waiting. Watching. Planning. Kara exhaled, gripping her sword. “They were learning mid-fight.” Gareth wiped his spear against his sleeve. “No, worse. They were testing us.” Leah still knelt beside the survivor, her hands shaking slightly. “They weren’t trying to kill us,” she murmured. “They were trying to change us.” Ethan’s stomach twisted. Because she was right. That battle hadn’t been about survival. It had been about corruption. And Ethan knew—if they had lost… They wouldn’t be dead. They would be something else.
The wounded adventurer—the last of the missing team— coughed, his breathing ragged. His blackened eye flickered as he looked at Ethan. “You… can still stop it.” Ethan tensed. “Stop what?” The survivor’s fingers trembled. “The city… it was sealed for a reason.” His body shuddered, veins pulsing. “They locked something away here… but the seal is weakening.” Leah’s breath caught. “Like the other ruins?” The man shook his head. “No. Worse.” His marked eye pulsed. And Ethan felt it—a flicker of recognition, deep within his own brand. The Master’s influence. “You don’t have much time,” the man rasped. His fingers curled against the stone. “The last chain will break soon.” Ethan’s chest tightened. “…What’s behind the chain?” The survivor’s lips parted— Then his entire body seized. A violent tremor racked his frame, his blackened veins pulsing unnaturally. Leah gasped. “His body—! It’s—” The man jerked forward. His blackened eye flared— And he screamed.
His voice wasn’t human. It was a twisting, fractured howl that shook the ruins. Dark tendrils burst from his back, twisting wildly like a creature trying to rip free from his body. Ethan reacted instantly. [Shadow Step – Activated.] He blinked forward, daggers flashing— But Gareth was faster. His spear struck true, piercing the man’s chest before he could fully transform. The survivor’s marked eye dimmed. His breathing slowed. And then— He collapsed. Lifeless. Gone. Leah covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking. “…He wasn’t turning,” she whispered. “He was being used.” Kara exhaled sharply. “He was already dead the moment they let him go.” Gareth wiped his spear clean. “They wanted us to hear that message.” Ethan looked down at the man’s still body. His mark pulsed again. Because they were right. This had been deliberate. The Master had let them find him. Not out of mercy. But because he wanted them to know. The last chain was breaking. And they were already too late to stop it.
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Leah swallowed hard. “We can’t leave yet.” Kara shot her a look. “You want to stay?” “We need to know what was sealed here,” Leah insisted. Ethan nodded. “She’s right.” They had come this far. And if there was even a chance they could find answers before whatever was locked away woke up… Then they had to try. Gareth sighed, adjusting his grip on his spear. “…Then we go deeper.” The team moved forward, pushing past the outer ruins. The city loomed ahead, its massive blackened towers stretching toward the sky. Ethan felt the pressure growing. Like something was waiting for them. Like something was calling him. And as they passed beneath a massive stone archway— A System notification flashed. But it wasn’t normal. It wasn’t calm. It was urgent.
[SYSTEM WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED]
[LOCATION: ???? — OUTSIDE SYSTEM JURISDICTION]
[DANGER LEVEL: UNCLASSIFIED] [RECOMMENDATION: LEAVE IMMEDIATELY]
Ethan’s blood ran cold. Because the System itself—the thing that had rewritten their entire world— Didn’t know what this place was. And that meant one thing. They had just stepped into something far beyond its control.
