CHAPTER 16
The spell light flickered away.
Cold air greeted them as Sorayael, Zarethian, Silas, Kieran, and Ravelia landed on rocky terrain surrounded by jagged cliffs. The skies above churned with storm-gray clouds.
Before them loomed a massive obsidian gate, etched with glowing runes. The entrance to the C-Rank Dungeon.
Its frame towered like the ribcage of a long-dead god.
Sorayael stepped forward, boots crunching on stone. She tilted her head, brow furrowed.
'Strange.. why is it this big?'
The gate was far larger than any dungeon entrance she'd seen in the archives.
She shook the unease off with a breath, fingers brushing over the embroidered handkerchief in her coat pocket.
Then, her gaze locked onto something. Or rather.. someone.
A figure stood several meters away, near the base of a crumbling statue. Cloaked. But as a gust of wind swept past, his hood fluttered, revealing flashes of blue-black-white hair and piercing oceanic eyes.
'It's him,' Sorayael thought, eyes narrowing.
She instinctively took a step forward, drawn to the familiarity and curiosity.
But..
She turned.
Zarethian jogged up, adjusting the straps of his gauntlet. "Let's go. The trial's starting. We enter now."
She glanced back. The figure was gone.
S-so fast?
The guards stationed around the perimeter called out behind them.
Some of them bowed. Others simply watched, their eyes sincere, hopeful... afraid.
Sorayael inhaled deeply and turned back to her group.
The gates creaked.
And then.. they stepped inside.
The moment they crossed the threshold, a chill pricked their skin-not of temperature, but of something deeper. An unseen pressure sank in their bones, ancient and watchful.
Sorayael instinctively glanced around, eyes narrowed. The weight in the air wasn't unfamiliar.. it was the same kind of magic that stirred in her veins.
Beside her, Zarethian strode forward with a light shrug, adjusting the cuffs of his coat.
Sorayael stayed quiet, hands resting at her sides. If she felt anything... she didn't show it.
But deep inside, she could feel something slithering beneath the earth. Watching.
The moment they passed fully into the dungeon, the stone faded beneath their feet, replaced by lush grass and ancient trees towering toward a sky of glowing gold.
Kieran whistled low. "So we're inside a pocket realm..."
The air was dense with mana. Mist clung to their boots, and above them, glowing orbs like fireflies pulsed lazily through the vines. Trees groaned as if alive. The scent of moss and steel clung to the wind.
Carved into a stone near the base of a twisted tree, runes shimmered faintly:
Zarethian tilted his head. "Cryptic."
Sorayael narrowed her eyes. "Or literal."
Suddenly, the forest path split into three.
And from beyond the branches, a sudden low growl echoed followed by the snap of branches.
A faint voice echoed through the forest, neither male nor female:
Silas cursed. "We're being separated?"
The ground beneath them trembled slightly.
Without hesitation, he dashed down the left trail.
Kieran smirked and followed the right path, dragging Silas with him before the latter could argue.
Sorayael and Ravelia exchanged a glance.
Sorayael gave a small nod. "I'll manage."
They turned each stepping into their own path, as the forest closed behind them.
The air shifted.
Sorayael halted mid-step.
'Something was wrong.'
The mana around her vibrated unnaturally. Trees that once hummed with dormant life stilled as if holding their breath. Even the light filtering through the illusionary forest dimmed to a muted gray.
Then..
*BOOM!*
The ground cracked and exploded just meters in front of her.
Dirt and bark scattered like shrapnel. Emerging from the crater with a guttural roar was a hulking B-rank Beast, a monstrous Dire Fang Lynark, its wolf-like body fused with obsidian armor, violet veins of raw mana pulsing across its flanks.
Its glowing gold eyes locked onto her.
A B-rank? In a C-rank dungeon? Something's not right.
The Lynark snarled again and lunged, lightning-fast despite its bulk.
She dodged, barely, flipping backward and sliding to a crouch. The air cracked from the force of the beast missing her by inches.
She stood up straight, eyes glowing faintly silver.
The Lynark lunged again, jaws wide.
This time, she didn't dodge.
With a sudden movement, she lifted her palm and a sigil ignited beneath her feet, bright and burning. A gravity rune.
The beast slammed into an invisible wall mid-air, howling as the force of her magic crashed it downward.
But it wasn't enough.
It pushed up, claws digging into the ground, then roared and charged again. Its obsidian plates glowing a sickly blue.
Sorayael raised both hands. Her voice dropped into an incntation, soft but lethal.
"Fire of Judgement!"
From above, searing lightning shaped like spears formed midair and crashed down toward the Lynark.
It shrieked, pelted and staggered. Smoke curled from its fur but it wasn't down yet.
It leapt, faster than before, closer.
*SLASH!*
Its claws grazed her arm, blood spattered across her sleeve. Pain flared but she didn't cry out.
Instead, she grinned.
She pressed her palm to the ground. Mana surged.
The beast lunged again. And this time, Sorayael blinked behind it in an instant flash, teleportation, swift and silent. With her blade ignited in starlight, she slashed clean through its hind leg, staggering it.
The Lynark turned to retaliate, but her foot planted firmly, and she chanted once more:
"Vincula Aeternum"
Chains of magic coiled around the beast like serpents, locking its limbs. It snarled and fought, but she was faster now, surer. Her constellation magic had awakened, and her training paid off.
With one final leap, she drew her sigil midair, her blade raised high.
A vertical slash of light carved straight through the Lynark's chest.
The beast twitched once. Then collapsed.
Sorayael landed softly, panting. Blood dripped from her arm, but her eyes blazed with calm resolve.
From the trees, soft footsteps approached.
Zarethian appeared, wide-eyed. "...You're bleeding."
She turned slightly. "Nothing I can't handle."
Behind him, the others caught up, staring at the fallen B-rank beast in disbelief.
And from deep within the forest, an ominous howl echoed.
They weren't alone.
'I really have a bad feeling about this dungeon..'
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