Darkness swallowed everything.
The sensation of free fall lasted far longer than Teresa had expected. Wind screamed past her ears, her body completely deprived of orientation. Just as panic began to gnaw at her consciousness, the holy power within her reacted on its own, bursting outward and forming a gentle veil of light around her.
Boom—!
Teresa landed on one knee. The holy light shattered into countless tiny particles before fading away. The shock traveled up her arm, drawing a soft groan from her lips, but fortunately she had not suffered any serious injury.
"Teresa!" Braum landed not far away, his shield slamming into the stone floor and carving a long groove. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Teresa stood up and quickly scanned their surroundings. "How about the others?"
"Cecil is okay, but Meryl didn't land well and took a few injuries." Braum said, glancing toward Meryl, who was being tended to by Cecil in a corner.
"I'm sorry… I should have protected everyone better…"
"Don't apologize. No one could've predicted something like this." Braum replied. "But thanks to it, we may have finally reached the place we were looking for."
He turned toward a massive stone wall ahead of them. Beyond it stretched a dark corridor, its end completely obscured.
"…Yeah. This really was unexpected." Teresa murmured. The holy power in her hand spread outward, forming a soft halo of light that illuminated their surroundings.
The sight before them left everyone momentarily silent.
They stood inside an enormous cavern-like space, yet the ceiling was not ordinary rock. It resembled fossilized bone, arching overhead in massive, twisted vaults. Beneath their feet was a mixture of soil and stone, crisscrossed with dark veins that pulsed faintly and rhythmically—like the heartbeat of a living creature.
"Could this… be the ruins we were searching for?" Braum asked absently.
Teresa did not answer, instead carefully examining every detail she could find. Suddenly, groans of pain and a string of curses echoed from the distance.
"Damn it… that was a long fall. I thought I was dead for sure," Rheos muttered as he hauled himself upright, his blade stuck at an angle in the ground, his eyes sharp with vigilance.
The rest of the Caxast group had escaped without serious injuries and had already adapted to the situation.
Cecil helped Meryl over, and everyone gathered together to discuss their next move.
"This must be… inside the ruins, right?" Garn asked as he approached.
"Most likely…" Teresa replied, "But I have a very uneasy feeling about this place."
Garn nodded in agreement.
"The sound we heard before the pit opened—it was like the scream of some living thing."
"…Don't tell me we're inside a monster." Rheos swallowed hard.
Meria crouched down and placed her hand against one of the dark veins on the ground. Her expression shifted. "The mana here is circulating in an extremely orderly pattern. It's nothing like the natural flow from a leyline…"
"And that massive matrix is another concern." She continued. "I've never seen one on this scale."
Garn's words made everyone realize yet another troubling possibility.
"I'd bet your movements have already been exposed." Rheos said mockingly. "Wouldn't be surprised if you've got a traitor among you and don't even know it."
Braum was about to step forward, but Teresa stopped him.
"If this truly is the ruin we're seeking, then our priority is to complete the mission." She said calmly. "The sooner we leave this place, the better it will be for everyone."
"There's something approaching."
Doven—who had been silent the entire time—suddenly spoke. His sharp gaze fixed on a particular direction, immediately putting everyone on alert.
Before whatever it was could appear, a powerful tremor rippled through the space.
Thump—
The ground beneath them shook violently. The light of Teresa's holy power wavered, as though something invisible were interfering with it.
Teresa frowned slightly.
"I sense many presences." Meria said.
"So do I…" Garn followed.
"What should we do?" Braum asked Teresa.
She thought quickly. "Let's move away from here first. We don't know how long we'll be trapped inside, so avoid combat whenever possible."
Everyone agreed and began moving in the opposite direction.
…
Elsewhere, Kalyse and Gisule landed in a different chamber. Despite entering from the same direction, they did not encounter Teresa's group.
"It seems this place contains spatial interference. One wrong step and you're sent somewhere else entirely." Kalyse said, her voice still weak.
"Spatial magic? Is that something that's never been recorded?" Gisule asked.
"It's not that it was never recorded—only deliberately concealed." Kalyse replied. "But what exists here can't fully be called spatial magic. It's more like forced displacement."
"What's the difference?" Gisule asked again.
"You're quite curious." Kalyse growled, though she still explained.
"Teleportation magic is an inferior version of spatial magic. It requires both endpoints to be established in advance through complex matrices—basically, two fixed points. But here, the entire space functions as a teleportation field, yet without control over the destination."
She paused, lips curling into an intrigued smile. "To reach this level, complete mastery of spatial magic would've only been a matter of time. Too bad he's already gone."
Gisule remained silent, caught between astonishment at the information and an inexplicable thrill.
"So what will you do next?" She asked.
"What else can I do?" Kalyse replied. "Being able to talk at all after controlling that matrix is already a miracle."
She relaxed her body and leaned fully against the wall.
"Then… how long will it take you to recover?" Gisule asked anxiously.
Kalyse clenched her hand. "At least ten days. That's the minimum for me to fight on my own again. Even then, against a powerful enemy, there's no guarantee."
"Even so, we can't just stay in one place." Gisule said.
"Oh?" Kalyse looked at her with interest. "And what do you plan to do?"
Gisule hesitated, then suddenly crouched down and turned her back toward Kalyse.
"I'll help you move. Please tell me what to do next." She said sincerely.
"Oh? I thought you might take this chance to get rid of me." Kalyse said lightly, though her eyes were deadly serious. "I can't resist at all right now."
"Why would I?" Gisule smiled back. "Without you, I doubt I'd make it out of here alive either."
Kalyse didn't argue further and climbed onto Gisule's back.
The sudden softness pressed against her startled Gisule slightly, but her arms instinctively tightened to secure Kalyse. She rose steadily to her feet.
"You're lighter than I expected." Gisule joked.
"Hmph. Nonsense."
"So, what should I do next?"
"First, find the place where the artifact is stored. I don't know where it is. There will also be traps and monsters along the way. I'll help you avoid the displacement traps."
"Understood. Then I'll rely on intuition for now."
She looked down the two branching corridors—both identical and shrouded in darkness—then chose one at random and moved forward.
The space ahead barely changed.
The corridor stretched endlessly, its walls covered in dark veins that occasionally contracted as if breathing. Gisule moved slowly, placing each step with extreme care, barely daring to breathe.
"Stop." Kalyse's sudden voice made her freeze.
"A trap?" Gisule whispered.
Kalyse tilted her head, eyes sweeping the ground ahead. "Do you see those dust particles floating?"
Gisule squinted. Sure enough, just ahead of her boot, a few tiny specks of dust hung motionless in the air.
"That's a crushing trap." Kalyse said. "One more half-step, and the gravity in that area increases tenfold in an instant. Your bones would be pulverized before you could scream."
"…What do I do?" Gisule asked quietly, throat dry.
"Pull your foot back. Then move three steps to the left. Stay close to the wall. Don't let your heel touch the still dust."
Gisule followed each instruction precisely. The moment she left her previous position, the ground there sank slightly, emitting a dull cracking sound—like something being crushed.
"Remember this!" Kalyse continued. "This type of trap has three signs: dust that doesn't fall, mana compressing downward instead of spreading out, and an unnatural heaviness underfoot."
Gisule nodded faintly. "I understand."
They hadn't gone far when Kalyse tapped her shoulder again.
"Stop. Close your eyes."
"…Close my eyes?" Gisule was surprised, but obeyed.
"Reflex trap." Kalyse said. "This kind of trap implants an uncontrollable habit into your body. In certain situations, even a tiny movement can kill you instantly."
"There's a trap like that…?" Gisule shuddered.
"Remember this place was created by the most cunning being in the world. Anything you think is impossible can exist here. Never let your guard down."
"Then how do I move?"
"Stop trusting your reflexes," Kalyse answered immediately. "Not stop thinking—stop letting your subconscious decide for you."
Gisule frowned. "Isn't that the same thing?"
"Not even close."
"Normally, when danger appears, your body dodges before you can think. Reflex traps exploit that exact moment."
Kalyse slowed her speech, every word precise.
"It doesn't read thoughts. It stimulates your subconscious and forces you to act faster than conscious thought. So every movement must come after decision—even if only by a fraction of a beat."
"Don't step when you want to step. Step when you've already decided."
"This trap only reacts to contact with the ground. Since I'm not touching it directly, it won't affect me. That's why I can tell you when to move—but you have to walk on your own."
Gisule inhaled deeply.
She closed her eyes, not relaxing but forcing her focus to its absolute limit. Every sound became painfully clear—the faint roll of gravel, the deep pulse from within the ruins, even her own heartbeat.
A vague urge welled up in her chest.
Step.
No reason. No danger. Just a certainty that now was the right moment.
Gisule clenched her teeth.
No.
She stayed still, forcing her body to obey. The urge intensified instantly, uncomfortable, as if someone were shoving her from behind.
Cold sweat slid down her spine.
Inhale—exhale.
One beat.
Then she slowly lifted her foot. The moment it left the ground, the urge vanished completely.
Boom—!
Just ahead, the stone floor collapsed without warning, revealing a deep, yawning fissure. Had she stepped even half a beat earlier, she would've fallen straight in.
Gisule swallowed hard and continued.
This time, the urge came sooner—stronger. No longer an invitation, but a command: move left.
She stopped.
One breath.
Two.
The urge grew chaotic, impatient.
Gisule stepped straight forward.
Slash—!
A blade thin as a thread sliced through the air at the exact spot her natural reflex would've taken her.
She didn't look back. She didn't sigh in relief. She simply kept moving—slowly, stiffly, step by step, like someone relearning how to control her own body.
After several steps, the urges weakened.
Not because the trap had ended, but because her subconscious had begun to realize that its "correct choices" led only to death.
Still, the trap wasn't finished.
Gisule continued, growing more adept with each movement. Her steps became steadier, allowing her to cross a surprising distance in a short time.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself at the edge of the trap zone. Behind her, the ground was eerily quiet, showing no trace of what had nearly killed her.
"…"
She let out a long breath, her legs trembling slightly.
"Well done."
The voice behind her made her flinch—she'd been so focused she'd forgotten she was carrying someone.
"Thank you, my lady. Without your guidance, I couldn't have done it." Gisule replied, gradually relaxing.
"Hmph. Look at you—celebrating over a mere little trap. Don't forget where we are. Never lower your guard."
"Yes, I understand."
Gisule deliberately shifted her posture, jostling the person on her back just enough to throw Kalyse off balance. Instinctively, Kalyse clutched her tighter.
"Hey! You did that on purpose, didn't you?!" Kalyse snapped.
"Oh? I was just adjusting my stance." Gisule smiled faintly and kept walking, ignoring the complaints behind her.