Kael placed his hand on the ancient stone door.
For a moment, he hesitated.
The surface of the door was cold and rough beneath his fingers, carved with worn symbols that had long since faded with time.
Dust clung to the grooves of the runes, hinting that this entrance had not been opened for years… maybe centuries.
"…Well," he muttered quietly to himself, exhaling slowly.
"No turning back now."
Then he pushed the heavy door, and it groaned in protest as it slowly began to move.
Stone scraped against stone with a deep grinding sound that echoed down the dark corridor behind him.
Little by little, the gap widened.
Beyond the door… there was nothing.
Only darkness.
A thick, silent darkness that swallowed the faint glow of the torchlight behind him.
He leaned his head slightly forward, trying to see inside.
"…Great."
He tightened his grip around his wooden staff.
"Dark mysterious chamber. Nothing creepy about that."
Still, he stepped forward.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold, the air felt different.
Colder.
Stagnant.
As if the room had been sealed away from the world for centuries.
His bare feet tapped softly against the stone floor. Each step echoed through the chamber.
One step. then another.
Then suddenly—
FWOOSH.
A torch along the wall burst into flame.
He flinched, instinctively raising his wooden staff.
"…Okay."
Before he could say anything else. Another torch lit.
Then another.
Then another.
One by one, flames ignited across the massive chamber walls. The fire spread outward in a slow chain, each torch awakening the next like a line of falling dominos.
The room slowly revealed itself.
He lowered his staff cautiously.
"Well… that's not suspicious at all."
He took another step forward. His senses remained tense, waiting for something to happen.
But strangely…
Nothing did.
No monsters jumped from the shadows. No traps activated.
His instinct, the one that had saved his life countless times since entering this world, wasn't reacting at all.
For now.
Kael frowned slightly.
"…Weird."
Then suddenly..
BAM!
The door behind him slammed shut.
The thunderous sound echoed violently across the chamber.
Kael spun around immediately.
"Hey—!"
He rushed toward the door. Pushed with all his strength, but It didn't budge. Not even a little.
Then he realized, it could only be opened from the outside.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
He stepped back, staring at the sealed entrance.
"Great," he sighed.
"Now I'm stuck inside this chamber too."
For a few seconds he just stood there, rubbing the back of his neck in frustration.
Then slowly…
He turned around. Now that every torch in the chamber had been lit, the entire room was visible. And the sight made him freeze.
"…Whoa."
The chamber was enormous. Far larger than he had expected. Massive stone pillars lined the circular walls, each one covered in ancient carvings and faded magical runes. The ceiling stretched so high above that parts of it disappeared into shadow, illuminated only faintly by the flickering torchlight.
Dust drifted lazily through the air.
The entire place felt ancient.
Forgotten.
Like a temple that had been abandoned long before Kael had ever arrived in this world. But something else drew his attention. Something at the very center of the room.
Kael slowly began walking toward it.
His footsteps echoed softly across the stone floor.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Then he stopped. His eyes slowly lifted upward. And his breath caught.
Floating in the center of the chamber…
Was a massive crystal.
It hung suspended in the air several meters above the ground, glowing faintly as if mana flowed within it like veins of light.
The surface was perfectly transparent, reflecting the torchlight in dozens of shimmering patterns across the chamber walls.
"…What the…"
Kael whispered under his breath.
But the crystal itself wasn't what shocked him.
It was what was inside it.
A figure.
A girl.
Kael's eyes widened.
Blue hair. Short, soft curls that floated weightlessly inside the crystal.
Pale white skin. Delicate light-blue scales along her cheeks that shimmered faintly under the torchlight.
And those unmistakable eyes…
Even though they were closed.
Water-like. Almost glowing.
"…Eiscia…?"
The name slipped from his mouth before he even realized it.
It was her.
The same girl he had met in the forest.
The girl who had been surrounded by those mysterious blue lights.
The one from his dream.
Except now…
She was trapped. Suspended inside the crystal like a statue frozen in time.
Kael stood there silently for several seconds.
Trying to process what he was seeing.
"…So that's why…"
He slowly stepped closer.
"So that's why you needed help."
As he approached the crystal, he noticed something else. The air around it shimmered faintly.
Dozens of tiny lights floated nearby.
Blue wisps.
They drifted silently through the chamber like small stars, circling the crystal in slow, gentle orbits.
They looked almost alive. Guarding it.
Or perhaps mourning it.
He carefully stepped beneath the floating prison and looked up at her again.
Eiscia remained completely motionless.
"…Hey," he said quietly.
"Can you hear me?"
No response.
He scratched the back of his head.
"…Figures."
Kael examined the crystal more closely.
His eyes followed the faint currents of mana flowing through its surface.
"…Definitely magical."
He tapped it lightly with the end of his wooden staff. The sound echoed like striking glass.
"Guess breaking it is the only option."
He stepped back. The black sigil on his chest began to pulse faintly.
Dark energy spread along his arm and into the wooden staff. Black flame ignited along the tip.
The blue wisps reacted immediately.
They brightened. Swirling around him faster now, almost as if they were watching… or judging.
He looked at them briefly.
"Relax," he muttered.
"I'm not here to make things worse."
He looked back up at the crystal.
Then tightened his grip.
"Let's get you out of there."
He swung.
CRACK.
The black flame struck the crystal.
The entire chamber trembled slightly.
A thin fracture appeared along the surface.
"…Oh."
He tilted his head.
"That actually worked."
Encouraged, he swung again.
CRACK.
More fractures spread across the crystal.
Then again. And again.
Each strike sent cracks racing across the surface like spiderwebs.
The blue wisps began swirling wildly now.
The chamber vibrated.
Then suddenly...
SHATTER.
The crystal exploded into thousands of glittering fragments. He barely had time to react.
Eiscia's body fell.
"Hey—!"
He lunged forward and caught her before she hit the ground. She was lighter than he expected.
Almost weightless.
For a moment she didn't move.
Kael held her carefully.
"…Hey."
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Her eyelids fluttered open.
Those water-like blue eyes stared up at him.
"You're awake… thank goodness!"
He breathed a sigh of relief, his grip on her arm tightening slightly as he checked she was unharmed.
But the expression on her face made his smile vanish instantly.
Fear.
Pure fear.
Her eyes widened.
"…Why?"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Why did you come?"
Kael blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm here to save you."
Before she could answer. The entire chamber suddenly trembled. The blue wisps scattered in panic.
"What—?"
He looked around.
The floor at the center of the chamber began to glow. A massive circle of light formed beneath them. Purple patterns carved themselves into existence across the stone floor, forming a complex magical formation shaped like a giant star.
Dark energy erupted from the circle.
Something began to emerge.
A massive paw stepped out first.
Black fur.
Sharp claws.
Then the rest of it appeared.
A monstrous lion-like beast with obsidian fur and a mane streaked with purple energy.Golden eyes glowed with terrifying intelligence.
And on its forehead. A third crimson eye slowly opened.
His blood turned cold. He knew that creature. He had seen it before.
Through Firioz's memories.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
The beast that had enslaved the gnome. The monster he had sworn to destroy.
"…I promised I'd get revenge for you, Firioz…"
He swallowed hard.
"But I didn't think it would be this soon."
Eiscia slowly stepped away from him.
"What are you doing?" Kael asked.
Her eyes remained locked on the beast.
"It was never your fight."
Her voice was calm.
"It was mine."
Kael froze, staring at her in disbelief.
"Wait… are you serious? You're going to fight that thing?"
His voice cracked slightly, disbelief and panic mixing together.
"You can't… there's no way you can beat that!"
Then the beast roared. The sound exploded through the chamber like a shockwave.
His senses activated instantly. His entire body trembled. An overwhelming dark aura crushed down on him like a mountain.
His legs buckled. He dropped to his knees.
"…Damn it…"
Pain surged through his body. The black sigil on his chest burned. Firioz's mark resisted the darkness just enough to keep him conscious.
But the pressure was still unbearable.
The beast stepped forward.
The ground cracked beneath its paw.
Eiscia looked back at Kael one last time.
"Thank you… for freeing me."
Her voice softened.
"But your job is done."
The blue wisps suddenly gathered around Kael.
They circled him rapidly.
A glowing blue magic circle formed beneath his feet.
"…Wait," he whispered.
"What are you—"
Eiscia's eyes filled with sadness.
"Farewell… for now."
"I hope we meet again someday."
The blue light exploded.
His vision blurred.
The last thing he saw, was Eiscia's sorrowful eyes. Then everything disappeared. When he opened his eyes again…
Blue sky.
Trees swaying in the wind. Grass beneath his body.
He was outside the cave.
For several seconds he didn't move.
Then he slowly raised his arm and covered his face.
His teeth clenched.
"…Damn it."
His fists dug into the soil.
He had come there to save her.
But in the end…
She was the one who saved him.
And Eiscia was still inside that cave.
Alone. Facing that monster.