The Ashen Mountains did not forgive.
They did not welcome.
They did not rest.
The deeper Kim Woo Bin, Arin, and Astrael moved into the mountain range, the heavier the air became. It pressed against their bodies, slow and suffocating, like the mountains themselves were watching… judging… waiting.
The ash beneath their feet shifted with every step.
Soft.
Unstable.
Alive in a way that felt unnatural.
Woo Bin walked ahead, his eyes scanning the terrain carefully.
"…It's too quiet again."
Arin nodded, her grip tightening on her blade.
"That means something is wrong."
Woo Bin smirked slightly.
"When is something not wrong in this world?"
Astrael walked behind them, his massive form surprisingly silent despite his size.
"The fragment is near," he said.
"I can feel its resonance growing stronger."
Woo Bin looked down at his hand.
The dragon mark pulsed faintly—
Blue and gold energy intertwining.
"…Yeah."
"I can feel it too."
The terrain began to change again.
Large stone structures appeared—half-buried under ash.
Broken pillars.
Collapsed archways.
Fragments of what once looked like a massive civilization.
Woo Bin stopped.
"…There was a city here?"
Arin stepped closer to one of the ruins, brushing ash away from a carved symbol.
"Yes."
Her voice was quiet.
"I've read about this place."
Woo Bin looked at her.
"And?"
"This used to be one of the oldest kingdoms in Eternia."
He blinked.
"Used to?"
Astrael answered.
"It was destroyed during the Dragon War."
Woo Bin looked around again.
"So all of this… just got wiped out?"
Astrael nodded.
"Completely."
A silence followed.
Woo Bin exhaled slowly.
"…That war really messed everything up."
As they moved through the ruins, something strange began to happen.
Faint whispers echoed through the air.
Not loud.
Not clear.
But there.
Woo Bin froze.
"…You hear that?"
Arin's eyes widened slightly.
"Yes."
The whispers grew louder.
Like distant voices overlapping.
Fragments of words.
"…help…"
"…run…"
"…it's coming…"
Woo Bin frowned.
"…Okay, I don't like that."
Astrael's expression hardened.
"These are echoes."
Woo Bin looked at him.
"Echoes?"
"Memories left behind by powerful events."
Woo Bin stared ahead.
"So we're basically hearing the last moments of people who died here?"
"…Yes."
Woo Bin swallowed.
"…Great."
The ground trembled.
Again.
But this time—
Stronger.
More violent.
The whispers stopped instantly.
A deep rumble echoed through the ruins.
Cracks spread across the ground.
Woo Bin stepped back.
"Not again…"
From beneath the ruins—
Something massive began to rise.
Stone shattered.
Ash exploded into the air.
And then—
A giant figure emerged.
Larger than the previous beast.
Much larger.
Its body was made of blackened stone and molten cracks, but unlike the earlier creature—
This one had shape.
Structure.
Armor.
It looked like a warrior.
A guardian.
Arin's voice dropped to a whisper.
"…This is different."
Astrael nodded.
"Yes."
"This is no ordinary beast."
The creature stood fully upright.
Its glowing eyes locked onto Woo Bin.
A deep, echoing voice came from it—
"WHO… DARES… APPROACH…"
Woo Bin blinked.
"…Okay, it talks now?"
The creature stepped forward.
Each step shook the ground.
"I AM… THE KEEPER… OF THE SECOND FRAGMENT…"
Woo Bin's eyes sharpened.
"There it is."
The creature raised its massive arm.
"NONE… SHALL CLAIM IT…"
Arin stepped forward, flames igniting around her blade.
"Then we'll have to defeat you."
The guardian paused.
Then—
"PROVE… YOUR WORTH…"
Woo Bin cracked his neck.
"Gladly."
The guardian attacked first.
Its massive arm slammed downward.
Woo Bin jumped aside just in time.
BOOM.
The impact shattered the ground.
"…Yeah, that would've hurt."
Arin rushed forward, attacking its leg.
Her blade struck—
But barely left a mark.
"It's even stronger than the last one!"
Astrael moved in.
He unleashed a blast of dragon fire.
The flames hit the guardian—
But it barely reacted.
"ITS DEFENSE… IS ABSOLUTE…"
Woo Bin frowned.
"Nothing's absolute."
Woo Bin stepped back.
"Alright… brute force isn't working."
Arin dodged another attack.
"Then what's the plan?!"
Woo Bin thought quickly.
He looked at the cracks in the guardian's body.
The glowing molten lines.
"…That's it."
He pointed.
"The cracks!"
Arin understood immediately.
"The weak points!"
Astrael nodded.
"Yes."
Woo Bin grinned.
"Now we're talking."
"Arin, distract it!"
"Got it!"
She moved instantly, attacking from the front.
Fast.
Aggressive.
The guardian focused on her.
Astrael attacked from above.
Flames raining down.
Woo Bin moved silently along the side.
He focused his energy.
Condensed it.
Sharpened it.
"Focused Strike…"
He aimed carefully—
At one of the glowing cracks.
"Now!"
He fired.
The beam pierced into the crack.
CRACK.
The guardian staggered.
"GOOD…"
Woo Bin smiled.
"Let's keep going!"
They repeated the attack.
Again.
And again.
Each strike weakened the guardian.
Cracks spread across its body.
Its movements slowed.
"IMPOSSIBLE…"
Woo Bin jumped high.
"This ends now!"
He gathered all his energy.
Blue.
Gold.
Burning brighter than ever.
"DRAGON STRIKE!"
He slammed down—
Directly onto the guardian's core.
BOOM.
The entire structure shattered.
The guardian collapsed.
Breaking apart into pieces.
Silence.
At the center of the ruins—
Something glowed.
A floating shard.
Brighter than the first.
More intense.
Woo Bin stepped forward slowly.
"…That's it."
Arin nodded.
"The second fragment."
Astrael watched carefully.
"Be cautious."
Woo Bin reached out.
This time—
He was ready.
The moment he touched it—
Light exploded again.
Energy surged into him.
Stronger than before.
His mark burned.
Brighter.
Wilder.
A voice echoed again.
"Two of seven… the path unfolds…"
Woo Bin clenched his fist.
"…I feel stronger."
Arin smiled slightly.
"Good."
"Because we're going to need it."
Suddenly—
The air shifted.
A cold presence filled the ruins.
Woo Bin froze.
"…You feel that?"
Astrael's expression darkened.
"Yes."
A figure stepped forward from the shadows.
Slow.
Calm.
Familiar.
Kael.
But something was different.
Dark energy surrounded him.
Stronger than before.
Unstable.
Dangerous.
He smiled.
"Looks like I'm just in time."
Woo Bin's eyes narrowed.
"…You again."
Kael looked at him carefully.
"You've grown."
Woo Bin smirked.
"So have you… unfortunately."
Kael laughed softly.
"Let's see which one of us grew more."
The dark energy around him surged.
Wild.
Explosive.
Arin stepped forward.
"This time… you won't escape."
Kael's smile widened.
"Who said anything about escaping?"
He raised his hand.
Energy gathered.
"Let's finish this."