Within the realm of darkness, a streak of light cut through the black void and landed upon a barren plain.
Cain scanned his surroundings — he had descended deep within the wasteland, along the very route Achilles and Herau once pointed out toward the Dark Temple.
All around him, countless monsters roamed aimlessly.
Gomora, Seabozu, Goldras... a whole menagerie of beasts prowling the desolate land.
"Looks like I'll have to be careful. Wouldn't want to trigger a full-on monster stampede."
Realizing just how many monsters there were, Cain felt a bit of dread creep up his spine. He was strong, sure — but not that strong. A whole pack of monsters? He wouldn't last long.
Who gave him the courage to come here and challenge the Dark King, anyway?
"Well, even if I can't win, since I'm already here... a little recon shouldn't hurt."
Cain decided not to act recklessly. He'd scout out the Dark Temple, assess the situation, and then bring the full squad of Light Giants to wipe out the Dark King in one go.
He bent his knees, preparing to soar into the sky — and then thunk!
He hit something.
No, seriously — he hit something.
It was like slamming into invisible glass. The dazed Cain slid down and landed flat on the ground.
"What the...?"
He blinked, confused. Everything had seemed fine when he landed earlier. So where did this glass wall come from?
Was the sky sealed off? Or—
Activating the light within his eyes, Cain scanned the area. His glowing blue pupils revealed what normal sight could not.
"A barrier...?"
He was stunned. He was trapped inside a transparent dome.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
He clenched his fist, channeling power into his arm. With a roar, he slammed his punch against the barrier.
Bang.
The sound was dull, muted — and the barrier didn't even crack. Not a single ripple.
"What?! No way!"
He had used half his strength, and it didn't even make a dent.
That couldn't be right.
"Fine, eight-tenths power this time! If I can't break it, I'll eat all the dirt in this dome!"
With renewed determination, he drew back his arm and punched again.
Bang.
The barrier remained pristine, utterly unscathed.
Cain: "..."
He stared at the dirt under his feet.
Silence.
Then, gritting his teeth, he gathered all his energy for one final blow — full power this time.
BOOM!
A thunderous blast shook the air. The barrier smoked, a haze of white mist rising where his fist struck.
"Finally... did I get it?"
As the smoke cleared, Cain's jaw dropped.
The barrier was still there. Not even a scratch.
Before he could process his disbelief, a guttural roar echoed from behind.
He turned — and saw a dog-like monster being dragged across the ground by a thick, fleshy tendril.
At first, Cain just watched with detached curiosity. But then he realized — he too was being wrapped up in those same red tendrils! His body lost balance, and he was pulled toward the same centre point.
"What the heck is this thing?!"
He clawed at the ground, but there was nothing to grip — only dust and dirt slipping between his fingers.
While struggling, he noticed that the dog-like monster was also being dragged helplessly along.
"That's where the tendrils are coming from...?"
Ahead, he saw what looked like a bone-like horn sticking out of the ground beside a large, gaping pit.
The next second, both he and the monster were pulled into it.
Quick-thinking, Cain grabbed the bone horn just in time, halting his fall — but the poor dog monster wasn't so lucky.
With a whimper, it was dragged into the depths below.
Then — thump!
Something clamped onto Cain's legs. He looked down — the same dog-like monster was clutching tightly onto him!
"Hey, let go! If you keep pulling, we're both going down!"
He shook his legs desperately, trying to shake the creature off.
The tendrils yanked at his waist, the monster pulled on his legs, and the pressure mounted fast.
Then, from below, came a pitiful whine.
"Don't you dare act cute on me now! If this keeps up, we're both goners!"
The monster whimpered louder.
"Wait— You're actually crying?! Oh, come on, don't cry, little dog!"
Cain peered down.
From its glowing yellow eyes, actual tears were streaming out. Its fanged mouth trembled, emitting those heartbreaking sounds again.
"Ugh... I can't with you."
With a resigned sigh, he stopped struggling and let the creature cling to him.
"Still... if this goes on, we're both getting dragged down."
He thought fast.
"Alright, let's do this my way."
The tendrils tightened, pulling harder. The dog slid further down, barely clinging to his boots.
But Cain wasn't panicking.
If these tendrils were part of a monster's body — all he had to do was deal with the source.
He gathered energy into his hands, light crackling around his fingers. Then, releasing one hand from the bone horn, he struck it with a glowing hand chop.
CRACK!
Sparks burst as the bone shattered — and both he and the monster fell into the pit below.
Then—
ROOOAAAR!!!
A deafening roar erupted from the depths. The tendrils instantly recoiled, and the earth around them began to crumble.
"Knew it!"
Cain grinned. He'd guessed right — that horn was part of the tendril monster's body. Breaking it forced the creature to retreat.
He could've flown off immediately — but seeing the helpless, trembling dog monster falling beside him, he hesitated.
With a quick motion, he scooped it into his arms and blasted upward out of the pit.
They landed safely back on the barren ground.
The dog-like monster clutched the broken bone horn in its mouth, then looked up at Cain with tear-filled eyes — full of gratitude.