The corridor stretched out endlessly. Every step echoed on the stone, and my hands still trembled remembering Darius's blood.
Darius walked ahead, limping slightly.
"How much further do we have to walk? I'm starting to get bored," Leander broke the silence.
"It's only been a few minutes, don't be so dramatic," Professor Edward replied.
Then, at the end of the corridor, something emerged from the darkness: A door. Enormous, made of ancient wood.
"What is a door doing here?" Aurora frowned. "This isn't normal."
Edward approached, touching the wood. "Structures inside the Underworld are often random. Most likely, this is the lair of the boss rift."
'It would mean I hadn't been able to get a single point. Everything has been useless'
"Random structures?" Aurora crossed her arms. "It's literally a perfectly carved wooden door. How is that possible in a place inhabited by monsters?"
"There are monster communities that also build," Edward replied in a curt tone.
"But so perfect! Doesn't anyone else question—"
"What does it matter?" Leander interrupted her. "We shouldn't waste time."
Without waiting for a response, he pushed the doors.
Crrrrrk.
The sound resonated. The doors slowly opened, revealing absolute darkness. A black void that absorbed the light.
"Go on, let's go in," Leander said.
"Wait!" Aurora stopped him. "You can't see anything in there. How can you walk in so confidently?"
"God... Don't you know when to shut up?" Leander murmured, lowering his head.
Then he slowly turned around, a smile drawn on his face, looking directly at me.
"Now that I think about it... You've given me an idea! It would be best if Blake took the lead as bait. So he can be of some use to the group."
"Huh?" The words barely came out.
I felt Eryndor's hands shoving me from behind. "Hey, no! No! Wait!"
"Come on, don't be afraid," Eryndor said with false kindness. "If something happens, you'd give us enough time to run away."
The cold hit me.
"Do you really not know when to stop?"
Darius's firm voice resonated. Eryndor stopped with a huff and let go of me.
"Great. So no one wants to take the lead?" Leander sighed, exasperated.
"Why don't you go first?" Darius mentioned. "After all, you're the one in the biggest hurry."
Leander, offended, extended his hand and a flame erupted from his palm. "Well, that's exactly what I'm going to do."
With that small light as his guide, he began to walk into the darkness. The others followed him.
Darius stopped next to me. "Stay close. If you see something dangerous, just let me know."
I nodded. He entered, and I followed.
~ ~ ~
The air grew thick. Leander's flame barely illuminated a few meters. Everything else was impenetrable darkness.
"Does anyone else feel this?" Beth asked. "There's something strange in the air."
We moved forward. Leander stopped abruptly.
"What's wrong?" Aurora asked.
Leander pointed ahead with his flame. And then we saw it.
A figure lay on the ground. Motionless.
"Is that...?" Beth took a step forward.
The light revealed a body covered in blood. A young man from our year, dressed in the intern uniform.
"Professor..." Aurora's voice trembled.
Edward knelt beside the body. He placed two fingers on the young man's neck. The silence spread like ice.
"What's wrong with him?! Is he okay?!" Beth asked, her nervousness becoming increasingly evident.
But he didn't answer, he just remained silent, observing the boy's pale face.
"Professor, answer!" She insisted again.
Edward slowly withdrew his hand.
"No pulse... He's dead."
The shock hit us all.
"Dead?" Beth stepped back. "H-How?"
"What about the others?" Sarah asked with a broken voice. "Where's the rest of his group?"
"And their professor?" Ludwig looked around even though nothing could be seen. "Why is he alone?"
Aurora took a step toward Edward. "Professor, first the door, now this. How did an intern from another group end up in our rift? You have to explain what's going on!"
"He probably just died because he was weak," Leander scoffed. "I don't see what the big deal is."
"Exactly," Eryndor added with disdain. "If he couldn't survive this, then he didn't deserve to be here."
"Weak?! How can you say that?!" Beth glared at them with fury and fear. "He was an intern just like us! Any one of us could be next!"
"Enough!" Edward stood up abruptly. "Shut your mouths!"
Everyone fell silent.
"Firstly," Edward continued, "deaths are common in the final exam. It's a risk all of you accepted upon entering. So stop being so dramatic!"
"But I never thought it would be something I would have to experience seeing..." Beth muttered.
He turned to Aurora, completely ignoring Beth. "And everything is fine! We only stumbled upon him because rifts sometimes connect. That's all!"
He took a device from his pocket. "Besides, if something strange were happening, I would know it perfectly well. I have my wave detector here, and everything is in perfect order."
He gestured toward the exit. "So I'll say it once and for all: if you're scared, you can leave. No one is forcing you to stay."
Aurora clenched her fists, clearly dissatisfied with the answer. Beth and Sarah looked at each other, unsure what to say.
Darius approached me. "What could have attacked him to leave him in that state?"
I couldn't answer. My eyes were fixed on the corpse's hand.
Specifically on the ring that glowed faintly on his finger. One for elemental magic.
"Are you okay?" Darius asked.
'Not only could he use magic... he also possesses an elemental magic ring. He's not just anyone. And he ended up like this... So what awaits me?'
"We have to go, Darius, right now!" My words tumbled out. "This place... This place is not safe!"
"We can't leave, you still don't have the 50 points."
"To hell with the points! We can't stay a—"
Whoosh.
Suddenly, dozens of torches burst into flames around us. The light tore through the darkness, revealing a small circular coliseum.
In the center, on a carved star surrounded by candles, there were more bodies. Mutilated. Bled out.
And among them, the corpse of an older man dressed in professor's robes.
"Oh my God..." Aurora turned pale.
In the air, above the star, floated a young man. His eyes were wide open, filled with absolute terror.
"Charles!" Ludwig shouted. "It's Charles Whitmore!"
"They are crazy! You must leave immediately!" the floating young man screamed in desperation.
"Charles...? What are you talking about...?" Ludwig took a step forward, not understanding what was happening.
"They're too powerful! You can't fight them! If you do, you'll all die!"
His body began to writhe. His bones cracked. Blood burst from his pores.
"Arghhhhhhhhh!" Charles began screaming so hard from the pain that it felt like his throat was about to tear.
"Nooooo!" Ludwig ran towards him.
'What is killing him? There is no monster nearby.'
"Ludwig, stop! It's dangerous!" Edward shouted, holding his arm.
"He's like a brother to me!"
But he broke free and kept running towards him.
My impulse was to flee. But then I looked at the first intern's corpse again.
His ring.
An elemental water magic ring... but something didn't fit. The shape was incorrect. The engravings were crooked. It was as if someone had tried to imitate it.
A detail that had previously gone unnoticed.
"Ludwig!" I shouted with all my might. "It's not really him! Don't go near him!"
But it was too late.
Splash.
Spikes of blood exploded from Charles's body. They pierced Ludwig. He died instantly.
A presence lunged behind me. A hand covered my mouth, and something cold and sharp pressed against my neck.
A voice whispered in my ear. Disturbing. Too familiar.
"Well, I didn't expect anyone to notice..."
The voice of the dead intern.
"You're clever. But unfortunately... you realized it too late."
I felt the skin behind me begin to bubble. To change.
And I knew, with absolute certainty, that whatever was holding me...
...Represented a danger that could cause all our deaths.