..
With nothing left to gain from the corpse, they turned and departed, leaving the Titan's greatsword and remains where they lay.
This time, though—
Zayne took the lead.
A silent agreement between them all.
No one argued.
Garrick had just lost half his people. He probably needed a moment.
..
---
Location: The Eclipsed Labyrinth.
Year: 2026
Date: February 17th
Time: 7:59 PM
POV: Third Person
---
For over an hour, the group of thirteen had been walking through the winding corridors of the dungeon. Since defeating the Titan-Wraith Sentinel, they hadn't encountered a single monster.
Now, they stood at a junction.
Before them lay four paths, each leading into darkness.
Zayne Callister turned to Mira.
"I guess this is why it's called a labyrinth… Mira, which path do you think we should take?"
Mira Valen shook her head.
"I don't know. I can only detect and hex."
As she spoke, she instinctively glanced at her Origin Status.
//
____________________________________
[ Origin System Interface ]
---
* [Name] : Mira Valen
* [Race] : Human ( No Longer Fully Human )
* [Title(s)] : [Scarlet Witch (Mid Mystical Grade)]
* [Power Tier] : Echo (Awakening Stage)
* [Identity] : The Bearer Of The Title Scarlet Witch.
____________________________________
[ Facets ]
---
1.[Hex Magic] - Curses enemies, reducing their strength, defense or speed.
2.[Chaos Flame] - Summons fire that burns both body and soul(New!).
____________________________________
[ Resonances ]
---
1.[Calm Mind] - A witch's greatest asset. Enhances focus for casting spells.
2.[Witch's Insight] - Allows sensing danger and detecting hidden threats.
____________________________________
[ Relics ]
---
[Weapon]: A Very Durable Bow.
[Weapon]: A quiver full of reinforced arrows.
____________________________________
//
Mira Valen ' Huh? Chaos flame? that's new ' She frowned slightly, deep in thought.
Adrian Vaughn, noticing her expression, stepped closer.
Adrian Vaughn " Mira, is everything alright? " Mira blinked and looked up.
Mira Valen "Oh, it's nothing. I'll tell you about it later." She smiled, brushing it off.
Adrian studied her for a second before nodding.
Adrian Vaughn " Alright " He didn't push further. Mira never lied to him. If it was important, she'd tell him when the time was right.
Elise Laurent crossed her arms, analyzing the four paths.
"I think they each lead to different things."
The group turned to her.
One path leads to the Dungeon Boss. One to the last Mini-Boss. One to the mentioned hidden chamber. And the last one is should be for the dungeon's regular mobs. "
She tapped her chin.
"We haven't seen any monsters so far… so it makes sense."
Zayne nodded.
Zayne Callister " Hmm, you might be right, but which path do we take? " Zayne asked.
Garrick, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly sighed and walked forward.
Without hesitation, he picked the second path from the left and entered.
His group followed without a word.
Zayne's group exchanged glances.
Zayne Callister " Well we can always turn back if it's the Boss's path " Then, he followed after Garrick's group.
One by one, the rest did as well.
Damian hesitated.
A bad feeling crawled up his spine.
It wasn't his Survival Resonance activating, just an uneasy sensation deep in his gut.
He exhaled sharply.
Damian Derulo ' I have such a bad feeling ' Damian thought, but despite that, he followed them inside.
..
.
--
[ February 17th ]
[ 8:45 PM ]
--
They had been walking for over half an hour. Yet, the dungeon remained eerily silent.
No echoes of unseen creatures.
No distant howls or shifting shadows.
Not even the faintest hint of movement.
Just an overwhelming, oppressive quiet.
It felt as though the labyrinth itself was watching.
Zayne Callister " Garrick " Zayne Callister's voice broke the silence.
The gang leader halted, turning with an impatient glare.
Garrick Johnson "What is it?"
Zayne exhaled.
Zayne Callister "We should stop here for a bit before we continue."
Garrick's expression twisted in frustration.
Garrick John S"Stop? Have you lost your damn mind?"
His voice was sharp, carrying his irritation.
"Didn't that damn system say the longer we stay, the stronger our enemies become? We need to keep moving and get out of here before things get worse!"
Zayne didn't back down.
"Think, Garrick. We don't know how big this dungeon is. We have no food. No water. If we keep pushing forward without rest, we'll break down before we even find an exit."
Garrick's scowl deepened.
Zayne gestured towards his gang. "Look at your men."
Garrick turned, eyes scanning his remaining members.
Worn faces.
Slumped shoulders.
Fatigue sinking into their very bones.
Some barely had the strength to stand.
Garrick clicked his tongue.
Then, with a reluctant sigh, he motioned his gang toward a corner of the vast passageway.
Zayne followed suit, guiding his own group to settle down.
Conversations began—
Soft murmurs, small discussions.
The tension eased… slightly.
Damian's Instincts Flare
Yet, Damian remained silent. He sat on the ground, hood pulled over his head, his posture unreadable.
But his mind was racing.
His sharp, dark eyes scanned the cavernous passage.
Every shadow.
Every flicker of movement.
Every unnatural stillness.
His fingers tightened around his sword's hilt.
Something about this place was wrong- even the dugeon as well.
Very wrong.
Damian Derulo exhaled slowly.
His instincts weren't screaming—
Yet.
But a deep, nagging unease settled in his gut.
'I don't like this…'
And in his experience—
His gut was never wrong.
..
.
--
[ February 17th ]
[ 9:30 PM ]
--
he group had settled down to rest.
Exhaustion weighed heavily on them—both physically and mentally.
One by one, sleep claimed them.
Then—
*RUMBLE—*
The entire dungeon shook violently.
Everyone's eyes snapped open. Weapons drawn.
Instincts screamed DANGER.
They immediately formed a kill-circle, backs against each other, ready for whatever the dungeon had in store.
The rumbling intensified.
The ground quaked, sending several of them stumbling.
It wasn't just the ground—
The entire dungeon was trembling.
Zayne Callister gritted his teeth. "What the hell is happening?!"
Damian narrowed his eyes. "I think… the dungeon is shifting."
Zayne snapped his head toward him. "What?!"
The others reacted similarly— "WHAT?!!"
As if the dungeon had been waiting for them to realize—
The ground beneath them suddenly began to move.
Like a mismatched Rubik's cube being rearranged, walls shifted, floors rotated, and the entire structure reassembled itself around them.
Before anyone could react, they were pulled apart.
Some were separated in pairs.
Others were left completely alone.
..
.
--
[ February 17th ]
[ 9:51 PM ]
--
Damian found himself on the ground in a dimly lit corridor like place, he sprang up when he heard growling noise and stood up to see a pack of beasts, they had sleek black fur that gives of a faint smoky aura, and their red eyes pierce through the darkness. Each of them had razor sharp fangs and faint embers drift from their mouths, they were over a meter and half tall with bodies packed with muscles.
Damian Derulo ' You've got to be kidding ' Damian thought looking at the pack of eight dog like wolves.
Then a system screen appeared before him.
---
* Dungeon Mobs <-> Stygian Hounds.
---
Damian Derulo 'Not helping!' he cursed internally, despite the dangerous situation, he smirked.
' *Humph* This will be easy ' Before he could even finish the thought—
*Thud* *Thud* *Thud*
The hounds lunged. Their powerful limbs propelled them forward with terrifying speed, claws scraping against the stone floor.
Damian's smirk instantly vanished.
Damian Derulo "Shit—" Without hesitation, he turned on his heel and sprinted down the corridor.
The pack pursued relentlessly, their deep growls echoing behind him.
Damian dodged left, leaped over a jagged stone, and pushed his legs harder.
He could feel the heat of their embers on his back.
This was not going how he planned.
..
.
*Pant* *Pant* *Pant* *Pant* *Pant* *Pant* *Pant* *Pant*
Damian pressed his back against the cold stone pillar, his chest heaving with every breath.
Sweat trickled down his forehead, stinging his eyes.
His legs burned, muscles screaming in protest from the relentless thirteen-minute chase.
Yet, the distant echoes of claws scraping against stone reminded him—
The Stygian Hounds were still hunting him.
'Fucking hell… I feel like I've been running for hours.'
—Realistically, it had only been thirteen minutes, but who's counting?
'They're obviously faster than me, but why can't they catch me?'
Damian's mind raced as he crouched behind a worn stone pillar, trying to steady his breath.
His body was screaming for rest, yet the Stygian Hounds hadn't caught him—or rather, they hadn't tried to.
Slowly, he peeked out from his cover.
The hounds stood a few meters away, their massive, muscle-packed bodies moving in eerie synchronization.
Their sleek black fur rippled like living smoke, and their ember-filled maws dripped with heat, leaving faint scorch marks on the dungeon floor.
They were sniffing the air, searching for him.
Then—all at once—
Their heads snapped toward him.
And they grinned.
A shiver ran down Damian's spine.
'Oh, hell no—'
Without a second thought, he turned on his heels and took off running.
The hounds immediately followed, their razor-sharp claws clicking against the cold stone floor.
But despite their superior speed—
They never got too close.
Their scorching breath was always just behind him, but their claws never reached.
As if…
They were letting him run.
Damian's eyes widened in realization.
'They're playing with me.'
A sick game.
Like wolves toying with prey before the kill.
..
.
After what felt like an eternity of running at top speed, Damian finally came to a stop, panting heavily, his hands on his knees, lungs burning.
He was out of breath.
And surrounded.
A ring of eight Stygian Hounds closed in, their ember-filled maws dripping with heat, their smoky fur rippling ominously.
Damian inhaled sharply and drew his sword, bracing himself.
The moment he raised it—
A warning tingle shot through his mind.
Instinctively, he sidestepped—
And spun, bringing his blade around in a fluid arc.
*SHINK!*
His sword sliced clean through a lunging hound, splitting it in two.
The severed halves thudded onto the ground, the embers in its mouth flickering out as it lay still.
Damian blinked.
'Woah… this sword is sharp.'
He hadn't expected it to cut through their hide so easily.
But before he could dwell on it—
The rest of the pack growled, their eyes burning with fury.
Then—
They lunged.
Damian dodged, weaved, and parried, trying to break out of the encirclement.
But the hounds refused to let him escape.
Then—
PAIN.
"ARGHHHHH!!"
A scorching slash tore across his back, sending him staggering forward. His grip on his sword failed, the blade clattering to the ground.
'IT HURTS SO MUCH!'
His mind reeled—
*CHOMP!*
Another searing agony shot through him as a hound bit into his left arm, its dagger-like fangs sinking deep.
It wasn't just pain—
It was like molten lava was being poured into his flesh.
Damian screamed.
His vision blurred, his body trembled violently.
Desperate, he punched the hound with all his strength—
*CRACK!*
The impact staggered the beast, but at a cost—
His knuckles tore open against its tough hide, fresh agony erupting from his fist.
More pain.
More burning.
Damian's eyes stung, the pain too much to bear, but—
He refused to fall.
Gritting his teeth, he snatched his sword from the ground and forced himself to stand, his body barely responding.
His left arm hung limp, drenched in blood, but his right hand clenched the sword tightly.
The focused mind effect of his blade flickered to life, momentarily dulling his pain just enough for him to think.
A shadow loomed over him.
A hound, jaws wide, diving straight for his throat.
Damian reacted.
With one swift thrust—
*SCHLK!*
His sword pierced through the hound's open maw, skewering it clean through the skull.
Without hesitation, he used the opening to—
RUN.
But his body was failing him. His back felt like it was on fire, his back burned, and the wounds on his arm bled profusely.
Behind him, the hounds gave chase, their footsteps thundering against the stone floor.
Danger.
His instincts screamed. He stopped abruptly, twisting his body, and swung his sword in a wide arc— But it hit nothing.
A trap.
His mind tingled again, but he was too slow.
*SLASH!*
A claw raked across his right leg, the force sending him crashing onto his knees.
"AGHHHH!!"
Pain exploded through his limb.
His blood pooled beneath him, the dungeon floor slick with crimson.
'WHY?! WHY DOES IT HURT SO MUCH?!' Damian's thoughts spiraled, his mind clouded by agony.
His grip on his sword wavered, but in a desperate wild swing—
*SCHINK!*
By sheer luck—
His blade decapitated one of the hounds.
The severed head hit the ground, and for a brief moment, he felt relief.
Then—
*CHOMP!*
A fresh agony tore into his shoulder.
His entire body seized, and his vision blurred as a hound ripped into him.
His screams echoed through the dungeon, his mind fading.
He was losing too much blood.
He was growing weaker.
The hound wriggled its head, its teeth sinking deeper before—
*RIP!*
A chunk of his flesh was torn away.
BLOOD SPLASHED.
His body trembled violently.
His eyes grew cold.
Lifeless.
'Is this… how I die?'
No.
Somewhere, deep within himself—
Something refused to accept it.
Damian's legs trembled, barely able to hold him, but—
He stood.
Despite the pain.
Despite the agony.
Despite everything.
His sword's focused mind effect burned into overdrive, keeping him conscious.
His breaths were ragged, his vision blurry.
But as he tightened his bleeding grip on his sword—
The remaining hounds watched him rise.
And—
For the first time—
They hesitated.
.
.
.
.
.
To Be Continued....