..
I shook my head, still amused at how in sync we had become.
Sliding my sword back into its strap at my waist, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. The screen flickered weakly, still cracked from earlier damage but functional enough.
[ Battery 44% ]
[ Date: February 19th ]
[ Time: 9:28 PM ]
I frowned. 'February 19th?… Know what? Forget it'
I shoved the phone back into my pocket, exhaling in mild frustration. The concept of time have started becoming annoying to me.
..
---
Location: The Eclipsed Labyrinth.
Year: 2026
Date: February 19th
Time: 9:31 PM
POV: First Person - Damian Derulo
---
The silence was unsettling.
My footsteps echoed lightly against the stone floor as I moved through the dimly lit corridor. Minutes passed in quiet solitude, my senses sharp as I navigated the winding path.
Then I arrived at a convergence point—a place where multiple paths met, forming an intersection shaped like the branches of a tree.
I halted, scanning my surroundings.
Faint scuff marks in the dirt. Subtle disturbances in the dust-covered floor.
Traces of movement.
People had been here. Recently.
Narrowing my eyes, I turned my gaze toward the main passage ahead—the "trunk" of the tree-like structure. It led deeper into the unknown.
I pressed forward, quickening my pace.
..
.
The distant echoes of battle reached my ears after twenty minutes of swift movement. The sounds of clashing steel, pained shouts, and the guttural roars of beasts.
My heart rate spiked.
I broke into a sprint.
The passage widened ahead, leading into another vast chamber.
The moment I entered, the stench of blood hit me first.
The floor was littered with corpses—Minotaurs, just like the ones I had fought earlier. But alongside them were the mangled remains of winged creatures, their leathery wings torn, their bodies broken.
But I barely paid attention to the fallen.
Because my eyes locked onto the others—the rest of my group.
They were in bad shape.
Their postures were weak, their weapons sluggish in their movements. Blood dripped from their wounds, staining their tattered clothing.
Then my gaze snapped toward the Chimera.
A hulking, nightmarish fusion of creatures—lion, goat, and serpent—its grotesque form was coiled with raw, unnatural power.
And it had turned toward Adrian.
I didn't think.
I moved.
I bolted in Adrian's direction, my legs pushing off the ground with everything I had.
But even at my speed, I wasn't going to make it in time.
'Dammit!'
Nyxi felt it too.
Without hesitation, she activated [Phantom Stride]—
The world blurred.
We reappeared ten meters forward in an instant.
Without wasting a breath, I activated Lunar Pulse.
My blade gleamed with silver light—
And I swung.
..
.
[ Present Time ]
..
---
Location: The Eclipsed Labyrinth.
Year: 2026
Date: February 19th
Time: 10:09 PM
POV: Third Person
---
A heavy silence descended over the battlefield, thick and suffocating, as if the very air had congealed under the weight of the carnage. The world itself seemed to hold its breath.
The Blighted Chimera—an abomination of writhing limbs, jagged bones, and corrupted flesh—stood frozen. Its warped, inhuman gaze remained locked onto Adrian, but something in its posture had shifted.
For the first time since the battle began, it hesitated.
Not out of fear. Not out of pain.
But because something—someone—had entered its domain and have succeeded in giving it a huge gash of wound.
A sharp wind howled through the ruins, scattering embers from Mira's dying flames and carrying away the acrid stench of toxin-laced blood. The once-familiar landscape of shattered stone and melted ground had become an alien wasteland, a grotesque monument to the clash between mortals and monsters.
And then—
He stepped forward.
A lone figure, draped in the tattered remnants of a black hoodie and worn-out cargo pants. His clothes were little more than rags, torn and frayed from battles long since fought. Blood—both fresh and old—stained the fabric, dark patches blending into the midnight-black of his attire.
Yet, it was not his battered appearance that unsettled them.
It was the mask.
A sleek mask made of dark polished obsidian with intricate silver engravings swirling on it's surface, they all stared at otherworldly eye slits emanating purple and blue wisps.
The figure stood there, taking the gazes of all those that looked upon him.
He shouldn't be there.
The longer they looked, the more their minds rejected his presence, as if reality itself refused to acknowledge him. The very concept of his existence seemed to waver, flickering between something tangible and something… wrong.
Zayne stared, and as he did, the clothes the figure wore—though in tatters, had a resemblance to those of someone he knew, a single name surfaced in Zayne's mind, unbidden and whispered like a ghost of the past.
"Damian…?"
The name barely left his lips—
Before the Chimera screamed.
It moved instantly.
An enraged, guttural screech tore through the battlefield as it charged, the ground splitting beneath its monstrous weight. Each of its grotesque limbs stretched unnaturally, claws elongated, tendrils writhing as it lunged toward the masked figure. Its bloodshot, pustule-ridden eyes burned with primal hatred—an instinctual rejection of something it did not understand.
But Damian—
He didn't flinch.
The moment before impact, his form blurred—
A flicker of shadow.
[Phantom Stride.]
The Chimera's talons ripped through empty space.
A heartbeat later—
Steel flashed.
A curved blade gleamed, its crescent edge catching the faint glow of the broken moon above.
Lunar Fang.
A single, perfect slash carved into the Chimera's flank. The beast barely had time to react before a delayed afterimage followed—
The exact same cut, executed again in a phantom-like replay.
Phantom Cleave resurfaced again after his battle with the Minotaurs.
The twin strikes ripped into the corrupted flesh, blackened blood erupting from the wound in a thick, toxic spray.
The Chimera howled in agony, its body twisting unnaturally, but Damian had already vanished—
Another flicker.
Another blurred step.
He was fast.
Faster than he should be.
From above—
Damian descended.
The Lunar Fang pulsed with a faint silver glow as it came down in a perfect arc, aimed directly at the Chimera's exposed spine.
A flawless, killing strike.
But—
The Chimera reacted.
With inhuman speed, its tail whipped upward like a striking viper.
Damian twisted midair—
But not fast enough.
*CRACK.*
A sickening impact sent him hurtling across the battlefield, his body colliding with a pile of shattered stone. The force of the blow sent debris flying, a cloud of dust and rubble scattering from the impact zone.
"Damian!"
Mira's voice, sharp with shock and recognition, cut through the chaos.
Elise, still bleeding from her own wounds, turned sharply toward the ruined pile of rubble. "That was—he's alive?!"
There was no time to process it.
The Chimera—now enraged beyond reason—roared, its entire body convulsing as its mutations writhed and expanded.
It was done playing.
With an earth-shattering slam of its limbs, it triggered another Blight Surge.
The battlefield melted.
The ground itself became a festering wound, corrosive energy spreading like a plague—eating away at everything it touched.
"Fall back!" Adrian barked, his voice cutting through the rising panic as he grabbed Garrick and Elise, dragging them away from the spreading corruption.
Mira let out a burst of Chaos Flames, attempting to hold back the encroaching blight—but it wasn't enough.
The Chimera lunged forward—
A monstrous, unstoppable onslaught.
Then—
A hiss.
From the shadows of the rubble Damian had crashed into, something else moved.
A serpent.
But not just any serpent—
Nyxeris Umbra.
The Primordial Shadow Serpent uncoiled from the darkness, her midnight-blue scales rippling with an otherworldly gleam.
[Shadow Dominion.]
Tendrils of pure darkness erupted from beneath the Chimera, coiling around its limbs—slowing it.
Just enough.
Damian rose from the rubble, his posture unshaken.
His mask remained blank, but beneath it—
His mind burned.
Pain flared behind his skull. His body screamed in protest.
But he pushed forward.
This wasn't enough.
They had fought with everything they had—and this thing was still standing.
It needed to end.
And so—Damian made a choice.
A dangerous one.
He clenched his fingers around his blade.
And then—
Entropy flared.
A crackling, unseen energy gathered around him. The air itself seemed to warp, twisting with the weight of something ancient and final.
Zayne's eyes widened in horror as he saw Damian moving, his charge almost suicidal.
"Wait—DAMIAN, STOP!"
But it was too late.
When Damian reached the Chimera, his hand touched its wounded flesh.
That was all it took.
The moment contact was made—
[Entropy Surge]
The effect was immediate.
The Chimera convulsed.
Then—
A sizzle.
Its flesh began to rot—not gradually.
Not over time.
All at once.
A fundamental, irreversible end.
The beast howled.
But its body was already collapsing.
Chunks of flesh disintegrated into dust.
Its corrupted blood curdled and vanished.
Its twisted, mutated limbs eroded.
Its eyes, once filled with mindless rage—
Turned hollow.
And then—
The Blighted Chimera was no more.
Only dust remained.
And Damian—
He staggered.
A splitting, piercing headache tore through his skull. His vision blurred. A deafening, static-like ringing filled his ears.
That was too much.
He barely registered the notification that followed.
---
[System Notification]
-
Congratulations, Challenger.
You have successfully defeated the Second Mini-Boss: Blighted Chimera (Corrupted Variant).
* A [Grand Challenger's Chest] has appeared.
* The Dungeon Boss has been weakened by 10%.
* The path forward is now open.
[ Good Luck, Challenger. ]
---
The battlefield—once filled with chaos—
Now silent.
Adrian, Zayne, Elise, and Mira stared at Damian.
No words.
Just stunned silence.
Their friend—
The one they thought was dead—
Was here.
Alive.
And more terrifying than they ever thought.
---
Time: 10:40 PM
---
The chamber was a battlefield frozen in time. Corpses of monsters, both hulking minotaurs and winged creatures, lay sprawled across the bloodstained ground. The stench of blood and burnt flesh was thick in the air, clinging to the walls like a ghostly presence.
But amidst the carnage, a group of eight individuals stood at a cautious distance, their eyes locked onto a single unmoving figure.
Damian.
His body lay on the cold ground, his back resting against the stone floor. His face was obscured by the mask he wore and the shadows cast from the dim lighting of the chamber, his chest rising and falling in slow, steady breaths.
And curled protectively on his chest, Nyxi.
Her small, serpentine form barely moved, save for the occasional twitch of her tail or the faint flicker of her slit-pupiled eyes. But despite her stillness, an unspoken warning radiated from her entire being.
For the past twenty minutes, the group had tried to approach Damian.
And for twenty minutes, Nyxi had denied them, lashing out at anyone who dared come closer than a meter.
Zayne, standing with his arms crossed, exhaled in frustration before glancing over his shoulder at the others.
Zayne Callister "How are we going to get past that snake?" he muttered.
No one had an answer.
A few meters behind Zayne, Adrian sat slumped against a rock, his face contorted in discomfort. His breathing was labored, his skin slick with sweat as the lingering chimera venom pulsed through his veins. Though the poison's potency had faded after the beast's death, it still gnawed at his system, leaving him in visible agony.
Zayne clenched his jaw at the sight, his fingers curling into fists. They had to find a cure—fast.
Mira Valen, standing at the forefront of the group, let out a soft sigh before shifting her gaze back to Damian's unconscious form. Unlike the others, she had a different approach.
So she stepped forward.
One step.
Then another.
Nyxi's gaze locked onto her immediately, the air between them turning heavy.
A deep, low hiss escaped the tiny snake, and Mira froze two meters away.
But instead of backing away, she offered a small, gentle smile.
Mira Valen "Hello there, cute little snake. I'm Mira."
Nyxi did not respond, her glowing silver eyes staring unblinking into Mira's own.
From a distance, the others watched in tense silence. They had all tried this before. They had tried speaking, reasoning, even offering small bits of food in an attempt to win the snake over.
Nothing worked.
And when someone got too close, Nyxi's shadow spikes had nearly skewered them on the spot.
Yet, despite that, there was something undeniably captivating about her.
Her small size, her sleek near black scales, her striking eyes—
It was strange, almost ironic, how something so tiny and adorable radiated such overwhelming danger.
Mira, undeterred, kept her tone soft.
"We are all friends of Damian," she continued. "And we just want to know if he's okay."
Nyxi's tail flicked.
For a moment, Mira thought she saw a shift in the snake's posture.
Hope flickered in her chest—
Until the shadows beneath Damian came to life.
Black tendrils slithered outward like writhing serpents, coiling and twisting menacingly in the dim light.
Mira's smile stiffened.
Slowly, she began stepping backward. Without turning.
"No sudden movements," she whispered under her breath.
The moment she was out of range, the shadows retreated, merging seamlessly back into Damian's unconscious form.
A heavy silence followed.
Then Elise Laurent, who had been watching from the side, sighed and turned to Zayne.
Elise Laurent "Don't worry, babe. He'll wake up soon enough."
She reached out, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "In the meantime, let's focus on finding a cure for Adrian." Elise said feeling the effect of the chimera's poison as well, but she was more resistance due to her title and Facets.
Zayne didn't respond immediately. His jaw remained clenched, his eyes flickering once more toward Damian before finally exhaling a deep breath.
"…Fine."
His gaze shifted toward the far side of the chamber, where the Grand Challenger's Box rested in the place the chimera had died.
"Let's check the chest," he said at last. "Maybe there's an antidote inside."
..
.
The Grand Challenger's chest loomed before them, an imposing relic of battle. Its ornate carvings depicted both the Titan Wraith Sentinel and the Blighted Chimera in such vivid, lifelike detail that it felt as if the two creatures might spring forth at any moment. The craftsmanship was eerie, each etched line pulsing with a faint, ancient glow.
Standing at the forefront, Garrick exhaled and stepped forward. His fingers curled around the heavy metal lid, and with a grunt of effort, he pried it open. A low creak echoed through the chamber as the cover lifted, revealing its precious contents.
Inside lay eight distinct treasures, each radiating an aura of power and mystery:
1. A dark, mystical book wrapped in ethereal chains, its pages humming with restrained energy.
2. A massive obsidian shield, its surface etched with glowing runes, whispering of ancient defenses.
3. A glass vial of shimmering green liquid, exuding a faint herbal aroma that carried a promise of restoration.
4. A pitch-black gauntlet, its surface veined with eerie purple light, pulsing with dormant strength.
5. A glowing dark crystal, its core swirling with immense energy, barely contained within its jagged frame.
6. A jagged, darkened horn, coated in hardened blight, radiating an ominous heat.
7. A spectral cloak, black as the abyss, its edges appearing tattered yet maintaining an unnatural wholeness.
8. And at the very bottom of the box lay a sleek, jagged dagger, its midnight-black blade reflecting the faint glow of the chamber. The hilt was wrapped in tightly bound dark leather, exuding an aura of deadly precision.
The group stood in silent awe for a moment, absorbing the sight of the Relics.
Then, Zayne stepped forward, his eyes locking onto the green shimmering vial. He reached for it, and the moment his fingers curled around the glass, a floating screen materialized before him, detailing the item's properties.
//
____________________________________
[ Potion ]
---
Name : Venom Purging Draught.
Type : Consumable.
Rarity : Uncommon.
Effects : Neutralizes all poison-based effects, including the Blighted Chimera's venom.
- Grants temporary poison resistance.
Limitations : The vial contains only five doses.
____________________________________
//
Zayne's eyes flickered with relief as he turned toward Adrian, who sat slumped against the base of the box. The young man's breathing remained labored, his skin pale and damp with sweat as the lingering venom continued to sap his strength.
Zayne immediately knelt beside him, extending the vial.
"Adrian, here. This should take care of the lingering effects of the Chimera's venom."
Adrian nodded, slowly reaching out—
But before his fingers could grasp it, Mira Valen swooped in, snatching the vial from Zayne's grasp.
"I'll do it," she stated firmly, already reading through the potion's details.
Without waiting for an argument, she moved to Adrian's side, carefully lowering his heavy head onto her lap. A soft sigh left his lips at the shift in position, but he didn't resist.
Mira opened the vial, lifting it gently to his lips. "Drink slowly," she murmured, tilting it carefully to let the liquid flow into his mouth.
Adrian swallowed, the cool liquid sliding down his throat. Almost immediately, the tension in his body eased. His furrowed brows smoothed, his labored breathing steadied, and the excessive sweating ceased entirely.
Mira smiled softly, fingers running through his damp hair. "Feeling better?" she asked gently.
Adrian hummed in response, his eyes still closed, but the pain that once twisted his expression was now gone.
Zayne let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Relief.
The rest of the group, reassured by Adrian's recovery, turned their attention back to the box.
Whatever secrets it held, they would soon uncover.
..
.
Garrick reached into the Grand Challenger's Box, his fingers closing around the pitch-black gauntlet laced with glowing purple veins. It felt heavy, a weight not just in mass but in power, thrumming with latent strength. As he lifted it, a floating screen manifested before him.
//
____________________________________
[ Relic Identified ]
---
Name : Sentinel Gauntlet (Corrupted)
Type : A Single Handed Gauntlet (Can be dual-wielded if another is found).
Rarity : Uncommon.
Effects : Enhances grip strength and physical attacks.
- Increases resistance to dark magic and abyssal corruption.
____________________________________
//
Garrick Johnson "Hmm… Zayne." Garrick called, his voice laced with contemplation.
Zayne turned, raising a brow.
"I'll be taking this." Garrick's words were more of a silent request than a statement.
Zayne simply shrugged. "Yeah, sure. If you want." He waved a hand dismissively before shifting his focus back to the box.
His gaze landed on the dark purple crystal nestled among the other Relics. Something about it pulsed with potential. Without hesitation, he reached in and grabbed it, and another screen appeared.
//
____________________________________
[ Material ]
---
Name : Colossus Core Fragment
Type: Crafting Material
Rarity: Uncommon
Effects: Enhances and imbues magical properties into whatever it is used to craft.
- Grants increased resistance to physical and magical damage.
____________________________________
//
Zayne smirked. 'Neat. Wonder what can be made with this?' He twirled the fragment between his fingers before carefully setting it aside.
His eyes drifted toward the massive obsidian shield embedded with glowing runes. He reached down, gripping the edges and lifting it. The sheer weight of the shield made him grunt as he hoisted it up.
//
____________________________________
[ Relic Identified ]
---
Name : Warden Bulwark
Type: Shield
Rarity: Uncommon
Effects: Absorbs incoming damage, reducing the impact taken.
- Generates a dome-like barrier, shielding both the wielder and nearby allies from attacks.
____________________________________
//
Zayne analyzed the details before shaking his head. 'This is great… but it's way too heavy for me.
He turned toward Adrian, but quickly dismissed the idea. 'He's a hammer-user… so that's a no.' His gaze flickered to Damian, but again, he shook his head. 'Not his style either.'
Finally, he turned to Garrick, who was currently examining the spectral cloak in the corner of the box.
"Garrick, can you use this?" Zayne asked, pushing the shield toward him.
Garrick, without a word, took the Bulwark and tested its weight. Unlike Zayne, he handled it with less effort, adjusting it onto his left arm. He nodded in satisfaction, signaling his acceptance.
As the boys sorted through their findings, Elise stepped forward, her delicate fingers reaching for the dark, mystical book wrapped in ethereal chains. She carefully lifted it from the box and turned toward Mira Valen, a soft smile gracing her lips.
Elise Laurent "Mira, here. I think this is perfect for you." Elise's voice was gentle, mindful of Adrian still resting in Mira's lap.
Mira's eyes gleamed as she took the tome, and instantly, a screen flickered into existence before her.
//
____________________________________
[ Relic Identified ]
---
Name : Abyss Warden Codex.
Type : Tome
Rarity : Rare
Effects : Abyssal Hex – Curses a target, reducing their physical and magical defenses by 30% while inducing creeping madness over time.
- Umbral Shackles – Summons shadowy chains that bind an enemy's limbs, restricting movement and draining stamina. Struggling causes the chains to tighten, dealing gradual necrotic damage.
- Void Brand – Imprints an abyssal sigil on a target. The longer they remain in combat, the stronger it grows. Upon reaching its peak, it detonates, dealing massive shadow damage and weakening their soul.
- Wraith's Pact – Temporarily sacrifices a portion of the user's life force to summon spectral wraiths that attack enemies, siphoning their vitality.
- Blighted Benediction – Casts a dark blessing upon the caster or an ally, enhancing magic potency while also corrupting their aura, making them harder to detect by supernatural entities.
- Eldritch Dominion – Exerts the caster's will over abyssal creatures or the weak-minded, temporarily bending them to their command.
- Veil of the Forgotten – Shrouds the caster in abyssal mist, making them nearly invisible in darkness and muffling all sounds they make. Disrupts tracking Facets.
- Harbinger's Eclipse – A ritual spell that darkens the sky in a localized area, causing enemies to suffer reduced perception, slowed movements, and increased vulnerability to shadow-based attacks.
- Tongue of the Forsaken – Allows the caster to communicate with ancient and forgotten entities from beyond the void, gaining knowledge in exchange for an unknown cost.
- Black Vein Sacrament – Channels abyssal energy into the user's blood, greatly enhancing spellcasting ability but gradually corrupting their body over time.
Limitations : User must be either a dark mage or a witch.
- Some spells require a certain power tier to be effective.
____________________________________
//
Mira's eyes widened as she absorbed the tome's power. 'Wow… it really is perfect for me.' A small smirk tugged at her lips as she looked at Elise. "Thanks, Eli." She said handing her the vial of the Venom Purging Draught, it still had four doses left and knew that Elise needed it as well.
Elise returned the smile with a soft nod and took the vial before shifting her gaze toward the boys, who were still sorting through their newfound treasures.
Each Relic held immense potential, and yet, the mystery of the box and the dungeon remained.
Had they uncovered everything?
Or was there more hidden within its depths?
.
.
.
.
.
To Be Continued.....