Morning came, but it didn't feel like morning.
The forest was quieter than it should've been.
No birds.
No distant movement.
Just stillness.
No one needed convincing.
They all knew they had to go back.
The instructor led the group, his pace steady but faster than before. No idle chatter this time. No curiosity-driven wandering.
Just purpose.
Takemi walked near the front, the handle strapped securely at his side.
It felt… heavier today.
Not physically.
Just—
Present.
As if it was aware of where they were going.
Rauk walked beside him.
"…If something jumps out again, I'm blaming you."
Takemi smirked slightly.
"Fair."
Lira walked on his other side, quieter than usual.
"…We should be careful with whatever's down there," she said.
Takemi nodded.
"Yeah."
Then added,
"Pretty sure it's not friendly."
They reached the ruins.
The stone platform stood exactly as they left it.
But now—
The cracks were wider.
More visible.
Like something had been pushing from below all night.
The instructor stepped forward.
"Stand back."
Takemi moved beside him.
"…There's a trigger here."
He pressed the same section as before.
Click.
The stone shifted again.
The opening widened.
This time, the air that came out wasn't just cold—
It felt wrong.
Heavy.
Like something old had been sealed inside for far too long.
The instructor didn't hesitate.
"We go together."
They descended carefully.
Torches were lit.
Light flickered against the ancient stone walls.
The chamber felt different now.
Less quiet.
More… awake.
And now that they could see it clearly—
The walls were covered.
Not just random carvings.
Writings.
Lines upon lines of ancient script etched deep into the stone.
Lira stepped forward immediately.
"…This is—"
The instructor raised a hand.
"Don't touch anything yet."
He walked closer to the wall, studying the symbols.
His expression changed.
Slowly.
From focus—
To recognition.
"…This script…"
Takemi frowned.
"You can read that?"
The instructor didn't answer right away.
His hand traced just above the carvings.
"…Old dialect. Pre-academy era."
He exhaled slowly.
"…I've only seen fragments of this in archived texts."
Rauk crossed his arms.
"Then what does it say?"
The instructor's voice lowered.
"…It's not just a ruin."
He looked at the walls again.
"…It's a record."
He began reading.
Slowly.
Carefully.
"This place… was built during an age of calamity…"
The chamber seemed to grow quieter as he spoke.
"…A time when the world faced a being… not of beasts… nor of dragons…"
Takemi felt his grip tighten unconsciously.
"…A destroyer."
The word echoed slightly.
Not loud.
But heavy.
Lira swallowed.
"…A title?"
The instructor nodded faintly.
"Yes."
He continued.
"…Its true name… lost… or perhaps intentionally erased…"
He paused.
"…But its nature is clear."
Rauk frowned.
"Which is?"
The instructor looked at them.
"…It does not conquer."
"…It corrupts."
Silence.
Takemi felt something cold settle in his chest.
The instructor moved to another section.
"…A warrior rose against it."
Takemi's eyes flickered slightly.
"…A hero."
His gaze slowly shifted toward Takemi.
"…Wielding a blade… described as formless… yet absolute."
Takemi didn't speak.
"…A sword that did not exist… unless it was used."
Lira's eyes widened slightly.
"…That's—"
"Yeah," Takemi muttered.
"…Sounds familiar."
The instructor continued.
"…The hero fought not to destroy… but to seal."
"…For the destroyer could not be killed."
Rauk clicked his tongue.
"Of course it couldn't."
"…The seal required a catalyst," the instructor went on.
"…A convergence of power… and a prison beneath the earth."
Takemi slowly looked around the chamber.
"…This place."
The instructor nodded.
"Yes."
He moved further along the wall.
"…The seal is not eternal."
That made everyone stiffen.
"…In an age yet to come… it will weaken."
"…The destroyer will stir…"
"…And the world will face corruption once more."
Silence filled the chamber.
Lira spoke softly.
"…They didn't say when?"
The instructor shook his head.
"No."
Rauk exhaled.
"…So it could be now."
Takemi looked at the walls again.
Then at the floor.
"…Or it already is."
At the center of the chamber, where the pedestal once stood—
There was now a faint glow.
Dark.
Subtle.
Like something leaking through cracks in reality.
Takemi stepped closer.
"…That wasn't there before."
The instructor's expression hardened.
"No."
Lira whispered,
"…That's mana."
Then corrected herself.
"…No… not mana."
"…Something else."
The air grew heavier.
Harder to breathe.
Takemi's hand instinctively moved to the handle.
"…This must be the catalyst."
The instructor nodded.
"…The seal's core."
Rauk frowned.
"…And we just opened it."
No one replied.
The glow pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
It spread.
Dark energy leaked outward, crawling along the ground like smoke.
Takemi stepped back.
"…That's not good."
The chamber trembled.
A low sound echoed—
Not knocking.
Not anymore.
Something deeper.
Something waking.
The instructor raised his voice.
"Everyone—move back!"
Too late.
The darkness gathered in front of them.
Condensing.
Taking shape.
Lira's voice trembled slightly.
"…It's forming something."
Rauk drew his sword.
"Of course it is."
The mass twisted.
Expanded.
Then—
It solidified.
A figure stood where the darkness had been.
Tall.
Humanoid.
But wrong.
Its body was covered in jagged, obsidian-like armor that looked grown rather than worn.
Its arms were too long.
Its fingers clawed.
Its face—
Barely human.
Two hollow eyes burned with dim, violet light.
And from its back—
Fragments of something like broken wings protruded.
The air around it warped.
Distorted.
Like it didn't belong.
Takemi felt it immediately.
This was different.
Not like the Dire Fang.
Not even close.
"…You've gotta be kidding me…"
The instructor stepped forward.
His voice tight.
"…High-tier demon."
Rauk's grip tightened.
"…We're not ready for that."
"No," the instructor said quietly.
"…We aren't."
The demon tilted its head slowly.
Its gaze locked onto Takemi.
Specifically—
The handle.
Then it moved.
Not a charge.
Not a rush.
Just—
Gone.
Then—
BOOM.
Takemi barely raised his weapon in time.
CLANG.
The invisible blade formed—
But the impact sent him flying across the chamber, slamming hard into the wall.
"…GHH—!"
Pain exploded through his body.
The difference was immediate.
Clear.
This wasn't a fight they could win the same way.
Not with luck.
Not with teamwork alone.
The demon stood in the center of the chamber.
Unmoving.
Watching.
Waiting.
Like it already knew.
They were outmatched.
Takemi forced himself up, breathing hard.
His arm trembled.
His grip tightened.
"…Yeah…"
A weak grin formed despite everything.
"…Guess we're not done yet."