They ran.
Hikaru didn't need to say anything. The second they returned to the ruins, the second the weight of reality settled back into place, every single one of them knew what needed to happen. They had to leave.
Budi was still catching his breath, his mask flickering as it stabilized. Selene's magic crackled faintly around her fingers, her body tense. Aldric moved with purpose, his steel-gray eyes locked on the now-open gate behind them.
Hikaru didn't look back.
Because he knew what was behind them.
Or rather, what was waking up.
Budi's footsteps were quick beside him. "Okay, so let's just agree—never doing that again."
Hikaru grinned. "You say that, but I know you're lying."
Budi groaned. "I hate that you're right."
Selene's voice was sharp. "Less talking. More running."
The ruins were shifting again, but this time, it wasn't a time distortion. This was real. The stone beneath them cracked. The very foundations of the underground chamber began to collapse.
Aldric was still ahead, leading them through the maze of shattered corridors. He knew these ruins better than any of them, but even Hikaru could tell—there wasn't a clear exit anymore.
Hikaru flicked a card between his fingers. He had to think. Fast.
Selene cursed. "The gate's power is destabilizing everything. If we don't get out now, we're going to be buried here."
Hikaru smirked. "Oh, please. If I die, I refuse to let it be because of bad interior design."
Budi panted. "What's the actual plan, genius?"
Hikaru's eyes darted around. The walls were shifting, but not randomly. The magic from the gate wasn't destroying the ruins—it was rewriting them.
And that meant—
"Oh." Hikaru grinned. "I just realized something."
Budi glanced at him. "If it's something stupid, I swear—"
Hikaru grabbed Budi's sleeve, dragging him toward a crumbling passage. "It's not stupid! It's improvisation."
Aldric called out sharply. "Where are you going?"
Hikaru smirked. "Shortcuts!"
Selene muttered, "Oh, this is going to be terrible."
They didn't have time to argue. The ceiling above them shuddered, and Hikaru threw himself forward, pulling Budi and Selene with him just as an entire section of the ruins collapsed behind them.
The dust settled, and for a brief moment, there was silence.
Hikaru adjusted his glasses. "See? Perfectly safe."
Budi shot him a look. "There is literally a boulder an inch from my head."
Selene exhaled sharply. "This isn't safe. We're trapped in a smaller section of the ruins."
Aldric's voice carried through the stone. "Trickster."
Hikaru called back, "Still alive!"
Aldric didn't sound relieved. "Your definition of survival is concerning."
Budi pushed some debris off his shoulder. "Great. So what now?"
Hikaru's fingers flicked a card through his hand. "Easy. We find a new way out."
Selene looked unimpressed. "You mean the way we should've taken in the first place?"
Hikaru grinned. "Exactly."
Budi pinched the bridge of his nose. "I hate you sometimes."
Hikaru patted his shoulder. "But you also love me for my genius."
Selene cut in. "Less ego. More movement."
Hikaru turned, scanning their new surroundings. The collapse had forced them into a section of the ruins that felt different. Less ancient, more deliberately hidden. The stonework here was newer, reinforced, as if someone had been trying to bury something beneath the ruins themselves.
Hikaru's smirk widened. "Oh, this just keeps getting better."
Budi eyed him warily. "I don't like that look."
Hikaru ran a hand over one of the walls. "Budi, my dear friend, we just stumbled into something secret."
Selene frowned. "Aldric said this place predates the kingdom. What would be newer than the ruins?"
Hikaru tapped the stone. "That's exactly what I want to find out."
Budi groaned. "Can we not explore the creepy underground mystery vault while actively being buried alive?"
Hikaru pulled a card from his deck. [Skill Activated: ♦8 – Illusionary Mapping]
The air around them rippled, shifting slightly as his ability tried to sense the layout of their surroundings. What he saw wasn't what he expected.
"Oh," Hikaru muttered.
Selene immediately tensed. "What? What's wrong?"
Hikaru let out a slow breath. "This isn't just another ruin."
Budi looked at him. "Then what is it?"
Hikaru grinned. "A vault."
Selene narrowed her eyes. "A vault for what?"
Hikaru tapped his chin. "Well, considering we just opened a gate to reality-bending eldritch beings, I'm gonna go ahead and assume something important."
Budi exhaled sharply. "And let me guess. You want to open it."
Hikaru gasped. "Budi, I'm insulted. I would never—"
Budi glared.
Hikaru sighed. "Fine. Yes. I really want to open it."
Selene rubbed her temples. "You're impossible."
Hikaru smirked. "Thank you."
Aldric's voice echoed through the rubble. "I'm almost through. Don't move."
Hikaru grinned. "Yeah, about that—"
Before anyone could stop him, he pressed his hand against the vault's surface.
The stone shifted.
A pulse of energy radiated outward, cold and ancient, like the magic itself had been waiting.
And then—
The wall vanished.
Not collapsed. Not crumbled.
Vanished.
Revealing what was inside.
Hikaru stared.
Budi muttered, "Oh. That's not normal."
Selene took a step forward, eyes widening. "That's… impossible."
Inside the vault, there was a pedestal.
And sitting on it—
A mask.
Not just any mask.
A carved, ancient mask, covered in symbols that flickered between real and unreal.
Hikaru's instincts screamed at him.
Not to run.
Not to fight.
To think.
Because this mask—this thing—was waiting.
Waiting for Budi.
Hikaru exhaled, flicking a card into his hand.
"Oh," he whispered.
Then he turned to Budi and grinned.
"Hey, buddy. I think this one's for you."