The air shifted the moment they stepped inside.A stale, cold breeze swept through the cracked hall, carrying the scent of dust and iron. The torches along the walls flickered weakly, as though protesting their intrusion. Every step echoed too loudly, like the ruins themselves were whispering secrets they weren't meant to hear.
Kuro walked slightly ahead, eyes glowing faintly as his mana brushed across the old stone. "It's… old. I can feel it. It's like something's been sleeping here for centuries."
Lucien hummed, adjusting his glove. "And if we're lucky, it'll stay asleep."
[Oh, please. When has luck ever been on your side, Kuro? You attract cursed things like you attract emotional damage.]
Kuro sighed, muttering quietly, {You're not wrong.}
Mika, who had been right beside him, twitched. "Did he just—"
[He agreed.]
"Don't answer me, damn it!" Mika snapped aloud, the sound bouncing off the stone.
Lucien blinked in confusion. "…Who are you talking to?"
"No one," Mika growled, glaring at the empty air. "Absolutely no one."
Kuro gave an awkward smile. "Elvastia likes… commenting."
[Commenting? That's a nice way to say saving your sorry life through unsolicited sarcasm.]
"Saving?" Mika repeated sharply. "I've yet to see him save anything except boredom."
[Careful, tall-dark-and-anger. I'm one haunting away from whispering embarrassing secrets into your dreams.]
"Try me." Mika's glare could have melted stone.
Kuro stifled a nervous laugh. {Elvastia, please.}
[What? He's fun when he's mad.]
Lucien raised a brow, clearly fighting a grin. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you two were flirting."
Both Mika and Kuro froze, eyes wide.
"W–We are not!" Kuro blurted.
[Could've fooled me.]
Mika turned bright red. "Shut. Up."
[Heh.]
Lucien chuckled under his breath, walking forward. "Relax. I'm kidding. Mostly."
The tension broke for a moment — but the air grew colder again. Something was moving deeper inside the ruin. A faint scratching noise echoed from beyond the stone archway ahead.
Kuro's steps slowed. "Do you hear that?"
Lucien nodded. "Yeah. Sounds like…" He paused, then frowned. "…bones."
Before they could react, a sudden shriek tore through the hall.The ground trembled. From the shadows, skeletal figures emerged — humanoid, but wrapped in old bandages and faint blue light leaking from their eyes.
"Wraithbone Guardians," Lucien muttered, drawing his blade. "Perfect."
Mika immediately stepped in front of Kuro. "Stay back."
[Here we go. Try not to die this time, yeah?]
{Elvastia—}
[No pressure.]
One of the creatures lunged, its bony claws striking toward Mika's face. He dodged, slashing in return, his blade crackling with red lightning. The skeleton exploded into fragments of glowing ash.
Lucien moved like liquid silver beside him, his hazelnut hair shimmering under the blue flames as his sword hummed with mana. Every swing was elegant, precise. Kuro found himself watching — until another guardian lunged for him.
Kuro raised his hand instinctively, mana surging through his veins. Shadows erupted around him, coiling into sharp, dark tendrils that impaled the creature instantly.
For a brief second, everything was silent. Then the others turned to look at him.
Lucien whistled softly. "Remind me never to piss you off."
Mika, though, was staring at Kuro — not with surprise, but concern.That same emptiness flickered behind Kuro's calm eyes, that quiet, cold acceptance of violence.
[He's too used to it,] Elvastia said quietly, his usual sarcasm gone. [Killing doesn't even shake him.]
Mika's jaw tightened. "…Yeah. I can see that."
Lucien glanced between them, confused. "See what?"
"Nothing," Mika muttered, gripping his sword tighter. "Keep moving."
They continued deeper into the ruins, stepping over the shattered remains of the guardians. The faint hum of magic grew stronger — like a heartbeat buried under stone.
As they reached the central chamber, the walls started glowing with ancient runes. In the center stood a massive sealed gate, covered in black vines of shadow.
Lucien stepped forward, mesmerized. "That's… beautiful."
[That's alive,] Elvastia corrected grimly. [Don't touch it.]
Kuro's head tilted slightly. {You can feel it too?}
[Oh, I can feel a lot of things, but that thing? That's the kind of cursed energy that makes even demons take a day off.]
Mika raised a brow. "Great. And here I thought this mission would be easy."
Lucien sighed. "It's never easy with you two."
[That's because one's cursed, and the other's cursed with bad humor.]
Mika glared at the air again. "You're lucky you're not physical."
[You're lucky I am, or you'd lose every argument.]
Kuro couldn't help but smile softly despite the danger. Somehow, even with the unease in the air, Elvastia's sharp tongue and Mika's irritation made things feel… normal.
Then, without warning, the gate pulsed.
The runes flared black. The air grew heavy. A whisper—not Elvastia's—slid into Kuro's mind.Welcome back, vessel.
Kuro froze.
Elvastia's tone shifted instantly. [Kuro. Don't answer it.]
Mika looked at him sharply. "Kuro—?"
But Kuro didn't respond. His body had gone completely still, eyes wide and unfocused, staring straight at the pulsing gate.