The gate pulsed like a heartbeat, carved into the rock at the city's edge. Its runes glowed pale green, flickering in time with the quiet hum of power inside.
Hunters gathered nearby, arguing over contracts and raid rights. But one figure moved past them without hesitation.
Elias Crowe.
His Codex hovered at his shoulder, pages fluttering as though eager. He adjusted his glasses and stepped into the dungeon.
---
Searching for Answers
The cavern swallowed him, air damp with moss and cold stone. Crystals jutted from the walls, casting eerie green light across the winding tunnels. In the distance, faint growls echoed.
Elias's footsteps were soft, steady. His hand brushed the Codex as he murmured, "Every dungeon so far has given me fragments. Footnotes. If I keep pushing, maybe I'll see more of the manuscript itself."
The Codex pulsed, pages opening.
> [Objective: Seek the Footnote of the Verdant Maw]
Boss: Emerald Devourer.
Reward: Page of Forgotten Lore.
Elias's lips curved faintly. "Good. Then let's turn the page."
---
Lyra's Dilemma
Outside, hidden in the shadows near the gate, Lyra Duskveil hesitated.
She shouldn't have followed. Elysian Dawn would brand her a traitor if they knew. But the thought of Elias walking into a dungeon alone while guild whispers plotted his death… her chest tightened.
Why am I doing this? she asked herself. Why him?
Her answer came when she saw movement at the treeline.
Crimson leather. The mark of the Fangs.
Captain Roderick Hale strode toward the gate, his axe slung across his shoulder, a group of elites at his back.
Lyra's eyes widened. "No…"
Hale's voice rumbled low. "Remember, boys. What happens in dungeons… stays in dungeons."
Her blood ran cold. Without thinking, she followed them inside.
---
The Trap
Elias stood in a crystal cavern when the footsteps came. He turned calmly as Hale and his men emerged from the shadows, weapons drawn.
Roderick Hale's scarred mouth twisted into a grin. "There you are, librarian."
Elias's glasses glinted in the crystal light. "Captain Hale. Shouldn't you be at a council meeting, shouting about me?"
Hale chuckled darkly. "Meetings don't solve problems. Killing them does." He raised his axe, runes glowing. "You've upset the balance, Crowe. The guilds don't tolerate threats."
Elias tilted his head. "And here I thought guilds were supposed to protect people."
"What happens in dungeons," Hale growled, "stays in dungeons."
The elites fanned out. Their weapons gleamed.
The Codex opened. Pages scattered around Elias, orbiting him like silent sentinels.
"I'll remember that," Elias said softly.
---
Lyra's Choice
Hidden behind a crystal pillar, Lyra's fists clenched around her staff. Her guild expected silence. Hale expected obedience.
But watching Elias stand calm, unshaken, even surrounded — something inside her snapped.
They don't understand him. They only want to chain him, kill him, bury him. But he… he reads everything. Even me.
Her breath caught. And I want him to keep reading.
---
The Battle
Hale charged, his axe cleaving down with the force of a mountain. Elias moved like flowing ink, pages flicking open.
> [Manifestation: Reflective Guard]
The shield appeared instantly. Hale's axe slammed against it — and rebounded, cracks spreading across the cavern floor.
"Tricks won't save you, boy!" Hale roared.
Elias's eyes narrowed. Another page flipped.
> [Annotation: Heavy Swing + Disarray March → Breaking Rhythm]
The elites lunged in perfect formation. In an instant, their rhythm shattered — steps colliding, blades missing, strikes clashing against each other instead of Elias.
He slipped between them, blade of script in hand. One strike. Two. Pages cut runes, severing weapons from hands.
Lyra watched, breathless. He wasn't just fighting. He was editing the battlefield.
But Hale was relentless. He tore through falling elites, his axe glowing brighter with each swing. Sparks flew as steel clashed against Elias's manifested blade.
"You can't beat me," Hale snarled. "I was born to lead! You were born to shelve books!"
Elias's glasses caught the glow. His voice was quiet, cold. "Then this is your final chapter."
The Codex flared. Pages swarmed, folding into a colossal blade inscribed with runes.
> [Annotation: Breaker's Strike + Erase → Null Cleaver]
Elias swung. Hale's axe split in half. The runes burned out. The captain staggered, eyes wide, before the blade halted just short of his throat.
Elias's voice was steady. "Leave. Or be erased."
Silence. The surviving elites dragged Hale back, his fury trembling but his fear unmistakable.
---
Aftermath
When they were gone, Lyra stepped out from hiding.
Elias didn't flinch. "You followed."
She swallowed hard. "I… couldn't let them—"
"Kill me?" His faint smile cut through the tension. "I didn't need saving, Lyra."
Her cheeks warmed. "That's… not why I came."
Elias studied her quietly, his gaze as sharp as ever. She felt as though he was reading every word she'd never written aloud.
Finally, she spoke, voice soft. "I don't want to stand with them anymore. I don't know if I can stand against them yet… but I want to stand with you."
The Codex fluttered at Elias's side, as though approving.
Elias turned back to the crystals, voice calm. "Then keep reading with me. The next page will be harder."
Lyra's lips curved, a small, almost reluctant smile. "For some reason… I don't mind."