The air grew colder as the group climbed deeper into the ruins. The Temple of Silent Echoes was eerily quiet now, its halls wide and ancient, lined with murals that glowed faintly whenever someone passed. It was as if the walls themselves were watching.
Ren brushed sand off a cracked pillar.
"You know, for a place called Silent Echoes, it's doing a great job making my heart scream."
Mina chuckled softly, her voice echoing in the hollow chamber.
"Then maybe you should scream quieter. The spirits here might think you're calling them."
Arin smirked, walking ahead with her bow ready.
"He'd deserve it if they did."
Riku followed them, his expression thoughtful. The faint hum of the relics and weapons around them seemed to pulse in rhythm with their footsteps. This place — this ruin — felt ancient even by the standards of the dead.
After a while, they reached a massive doorway, half-collapsed and covered in strange, molten-looking runes. Beyond it was a vast, circular hall open to the sky, where sunlight broke through the clouds in thin, trembling beams. At the center of the hall was a large stone altar — cracked, burned, and carved with massive claw marks.
Riku froze.
"Wait… are those claw marks?"
Ren crouched near the altar, running his fingers through the grooves.
"No beast we've seen could've made this. Whatever it was… it was huge."
Arin's expression darkened.
"There are whispers… of creatures that should not exist here. Beasts of the living world that somehow found their way into death."
Mina frowned.
"That shouldn't be possible. Souls, yes. Spirits, yes. But physical beings?"
"Unless," Arin said quietly, "something summoned them here."
The air trembled.
A deep rumble rolled across the temple floor, shaking dust from the ceiling. The torches lining the walls suddenly flared to life — all at once — as if the temple itself had taken a deep breath.
Riku's hand went instinctively to his sword.
"Everyone, get ready."
The rumble grew louder — closer. The ground cracked as something beneath them shifted. Then, from the far side of the chamber, the stone walls burst apart.
A massive, serpentine head emerged.
Eyes like molten gold, scales dark as obsidian, smoke rising from its nostrils. The creature's wings unfurled — torn and scarred, yet still majestic — each flap stirring the air into whirlwinds.
Mina gasped.
"That's… impossible."
Ren took a cautious step back, trying to hide the tremor in his voice.
"Is that— is that a dragon?"
The creature lowered its head, nostrils flaring as it stared at them with unsettling intelligence.
Arin whispered, half in disbelief:
"A dragon shouldn't exist here. Not in this realm."
The dragon growled — a low, rumbling sound that shook the stones. Then, to everyone's shock, it spoke.
"Why… do mortals trespass upon my rest?"
Its voice was ancient — layered with countless tones, like multiple beings speaking at once.
Riku stepped forward cautiously, sword drawn but lowered.
"We didn't come to disturb you. We're just… searching for answers. About the relics. About this realm."
The dragon's gaze shifted toward his sword, Eclipsera. Its pupils narrowed.
"That blade… forged from twilight itself. I have not seen its light since the fall of the Gate."
Mina's eyes widened.
"The Gate? You mean the gate between life and death?"
The dragon's gaze flickered, almost mournful.
"You speak as though it still stands."
Before anyone could respond, the dragon lifted its head, wings spreading wide. The chamber trembled again, and fragments of memory flickered across the air like shimmering ghosts — visions of great battles, collapsing cities, and a massive portal between worlds tearing apart.
Ren stumbled back, shielding his eyes.
"What the hell— are these memories?"
"The world you call 'between life and death,'" the dragon rumbled, "was once the heart of creation. The place where life was forged and fates were bound. When the relics were scattered, balance was lost… and I was bound to guard what remained."
Arin's eyes narrowed.
"Guard what?"
The dragon's golden eyes dimmed.
"The memory of the first soul — the one who sought to control death itself."
For a moment, the chamber fell silent.
Then the ground split again. Blue flames burst from the cracks, swirling around the dragon like chains. It roared — not in rage, but in pain.
"Go!" the dragon thundered. "The chains awaken! My prison returns!"
Riku hesitated.
"We can help—"
"You cannot!" the dragon roared. "This curse… it feeds on those who linger!"
The walls began to crumble. Dust and debris fell as blue energy tore across the room. Mina grabbed Riku's arm.
"He's right! If we stay, we'll be trapped here too!"
Arin loosed an arrow, blasting open a narrow escape through a weakened wall.
"Move!"
The group dashed through the hole, racing down the collapsing corridor as the dragon's roar echoed behind them — shaking the ruins to their core.
They burst out into the open air, tumbling down the mountainside as the temple behind them began to sink, swallowed by waves of blue flame.
For a long moment, no one spoke. They simply lay there, panting, staring at the horizon where the ruin had once stood.
Ren finally broke the silence.
"Okay. So, to recap — we just met a talking dragon in the land of the dead. Anyone else want to add 'mythical creature PTSD' to their list of trauma?"
Mina groaned, brushing dust from her hair.
"At least it didn't eat us."
Riku sat up, eyes distant.
"It said the relics were scattered because the Gate fell… That means this world wasn't always like this."
Arin nodded, her face thoughtful.
"The relics… they might not just be keys to resurrection. They might be pieces of something far older. Something that kept both worlds in balance."
A gust of wind swept past them, carrying faint ash and the scent of smoke.
Ren stood, stretching with a pained grin.
"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I could use about twelve hours of sleep and a lifetime supply of therapy."
Riku smirked slightly.
"Sleep if you want. I'll keep moving. That dragon said something important — about the first soul. If we find out who that was, we might understand why we're really here."
Arin slung her bow over her shoulder.
"Then we head east. Toward the Obsidian Plains. The old texts said relic fragments were buried there."
Mina nodded.
"Let's go. Before another impossible creature shows up."
Ren grinned tiredly.
"No promises."
As they walked away, Riku turned one last time. In the distance, faintly through the settling dust, he could still see two glowing golden eyes watching them from the ruins.
And though the dragon's voice was gone, a whisper remained — soft as the wind.
"When the relics awaken… so shall I."