The journey began at first light.
The sun never truly rose in the Realm of the Dead, but a dim shimmer always broke through — like the world trying to remember what morning felt like. Riku and his group trudged across the cracked plains, their boots sinking slightly into ash-soft ground.
Behind them, the Obsidian Plains stretched endlessly, scarred with faint blue lines — traces of their last battle. Ahead, the landscape shifted to towering shadows: mountains that looked like the bones of ancient titans.
Mina shaded her eyes and whispered,
"The Silent Mountains… They weren't on any of the old maps."
Ren grinned faintly.
"That's probably because the last guy who tried to map them never came back."
"Not helping," Arin muttered, brushing a strand of silver hair from her face.
The climb began slow but relentless. With every step, the air grew colder — heavier. By the time they reached the mountain's base, all sound had dulled. Even the clink of their weapons felt swallowed by the silence.
Riku frowned, waving his hand in front of his face as if testing the air.
"Can you guys hear that?"
Ren looked around.
"Hear what?"
"Exactly."
It wasn't just quiet. It was absolute. No wind. No echoes. Even their voices seemed drained of warmth — like the mountain itself devoured sound.
Mina's expression darkened.
"This place was part of the old divine wars. The legends said the gods silenced it after a relic was shattered here."
Arin knelt near a boulder etched with faded runes.
"Look at this," she murmured. "These markings… they match the sigils we saw at the ruined temple."
Riku brushed his hand against the stone. The runes flickered faintly — just enough to cast eerie shadows across their faces.
Ren tilted his head.
"So, what do you think broke here? A relic? Or a god?"
"Maybe both," Mina said softly.
They moved deeper into the range. The path wound through jagged cliffs and hollowed tunnels that seemed carved by fire and sorrow. Once, they came across a field of stone statues — hundreds of them — all frozen mid-scream.
Ren gulped.
"Okay, creepy factor just hit a ten."
Arin frowned, examining one closely.
"They're not statues. They're souls — petrified."
Riku's chest tightened. He could almost feel them watching.
Mina placed a hand on one of the figures.
"They were soldiers once," she said, eyes distant. "From the last divine army. When the relic shattered, its energy froze everything alive — trapped their souls between life and dust."
Ren stepped back uneasily.
"Remind me why we're walking toward this again?"
"Because," Riku said quietly, "whatever broke here might tell us how to stop Kael."
The group pressed on. Hours passed, though time in this realm was meaningless. The deeper they went, the stranger the world became. Sometimes the rocks seemed to breathe. Other times, distant whispers bled into their minds — memories not their own.
At one point, Arin stumbled, clutching her head.
"Did you… hear that?" she whispered.
"Hear what?" Riku asked, stepping closer.
Her voice trembled.
"A child's voice. It said… 'Don't let him reach the heart.'"
Mina froze.
"The Heart… that could mean the Fountain of Return."
Ren muttered,
"Or something worse."
⸻
By twilight, they reached a cliff overlooking a massive chasm. Below, mist coiled like living smoke, glowing faintly blue. Across the gap, a ruined temple stood half-buried in rock — its gates cracked but still standing.
Riku's pulse quickened.
"That's our next clue."
But before they could move, the mountain rumbled — a deep, resonant growl that vibrated through their bones.
Ren's grin vanished.
"Please tell me that was just the wind."
"No wind here," Mina whispered, stepping back.
The mist below the chasm began to shift. Two colossal eyes opened within it — golden, reptilian, and ancient.
Arin's breath caught.
"Impossible…"
The mist exploded upward as a dragon rose from the depths — massive, ethereal, its scales shimmering like fractured glass. Its wings unfolded, spreading darkness across the cliffs.
Riku raised Eclipsera instinctively, its glow answering the beast's aura.
"How is that thing alive in this realm?"
Mina's voice shook.
"It's not alive. It's bound. A soul-dragon — the guardian of whatever lies beyond that temple."
Ren drew his weapon with a nervous chuckle.
"Great. Another undead overgrown lizard. What's next, a ghost volcano?"
"Don't provoke it," Arin hissed.
But it was too late. The dragon's head turned sharply toward them. The air burned with spectral energy, and its roar tore through the silence — a sound so loud it shattered the mountain's spell.
"Move!" Riku shouted.
The cliff exploded where they stood. Rocks flew as the dragon's claws slammed into the ground. The group scattered, barely holding onto the crumbling ledge.
Riku slashed Eclipsera upward, the blade clashing against the dragon's talon. Sparks of soul-light burst across the chasm.
The impact nearly threw him backward, but he steadied himself, shouting,
"We can't kill it! Just distract it long enough to reach the temple!"
Mina raised her staff, summoning runes that glowed like stars.
"On it!"
Arin fired spectral arrows that curved mid-air, striking the dragon's glowing eyes. Ren leapt across the rocks, hurling small bombs that exploded in flashes of azure flame.
The dragon roared again — its wings beating, sending shockwaves through the chasm.
Riku turned toward the temple.
"Go! I'll cover you!"
Arin hesitated.
"You can't fight that thing alone!"
"I won't be alone," Riku said, eyes blazing as Eclipsera flared brighter than ever. "I have them."
He pointed to the glowing souls trapped in the statues nearby. The air shimmered — faint voices echoing back, answering his call. The petrified warriors stirred, their forms flickering into half-visible specters.
Mina gasped.
"He's channeling them…!"
The spectral army rose, surrounding Riku as he faced the dragon.
"Let's see if silence remembers war."
⸻
As the others ran toward the temple entrance, the world behind them erupted in light and fury — a clash of divine echoes and spectral fire.
Inside the temple, Mina turned back once, her voice trembling.
"If that dragon was a guardian…"
Arin finished softly,
"Then what are they guarding against?"
The answer came as the ground shook again — but not from the battle.
From beneath the temple, something stirred — ancient, immense, and hungry.