The cold air of the mountain cut through their cloaks as Riku trudged behind Ren, the crunch of snow and gravel echoing softly between the towering cliffs. For a long while, none of them spoke. The sunless sky above bled faint streaks of gold, faint enough to suggest that even light struggled to survive here.
Mina walked quietly beside Arin, her fingers tracing faint glimmers of soul-light along the string of her Lunara Bow. Each pulse of energy shimmered, reflected briefly in her eyes — eyes that no longer looked entirely human.
"Feels… different up here," Roku muttered, his gauntlets clicking together. "Like the air itself's alive."
Ren gave a short, tired laugh. "Alive? Try watching us instead. This whole mountain reeks of a trap."
Kai adjusted his cracked glasses and tapped his Spirit Gauntlet, muttering calculations under his breath. "The relic's energy waves are stronger here. If my readings are right—" he squinted at his flickering holographic screen "—something is buried deep inside the mountain. Something old."
Riku slowed, his sword resting against his shoulder. "That calling… it's been in Ren's dreams, right? Maybe it's leading us there."
Ren nodded, his fiery hair whipping in the wind. "Yeah. Every night it gets clearer. A voice whispering from below, calling my name. I thought it was madness, but now…" His tone hardened. "Now it feels like the mountain wants me to come."
They reached a ridge — jagged stone arches overlooking a sheer drop into fog. Carved symbols lined the rock, glowing faintly in blue, the same shade as the relic's aura.
Kai's eyes widened. "These are Soul Marks. From before the first war of the dead. I've only ever read about them."
Arin leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "Translation?"
"It means this place is sacred to relics," Kai replied. "A cradle of creation and destruction. Maybe even where some were forged."
Riku's grip on his sword tightened. "Then we're close."
⸻
They ventured deeper, their footsteps echoing through winding tunnels. Bioluminescent crystals lined the walls, their glow casting strange shadows that seemed to move when no one looked directly at them. The air was heavy — thick with an unseen presence.
"So," Kai began awkwardly, his tone attempting to lift the tension, "since we're apparently walking straight into the afterlife's stomach, anyone wanna talk about their hobbies? Favorite past lives?"
Arin smirked. "I used to be a dancer."
Mina blinked. "Really?"
"Yeah," Arin said softly. "Back when I was alive. The world was… peaceful then. Or maybe it's just the way I remember it. I died protecting a child. Never saw their face again — until I met you all. Guess I've been trying to make up for that ever since."
The group fell silent for a beat. Even Kai looked down, his usual humor fading.
Ren sighed. "You're not the only one trying to make up for the past. When I first arrived here, I thought the relics were curses. But the man who gave me mine—he died protecting it. He said it was proof that not every power here is born from death."
Mina gave him a faint smile. "Then maybe what's calling you isn't a curse. Maybe it's asking for help."
"Or baiting us into a grave," Roku grunted.
Before anyone could reply, the tunnel shook. A deep rumble tore through the ground, dislodging dust and crystal shards from above.
"Earthquake?" Riku shouted.
Kai shook his head. "No… something moved. Something big."
A roar thundered from deeper in the tunnel — ancient, guttural, enough to make the walls vibrate. Then came the scraping of claws — massive claws.
"Everyone, back!" Ren barked.
The ground split open as a colossal dragon, spectral and decayed, burst through the rock. Its body glowed faintly blue, as if stitched together from the souls of the fallen. Two hollow eyes blazed with ghostfire.
"What—what is that thing doing here?" Mina gasped, pulling back her bowstring, forming an arrow of light.
Kai was scanning frantically, "Impossible! Dragons were purged from this realm centuries ago—they shouldn't exist here!"
The dragon screeched, a sound that shook the air, and lunged.
Riku leapt forward, sword glowing crimson with wrath energy. He swung upward, striking its jaw. Sparks and soul-light exploded, forcing the beast back.
"Roku!" Riku yelled.
"On it!" Roku smashed the ground with his gauntlets, sending jagged spikes of stone upward that pierced through the dragon's ethereal chest.
The creature roared but didn't bleed — instead, soul mist poured from its wounds like smoke.
Arin dashed around its flank, blades flashing. "It's reforming! The mist's keeping it alive!"
Ren thrust his spear, his healing relic pulsing — its golden aura clashing with the dragon's decay. The two energies hissed against each other, vaporizing the mist briefly.
Mina released an arrow that struck true — right through the creature's forehead. For a moment, the dragon froze. Then it exhaled a gust of frozen energy that sent the group sprawling.
Kai groaned. "Okay, so—note to self: dragons breathe soul frost. That's… great."
The group scrambled to their feet. Riku felt the relic of wrath hum in his chest, whispering to him — urging him to unleash everything. But he gritted his teeth and held back. "No… not yet."
Ren yelled, "We can't hold it forever! Either we seal it or we die here!"
Kai's hands flickered as he summoned glowing sigils. "Wait—there's something underneath the dragon—like a seal! It's not attacking us; it's guarding something!"
Riku's eyes widened. "Then we have to break it!"
Mina steadied herself, her bow glowing brighter than ever. "Everyone, focus fire! On my mark!"
The group attacked together — blades, arrows, energy, and fire colliding in a blinding explosion. The cavern lit up like dawn, and when the light faded…
The dragon was gone. In its place lay a faintly glowing insignia, carved into the stone floor — the same symbol etched into Ren's relic.
Ren's voice trembled. "That's… the emblem from my dreams."
Mina knelt beside it. "Maybe the dragon wasn't a guardian… maybe it was a prisoner."
Kai's gauntlet beeped weakly. "If that's true… then something worse might be buried even deeper."
Riku sheathed his sword, breathing heavily. "Then we find out what it is. Whatever's calling us… it's not done yet."
Above them, the mountain rumbled again — a single, low echo that sounded disturbingly like a laugh.
And far away, a shadowed figure stirred — watching them through the darkness.
The faint shimmer of a general's insignia glowed on his chest.