Two minutes later:
After exactly one thousand two hundredth step a number Kael announced with a hint of pride in his voice—the group paused briefly.
Even for seasoned adventurers, the descent was beginning to take its toll on their legs.
The air was colder, heavier, and the diffuse light from the shimmering diamonds seemed to fade as they descended deeper into the depths.
Venti, his hands behind his head, took one last look at the spiral staircase that stretched above them, disappearing into an almost unreal, luminous vortex.
Venti: "Honestly."
He said with an admiring smile.
Venti: "You have to acknowledge the talent of the architects of this dungeon."
"To design so many corridors, rooms, and a staircase like this… it's impressive."
"Even the largest cities would struggle to create such a stable structure."
Eron, who had been absentmindedly checking his potions, looked up at this. His expression became more serious, almost grave.
Eron: "That's not really how it works."
He replied calmly.
Eron: "Originally, the inside of a dungeon isn't anything so elaborate."
Venti blinked and turned his head toward him.
Venti: "What do you mean?"
Eron: "It feeds on corpses."
Eron carefully closed a vial before continuing.
Eron: "A dungeon, in its early stages, resembles a simple cavern."
"Raw stone, uneven tunnels, sometimes even unstable."
"Nothing sophisticated."
He paused, then added in a darker tone:
Eron: "But the dungeon evolves."
"It feeds."
The group slowed slightly, attentive.
Lyra: "It feeds... on what?"
Lyra asked, frowning.
Eron: "Memories," Eron replied.
"Emotions, fears, regrets... of all the people who die within."
"Adventurers, soldiers, reckless explorers."
He gestured toward the staircase around them.
Eron: "By absorbing these fragments of lives, the dungeon transforms."
"It shapes its walls, its corridors, its rooms, based on what it has 'seen' and 'felt'."
A heavy silence fell.
Venti gently ran his hand over the smooth stone of a step.
Venti: "So…"
He murmured.
Venti: "This staircase… these perfectly hewn corridors…"
Eron: "Probably inspired by someone's memories."
Eron confirmed.
Eron: "Perhaps an architect."
"Or a nobleman."
"Or even an adventurer obsessed with order and symmetry."
Bram gritted his teeth.
Bram: "In other words…"
He grunted.
Bram: "The more complex a dungeon is, the more lives it has cost."
Kael nodded slowly, continuing onward.
Venti: "......"
Venti felt a slight shiver run down his spine.
Until now, he had seen dungeons as mere dangerous trials… but the idea that every stone, every turn, reflected past deaths suddenly gave this place a much more oppressive atmosphere.
He looked up at the darkness below.
Venti: "Then it's best to avoid giving it any new memories."
He said softly.
No one replied, but they all seemed to be thinking the same thing as they resumed their descent in silence, aware that the dungeon might already be watching them.
At the top of the One thousand three hundredth step, the group stopped abruptly, almost simultaneously, as if an invisible signal had commanded them to freeze.
The already heavy atmosphere seemed to grow even more rigid.
Bram: "........".
Kael: "........".
Eron: "........".
Lyra: "........".
Venti: "........".
On the one thousand three hundred and twentieth step about twenty paces ahead of them, lay a human skeleton, frozen in a grotesque and unsettling posture.
The bones were encased in a layer of translucent ice, thick in some places, as thin as glass in others, glimmering faintly in the greenish light filtering through the dungeon's lozenge-shaped windows.
Frost crystals had formed around the ribcage and empty eye sockets, as if the cold had exploded from within at the moment of death.
Bram: "...Good."
Bram murmured, breaking the silence.
Bram: "I think we've just found the reason why we were told to 'beware the abyss".'
Lyra swallowed and approached cautiously, without crossing the invisible line the group seemed to have established for itself.
Lyra: "This isn't recent."
She observed.
Lyra: "The ice is too stable."
"He's been here a long time."
Eron crouched at a respectful distance, his alchemist's gaze analyzing every detail.
Eron: "Died from extreme frost."
He confirmed.
Eron: "Instantaneous, or almost."
"The body didn't even have time to collapse properly."
He pointed to what remained of the skeleton's right hand, still outstretched.
Eron: "He was probably trying to escape... or reach for something."
Kael frowned.
Kael: "An adventurer?"
Eron: "Most likely."
Eron replied.
Eron: "The equipment is gone, but the posture... and the location."
"No one else would have had a reason to descend that deep."
Venti: "......."
Venti remained silent.
He moved slightly closer, his eyes resting on the frozen skeleton.
A strange sensation washed over him, like a distant echo.
It wasn't a clear memory, more of an impression:
- Fear
- Pain
- Then absolute cold.
Venti: "Cryo…"
He murmured. **But not just any monster.**
Everyone turned to look at him.
Lyra: "Are you thinking of the Abyss Herald?"
Lyra asked in a low voice.
Venti nodded slowly.
Venti: "Or something similar."
"An entity capable of freezing a human being in a fraction of a second… and leaving their body as a warning."
Bram gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands.
Bram: "So this skeleton isn't just a corpse."
He looked up into the darkness below the stairs.
Bram: "It's a message."
The group remained motionless for a few more seconds, aware that the dungeon had just reminded them of a simple and brutal truth:
Here, even adventurers die.
And sometimes, they remain there forever, transformed into part of the scenery.
After the one thousand five hundredth step, the spiral staircase ended abruptly.
The last step opened onto a vast platform of cracked stone, as if the rock itself had yielded to the weight of time.
Bram: "....... "
Kael: "....... "
Eron: "....... "
Lyra: "....... "
Venti: "....... "
The five adventurers stopped almost instinctively, held back by the sight before them.
Before them stretched an immense underground cavern, so vast that its limits were lost in the darkness:
- The ceiling, several dozen meters high, was supported by enormous natural rock pillars, some broken, others leaning precariously, as if they could collapse at any moment.
- Thick roots hung from cracks in the ceiling, evidence that the surface world was still, in some way, connected to this abyss.
- All around them, abandoned structures lay in ruins.
- Half-collapsed old wooden bridges connected rocky platforms, their planks blackened and eaten away by damp.
- Twisted metal scaffolding sank into the ground, as if someone had once tried to exploit or explore this place before losing their life there.
- Broken rails disappeared beneath stone debris, suggesting that a transportation system had existed here long before the dungeon took its current form.
Inside the great cavern were a multitude of structures made of all kinds of materials.
And in the exact center of the cavern, a bluish glow pulsed slowly.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
It didn't shine aggressively, but rather like a steady, calm, and unsettling breath.
This light seemed to emanate from a massive crystal embedded in the rock, or perhaps from a source of condensed abyssal energy.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Each pulse caused the air to vibrate slightly, and a subtle chill spread with each beat, caressing the adventurers' skin.
Lyra was the first to break the silence.
Lyra: "It looks like... an ancient site."
Eron adjusted his glasses and carefully observed the structures around them.
Eron: "It's not just ancient."
He replied in a deep voice.
Eron: "This is a place that's been remodeled several times."
"Some of the structures look like they're from another country... and others from another era."
Bram clenched his fist, peering into the shadows between the pillars.
Bram: "So, in short... this is the kind of place where something's going to fall on us at any moment."
Kael nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the blue glow.
Kael: "If the Abyss Herald was right, then one of the two bosses must be here."
"And this light... it's clearly not here by chance."
Venti: "..."
Venti, standing slightly apart, felt a strange resonance with his adventurer's crystal.
It vibrated faintly, as if reacting to the presence of energy at the center of the cavern.
He took a deep breath, letting his senses attune to his surroundings.
Venti: "....".
The air was heavy, thick with memories and regrets, just as Eron had described earlier regarding the dungeons.
Venti: "It doesn't matter what it is."
Venti said finally with surprising calm.
Venti: "Someone died here... and the dungeon has never forgotten."
The five adventurers exchanged a silent glance.
Weary from the endless descent, but fully aware that they had reached a crucial point, they began to advance cautiously toward the blue glow, their footsteps echoing faintly in the vastness of the cavern.
They all knew one thing:
- This place marked a turning point.
What awaited them here would be far more dangerous than anything they had faced before.
The five adventurers stopped at the bottom of the last step. Before them stretched a gigantic cavern, far larger than anything they had seen so far in the dungeon.
The ceiling disappeared into darkness, supported by enormous natural pillars of rock, cracked and eroded by time.
Venti: "It's high."
Abandoned structures—broken walkways, collapsed scaffolding, and platforms suspended by rusty chains—attested to a former human presence… or perhaps something even older.
Lyra: "That light is strange."
In the center of the cavern, a blue glow pulsed slowly, like a living heart.
It illuminated the walls with cold reflections and made unsettling shadows dance around the group.
The air was humid, charged with a strange energy that sent shivers down your spine just by breathing.
Bram: "…Good."
"I take back what I said about the steps."
"I'd rather count to ten thousand than go into there without knowing what awaits us."
Kael: "Hey, and our bet."
Kael, arms crossed, studied the structures intently, his gaze constantly shifting from the central glow to the cavern's heights.
Kael: "These structures aren't here by chance."
"Look at the orientation of the walkways… everything converges on that light."
Lyra approached slowly, her footsteps echoing faintly on the stone floor.
Lyra: "Hmmm."
She placed a hand against a cracked pillar, feeling the cold emanating from it.
Lyra: "This energy... it's different from the Abyss's."
Venti: "How so?"
Lyra: "It's not threatening, but it's not natural either."
"It's as if several energy sources are overlapping in the same place."
Eron knelt near the ground, examining almost erased traces, barely visible beneath a thin layer of bluish dust.
Eron: "There have been battles here."
"Many."
"And not just recently."
"The dungeon must have reshaped this place again and again, according to those who died here."
"According to their memories."
Venti stared at the blue glow without saying a word.
Bbbbbbbbbzzzzzz
His adventurer's crystal vibrated faintly against his chest, resonating with the energy at the center of the cavern.
He felt a slight tingling run through his body, as if something were calling to him.
Venti: "...This light makes me uneasy."
Bram turned to him, raising an eyebrow.
Bram: "You, uneasy?"
"Usually, it's when you smile too much that I start to worry."
Venti gave a nervous smile, his eyes never leaving the glint.
Venti: "Exactly."
"I have the feeling she's watching us."
"Or rather... that she's waiting for something."
Bram: "..."
Kael: "..."
Lyra: "..."
Eron: "..... "
Venti: "Don't look at me like that."
A heavy silence fell over the group.
Even the faint echo of water dripping from the stalactites seemed to have stopped.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Then, suddenly, the blue glow pulsed more intensely, illuminating the entire cavern with a blinding brilliance for a fraction of a second.
Lyra: "Did you see that?!"
Eron stood up abruptly, a potion already in his hand.
Eron: "Yes. And I don't like what this means at all."
Kael placed his hand on the hilt of his weapon, his expression turning grave.
Kael: "If the Abyss Herald was right... then the two bosses must be here."
"And given the location… I'd bet that light is connected to them."
Bram took a deep breath, his knuckles cracking.
Bram: "In that case, we'd better prepare."
"Because I have a feeling we won't be leaving here without a fight."
Venti closed his eyes briefly, as if to concentrate, then opened them again with determination.
Venti: "Then let's stick together."
"No matter what awaits us… we'll face it together."
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
The blue glow pulsed once more, slower, heavier, like an answer.
And deep within the cavern, something began to move in the shadows.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap
They advanced slowly toward the bluish glow, their footsteps echoing faintly in the immense cavern.
Here, the ground was no longer even:
- The smooth flagstones of the dungeon had given way to a chaos of broken stones, rubble, and damp rocks.
Venti: "It's big."
Plop
Clop
With each step, small pebbles slipped under their boots and rolled in the darkness, disappearing into invisible crevices.
Around them, the space opened up immensely:
- Natural rock pillars rose to the ceiling, so high that it was lost in the gloom.
Between these formations, abandoned structures could be distinguished:
- Half-collapsed wooden walkways
- Scaffolding eroded by time
- Remains of rusted mechanisms that seemed to belong to a bygone era.
- Some beams hung precariously, held by frayed ropes, while others lay broken on the ground.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFYYYYYYYYYYYY
A thin, bluish mist hung near the ground, as if the cavern itself breathed an ancient energy.
In places, faint crystals embedded in the rock emitted a cold glow, casting distorted shadows on the walls.
CCCCRRREEEE
The air was colder here, thick with an icy humidity that clung to the skin and made each breath a little heavier.
The blue glow at the center of the cavern pulsed gently, steadily, almost alive.
The closer they got, the more they could feel a strange pressure, as if the energy emanating from it was watching their every move.
The silence was oppressive, broken only by the sound of their footsteps and the distant echo of water droplets falling from the ceiling.
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Suddenly, without warning, the air before them distorted.
A few meters to their right, a small, abyssal portal opened with a muffled whisper, like a tear in reality.
The portal's contours undulated, tinged with dark purple and deep black, drawing in the light around it.
A cold, alien energy emanated from it, contrasting sharply with the blue glow of the cavern.
Flop
From inside the portal, an object slowly slid outward.
An envelope appeared, intact, floating briefly in the air before gently falling to the ground, right in front of them.
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
The portal closed immediately, leaving behind an even heavier silence than before, as if the cavern were holding its breath.
Kael: "...............".
Kael slowly approached the spot where the envelope had fallen. Around them, the cavern seemed to breathe, as if the rock itself were watching their every move.
The old, abandoned structures were outlined in the gloom: broken walkways, collapsed pillars, scaffolding eroded by time and cold.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
The blue glow in the center of the cavern pulsed softly, casting shifting shadows on the uneven walls.
Kael bent down, hesitated for a second, then finally grasped the envelope.
Kael: "The texture of the paper is strange."
He spoke with a frown.
And the letter, it was cold to the touch, almost icy, and traversed by fine veins of abyssal energy that pulsed faintly, like a sleeping heart.
Chapter 39: The dark cavern
The End