"It's been two hours since we entered this cursed place, and all we've found are dead-end tunnels and moss-covered rocks that smell like rot," muttered Martin, his voice thick with annoyance as he wiped mud from his cheek.
"Well, that's part of the job," Grinzer replied with a light chuckle, patting Martin on the back. "And remember—we volunteered for this."
The two continued deeper into the cavern, their boots sloshing through damp earth. The narrow passages twisted like veins in the mountain, branching endlessly only to end in collapsed stone or the eerie dens of unknown beasts. Rumors had spoken of strange noises and glimmers of unnatural light—yet so far, nothing had seemed as suspicious as they were warned.
Martin—newly appointed as a frontliner in the Scouts Division—felt a mix of irritation and disappointment. This was his first real assignment, and he had dreamed of something far more exciting than crawling through a gloomy cave that seemed determined to lead nowhere. He had graduated top of his batch in swordsmanship and combat, and deep down, he hoped this mission would be a stepping stone toward joining the King's personal guard someday. Instead… he was drenched in mud, surrounded by darkness, and babysitting a scholar.
Grinzer, in contrast, belonged to the Arcane Division. He was the second assistant to Professor Jose Limburgen of High Hand University—a timid, narrow-shouldered boy still lingering in the tail end of adolescence. Despite his frail appearance, his mind sparkled with curiosity for minerals, alchemy, and the hidden mysteries buried beneath the earth. The professor had sent him specifically to explore the newly discovered cave, believing it might contain rare materials or a new form of mana-infused ore.
As they walked, the silence of the cave pressed heavily on them, broken only by the distant dripping of water. To ease the growing tension, they began to talk—sharing pieces of their lives, their ambitions, their fears—hoping to become at least somewhat acquainted before the cave offered them a reason to rely on one another.
"So, what's your arcane technique, Martin?" Grinzer asked, a spark of curiosity glinting in his eyes.
"I have a Type-Two affinity for flame magic," Martin replied.
"A Type two, huh…" Grinzer murmured thoughtfully. "So you can manipulate existing flames by infusing them with your mana, but you can't create fire on your own."
"Yeah. Even with the affinity, I don't rely on it much," Martin said. "I'm more comfortable with my sword. Close-quarters combat suits me better."
Grinzer raised a brow. "So… kind of like Aeren, then?"
"Oh, don't compare me to him." Martin shook his head firmly. "Even with my affinity, my swordsmanship is nowhere near his level. Even if a hundred of me charged him at once, he'd cut all of us down with a single swing. There's a reason he's the Commander of King Ethan's army."
He exhaled, remembering. "Back in my early years at university, I used to look down on him. He was my senior, but I was stupidly confident because I had mana and he didn't. One day, I challenged him to a duel—thinking I'd humiliate him."
Martin rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed even now.
"The duel started, and I wrapped my sword in flames and charged at him… only to wake up on the ground who-knows-how-long later. I didn't even see what happened. My classmates told me that as I rushed in, Aeren stepped aside, slipped behind me, and struck the side of my neck with a sharp knife-edge blow. One clean hit. Lights out."
He chuckled bitterly. "I was ashamed. Defeated instantly by someone who didn't even bother drawing his sword."
"But a few days later," Martin continued, "Aeren came to talk to me—just casually. He pointed out my flaws, told me where my stance was weak, how my footwork collapsed, how my guard dropped. He even taught me how to fix everything. I tried to humiliate him, but he treated me kindly. That day, we became… well, not friends, but on good terms."
Martin smiled slightly. "Honestly, he's the reason I got accepted into the Scouts Division in the first place. And he's also the one who sent me to investigate this cave."
Grinzer blinked. "He's kind? Really? He doesn't seem like that to me." A shiver ran down his voice. "Sometimes… there's this coldness in his gaze. Like he's hiding something. Something dark and more ominous in the back of his mind."
"Whoa, really? Don't say that to him," Martin laughed. "Anyway, why are you here?"
"Oh—Professor Limburgen sent me," Grinzer said, adjusting his glasses. "He wants me to look for new mana-based ores or stones. Maybe this cave has something unique."
"What magic do you use, Grinzer?" Martin asked bluntly.
"I have a Type-Three mana affinity," Grinzer replied. "I can restructure my mana to alter physical objects. My specialty is heat manipulation — anything I touch can be melted if I infuse enough mana into it."
"That's… actually pretty handy in your field," Martin said.
Grinzer gave a small, shy nod. "That's why Professor Limburgen made me his assistant."
They walked deeper into the cave, the air growing colder, the darkness tightening around them like a throat. Then a faint, flickering glow appeared ahead — not steady flame, but something moving.
"Light?" Martin whispered.
"No… too fast," Grinzer murmured.
The glow rushed toward them.
A stampede of Amber Lions burst through the tunnel — massive beasts with manes of living fire, their bodies glowing in frantic shades of orange and gold. Their claws sparked against the rock as they fled blindly.
Martin panicked, drawing his sword. He stepped in front of Grinzer, shouting, "Get behind me!"
But the lions didn't attack.
They didn't even notice them.
They were running from something.
Both boys froze, their breath stuck in their throats. Only when the last lion raced past did they understand the terror in those glowing eyes.
Something had scared those flame-beasts enough to make them flee for their lives.
"W-We should… we should go back," Grinzer stammered.
But Martin swallowed his fear and forced himself forward. "No. We need to see what's happening."
The deeper they went, the smell hit them — rot, iron, burnt flesh.
The ground glittered with embers… and bones.
Dozens of Amber Lions lay scattered across the tunnel, torn apart like dolls. Some were split cleanly in half. Others had gaping holes in their chests. A few were nothing but skeletons with bits of flesh hanging like wet rags.
Grinzer gagged, covering his mouth. Martin felt dizzy, gripping the wall to steady himself.
Then they saw them.
Two figures crouched among the corpses, hunched like animals, gnawing at raw lion flesh. Their bodies were human-shaped… but too lean, too pale. Their skin stretched tight across their bones. Their eyes—
Deep, glowing red.
Radions.
Demons.
Martin felt the blood drain from his face. Grinzer froze completely, trembling like a leaf.
The demons hadn't noticed them yet — until Grinzer made a tiny, broken whimper.
Both Radions snapped their heads toward the sound.
Their eyes shone brighter.
Their jaws dripped with blood.
Their movements were jerky, predatory, wrong.
One of them grinned with a mouth full of half-chewed meat.
"Oho… what do we have here?" the demon hissed, voice thick and wet, bits of lion flesh still between his teeth.
The other demon lit a small flame in his palm using the leftover fire from a lion's mane. Its glow revealed his face — cracked skin, razor-edged teeth, dark veins pulsing beneath the surface.
"What are humans doing this deep underground?" he growled.
Before either boy could move, the demon slapped the cave wall.
A surge of mana rippled outward — and a solid stone wall erupted behind Martin and Grinzer, sealing off their escape.
The cave fell silent.
A slow, heavy voice echoed from deeper in the tunnel.
"Varn. Tryon. What did you two do this time?"
From the darkness stepped a towering figure.
Leonard.
The demon commander.
Seven feet tall, with ash-white skin, red eyes like burning coals, and a body carved with muscle. His presence alone choked the air around them. Even the other demons stepped back respectfully.
Leonard's gaze swept across the corpses, then the two terrified boys.
"Well done, Varn," he said coolly. "A clean trap."
Tryon licked his bloodied fingers. "What do we do with them? We can't afford humans discovering us this early into the mission."
Leonard's eyes sharpened. "Tryon. I told you not to speak of the mission outside the tunnels. We are in human territory — anything can be listening."
Then, calmly:
"Tie them up. Drag them inside. We extract every piece of information they know."
Tryon smirked. "And after that?"
Leonard's cold, heavy stare locked onto Martin and Grinzer.
"Kill them."
Grinzer's breath hitched. Martin felt his heartbeat pounding in his skull. The demons moved toward them slowly, like predators savoring a cornered kill.
Martin stepped forward, shaking but resolute.
"Grinzer… run. Melt through the wall. Tell Aeren—he's the only one who can handle this."
Grinzer nodded weakly, tears boiling in his eyes. He turned toward the stone wall and placed his hand on it, heating his mana—
But Varn disappeared.
Not moved.
Not dodged.
Simply vanished, like ink dissolving in water.
"G-Grinzer!" Martin shouted—
Varn reappeared behind Grinzer in the same instant.
A whisper of air.
A cold breath on his neck.
A gleam of red eyes.
Then—
CRACK!
Varn's fist smashed into Grinzer's face.
Teeth snapped loose.
Blood sprayed across the wall.
Grinzer's body spun before collapsing onto one knee, dazed and sobbing, his vision spinning.
Martin roared and charged forward—
Tryon was already waiting.
With terrifying speed and unnatural strength, Tryon swung his jagged blade in a horizontal arc.
Martin didn't even see the blade.
He only felt the impossible, sickening cold as steel met flesh.
SHRRK!
Both his hands flew into the air, landing uselessly on the stone floor.
Martin's scream tore through the cave — raw, choking, animalistic.
"Aaaa—AAAHHH! MY HANDS! MY—!!"
He collapsed, blood gushing from both wrists, soaking the dirt beneath him. His sword clattered beside him, now useless.
"Pathetic human," Tryon said, wiping blood off his blade. "You can't even dodge a simple swing?"
Grinzer, barely conscious, forced himself to act.
With the last of his strength, he pulled a small black stone from his pocket — a mana-charged explosion stone — and pressed his trembling fingers against it.
"F–Firesoul activation…" he whispered, voice breaking.
He infused the stone with his mana. It glowed faintly.
He hurled it weakly toward the stone wall behind them.
It hit.
crk—
A hairline fracture formed where it struck, embedding itself inside the stone.
Before Grinzer could see if it worked, Varn appeared again—this time in front of him.
A blur of motion.
A boot to the stomach.
WHAM!
Grinzer's body slammed into the ground. His head spun, vision blackening. He tasted blood. His jaw felt shattered. Half his face throbbed purple.
"Child," Varn said, tilting his head mockingly, "did you really think you could run?"
Martin, shaking violently, crawled toward Grinzer, blood leaving a trail behind him.
He didn't get far.
Leonard stepped in front of him, casting a massive shadow. His eyes glowed like two burning coals.
Without a word, Leonard kicked Martin in the face.
THUD!
Martin's body went limp instantly, collapsing over his own blood.
"Load them both into the tunnel," Leonard commanded. His voice was deep, unfazed, merciless. "We extract whatever they know about human patrol patterns and military movement."
Tryon grinned sinisterly. "And after that?"
Leonard didn't even turn around when he answered.
"Dispose of them."
Varn grabbed Grinzer by the collar. Tryon dragged Martin by his hair.
Both unconscious.
Both bleeding.
Both doomed.
And the demons disappeared into the dark tunnel, dragging the boys deeper into the shadows.
The cave fell silent again.
The lone black stone embedded in the wall pulsed faintly…
waiting.