Kael and Ayla staggered through the scarred wilderness, every step an agony. Jagged obsidian tore through the ground, roots twisted like claws, and the air itself felt heavy—charged with a malice that pressed against their lungs. Even the faint vibration beneath their feet made Kael's teeth rattle.
Echo's usually calm voice carried an edge of alarm.
"This… doesn't feel right," Ayla muttered, brushing ash from a gnarled root. "It's like the land itself is… alive. Angry."
Kael's stomach churned. Most of the terrain was shattered rock and black glass, but beneath the writhing roots, a faint pulse flickered—uneven, weak, like a heartbeat struggling to survive.
"What… is that?" Kael asked, his voice small and uncertain.
Echo's tone sharpened. "A dungeon breach. It shouldn't exist. You are not ready."
"Then why is it even open?" Ayla pressed, unease curling in her chest.
Kael's hand twitched toward the pulse, drawn by something alien, insistent. Fear coiled tight in his chest, but the pull was irresistible.
"Don't," Echo warned, urgency thick in his voice. "You'll trigger a system response."
"I… I have to see," Kael whispered, even as doubt clawed at his mind.
Before he could stop himself, the ground beneath him gave way.
He fell. Darkness consumed him, twisting around his body like liquid night. Code became light. Light became weight. Weight became chaos. Pain seared through him when he hit the floor, muscles screaming, lungs burning.
The chamber around him pulsed faintly, walls breathing like memories—alive, sentient, beyond comprehension. Kael was weak, human, unprepared, trapped in a force that could crush him in an instant.
At the center floated a black orb, massive and throbbing, alive in a way that made the air itself shiver. His hand shook as he reached for it.
[SYSTEM WARNING: DUNGEON PROTOCOL BREACHED]
[SYSTEM REACTION: UNKNOWN]
[RESONANCE SYNC: 10%]
[TIER BREAK IMMINENT]
Pain tore through him, sharper than any he had ever known. He collapsed, clutching his chest, barely able to breathe. Weak. Small. Overwhelmed. Just a man standing against something that should have erased him without thought.
And then—it ended.
Kael opened his eyes, trembling. His body screamed, his heart pounded, and somewhere above, the Nexus stirred. Somewhere above, eyes that had not noticed him before were now watching.
Without knowing what it was he passed out.