Chapter 5: The Ruins
Morning was loud again. Birds chirping. Sun shining. My will to live dropping.
Rena, of course, was already awake, kneeling near the campfire, tightening her boots, looking way too functional for this time of day. Meanwhile, I was halfway through an important dream about sleeping inside another dream.
"Up," she said.
"I'm already spiritually up," I mumbled from under my blanket.
She kicked my pack. "Physically."
I sat up with all the grace of a resurrected corpse. "You ever think about how mornings are just the universe saying, 'You're still not dead'?"
Rena didn't answer. She just pointed north. Smoke. Thin, dark streaks curling above the horizon.
"That's not campfire smoke," she said, her voice low.
"Cool," I said. "Someone else's problem."
Her glare was sharp enough to pierce armor. "That's the outpost near the Vethar ruins, the one the Adventurers' Guild runs with the royal scouts."
I blinked. "So there are guards."
"There were guards," she said. "And now they might be in trouble."
Wonderful. The one place between us and the ruins, and it's already on fire.
By the time I was dressed and half-awake, she was already marching up the dirt path, hand on her sword, all righteous and determined. I followed because the bread I was eating was too dry to choke on alone.
The smell hit us before we even reached the ridge, burnt wood, smoke, and something metallic underneath. We crouched low, peering through the trees.
The outpost was a mess. Wagons overturned, flags torn, barricades cracked. Adventurers and soldiers moved frantically, forming a shaky perimeter.
Then came the sound, deep, guttural growls echoing from the treeline. Black shapes darted through the smoke, small, fast, and wrong.
Rena stiffened. "Demon spawn."
"You're kidding."
"I wish."
"They're supposed to be deep south, near the front."
"That was a month ago," she said grimly. "The war's spreading faster than the council reports."
We ducked as an explosion rocked the left side of the camp. One of the guild mages was shouting orders, light bursting from his staff. I peeked around a barrel and saw three adventurers struggling to pull someone out of the rubble.
Rena stood. "We have to help."
"Define 'we,'" I said.
"Us. You and me."
"Ah, you mean the swordswoman and the guy whose main skill is napping? Excellent plan."
But she was already moving. I sighed and followed because, well, guilt is a powerful motivator.
By the time we reached the barricade, one of the guild scouts shouted, "Reinforcements?"
"Sort of," Rena called back, joining the line.
"Then get ready, they're regrouping!"
Through the haze, I caught sight of something taller, humanoid but stretched wrong. Horns, molten eyes, dark armor flickering with red light. Not the Demon Lord, but close enough to ruin my appetite.
The soldiers whispered: "A general…"
I ducked behind a crate. "You didn't say generals were included in the package!"
Rena gritted her teeth. "That's a lesser one. It's commanding the vanguard."
The general raised a clawed hand. Shadows spilled from the ground, thin, crawling creatures with teeth like knives. They sprinted forward, shrieking.
"Hold the line!" a knight bellowed.
I would've applauded his bravery if I wasn't hiding behind his cart.
Rena drew her sword. Her stance wasn't flashy, just solid, trained. She met the first demon cleanly, her blade sliding along its claws before kicking its leg out and stabbing it through the neck. Efficient. Not supernatural, but damn practiced.
Another lunged from her side. She barely ducked in time, the edge grazing her arm.
I tried to help by yelling, "Behind you!"
She turned mid-swing. The demon overextended, and she finished it with a thrust that sent it rolling back into the dirt.
"See? Teamwork!" I shouted.
"Hide better!" she yelled back.
The lesser general turned toward me then. I swear its molten eyes smiled. "The Crown-Bearer," it growled.
"Oh, for crying out loud," I muttered. "Can we get a new nickname? Something less target-y?"
It raised a hand, gathering energy. A red glow surged between its claws. The nearest soldier shouted, "Incoming!"
Then-
A horn blared from the north.
Through the haze came armored riders, the kingdom's scouts returning with reinforcements. Arrows whistled through the smoke, striking the beasts mid-charge. Mages in guild cloaks chanted from behind the line, flames and lightning pushing the vanguard back.
The lesser general hissed, retreating into the burning forest, dragging its injured with it.
Rena exhaled shakily, lowering her sword. "They're gone… for now."
I peeked over the barricade. "See? Told you everything works out when I panic hard enough."
A soldier approached us, his armor scorched and dented. "You two came from the southern ridge?"
Rena nodded. "We're headed for the ruins."
He grimaced. "Then make it quick. The vanguard will circle back before nightfall."
"What's going on?" she asked.
"The Demon Lord's forces are looking for relics," he said grimly. "They think one's hidden inside those ruins. Something called the–"
His gaze fell to the glowing crown on my head.
He went pale. "...Crown of the First Magus."
Rena sighed. "Wonderful. They already found it."
The soldier swallowed hard. "Then you'd better move before they find you."
Rena nodded, adjusting her bag. "We'll head north immediately."
"Good luck," he said. "You'll need it."
"Luck's kind of our problem," I muttered, following her back down the path.
Behind us, the camp burned. Ahead, the ruins waited, half-shrouded in mist.
The crown hummed quietly, almost pleased.
"Rena," I said.
"What now?"
"I think your idea of adventure and my idea of survival are fundamentally incompatible."
"Good," she said without turning. "That means you're finally learning."
I sighed, dragging my feet. "Education hurts."
The sky rumbled faintly in the distance, thunder, or something worse.
We didn't look back.
------------------
We left the outpost as the sun dipped low, turning the smoke behind us orange.
Every few steps, Rena would glance back, jaw tight, probably doing the math on how many lives were lost in that mess. I, on the other hand, was doing the math on how many hours of sleep I'd lost since meeting her.
The path ahead curved through the woods, a narrow dirt trail hemmed in by tall pines that whispered in the wind. Somewhere in the distance, a wounded horse cried out. The air felt… wrong. Too quiet for something that had just survived a battle.
Rena stopped near a broken milestone, brushing soot off the faded markings. "Half a day's walk," she murmured. "If we keep pace, we'll reach the ruins before dawn."
"Half a day?" I groaned. "That's like… twelve hours of physical pain."
"You could always stay behind," she said flatly.
"I considered it, but I like being alive."
She gave a half-smile at that, tiny, but it was there. That was something.
By the time we reached the next hill, the trees gave way to a small clearing. Smoke curled lazily from a group of tents, adventurers, survivors from the outpost, patching their wounds and arguing around a fire. The guild emblem on their cloaks was scratched, but recognizable.
One of them, a broad-shouldered woman with short silver hair... spotted us first. "Oi! You two from the ridge?"
Rena nodded, leading the way. "Yes. The line held for now."
"Barely," the woman muttered. "Lost a dozen men and a shipment of supplies. Bloody demons hit fast."
I raised a hand weakly. "Yeah, sorry, I think they were actually looking for me. Long story. None of it my fault."
She stared at me like I'd confessed to burning the camp myself. "And who are you supposed to be?"
Rena answered before I could embarrass myself. "He's… with me. The crown's bonded to him."
The woman's eyes went to my head. "That thing's a relic."
"An inconvenience," I corrected.
She laughed once ...a tired, disbelieving sound. "You don't say. Name's Lyra. Senior rank, Adventurers' Guild, branch north division." She stuck out a gloved hand.
I shook it hesitantly. "Lairn. Professional sleeper. Reluctant target."
Rena pinched the bridge of her nose. "We're passing through to the ruins. We need supplies and directions."
Lyra gestured toward a table strewn with maps. "Take what you need. The main road's blocked, so you'll have to cut through the western woods. It's slower, but safer. Or… relatively safer."
"Define 'relatively,'" I said.
"Fewer teeth, more bugs."
"Ah. Nature's version of mercy."
Rena collected a map and a small pack of rations while Lyra poured herself a drink. "Word is the demons were after something buried in those ruins," she said quietly. "Our mage thinks they're searching for another relic... something tied to the Magus himself."
"More cursed jewelry?" I asked. "Because I'm starting a collection."
"Don't joke," Lyra said. "If the Demon Lord's forces find whatever they're digging for, it won't be funny."
Rena's eyes darkened. "Then we find it first."
Lyra nodded slowly, then looked at me. "You don't look like a fighter, kid. You sure you're not dead weight?"
I pointed at the crown. "This thing keeps me alive whether I like it or not. I'm too unlucky to die properly."
That actually earned me a snort. "Fair enough. Stay out of trouble."
We rested at the camp until evening. The survivors were quiet... exhausted, beaten, but not broken. Rena helped bandage wounds, speaking with the guild officers about the ruins' condition. I mostly stayed near the fire, trying to look useful while doing nothing. A skill I've perfected.
When the sky turned purple, Rena approached. "We move now," she said, fastening her cloak. "We'll travel by night, less chance of running into another patrol."
"Night? Why not wait until morning?"
"Because by morning, we'll be behind the enemy line."
I stared at her, chewing my stale ration. "You know, for someone with noble blood, you're really bad at luxury."
She smirked. "For someone with luck on his side, you complain too much."
We left the camp under starlight. The forest beyond was quiet but restless, crickets chirping, branches creaking, the faint glow of mana fireflies hovering over moss.
As we walked, I couldn't shake the feeling that something unseen was watching us. The crown pulsed faintly again, rhythmic, like a heartbeat.
Rena noticed. "You feel that too?"
"Yeah. Probably another cosmic joke warming up."
"Stay sharp," she said softly. "If the demons are scouting ahead, we'll be walking into their path."
"Or they'll be walking into mine," I said. "Which, statistically, means they'll trip, fall, and explode without me doing anything."
She sighed. "If only your confidence matched your accuracy."
We pushed on through the dark woods. The moonlight cut through the branches in silver streaks.
Then—
a howl.
Deep, distant, echoing.
Rena's hand went straight to her sword. "They're still tracking the crown."
I swallowed. "Cool. Guess the night hike just got interesting."
The wind carried faint whispers between the trees, guttural, foreign, layered over each other like a chant. And just as I started regretting every decision I'd ever made, the crown pulsed harder, bright enough to light the path ahead.
"Lairn," Rena hissed. "Dim it..."
"I'm not doing anything!"
Figures moved between the trees, shadows with red eyes. At least half a dozen.
"Run," Rena said, drawing her sword.
"Finally something I'm good at."
We bolted into the woods, the shadows following, their steps light but fast. Branches snapped. I barely avoided tripping on a root before realizing Rena wasn't next to me anymore.
"Rena?!"
No response... just the sound of steel clashing somewhere behind.
I turned back, hesitating like an idiot between survival and guilt.
And then the crown spoke again, faint and distant:
> "To flee is fate. To stay is change."
I froze. "What's that supposed to mean?"
No answer. Just more whispers and the glow of red eyes closing in.
My grip tightened on the useless artifact hanging from my belt. "Fine," I muttered. "Change it is."
And against all reason, I ran back toward the sound of battle.
--------------------
The forest swallowed every sound except steel and breath.
I ran toward the noise, branches snapping, dirt slipping under my boots... until I caught sight of her.
Rena was cornered against a fallen tree, blade flashing each time one of the demons lunged. There were four, maybe five, thin, fast, red veins glowing under their skin like cracks in glass.
She parried another strike, panting, sweat tracing the dirt on her cheek. Her shoulder was bleeding; shallow cut, but still too much.
I crouched behind a trunk, brain arguing with instinct. Then the crown pulsed again, bright, sharp, almost impatient.
"Fine," I whispered.
I grabbed the closest thing near me. A broken spear. Not elegant, but pointy enough for fate to work with.
The nearest demon turned its head toward me a second before I moved. It hissed, low and angry. I threw the spear. It hit the ground two feet short, bounced once, and somehow managed to lodge itself into the creature's leg.
It screamed, stumbled, and crashed into another. Both fell in a tangle.
Rena blinked, almost disbelieving. "You..."
"Accident," I said, stepping out.
The third demon lunged. Rena caught its wrist, twisted, kicked it down, and finished the motion cleanly. The last one backed away, eyes darting between us, then vanished into the trees.
Silence fell again, only the sound of our breathing and the faint hum of the crown.
Rena wiped her blade clean, glancing at me. "You're late."
"I was reconsidering the meaning of bravery."
"Which is?"
"Stupidity with better timing."
She almost smiled. Almost.
We moved back to the path slowly. The forest was darker now, the mist heavier. The glow from the crown flickered like a heartbeat that didn't belong to me.
Rena stopped suddenly. "Listen."
In the distance, metal. Not fighting this time. Marching.
We both crouched low. Through the gaps in the trees, torchlight flickered, rows of figures, armored in black, moving with practiced rhythm. Dozens of them.
Rena's voice dropped to a whisper. "Scouts… no. That's a full detachment."
"From the vanguard?"
"Has to be."
They were heading the same direction we were... the ruins.
She tightened her grip on her sword. "We can't fight that."
"Good. I wasn't planning to."
"We'll have to get ahead of them somehow. If they reach the ruins first…"
She didn't finish. She didn't have to.
We circled east, keeping distance, every step slow. The soldiers' chants echoed through the forest, low, rhythmic, in a language that didn't belong to humans.
After an hour, the sounds faded behind us. The trees thinned. Beyond them, moonlight spilled over a vast clearing and there they were.
The ruins.
Stone arches half-swallowed by roots. Pillars leaning like broken teeth. The ground shimmered faintly, runes crawling with blue light, breathing with the same pulse as the crown.
Rena exhaled softly. "Vethar."
I nodded. "Creepy."
"Ancient," she corrected. "Built before the Magus fell. No one's entered in a century."
"Maybe there's a reason for that."
She ignored me, stepping forward carefully. "We'll camp nearby and enter at dawn."
"Sure," I said, eyes on the runes. "Let's pretend dawn makes cursed ruins friendlier."
She glanced at me, tired but steady. "You did well back there."
"…Barely."
"Still counts."
We set up camp by the edge of the clearing. She cleaned her sword in silence while I tried, and failed, to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, the hum from the crown grew louder, the rhythm pressing behind my thoughts.
Somewhere in the distance, thunder rolled again.
Not weather... something deeper.
And through the sound came a voice, calm but heavy, speaking inside my skull.
> "The path opens. The pieces move. Luck and ruin converge."
I sat up, heart pounding. The whisper faded, but the feeling stayed, a pull, faint but certain, drawing me toward the ruins.
Rena noticed me awake. "What?"
"Nothing," I lied.
She gave me a look, the kind that says she didn't buy it, but didn't press. "Sleep. Tomorrow, we go in."
I tried. The crown's glow faded to a soft pulse under the starlight.
And for a moment, I thought I heard laughter, faint, distant, from deep beneath the ruins.
------------------------
Dawn crawled in slow, gray light. The forest mist was thick enough to swallow sound. Even the birds refused to sing.
Rena was already awake, sitting by the dying fire, sharpening her blade. She looked calmer than last night, but her eyes said she hadn't slept either.
The ruins lay before us half buried, quiet, and ancient in a way that felt alive. Every stone hummed faintly. The air itself seemed to lean in, listening.
Rena broke the silence. "We go in before the vanguard catches up."
"Can't wait," I muttered, pulling my cloak tighter.
She didn't smile. Just checked the straps on her gauntlet. "Once we're inside, stay close. The records said the structure shifts on its own."
"Great. Self-rearranging deathtrap. Love that."
We left the campsite and crossed the clearing. Each step stirred faint blue ripples underfoot, the ancient runes responding to something probably the cursed hat glued to my head.
Halfway across, Rena slowed. "You feel that?"
The ground trembled soft, like a giant heartbeat under the soil. Dust drifted down from the trees.
"Someone's already inside," she said.
"How do you... "
Then I heard it too. Faint clangs echoing from within the ruins. Metal. Movement. Voices.
We ducked behind a fallen arch, watching the main entrance from afar.
Two figures in dark armor stood near the gate, black insignias carved across their chests. Their helmets were sharp, almost insect-like, their voices a low murmur in a language I couldn't place.
Rena whispered, "Vanguard scouts. Advanced unit."
"Which means the rest aren't far behind."
She nodded grimly. "We'll have to move before they regroup. There's a side passage collapsed, but maybe still open."
We crept along the ruined wall until the entrance faded from sight. Roots twisted over the stone, covering a narrow crack that looked more like an animal burrow than a doorway.
Rena crouched, brushed the dirt away. "Here. It leads to the outer hall."
"Perfect. Nothing suspicious about crawling into cursed ruins through holes."
She went first, of course. I followed because the alternative was staying outside with demons. Pick your poison.
Inside, the air was colder, stale, and heavy with the scent of dust and forgotten things. Crystals embedded in the walls gave off faint blue light.
We moved in silence. The deeper we went, the stronger the hum became, like the ruins themselves were breathing.
Rena stopped at a split in the corridor. "Left leads down," she said. "That's where the core chamber should be."
"Right leads… away from trouble?"
"Probably traps."
"So left it is."
We descended carefully, every step echoing. The walls were lined with carvings ancient figures raising hands toward a crowned shape above them. The resemblance wasn't comforting.
After a while, the corridor opened into a vast chamber. Light rippled across the floor like water. In the center stood a circular platform, the runes forming a spiral that pulsed in rhythm with the crown's glow.
Rena whispered, "The relic altar."
I stepped closer despite better judgment. The air around it felt charged like standing inside a storm that hadn't happened yet.
Then, faintly, a voice drifted from the far side of the room.
Soft. Female. Familiar.
"...Rena?"
She froze. "That can't be..."
Out of the shadows stepped a woman in torn guild robes, one arm bandaged, eyes wide with disbelief. It was Lyra the guild officer from the camp.
"Lyra?" Rena moved forward. "How did you..."
Lyra smiled, but it was wrong. Too calm. Too slow.
"Followed you," she said. "Had to make sure you reached it."
Something in her tone made the hair on my neck stand.
Rena stopped mid-step. "You're not..."
Lyra's grin widened. The air behind her shimmered.
The illusion broke like glass.
Her eyes turned black. The guild cloak dissolved into ash, revealing armor dark as pitch. A sigil burned across her throat the same we saw on the vanguard soldiers.
"Thank you for leading us here," she said, voice layered with echoes. "The Lord will be pleased."
The ground split. Shadows spilled out like smoke, forming clawed shapes.
Rena pulled her sword. "Trap."
I stepped back, the crown flaring so bright it hurt to look at.
Lyra or whatever wore her face laughed softly. "So this is the Crown-Bearer. How disappointing."
The air around her bent, dark light coiling into a blade. "Your luck ends here."
The crown's hum spiked painful, frantic. The runes on the floor lit all at once, and the world tilted.
Rena shouted my name, but it was distant, muffled.
The floor gave way beneath us light swallowing everything.
Then nothing.
*Chapter Ends*