A magic circle appeared on the ground, glowing faintly beneath layers of dust and cracked stone. Suddenly, two boys materialised at its centre—Ronan and Kael. They exchanged a glance before their eyes adjusted to the dim surroundings.
"It's too dark to see anything clearly," Kael muttered, narrowing his eyes.
He takes out a luminous crystal. With a faint pulse of mana, the crystal came to life, casting a soft blue glow across the cavern. The light revealed jagged rock formations, rusted mining tools, and half-collapsed scaffolding.
Ronan stepped forward, his eyes scanning the space. "This looks like... a mining site. What do you think, Kael?"
Kael moved closer to one of the stone walls, brushing his fingers along the rough surface. "Yeah," he said slowly, "but it feels older than the one we were in before. Much older. Ancient, maybe."
Ronan traced a crack in the wall with his fingers. "Then those teleportations... are they natural phenomena? Or man-made?"
Kael let out a soft sigh. "Too many questions. Not enough answers."
Suddenly, Ronan's voice sharpened. "Kael, look here. What is this?"
Kael walked over. In front of them was a small pond, silent and perfectly still.
Kael frowned. "Just a water pond."
Ronan shook his head. "No, it's different. Look closely."
Kael crouched down and examined the water. A faint shimmer pulsed just beneath the surface. "The water is mixed with mana. This pool is very deep, I think."
Ronan looked around and noticed several glowing orbs embedded in the stone walls. Luminous crystals. He reached for one and poured mana into it. Light flared throughout the room as more crystals responded, revealing two arched exits carved into opposite ends of the chamber.
Kael stood, eyeing the exits. "Ronan, where do you think the pond's water comes from? There's no visible flow."
Ronan smirked. "Let's find out."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "What are you planning?"
Ronan formed a hand sign. A faint glow appeared beside him as an exact clone materialised, its features identical. Ronan handed the clone a Storage Ring.
Ronan, with a smirk, said, "You know what to do."
The clone nodded, slipped the ring onto its finger, and dove silently into the pond.
"Let's rest and recover our strength while we wait," Ronan suggested, settling onto a flat stone near the wall. He began refining the ambient mana.
Kael grunted and followed. "You brat," he growled with a touch of amusement. "You're becoming more unpredictable by the day."
Ronan just offered a quiet smile.
Moments passed in silence, both boys focused on mana absorption. The cave hummed faintly with latent energy.
Then Kael broke the silence. "After we leave this cave, we need to report this to Sir Alaric."
Ronan opened one eye. "Why him?"
"Because this mine... it belongs to the Viridion family. If something's going on down here, Sir Alaric needs to know."
Suddenly, a chilling sensation swept through the air. Both boys stood in unison.
Ronan's hand moved to the hilt of his sword. "Something's coming."
Kael unsheathed his own blade, the mist-like aura beginning to wrap around his frame.
From one of the tunnels, a monstrous shape charged into the room. Massive. Reptilian. Its scaled hide shimmered in the crystal light like obsidian armour. Its eyes glowed faintly red, and long claws scraped along the stone floor.
"What the hell is that?" Ronan murmured, his breath shallow.
Kael's voice was low. "I... I think that's a Doomscale Lizard. I read about them once. They were believed to be extinct—gone for over three hundred years."
Ronan's eyes narrowed. "Then it's survived all this time?"
Kael nodded. "Most likely. If it doesn't attack, don't provoke it."
But something felt off. Ronan stared harder. The creature's movements were wrong—stiff, unsteady. Then he noticed it.
"Kael... are those injuries?" Ronan asked.
Deep, fresh gashes lined its body. The wounds were clearly from a recent battle.
Suddenly, the monster lunged.
Ronan dodged sideways and launched a Blazing Strike—a fiery mana slash that burned through the air. The attack hit dead on.
Nothing happened.
Ronan's eyes widened. "It didn't even scratch it."
The monster roared and rushed him with terrifying speed. Ronan raised his sword to block.
Before the blow could land, Kael used Phantom Mirage. Dozens of misty illusions appeared around the monster, making it pause and lash out wildly.
Ronan took the chance to escape the strike zone and reposition.
"Thanks," he gasped.
"Don't thank me yet," Kael replied grimly, keeping the illusions in motion.
The monster turned, confused by the duplicates, smashing the stone floor in frustration.
Ronan charged. He leapt high, aiming for the creature's neck. Veilbreaker—a brutal, mana-less strike relying on raw force—would be his answer.
His sword crashed against the thick hide.
Snap.
His weapon shattered like dry wood.
"That was a high-grade sword... what is this thing made of?"
Without looking, the monster swatted him like a fly. Ronan crashed to the floor. The air was knocked from his lungs as pain exploded in his back.
Kael's face twisted with concern. "Ronan!"
Ronan winced but raised a thumb. "Still... alive."
Kael gritted his teeth. Mist surged from his body, swirling in thick clouds.
Kael sprinted to Ronan's side, panting, eyes wide with concern. "Are you alright?!"
Ronan gritted his teeth, struggling to rise. His body trembled, but he forced himself upright. "Yeah... I think I can still keep up."
Above them, the monster lifted its grotesque head and let out a bone-rattling roar. The air trembled with the sheer force of the sound.
"Get down!" Kael shouted, throwing up a shimmering mana barrier around them. The air distorted as the sonic waves crashed against the shield, the sheer pressure making the ground quake.
"This is a sonic-type attack," Ronan growled, clutching his ears.
Kael nodded, eyes narrowing. "My illusion's breaking apart. We need to find a weak point—now. Otherwise, we're done for."
The mana barrier shattered, shards of light scattering into the air like falling stars. Ronan stood his ground, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. He drew his three daggers, letting them hover beside him, and unsheathed a gleaming high-grade sword.
"Kael," he said, voice steady despite the chaos, "let's hit it with magic. I want to see how it responds. We already know it's highly resistant to physical attacks."
Kael gave a tense nod. "Alright."