The wind howled through the canyons of Velthra as dusk settled over the jagged cliffs. Beyond this region, maps ended — the rest of the land was marked only by warnings and question marks. For most people, crossing the border was madness. For Arlen Frost, it was the start of something he didn't yet understand.
Four figures moved through the violet mist that hung low along the ground. Their guild insignias shimmered faintly on their cloaks — Vale Guild, B-rank mission division.
Arlen led the way, scanning the path ahead with the calm focus of a predator. Lira walked beside him, her staff slung across her back. Behind them, Kael, the scout — lean and sharp-eyed — moved almost silently, while Ryn, the healer, whispered faint chants of mana detection.
> "No sign of life for miles," Kael murmured, crouching beside a track. "Not even birds. This place is... dead."
Arlen's eyes glowed faintly blue as his system interface flickered.
[System Active — Scanning Area]
Results: Ambient mana — unstable. Life forms detected — none within 200 meters.
> "Dead zones don't form naturally," Arlen said quietly. "Something's draining the energy here."
Lira frowned. "Then we better finish this fast."
They pressed forward, their boots crunching against the cracked soil. Trees ahead were blackened, as if burned from within. The faint smell of ozone filled the air — something unnatural was in the atmosphere.
---
Hours passed. Night fell fast in Velthra. The group made camp near a dried riverbed, their fire flickering low.
Ryn hummed softly, patching minor cuts on Kael's arm. "You think the stories are true?" she asked, voice trembling slightly. "That the relic here once belonged to an ancient god?"
Kael shrugged. "If it pays, I don't care who owned it."
Lira smirked faintly. "You'd fit right in with the old mercenaries."
Arlen, quiet as ever, stared into the fire. His reflection shimmered in the flames — blue eyes glowing faintly. He didn't say it out loud, but something about Velthra's stillness called to him. Like a whisper he couldn't quite hear.
[System Notice: Unknown resonance detected nearby.]
Arlen blinked. "There's something out there."
> "Where?" Lira asked immediately.
He stood. "Two kilometers east."
Without hesitation, they packed up and followed.
---
They reached a clearing surrounded by ancient stone pillars, half-buried in ash and fog. Strange runes pulsed faintly along the stones — as if something deep beneath them was alive.
Kael raised his crossbow. "What is this place?"
Ryn shook her head. "These symbols… they predate the Kingdom Era."
Arlen touched one of the stones. It vibrated faintly under his palm. His system began flashing warnings.
[Caution: Energy source exceeds measurable threshold.]
[Recommendation: Evacuate area immediately.]
Lira glanced around, unease in her voice. "Arlen, maybe we should—"
The ground cracked.
A surge of energy exploded upward, splitting the earth and sending all four flying back. Kael rolled, landing hard and aiming his crossbow toward the light that erupted from the pit.
> "CONTACT! SOMETHING'S COMING OUT!"
From the fissure, something humanoid rose — tall, slender, cloaked in flowing darkness that seemed to breathe. Its eyes glowed faint gold, but its shape constantly shifted, as if it couldn't decide what form to take.
Arlen froze. He felt it — the same strange pull from before, stronger now.
[System Error: Entity classification... UNKNOWN.]
The figure tilted its head slightly. Its voice, when it spoke, wasn't heard by the ears — it was inside their heads.
> "So… the frost has returned… unfinished, still bound by the system you once forged."
Arlen's blood ran cold. "What… did you say?"
The entity's head twitched unnaturally. "You do not remember. How fitting."
Before anyone could react, the creature moved — faster than sound. Kael fired his crossbow — it didn't even register a hit before the creature appeared behind him. A blur of black.
A single, twisted limb pierced through Kael's chest.
"KAEL!" Ryn screamed, stumbling forward, hands glowing as she tried to cast a healing spell — but her light flickered wildly, distorting in the corrupted mana.
The air warped around them. Even the system display on Arlen's wrist flickered with static.
[Warning: Mana distortion exceeds stable threshold.]
The creature turned toward Ryn. Its golden eyes pulsed once, and every instinct in her screamed to run.
Lira raised her staff, firing a blast of radiant energy — it scattered like dust. Arlen charged with his sword, blue energy spiraling from his core. His blade met the creature's hand — sparks exploded — but it didn't move.
> "Still bound by fear," the voice whispered inside their heads.
Ryn trembled, her spell collapsing. "No… no, this can't be happening—"
She took a step back. Then another.
"Ryn!" Lira shouted. "Don't move—stay with us!"
But the healer's eyes were wide with terror. Her lips quivered. "I-I can't—"
She turned and ran.
The forest swallowed her almost instantly, the sound of her frantic footsteps echoing through the trees. For a heartbeat, silence followed.
Then came the scream.
A sharp, short cry — then nothing. Just the faint thud of her staff hitting the ground somewhere in the distance.
Lira froze. The light in her hands dimmed.
Arlen's system flickered violently.
[System Notice: Party member Ryn — vital signs terminated.]
His jaw clenched. "We're leaving. Now."
They turned and bolted through the woods, branches snapping behind them, the ground trembling under the creature's unseen presence. It didn't follow — it didn't need to. Its voice carried on the wind, calm and mocking.
> "You cannot escape yourself, Frost."
Arlen's pulse thundered in his ears. He didn't even question how it knew his name. Not yet.
He and Lira tumbled down a steep ravine, slamming against rock and soil until they landed at the bottom, bruised and gasping. The forest was silent again — unnaturally so.
Above, the clouds swirled in patterns that defied nature.
[System Alert: Signal lost — Connection to Vale Guild severed.]
[System Notice: Unknown interference detected. Mapping disabled.]
Arlen stared at the fractured system window floating before him — his hand trembling slightly.
They were alone.
Cut off.
And somewhere above them, that thing was still watching.
The forest began to hum — like a heartbeat awakening underground.
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