The moment they stepped into the boss chamber, the temperature spiked hard enough to sting Ael's lungs. The air shimmered like molten glass, the heat radiating from the cavern walls in waves that distorted the rocky terrain into an uneven mirage. A low rumble rolled through the chamber—deep, resonant, almost bored—until the creature causing it opened a single magma-red eye.
The komodo-dragon type beast was massive, easily dwarfing the lesser ones they'd fought before. Its scales looked like half-melted obsidian, glowing faintly between the cracks where heat leaked through like simmering lava. Steam hissed from between its fangs as it slowly lifted its head, and the ground trembled when its claws shifted. Ael felt the weight of its malice before it even looked at him. That glare was heavy, intelligent, territorial.
Marcus muttered, "Oh great. An Infernal Drakespine. Perfect."
Fen exhaled sharply. "Aren't these things supposed to appear in mid-tier rifts?"
Kael flashed a grin anyway. "Well, at least we won't die bored."
"Well it seems this one is still not grown, since the power it radiates is still at the peak of E-Rank", Marcus said calming down the team once again.
The beast didn't give them more time. Its throat glowed bright orange before erupting in a violent burst of flame that streaked across the chamber like a living comet. Serin propelled herself upward in a swirl of wind, Jorik sank into the shadows cast by the flame, and Marcus raised an earth wall just in time for the blast to crash against it. The wall cracked down the center, glowing red from the heat. Ael wasn't behind it. He had already moved.
He summoned his sword instantly, the blade forming in his hand with that familiar whisper of shimmering Ether, solid and weightless at once. The weapon flared with pale brilliance, contrasting sharply against the red-hot cavern. Ael sprinted toward the monster, his feet skidding on scorching stone as the beast swung its tail with enough force to tear a man in half. Ael ducked under it, heat blasting over his head as the tail demolished a chunk of the rock behind him.
Arden closed in from the right, blade drawn, waiting for an opening. Liora unleashed a burst of fire that struck the creature's flank, her flames blowing apart into sparks as if swallowed by the drake's heat. "Damn—its temperature is too high for normal fire affinities to destabilize it!"
"I'll cool it!" Fen yelled, slamming both hands into the ground. Frost erupted outward in a sweeping arc, steam exploding violently where ice met molten scales. The creature shrieked, rearing back, its body steaming wildly.
That was Ael's opening.
He darted up the drake's foreleg, Ether sword held low. His focus tunneled, everything narrowing to the point of his blade. His swing carved a crescent of pale light, slicing into the creature's neck. A burst of molten blood splashed outward—not nearly enough. The beast roared, whipping its head around, jaws snapping shut inches from him. Ael launched himself backward in a controlled fall, sliding down the length of its arm as it clawed at him. His sword dissipated in a soft flash, and he summoned a spear mid-air, letting the momentum carry him forward as he twisted and landed lightly on one knee.
Marcus slammed his fists down, sending jagged stone spikes erupting around the drake's legs, momentarily slowing it. Arden's blade flashed, severing a tendon along its lower limb, making the beast stagger. Kael's lightning cracked across its back, searing glowing scars into the molten scales. Talia stayed behind everyone, hands raised, weaving shimmering barriers that caught stray fire bursts before they could cripple the team.
But despite all of them working in tandem, the drake was still overwhelmingly strong.
Ael pushed forward again, switching grip on the spear as he sprinted toward the creature's exposed side. Flames built in its throat again, brighter, hotter, vibrating the air. He jumped—high enough that heat scorched the bottom of his boots—and hurled the spear downward. The Ether spear streaked through the air, piercing deep into a glowing crack between scales. The drake screamed, flames spilling chaotically from its mouth as its concentration broke.
Ael landed hard and rolled, dismissing the spear and summoning the sword again before the creature could reorient. A blazing claw swung toward him like a guillotine. He raised the sword to meet it—and though the blade held, the impact sent him sliding back across the stone, boots sparking as they scraped the ground. The drake lunged, jaws widening, heat distorting everything around its maw.
Serin descended in a cyclone, slicing wind carving across the drake's snout, forcing it to snap its head sideways. "Move, Ael!"
He didn't need to be told twice. He dashed forward, ducking under a swipe, Ether blade dissolving as he called the spear again, using it to vault upward off a jutting rock Marcus pushed into place beneath him. Ael soared along the side of the drake's neck, the heat threatening to peel skin from bone. But he pushed through, vision narrowing, muscles screaming.
He landed atop the drake's skull.
The monster thrashed violently, but Ael braced himself, driving the spear down with both hands straight through the heated fissure above its temple. The Ether spear flared brilliantly as it sank deep. For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the drake shuddered.
Steam burst outward in a violent plume. The glow in its scales flickered like dying embers. Its limbs trembled. Its body slumped heavily to the stone floor, shaking the entire chamber. Ael remained crouched on its head for a heartbeat longer, chest rising and falling, sweat streaming down his face only to evaporate almost instantly.
He allowed the spear to dissolve into shimmering motes.
The system chimed softly in his mind.
[+30 exp]
The others approached slowly as the heat in the room began to fade, the cavern cooling enough to breathe normally again. Serin gave a low whistle. "Well. That was something."
Kael clapped Ael on the back, grinning. "Not bad kid, you are definitely D-rank."
Liora smirked. "Not bad at all."
Marcus just shook his head in disbelief. "Kid… your weapon constructs are absurd."
Ael didn't answer. His heart was still pounding—not from exertion but from something deeper. Every fight, every kill, every drop of exp wasn't just about getting stronger anymore. The dream haunted him, every frame burned behind his eyes—the battlefield drenched in ash and shadow, the faceless warriors, the demons bowing to someone they feared more than death. Her. And the aftermath of Amanda's team, the senseless death of five young Awakened who'd gone into a rift expecting a routine mission.
Something terrible was coming. Something worse than anything humanity had faced in the last decade.
And Ael didn't know why he felt it so strongly.
But he did.
He had to get stronger.
Faster.
Before the world realized what was already moving in its shadows.
Marcus pointed toward the massive rift that had oppened ahead. "Boss is down. Time to go back, store the boss's corpse quick."
Ael exhaled, letting the last motes of Ether fade from his fingertips, and followed the team as they stepped toward the rift, going back home.