The fire in the cavern burned weakly and low. Its flames licked at blackened wood, crackling softly, but it gave little warmth. Smoke curled upward and clung to the damp stone ceiling. Shadows stretched long and sharp across the rough walls, twisting into strange shapes that seemed to move when no one did.Oliver sat apart from the others. He leaned against the cold stone wall with his sword across his lap. His eyes stayed open, heavy but sharp, and his jaw was tight. He had not slept.The Mask of the Reaver was in his satchel, but even hidden away, its faint red glow pulsed through the leather like a heartbeat. He could feel it inside his skull, a steady thrum that would not let him rest. The whisper came again, curling like smoke in his mind. “You are strong now, but you could be more. Put me on. Let me show you how much more.”Oliver shut his eyes for a moment and clenched his fists. His voice came out rough, low, almost broken. “No.”He would not give in. Across the fire, Elias

The tunnels breathed like a living thing. Every step Oliver took sent an echo running along the stone walls, bouncing back in soft whispers that made the darkness feel alive. The air smelled damp, carrying a faint metallic taste like blood left too long in water. Drops of unseen moisture fell somewhere in the shadows, each splash sounding louder than it should.Oliver’s grip tightened on his sword. His knuckles ached from the pressure, but he did not relax. His eyes moved carefully, studying the walls and ceiling. Thin glowing threads shimmered faintly in the dark, threads only he could see. They stretched across the walls and floor like veins of fire, pulsing softly as though alive.The deeper he went, the stronger the whispers became. “They are waiting. They hunger. So do you.”Oliver clenched his jaw. He forced his breathing steady and shook his head as if the motion alone could push the voice away. But the words lingered, curling inside his mind like smoke, then he saw it, the

The tunnel shook as if the earth itself feared what was coming. Dust rained down from the stone ceiling, and the air grew heavy, thicker with each passing second. A shadow stretched far ahead before the creature even appeared. It moved like a storm, slow at first, but heavy enough that every step rattled the ground.Sparks burst from the walls where claws scraped stone, each screech sharp enough to set teeth on edge. The sound was like metal being torn apart.Oliver’s chest tightened as he watched. His grip on his sword was so tight his knuckles turned white, then the creature stepped into the faint light. It was massive, its head almost scraping the top of the tunnel. Its body hunched, muscles twisting like ropes under black flesh. The mask on its face glowed a deep, burning red, etched with strange marks that seemed to crawl and writhe as if alive. Venom dripped from its long fangs, black liquid hissing when it struck the ground, burning small holes into the stone. The System fl

The numbers burned bright before Oliver’s eyes.[Critical Choice Available][Equip Mask of the Reaver, Yes / No][3… 2…]The glow was sharp, pressing against his vision like fire. He couldn’t look away, even as his chest heaved and his blood ran down into the dust. The satchel at his side pulsed like it had a heartbeat of its own. Thump. Thump. Louder and louder.Inside, the mask waited. He could feel its shape through the leather, jagged and wrong. Its whispers had grown into screams. “Say yes. Wear me. Let me fight. Let me kill. Let me rip and tear. You cannot win without me.”Oliver’s arms trembled. His sword slipped from his bloody fingers and clattered against the ground. He tried to breathe, but his lungs felt crushed. His vision blurred. The tunnel spun, red shadows crawling along the walls.Ahead, the Devourer roared. Its enormous jaws stretched wide, pulling the very air into its mouth. The sound was like a storm breaking apart the world. Threads of light were ripped free

The cavern smelled like smoke and blood. The stench clung to every stone, thick and heavy, like the whole place had been burned alive. Ash swirled in the air, floating down slowly, covering the ground in a gray carpet. The Devourer was gone. Its massive body had fallen apart into dust, melting into the floor until nothing was left. No flesh. No bones. Only claw marks carved deep into the walls, broken stones shattered across the ground, and a silence that felt too heavy, too wrong.Mara dropped down to her knees. Her whole body shook. Her chest heaved as she pulled in broken breaths that scraped her throat. Sweat rolled down her dirt-streaked face, dripping from her chin. Her arms felt like dead weight, trembling so badly she could not hold her blades anymore. They slipped from her hands and clattered to the ground, the sound sharp and lonely in the cavern’s silence.She tried to steady herself, but her heart was pounding too fast. Every beat felt like it would tear her chest ope