The cavern trembled as if the entire mountain had drawn in a single, ragged breath. Dust rained from the cracked ceiling, drifting through the blue glow like falling ash. Lena pressed her back to the cold wall, her hands trembling against the stone. She wanted to scream, to run, to do anything but stand there—but her legs refused to obey.Across from her, the woman—the strange creature with a face too beautiful and too wrong to be human—watched calmly, as though the crumbling chamber was no more concerning than a passing storm. Her eyes shimmered with that unnatural blue light, a reflection of the veins glowing beneath the floor.Kai stepped in front of Lena, his weapon gripped tight in his bleeding hand. His chest rose and fell heavily, but his gaze was locked on the woman. “You’ve caused enough destruction,” he growled. “This ends here.”The woman tilted her head, her smile curling slow and deliberate. “End? No, warrior… this is only the beginning. You’ve opened the way for me. Ever

The silence after the last tremor felt heavier than the roar of the collapsing stone. Dust drifted through the air like falling ash, coating Lena’s hair and face until she could barely breathe. Her lungs burned as she pressed against Kai’s arm, her heartbeat racing so hard she could hear it in her ears.For a moment, nothing moved. It was as if the chamber itself held its breath, deciding whether to keep standing or to bury them all alive. The strange woman, half-shadow, half-flesh, still lingered at the center of the ruin. Her glowing eyes cut through the gloom like shards of light, unblinking, patient.Kai shifted, keeping himself between Lena and the woman. His chest rose and fell, shallow from exhaustion, but his hand was steady on the weapon.“Don’t move closer,” he warned. His voice was sharp, clipped, as if each word cost him something.The woman tilted her head. The eerie blue glow from the collapsing walls flickered across her pale face, highlighting the inhuman curve of her

The air trembled with a strange heaviness, as if the entire underground chamber was holding its breath. Dust drifted slowly through the blue glow, curling and twisting in the silence. Lena’s chest rose and fell too fast. Every instinct screamed at her to run, but her legs would not move.The woman—if she could still be called that—stood at the center of the cracked floor. Her form flickered between human and something far older. Her black hair flowed unnaturally, as if stirred by a wind no one else could feel. Her pale face was too smooth, too flawless, but her eyes glowed like molten silver.“You still don’t understand, do you?” she whispered, her voice soft but sharp enough to cut through the air. “You think this is about survival. About escape. But this chamber… this collapse… it is all part of the awakening.”Kai stepped in front of Lena, his arm stretched slightly back as though to keep her behind him. His weapon gleamed faintly with blue light that clashed with the chamber’s glo

The silence after the clash was heavy, broken only by the faint drip of water from the shattered chamber walls. Dust still floated in the air, glowing faintly in the strange blue light that clung stubbornly to the broken stones. Lena pressed her hand against her chest, trying to slow the wild beat of her heart. Her body trembled—not from fear alone, but from exhaustion.Kai stood a few paces ahead of her, sword still raised, though his knuckles were pale from the force of his grip. His breathing was uneven, his shoulders tight. Every part of him screamed readiness, but Lena could see it—the fatigue pulling at him, the silent weight of battles stacked one after another.And across from them, the woman—no, the creature who looked like a woman—rose again. Her movements were graceful, too graceful for the chaos around them. Though rubble lay broken all around, though the air itself felt like it was about to collapse, she moved as if the destruction meant nothing.“You still don’t understa

The silence after the battle was almost worse than the fight itself.Dust floated through the air like drifting snow. The broken chamber walls groaned, as if the whole place still wanted to collapse. Lena pressed her back against the cracked stone, her lungs burning with each breath. Her body felt heavy, like her bones had turned to iron, but her mind refused to rest.Kai stood a few feet ahead, blood streaked down his arm but his stance unshaken. He kept his weapon raised, his gaze sweeping the ruined chamber as if expecting the woman to appear again.The creature-woman had vanished into the dark, swallowed by the collapsing structure, but Lena couldn’t believe it was over. Nothing about her had seemed mortal. Nothing about her had felt like something that could die under stone and fire.Lena’s heart thudded hard in her chest. What if she’s still here? What if this was all part of her game?“Kai,” she whispered, her voice hoarse.He turned, sharp eyes narrowing. “I know.”“You think