The training ground outside Eidenweld was quiet tonight.
No clashing swords. No panting breaths. Just the low hum of the forest and the cool whisper of wind through the trees. Reynar sat on a smooth rock, staring at the moon. It hung heavy in the sky—red-tinted and swollen, like a silent omen.
Behind him, Liora approached, holding two wooden practice blades.
"Done resting?" she asked.
Reynar didn't move. "It's close now… isn't it?"
She stopped, looking up at the blood-moon glow. "Yes. The Void Dungeon will manifest within the next few days. Maybe sooner."
A tense silence stretched between them.
Reynar exhaled. "Will anyone come? The government? A guild? Someone stronger?"
Liora sat beside him, quiet for a long moment.
"No," she finally said. "No one will come. We're just a small village in the corner of the kingdom. People in high places won't waste elite units on a place they don't even remember exists."
Her voice was calm, but there was a bitter edge to it. Familiar. Reynar had heard it before—whispers of disappointment, betrayal. He looked at her, watching her silver hair flutter in the wind.
"Is that what happened to your family?"
Liora didn't answer at first. She clenched the training blade in her hand. "They knew. When the first signs of the Void King's influence appeared… my parents reported it. They had evidence. Maps. Observations. They begged the central council to take action."
"And?"
"They were silenced."
The words hung there like ash.
Liora looked at Reynar. "If we don't act, no one will. That's the truth. This village—these people—they'll die if we wait for help."
He nodded. "Then we fight."
Her gaze softened.
"No hesitation?" she asked.
Reynar smiled faintly. "I've already lived once running from everything. Not this time."
[System Notification]Main Quest Updated: "Fall of the Hidden Moon"— Objective: Survive and Clear the Imminent Void Dungeon near Eidenweld.— Difficulty: A-Rank (High Fatality Risk)— Time until Manifestation: 3 Days
— Two Weeks Later —
The forest had changed.
What was once vibrant and alive now felt hollow, like the trees themselves held their breath. A shadow had crept into Eidenweld's outskirts—an unnatural tension clinging to the bark and soil.
On a ridge overlooking a clearing, Reynar crouched beside Liora. Both were clad in light leather armor—practical, mobile, reinforced with enchanted fibers. Liora had reforged her dagger into a slender, rune-etched shortblade. Reynar carried a steel sword balanced perfectly to his weight.
Below them, in the clearing, was a rift.
It pulsed—an open wound in reality. Void energy leaked from it like tendrils of black flame, twisting and curling as they licked at the surrounding flora. A distorted howl echoed from within.
This was no ordinary dungeon.
Liora narrowed her eyes. "It's worse than I expected."
Reynar swallowed hard, but he didn't step back.
"Can we win?" he asked.
"We have to," she said. "There's no other option."
He nodded, gripping his sword tighter.
[System Alert: Void Anomaly Detected]Dungeon Core Signature: High-Rank Void Construct (Type Unknown)Status: StabilizingManifestation Time: 12 Hours
Behind them, the faintest tremor shook the ground.
The Void Dungeon had begun to wake.