The entrance to the Void Dungeon stood like a wound in the world.
Between two jagged cliffs beyond the forest, where the trees thinned and even birds dared not sing, the air shimmered with a pale violet hue. A warped fissure pulsed on the rocky surface, ringed by darkened stone, as if the earth itself had been scorched. Faint whispers—too soft to understand, yet too clear to be ignored—bled from within.
Liora tightened her grip on her blades. "This is it."
Reynar stared into the flickering portal. Though the surface of the rift rippled like water, it gave off no warmth. Only a cold, sinking dread. And yet, beyond that fear… something stirred inside him.
Resolve.
He nodded. "Let's go."
With that, they stepped through the veil—and entered the Void.
The air turned cold the moment Reynar and Liora stepped through the rift.
Static pulsed through the space between dimensions, the air thin and crackling. For a moment, everything was darkness—then, with a sudden lurch, they landed on blackened soil under a crimson sky. The Void Dungeon had formed like a scar across the world, a reality stitched together from corrupted fragments.
It was eerie. Twisted trees with bark like obsidian rose from cracked ground, and black mist curled along the forest floor. No sound—no wind, no insects. Just silence.
Liora drew her sword, scanning the horizon. "Stay alert. This one… feels different."
Reynar nodded, hand on his own weapon. "The system said it was higher-ranked. Anything specific we should expect?"
"More intelligent spawns," she replied. "Coordinated, faster, more vicious. And worst of all—void-marked elites. If we see one, we run."
They advanced carefully through the dark woods, every step deliberate. After only a short while, they came upon a clearing, where several void beasts—twisted hounds with needle-like limbs—lay dead.
Reynar knelt beside one. "These weren't killed by chance. Someone's already here."
Liora examined the wounds. "Clean strikes. Precise. These beasts didn't even get the chance to fight back."
Reynar's brows furrowed. "A guild party?"
Liora shook her head. "No emblem markings. And no team would split up like this in a Void Rift. This… was one person."
Unseen, high above on the branch of a gnarled tree, a shadow crouched.
Sylvie narrowed her golden eyes.
She had entered the rift hours before them, planning a swift solo run through the corrupted zone. Her beastkin instincts had warned her of the rift's sudden spawn, and she had moved fast. But she didn't expect others—not in such a remote location.
Especially not them.
She recognized Reynar from before—the boy who had survived a cursed beast ambush and unknowingly gotten her attention. She'd been curious then. But this time, her gaze shifted to the one beside him.
Liora.
That name sparked something old, something buried.
Sylvie's sharp ears twitched as she listened to their conversation below.
"If someone's here," Reynar said quietly, "they might be in danger too. Should we try to find them?"
"No," Liora replied quickly. "Anyone capable of doing this…" she gestured to the bodies, "doesn't need our help. But it does mean we're not alone in here. Be more careful."
They pressed on, and Sylvie silently retreated back into the shadows, vanishing like a breeze. She wasn't afraid of them—but she didn't need interference. This dungeon was her target, and she had her reasons.
Down below, Reynar and Liora continued deeper into the corrupted forest. They encountered more bodies—twisted wolves, warped manticores, and even a void-marked brute—all slain with terrifying efficiency.
Eventually, they reached a ravine that ran like a wound through the forest floor. Void energy crackled from the depths below.
Reynar paused. "Should we go around?"
Liora studied the edges. "Too wide. We'll descend and climb the other side. But stay close. This place is unstable."
As they descended into the ravine, Reynar's system pulsed a new warning:
[Alert: Unknown party detected ahead. Proceed with caution.]
He glanced at Liora, but said nothing yet. She was already on edge.
Something was watching them.
Not the monsters.
Someone else.