⚔️ Chapter 27
"There are dungeons… and then there are tombs made to bury truths."
📍 Location: Ruined Valley of Relan, Edge of Crosnic Lake
The air was dense. Fog hung low over the cracked stone floor of the Relan Valley, an ancient site recently rediscovered by the academy scouts. An underground dungeon had been detected beneath — pulsing with unknown energy.
The Academy sent its top first-year squad for exploration, including:
Anshi (Bronze-tier Seeker)
Arven (Silver-tier flame user)
Kaya (Iron-tier tracker)
Drune (Stone-tier shield bearer)
And… Aeren — officially listed as "Support Trainee"
But the truth was deeper.
"Your job is only to observe, Aeren. No combat unless absolutely necessary," said Instructor Varik, one of the Diamond-tier watchers overseeing from afar through enchanted relics.
🕳️ Descent Into the Forgotten Dungeon
The squad descended a narrow spiral staircase, every step echoing with whispers only Aeren could hear.
He gritted his teeth.
"The walls… they're speaking," he muttered."What?" Anshi looked at him, concerned."Nothing, just… echoes."
When they reached the bottom, the door opened with a strange pulse. It didn't respond to keys or magic — only to Aeren's presence.
Seal recognized… Chrono Code Fragment confirmed… Access granted.
A vast chamber opened — black stone walls, glowing blue veins of energy, and giant murals of creatures with ten glowing eyes. A giant stone door stood at the far end, sealed with seven floating sigils.
🧩 Dungeon Trial: The First Puzzle
Before they could proceed, the chamber shook violently. Statues came alive — Golem-type monsters with bladed limbs and hollow eyes.
"Scatter formation!" shouted Arven, flames igniting in his hands.
Anshi moved like lightning, slashing through one golem. Kaya covered the rear, while Drune held the front line.
Aeren? He stood still.
His eyes glazed over — then lit up.
"The golems… their movements have a delay pattern. I can read them."
He closed his eyes briefly… then moved.
In an instant, Aeren disarmed one golem, slid under another's blade, and pointed to its core.
"There. Strike there — now!"
Arven obeyed. A direct hit. Boom! It shattered.
Everyone stared.This wasn't the same Aeren they knew.
🧠 Awakening Observation
Anshi whispered, stunned:
"You saw all that… in a second?""I didn't see it," Aeren replied. "I just knew it."
The seal on his back briefly shimmered.
But suddenly — everything went silent.
The seventh sigil in front of the gate turned red.
"Intruder detected. Testing lineage authenticity…"
A blast of black light shot from the sigil — straight at Aeren.
He fell to his knees — screaming.
🌌 The Dream Realm Again
Aeren found himself floating in a purple void. Time slowed.
A cloaked figure appeared before him, hovering.
"So you've reached the dungeon. You are not ready. But fate does not care.""Who are you?" Aeren gasped."You are me… but broken.""I don't understand—""You will. When the seventh gate opens… the sealed king will rise."
Suddenly, a colossal red eye opened in the sky above.
🩸 Reality Returns — And a Warning
Aeren awoke back in the chamber, coughing blood.
The sigil dimmed again. The gate didn't open.Not yet.
"We're leaving," Instructor Varik's voice echoed through the comm crystal. "Dungeon integrity is collapsing. Mission over."
The squad ran back through the collapsing tunnel as the dungeon groaned. Just before exiting, Aeren turned back and saw…
A dark symbol now glowing on the gate: ☥
It hadn't been there before.
👥 Far Away: Eclipse Fang Watches Again
Within a dark hall of obsidian, a robed figure with silver eyes watched the event unfold through a crystal orb.
"He's stepped into the Gate's outer ring.Begin the next phase.Send in the Mark Collector."
🔮 Chapter 28 Preview:
"The Mark Collector"
A sinister force begins hunting students across Crosnic Verse, targeting those with mysterious marks. Meanwhile, Aeren starts to hear voices even while awake. When he sleeps — he no longer dreams alone. The war of fates has begun.