THE ONE WHO WE COULDN'T SAVE

As the group left the city gates, the morning sun bathed the landscape in a warm glow. The air was fresh, and the sounds of nature filled the surroundings. Heading southeast toward the Sunken Crypt, they moved with renewed energy, ready to face whatever lay ahead.

As the group ventured deeper into the wilderness toward the Sunken Crypt, the calm didn't last long. Their path was interrupted by the rustling of leaves as several giant spiders emerged from the underbrush, their many eyes gleaming ominously.

June cast a flurry of ice spikes, freezing a few in place while Alisan followed up with her Rapture magic, shattering them into pieces.

Once the last spider fell, the group barely had time to catch their breath before a chorus of low growls echoed around them. Wolves with glowing eyes circled from the trees, their fangs bared.

"Round two, huh?" Cauis smirked, drawing his sword. "Let's make it quick."

The wolves lunged all at once. Dylan darted between them, striking with his dagger and avoiding their snapping jaws. Axel wrestled one to the ground while June froze another mid-leap. Cauis sliced through the remaining wolves with swift, calculated strikes.

"Okay, now we're done, right?" Alisan said, brushing dirt off her clothes.

A loud snort echoed through the trees as three large boars charged at full speed.

"You just had to ask," Dylan muttered, flipping his dagger in his hand.

The group met the boars head-on. Axel delivered a crushing punch to the first one, sending it skidding across the ground. Alisan twirled her staff and sent a blast of energy toward the second, stunning it. Cauis and Dylan moved in tandem, taking down the last one with coordinated precision.

The group stood over the fallen creatures, glancing around for any more signs of danger.

"Is it really the Sunken Crypt we're heading to," June said, half-joking, "or the Wildlands of Endless Beasts?"

"Either way," Dylan said with a smirk, "we're just getting started."

As the group continued walking toward the Sunken Crypt, the air grew heavier. The forest seemed darker, and the sounds of nature around them faded into an eerie silence. Suddenly, they spotted a figure standing on the path ahead.

It looked human tall and cloaked but something was off. The way it stood, unmoving, almost unnatural. A faint, dark aura surrounded it, pulsing with the same corrupted energy as the red bear.

June narrowed her eyes. "Guys… do you feel that?"

Dylan instinctively stepped in front of the group, his dagger ready. "Yeah, I feel it. Same twisted energy as before."

The figure slowly turned toward them, revealing pale skin and glowing crimson eyes. Its lips curled into a twisted grin. "You shouldn't be here," it said in a distorted voice, its aura intensifying.

"Be careful," Alisan warned, gripping her staff tightly. "If it's anything like the bear, it won't go down easily."

The figure raised its hand, and black tendrils of energy began to swirl around it.

The figure raised its hand, and black tendrils of energy lashed out toward the group like striking serpents.

Dylan reacted first, weaving between the tendrils with his enhanced speed. "Stay on your toes!" he shouted, slashing at one of the dark tendrils, only for it to dissolve and reform instantly.

June quickly conjured an ice barrier, blocking the oncoming attack.

The tendrils battered against the ice, cracking it as Alisan channeled her Rapture magic, sending a shockwave of radiant energy through her staff. "Then let's not give it a chance to recover!" she yelled, firing a pulse of energy at the figure.

Axel rushed in, fists glowing with raw energy, and delivered a powerful punch straight into the figure's chest. "Let's see how you handle this!" The impact sent it skidding back, but it barely seemed fazed.

Cauis circled around, searching for an opening. "Cover me!" he called, waiting for the right moment. Dylan nodded and flanked the figure, throwing his dagger with pinpoint precision, aiming for its shoulder. The figure deflected it with another tendril but left itself exposed.

"Now!" Dylan shouted.

Cauis dashed in, his blade glowing with Celestial Strike, slicing through the tendrils and landing a direct hit on the figure's side. The impact caused the dark energy surrounding it to flicker and crackle.

The figure stumbled, dark energy leaking from its wound. Its crimson eyes flared with anger, and it let out a guttural roar, summoning an even stronger wave of tendrils.

"Brace yourselves!" Alisan warned.

The ground trembled as tendrils shot out in all directions, whipping toward the group like wild serpents. Alisan spun her staff, conjuring a shield of energy around them to hold off the first barrage. Dylan dashed forward, slipping between the tendrils with uncanny speed, aiming directly for the figure.

"Keep it busy!" Dylan called back. "I'll cut off its escape!"

Axel planted his feet firmly, deflecting a tendril with his fist before charging through the chaos. He swung hard, landing a solid punch to the figure's chest and sending it staggering backward. Cauis followed up, leaping over Axel's shoulder and slashing downward, leaving a glowing gash across the figure's torso.

"Now, June!" Alisan shouted.

June raised her hands, ice magic swirling around her fingertips. "Let's freeze this thing in place!" With a burst of icy energy, she unleashed a storm of frost, encasing the tendrils and slowing the figure's movements.

The creature snarled, its body cracking under the frost as it struggled to break free.

"Time to finish this!" Dylan said, his dagger glowing with Temporal Dusk magic. He lunged at the frozen figure, his blade piercing its core. The dark energy surrounding it began to implode, spiraling inward until the figure collapsed into a pool of black mist, evaporating into the air.

The forest grew eerily silent once more.

"Is it... gone?" Cauis asked, panting.

Dylan wiped his blade and sheathed it. "For now. But whatever that thing was, it's not the last we'll see of it."

The group exchanged a grim look, then pressed on, their footsteps quickening as the trees thinned and the air grew colder.

The group pushed forward, their breaths visible in the cold, misty air as they reached the edge of a swampy ravine. Jagged stones jutted out from the earth, and the thick fog that hung over the area obscured everything beyond a few feet.

In front of them stood a crumbling stone entrance covered in moss and ancient carvings the Sunken Crypt. The air reeked of damp earth and something far more sinister lurking beneath the surface.

"So… this is it," Axel said, cracking his knuckles. "Feels like the kind of place bad things happen."

Cauis smirked. "You mean like just now with the creepy magic guy trying to kill us?"

"Focus," Alisan said, stepping forward as the group reached the entrance of the Sunken Crypt. "This place… it feels different. The air is thick with something I can't quite place."

June nodded, her expression tense. "I can feel it too. There's an odd energy around here. Not quite magic, but something unsettling."

The group stepped inside, the entrance dark and damp. They couldn't shake the sense of unease that clung to the air. The deeper they ventured, the more oppressive it felt.

"I thought this was just a dungeon that hold the relic" Axel said, glancing around, his voice quiet. "But this… doesn't seem like just a normal dungeon"

June paused, her eyes scanning the ancient stone walls. "We don't know what's really here, but whatever it is, it feels like it's been waiting for something. The energy is building up."

As they entered the Sunken Crypt, the air grew colder, and the oppressive silence seemed to press against them. The path was narrow, winding deeper into the earth, and the only sound was the echo of their footsteps.

Cauis, sensing the need for light, raised his hand, summoning Aetherglow a soft, radiant blue light that bathed the surroundings in its ethereal glow. The crypt's stone walls revealed their age, covered in moss and grime, with faint markings that seemed to have been worn away by time.

The group continued forward, their every step heavy with the tension of the unknown.

"It's unnerving down here," Axel muttered.

"I agree," Alisan said, her voice low. "This place is ancient… but the energy feels wrong."

Dylan kept his senses sharp, his eyes scanning the shadows, but there was nothing immediately threatening in sight.

As they ventured deeper, June couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching them, hidden just out of sight. "We need to stay vigilant," she said. "Something about this place doesn't sit right."

The deeper they went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became, and soon the corridor widened into a vast, open chamber. But it was impossible to see what lay beyond the edges of the Aetherglow.

"Stay close," Cauis warned, his voice serious as he scanned the room. "Whatever's down here, we're about to find out."

The group moved forward cautiously, aware that every step might bring them closer to the mystery they had come to uncover.

As they ventured deeper into the chamber, their eyes adjusted to the dim, glowing light. In the center of the room, partially buried under the dust of centuries, lay a piece of metal a sword hilt. The blade was missing, but the hilt itself was adorned with intricate runes, glowing faintly as if they were alive with some hidden power.

Alisan stepped forward, kneeling beside it, her eyes scanning the intricate carvings, but she couldn't make sense of them.

June squinted at the hilt, her curiosity piqued. "They're not like anything I've seen before. Do you think they mean something?"

Axel stepped forward, examining it from different angles. "I don't know, but something feels off. This piece... it's radiating energy. It's almost like it's waiting for something."

Cauis looked around the crypt, his hand resting on the hilt of his own blade. "Waiting? For what exactly?"

Dylan crouched down beside the hilt, a sense of unease creeping up his spine. "I don't know, but whatever's here, it's tied to this. And it's not good news."

Alisan stood up, brushing off the dust. "We need to be careful. Whatever is down here, it seems like it's been sealed away for a reason. And this sword... I don't think it's just some forgotten relic."

The group looked around, their unease growing with every passing second. The air was thick with tension, as if the crypt itself was waiting for something to happen. The hilt, now in their hands, felt like the key to something much bigger and much more dangerous.