Chapter 33: The Terran Encounter

Chapter 33: The Terran Encounter

Silvia's POV

Silvia's breath caught in her throat. The Terran was massive.

Its body was humanoid, but its skin was obsidian black, glowing veins of blue energy pulsing beneath the surface. Its sharp, angular features looked almost human, but its eyes burned with ancient intelligence—and something else.

Hatred.

Dragon stepped in front of Silvia instinctively, daggers ready. "Well. That's new."

Tarren barely moved, rifle raised, his stance rigid. "What the hell is it?"

The Terran tilted its head, considering them. When it spoke, its voice was deep and resonant, vibrating in Silvia's bones.

"You have trespassed where you do not belong."

Silvia swallowed, keeping her magic at the ready. "And what is this place?" she challenged.

The Terran took a slow step forward, its glowing veins pulsing brighter. "This is the cradle of our kind. The home you stole from us."

Dragon scoffed. "Pretty sure we didn't steal anything. I don't remember humanity being big on underground real estate."

The Terran's gaze flicked to Dragon, its expression unreadable. "You speak with ignorance. You do not know the truth of what lies below."

Silvia clenched her fists. "Then tell me."

The Terran was silent for a moment. Then, with a slow gesture, the cavern around them shifted. The glowing pools brightened, illuminating the ruins of an ancient city—massive spires carved into stone, shattered archways, murals of long-forgotten wars.

Silvia's heart pounded. "What is this place?"

The Terran exhaled. "It was our home. Until the surface-dwellers drove us below."

A Forgotten War

As Silvia's eyes roamed the broken architecture, she noticed intricate carvings on the walls, depicting humanoids with shifting forms, their bodies melding into shadow and flame. She realized they weren't just ruins; they were a record of history.

The Terran extended a clawed hand toward the murals. "Before your ancestors walked above, we ruled both surface and depths. We harnessed magic in ways you cannot comprehend. But humans… they feared what they did not understand. They came with fire, steel, and betrayal."

Dragon glanced at Silvia, brow furrowing. "Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"

Tarren remained silent, rifle still raised.

The Terran's voice deepened, its tone almost sorrowful. "They called us demons. Beasts. But it was not enough to drive us below. They sealed us here. Bound us in darkness. And for centuries, we slumbered. Until the seals began to crack. Until the world above forgot its sins."

Silvia's breath hitched. The recent surge of monsters from below—was it because the Terrans were awakening?

"Wait," she said carefully. "Are you telling me the reason the monsters are attacking… is because of humans?"

The Terran's glowing eyes bored into her. "You live in our prison. You thrive while we rot. What did you think would happen when the gates finally opened?"

Silvia felt a chill crawl up her spine. This wasn't just a battle.

This was a war for survival.

Echoes of the Past

Silvia took a slow step forward, absorbing the depth of the Terran's words. The city surrounding them wasn't just abandoned—it had been razed.

Scorch marks littered the walls, collapsed structures bore deep gashes, and the murals told a story she had never known—of a war where humans wielded magic not unlike her own.

She turned to Dragon, voice hushed. "If what they're saying is true… then history's been rewritten."

Dragon exhaled sharply. "Or erased."

Tarren's voice was tense. "That doesn't mean they get to slaughter everyone. We didn't start this war."

The Terran's gaze locked onto him. "Did you inherit the sins of your fathers? Have you ever reaped the benefits of their conquests?"

Tarren's expression hardened, but he didn't reply.

The Terran took another step forward. "You are quick to deny your responsibility, but what will you do now that you know the truth? Will you allow your people to repeat their mistakes?"

Silvia clenched her fists. "We're here to stop a war. Not repeat it."

The Terran tilted its head, watching her. "Then prove it."

Power Unleashed

Silvia barely had time to react before energy surged around them. The pools of glowing liquid rose, forming writhing tendrils of magic that lashed toward them.

Dragon moved first. Blades flashed, cutting through the tendrils, but for every one that fell, two more rose.

Silvia's instincts screamed. She threw out a wall of fire, but the energy devoured it, absorbing the magic like it was fueling something larger.

Tarren fired his rifle. The bullets struck but did nothing.

The Terran raised its hand, and the darkness closed in.

Silvia gritted her teeth. No. Not like this.

She called on her magic, feeling it surge inside her like an inferno. She had fought monsters, warlords, entire armies.

She wasn't about to lose to a walking corpse with a grudge.

The fire in her veins shifted.

Silvia clenched her fists, feeling something new rise inside her. A force she had never tapped into before. The Terran's gaze snapped to her, and for the first time—

It hesitated.

Dragon noticed. "Oh, you feel that too, don't you?" he taunted, flipping his dagger. "Looks like Silvia's got a surprise."

The power coiled in her chest, like it was waiting to be unleashed. Silvia's pulse raced.

This wasn't just fire.

It was something more.

Something ancient.

The Terran's voice lowered. "You are not like the others."

Silvia didn't wait for an explanation.

She unleashed the power.

Flames erupted, but they weren't just flames. They carried weight, force, burning with something deeper than heat. The cavern trembled, and for the first time, the Terran staggered back.

Silvia felt the power burn through her, raw and unrestrained, but she couldn't stop now.

She wouldn't.

The battle wasn't over.

But for the first time—

The Terrans looked afraid.