Developing - Part 3

Silence settled once more.

UltSans remained still, his expression unreadable, his mind carefully weighing each option.

Mira, as always, stood patiently, her neutral posture unwavering. She was waiting—not just for an answer, but for the moment of decision itself.

Finally, Sans exhaled slowly.

"On one hand, I could go down… but I don’t know what I’d be facing. It’s riskier than I’d like."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"On the other hand, I can’t just leave this unchecked. There’s no telling what might emerge from this hole… or from the secret dungeon below."

His fingers twitched slightly, deep in thought.

He wanted to go in.

But what if he was needed elsewhere?

What if he died before even reaching the bottom?

Or worse—what if whatever lurked below was something even he couldn’t handle?

Then, Mira finally spoke.

"Sir, perhaps you should take your time with this decision. I understand that one scavenger is important, but in the grand scheme of things… it is only one. A sacrifice for the greater good."

Sans’s eyes flickered slightly.

"Each person matters more than you think."

His voice was quieter now, but the weight behind it was undeniable.

"Every life—no matter how small—is another spark of light against the Demon King’s darkness. Even if Silivia depends on me now, anyone could become like me. Or stronger than me."

Mira did not speak.

But something inside her shifted.

She had always seen the world in cold, calculated terms—

Survival. Strategy. Efficiency.

A single sacrifice for the sake of the greater whole was logical.

And yet…

Sans didn’t see it that way.

To him, every single life held weight.

She studied him, watching the way he hesitated, the way he struggled with the decision.

This was a man who had lived longer than kings.

A man who had fought battles others could never dream of.

A man who knew what true sacrifice meant.

And despite it all—he still refused to treat any life as disposable.

For the first time, Mira felt something unfamiliar.

Respect.

Not just admiration for his power.

Not just acknowledgment of his experience.

But respect for the kind of person he was.

Without another word, Sans lifted his hand once more, scrolling through the air.

His shield and sword vanished, replaced by a bow in his grip.

Then—he turned suddenly.

Before Mira could react, Sans moved past her in a blur—his left arm wrapping around her torso, lifting her slightly.

She barely had time to process the action before she was half-carried forward, Sans sprinting with incredible speed.

Then—he stopped.

Without explanation, he let her down, turned on his heel, and raised his bow.

His left arm steadied his aim, while his right hand pulled back the arrow.

At first, it was dim, but within moments, the arrow began to glow—a deep, golden light radiating from its tip.

The glow intensified.

Then—he fired.

The arrow soared through the darkness of the mine, and before reaching its target—it multiplied.

Dozens of golden arrows scattered mid-air, piercing into the cave’s ceiling and walls.

The moment they struck—the entire mine began to shake.

Before the first rocks even fell, Sans had already turned back—grabbing Mira once more.

With one fluid motion, he lifted her again and ran at full speed toward the entrance.

The mine trembled violently behind them, the ground splitting apart, stone cracking and crumbling under the weight of the impact.

Within seconds, they reached the outside—

And just before stepping out—Sans’ armor suddenly vanished.

Mira barely had time to register what had just happened before they were outside, and Sans finally set her down.

They turned back—

And watched as the mine collapsed completely.

A massive cloud of dust and debris rose into the air, the entrance sealed shut beneath the weight of countless fallen rocks.

The threat was buried.

For now.

Sans was breathing heavily, but not exhausted—just slightly winded from the sprint.

Nearby, Garek, Venn, and Dylan quickly approached.

"Did anything happen inside?" Garek asked, his eyes sharp. "Are you two alright?"

Sans exhaled slowly. "Yeah… Nothing important. Not anymore."

Dylan, who had remained quiet up until now, stepped forward, his voice desperate.

"And my friend?"

A pause.

Then—Sans met his gaze.

"...Dead."

Dylan froze.

Sans lowered his head slightly. "I'm sorry."

Then, after a moment, he lifted his gaze again.

"But look at it this way—he saved everyone from a far greater danger inside that mine. If he hadn't fallen in, we wouldn’t have known what was hiding down there."

His voice was steady, but not unfeeling.

"We have to keep going. I'm sure he would have wanted you to grow stronger. To improve."

He took a slow breath before turning.

"Come with me. I'll prepare better gear for you."

Dylan stood motionless, unable to find the right words.

His mind was blank, his emotions a tangled mess of grief, guilt, and disbelief.

Venn, standing beside him, placed a firm hand on his shoulder, offering silent support.

Garek let out a slow sigh before stepping forward.

"Come on, kid." His voice was quieter now, lacking its usual roughness. "Let’s head back."

With that, the group began moving—Sans leading the way, Mira walking at his side, and Garek guiding Dylan forward, assisted by Venn.

The mine was gone.

The danger was buried.

And yet—for some reason, it didn’t feel over.

Deep within the collapsed mine, where the light of the surface had long since vanished, the air was thick with dust and the distant echoes of shifting rock.

The tremors had faded, but the weight of thousands of tons of stone still settled into place, sealing the passage above like the earth itself had decided to swallow him whole.

For a while, there was nothing.

Just silence.

Then—a flicker of movement.

A shallow breath.

Fingers twitching against the cold ground.

Slowly—painfully—Jake's eyes fluttered open.

The darkness was absolute.

For a moment, his mind was blank—numb, disoriented, and drowning in the void of unconsciousness.

His body felt heavy, as if the very air around him was pressing down on his chest, pinning him in place.

Every inch of him ached—his muscles screamed with every tiny movement, and the dull, throbbing pain in his head sent waves of nausea through his skull.

He didn’t know how long he had been down here.

Minutes?

Hours?

Longer?

There was no way to tell.

All he knew was that he was still alive.

For now.

As his awareness slowly returned, so did the hazy fragments of memory.

The mine.

The search for ores.

The crack beneath his feet.

The sudden, gut-wrenching drop.

Jake grimaced, sucking in a breath.

That was when he realized something terrifying.

He couldn’t hear anything above him.

No voices.

No distant shouts.

No sound of movement from the surface.

Only the oppressive silence of the unknown depths.

And the occasional shifting of loose stones, tumbling deeper into the abyss.

He was alone.

Slowly, Jake tried to move his arms, testing for injury.

His left shoulder burned, likely from the impact of the fall, but it wasn’t broken.

His legs still responded, though they felt like lead weights.

Then—his hand brushed against something rough and jagged.

A sharp pain tore through his palm, and he instinctively jerked back, sucking in a breath.

Rocks.

Shards of broken stone surrounded him—some embedded in the ground, some loosely balanced on the edge of tumbling further downward.

Carefully, he shifted his weight, wincing at the soreness in his ribs.

Nothing felt broken… but that didn’t mean he was okay.

Jake exhaled shakily, pushing himself onto his elbows.

That was when he noticed it—

A faint glow, further ahead in the distance.

It wasn’t the light from the mine above.

No—it was coming from below.

A soft, pulsing illumination in the darkness.

Flickering. Alive.

Something was down here with him.

And it was waiting.