The Guanlet of the Lost

Training had rules. This didn't.

Eris had come in for mind and emotional resilience training, expecting the usual—train, listen to lessons, then end the session with a dungeon crystal. Painful, yes. Dangerous, always. But at least predictable.

This wasn't.

She knew that all training in this game could lead to death, but this felt different. Off.

**Flashback**

Eris stood with Ash, facing Saria, whose expression remained unreadable.

"You've used Dungeon Crystals before," Saria said, arms crossed. "You know the drill—you fight, you win, you get stronger. Predictable. Safe. But that kind of training breeds weakness."

Eris frowned. "Weakness? We survived every dungeon you threw at us."

"Survival isn't mastery," Saria shot back. "What happens when the rules stop working? When there's no system to hand you progress? That's what we're fixing today."

She gestured behind her, where an obsidian shard floated midair, crackling with unstable energy. Unlike the controlled glow of Dungeon Crystals, this thing looked... wrong.

"The Gauntlet of the Lost doesn't reward you," Saria continued. "It doesn't care if you live. You'll go in, and either you adapt, or you don't come back. It's what you learnt on your own that matters anyway "

Eris and Ash exchanged a glance.

"Why not just stick with Dungeon Crystals?" Eris asked, arms folded.

Saria smirked, like she'd been waiting for that question. " I believe dungeon Crystals are a lie designed to cause you to believe you've got it all figured out. They give you controlled challenges, but life doesn't work like that. The game doesn't work like that. The Gauntlet forces you to stop thinking like a player and start thinking like a survivor."

Ash exhaled. "So that's your version of a mind resilience test."

"Exactly," Saria nodded. "Your biggest enemy in this guanlet won't be the cold, the echoes, or even the time distortions. It'll be your own mind. If you cling to what you think is real, you'll break. If you rely too much on your abilities, you'll burn out. The only way to win is to adapt faster than the Gauntlet can destroy you."

**Flashback ends**

Eris swallowed. She was used to clear objectives—kill this, solve that, escape before the time runs out. But this? It sounded like being thrown into chaos with no way out.

Ash straightened. "Alright. What's the setup?"

Saria lifted her hand. The obsidian shard pulsed, and the space around them shuddered.

"The Gauntlet isn't a dungeon," she said. "It's a living place. A memory that should've faded, but never did. It's called Eterna, the City of the Lost. Once you enter, you'll understand why."

The ground split open. Shadows bled outward, swallowing their feet before they could react.

"Survive," was the last thing Saria said before the world vanished.

---

Day 1 – Arrival in Eterna

Eris barely had time to brace before she hit the ground, the impact rattling through her bones. Ice cracked beneath her palms, the cold sinking deep. She pushed herself up, breath fogging in the air.

Eterna stretched before them—silent, frozen, wrong.

Ash landed beside her with a muffled grunt. He scanned the ruins, sharp-eyed despite the shock.

Then—footsteps.

Soft. Deliberate. Just behind them.

They turned. Nothing. Only the shattered remains of an ancient, ice-bound city.

Eris exhaled slowly and glanced at the ice walls around them. Her reflection wasn't right. It moved just a second too late—then shifted.

For a moment, she saw herself differently: blood on her hands. A flickering afterimage of something she hadn't done—yet.

Ash's reflection was worse. Older. Wounded. Wrapped in a heavy cloak. His jaw tensed before he turned away.

He lifted a hand, reaching for time—but the distortions resisted. A ripple of energy pulsed out, and the city pushed back. Time slipped through his grasp like sand.

Eris traced a stabilizing sigil on the ground—then blinked.

It was gone.

She inhaled sharply. "It's rejecting us."

Ash flexed his fingers. "No. It's testing us."

The wind howled through the ruins, a sharp reminder that they couldn't stay exposed. The cold wasn't just freezing—it gnawed at their bones, dulling thought and movement.

Ash motioned ahead. "There. The bridge."

An old, half-collapsed bridge stretched toward what looked like a cathedral. Some of its supports were broken, ice hanging in jagged shards.

It was a risk. But staying out here was worse.

They moved carefully. The ice groaned beneath their boots, brittle and treacherous. Halfway across, Eris nearly lost her footing when a crack split through the surface. Ash caught her wrist, steadying her. Neither spoke.

When they finally made it to the cathedral ruins, they pressed inside. The air was still freezing, but at least they had walls. A place to think.

The footsteps hadn't stopped.

They just weren't behind them anymore.

---

Nightfall in Eterna

The cold deepened, creeping through their clothes, leeching warmth from their bodies. Shelter wasn't enough—they needed a way to stay alive.

The cathedral was mostly intact, though time had worn it down. A section near the altar was still stable, its walls thick enough to block the worst of the wind. It would have to do.

Eris ran her fingers over the ice-coated stone, carving a quick sigil to mark their space. Ash checked the perimeter—no moving shadows, no whispering echoes.

For now, it was safe.

Eating snow would only make them colder. Eris sketched a heat sigil on a slab of ice, watching as it melted into a shallow pool of water. They drank in silence, careful not to waste the little warmth it provided.

They had no fire, but layering their clothes and huddling against the stone helped.

Neither had much of an appetite, but hunger would be dangerous later. They each took a small portion of dried rations—just enough to keep their energy up.

Ash eyed the streets outside. "We'll need more than this soon."

Eris nodded. The thought of hunting in a place like this wasn't appealing, but they didn't have a choice.

They couldn't risk sleeping at the same time. The city was unpredictable.

Ash leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "You first. I'll wake you in a few hours."

Eris hesitated, then settled in, keeping her back to the wall. Sleep wouldn't come easy. The cold pressed in, relentless.

Still, she forced her eyes shut.

They had survived the first day.

That was enough.

For now.

---