Echoes of the Past
Denzel moved fast, blocking the creature's next attack with his blade. Sparks flew as metal met something not quite solid.
The impact forced him back, boots scraping against the ancient stone.
"It's not just fast," he gritted out. "It's unstable."
The creature twitched, its form glitching in and out of focus.
Its shape wasn't fixed.
Like the System hadn't finished constructing it yet.
Like it was still… learning.
Hesperia felt a chill creep up her spine.
This thing wasn't natural.
It wasn't like the other dungeon monsters.
It was something the System had been building.
Something unfinished.
And now it had a chance to perfect itself—by testing them.
The creature moved again.
Denzel barely dodged its next strike, his movements precise, controlled.
Mara recovered quickly, circling the thing's flank, daggers drawn.
Hesperia stayed back, mind racing.
Fighting it head-on wasn't working. They needed to figure out what it was.
Her eyes flicked to the glowing runes on the walls—the ones she had touched before the thing woke up.
The carvings…
They weren't warnings.
They were instructions.
She sucked in a sharp breath. "Keep it busy!"
Mara shot her a look. "What the hell do you think we're doing?!"
Hesperia ignored her, rushing toward the nearest wall.
Her hands skimmed over the ancient symbols, heart pounding.
The moment her fingers made contact—
[Data Entry Recovered – Chronos System Prototype Log]
[Version: Unstable]
[Status: Incomplete – Lacks Core Stabilization]
Her breath caught.
This thing was never meant to be active.
It was a failed project—a prototype of something far worse.
And if it was incomplete…
That meant there was a way to stop it.
Hesperia's gaze snapped back to the fight.
"Hit it while it's phasing!" she shouted. "That's when it's weakest!"
Denzel didn't hesitate.
He adjusted his stance, waiting—watching.
The creature glitched, its form flickering in and out of stability.
That was when he struck.
His blade cut deep into its unstable form.
The creature let out a sound—somewhere between a scream and a system error.
Its body convulsed. Twitched. Began to collapse in on itself.
Then—
It vanished.
Not like it died.
Like it had been deleted.
Like the System had given up on stabilizing it.
Silence.
The only sound was their heavy breathing.
Mara exhaled, rolling her shoulders. "That… was awful."
Denzel lowered his sword. "At least now we know."
Hesperia's grip tightened against the wall.
They knew one thing, yes.
But there was something else—something worse.
The System wasn't just adapting to her.
It was building new things to deal with her.
And next time?
It wouldn't be a failure.
Ren groaned from where he was leaning against a pillar. "Please tell me we're done with this place."
The young boy, still wide-eyed, nodded. "Can we leave now?"
Denzel glanced at Hesperia. "Where's the exit?"
Hesperia turned toward the far end of the corridor.
The path ahead was open now—a long, dark tunnel stretching downward.
Something waited for them beyond it.
Something worse.
But right now…
They had no other choice.
She took a deep breath. "Let's go."
And together, they walked deeper into the ruins.