Descent Into the Unknown
The corridor stretched ahead, its darkness swallowing the faint glow of the rune-covered walls.
Hesperia moved carefully, her breathing slow and controlled. The air was heavier here—thicker, like the dungeon itself was watching them.
Behind her, the others followed.
Ren still clutched his injured side, his steps uneven. The boy stayed close to him, eyes darting to every shadow.
Denzel walked with calculated silence, his blade still drawn.
Mara was the only one who spoke. "This place feels… wrong."
She wasn't wrong.
The deeper they went, the more the ruins changed.
The walls weren't just covered in runes anymore.
Now, they had fractures—deep cracks glowing faintly with unstable energy.
Hesperia's pulse quickened.
This wasn't just some buried part of the dungeon.
It was something beneath it.
Something never meant to be uncovered.
She pressed a hand against the nearest crack.
A faint vibration ran through her fingertips, as if the entire place was… breathing.
[System Error: Environmental Instability Detected]
[Unknown Structure Identified – Data Fragment Missing]
Her gut twisted.
The System didn't recognize this place.
Or worse—
It was trying to forget it.
The tunnel finally opened into a vast underground chamber.
They stopped at the threshold, taking in the impossible sight before them.
This wasn't just a continuation of the ruins.
It was a place of metal and stone fused together, forming massive archways and twisted pillars.
Unlike the dungeon above—this structure was far older, built with precision that shouldn't exist.
Mara exhaled sharply. "This doesn't look like it was made by Players."
"It wasn't," Denzel said quietly.
Hesperia stepped forward, scanning the room.
The walls weren't worn down like the ruins above.
They were scarred.
Like something had tried to erase this place, but failed.
At the heart of the chamber stood a massive, ancient carving embedded into the far wall.
It stretched from floor to ceiling, its surface covered in intricate, spiraling symbols.
Some of the markings resembled System code.
Others… didn't.
Hesperia's gaze locked onto the center of the carving—
A massive, faded emblem.
A symbol she didn't recognize—but somehow felt familiar.
Her pulse quickened.
She reached out.
The moment her fingers brushed the surface—
[Data Fragment Detected]
[Attempting Reconstruction…]
A sharp jolt ran through her body.
Then—
A vision.
A place bathed in sterile white light.
Not ruins.
Not a dungeon.
A facility.
Dozens of figures worked at floating interfaces, their faces blurred, their voices a distant echo.
"The system is incomplete."
"We cannot stabilize the fractures. Every iteration collapses faster than the last."
"We need a failsafe."
The voices faded.
The world fractured.
And then—
Hesperia was back.
She staggered, breathing hard.
The chamber spun for a moment before settling.
The carving was still in front of her, unchanged.
The others hadn't seen what she had.
But Denzel had noticed her reaction. "What happened?"
Hesperia hesitated.
Her fingers twitched against her palm.
The System wasn't just adapting.
It had been built on something broken.
Something that had failed before.
And she had no idea what that meant.
So, instead of answering, she took a slow breath and said,
"We need to keep moving."
Denzel watched her for a moment, then nodded.
No more questions.
For now.
But Hesperia knew.
Something in this place was waiting for them.
And this time—
There would be no escape.