Bone Whispers

South Korea – Inbound Airspace – March 20, Year 20 A.A.

A sleek, obsidian-black private jet cut through the clouds, its wings humming with quiet energy. It bore no national insignia, only a silver crest—the symbol of The Celestial Order.

Inside, silence reigned.

Each member sat in their designated quarters—reviewing data, preparing weapons, or simply meditating. They had received the emergency call just hours ago: Korean Tower of Annihilation, Floor 36—total communications lost, elite Shadow Eclipse battalions decimated.

Outside, the world was watching.

Drones and news choppers swarmed above Incheon International Airport. Streams across HunterNet spiked in viewership. Commentators whispered like priests before a holy rite.

Commentator A:

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Celestial Order has arrived."

Commentator B:

"If they're being deployed… then this isn't a cleanup. This is a war."

The private jet touched down with a soft roar.

As the boarding ramp extended, heat shimmered around the exit like pressure releasing from another realm.

Then, one by one, they emerged.

Roger Wilson stepped out first, cracking his neck. Flames coiled around his shoulders like a lion's mane.

Roger (smirking to cameras):

"Hope Korea's still standing. Let's go."

Naiomi Sasaki followed, calm as moonlight. Her presence bent gravity around her without effort—loose dust floated midair near her feet.

Naiomi:

"Keep the cameras rolling. History's about to change."

Hestia Roseberg moved silently past them, her twin blades humming, eyes fixed forward.

Martin Saunders descended with a booming step, shield slung across his back like a wall ready to walk into hell.

And finally, Christoff Erickson, levitating slightly, surrounded by translucent psychic sigils. The air cooled in his presence.

Christoff (to the reporters):

"No interviews. No delays. We move now."

Security scrambled to escort them, but they were already airborne—blasting toward the Korean Tower via armored VTOL units.

---

Korean Tower of Annihilation – Exterior Gate – 20 minutes later

The shattered entrance loomed like a ruined cathedral. Debris still smoldered. Emergency flares blinked weakly from fallen hunter squads.

Inside the Tower – Floor 36

Scorch marks and frozen corpses littered the path ahead. Blood-soaked walls pulsed. The air reeked of rot and something older.

Then—they found him.

Jin Kyun Tae, guildmaster of Shadow Eclipse, half-buried beneath debris, coughing blood.

Jin (weakly):

"Christoff… it took everything. My elites, my brother… they're all dead. Kill it. Kill that thing. Please."

Christoff knelt beside him, eyes glowing faintly.

Christoff (firm):

"You have my word. Rest now."

---

The Descent Begins

Deeper into Floor 36, the terrain changed—morphing into something not designed by the tower, but corrupted by something else. Bone trees grew from walls. Red runes pulsed with necrotic rhythms.

Then—a rumble.

The ground burst open.

The creature didn't walk out.

It emerged, dragged from the earth like a memory buried too long.

A stitched colossus—part dragon corpse, part twisted angel, part screaming void. Its skull bore seven jaws, its back layered with cracked wings.

It didn't resemble a dungeon boss.

It looked born of hell itself.

Roger (staring):

"…The hell is that?"

Martin:

"That's not from the Tower."

The battle was instant.

Roger unleashed firestorms. Hestia moved like lightning across bone ridges. Martin blocked crushing blows that cracked the floor. Naiomi crushed limbs beneath impossible gravity wells.

Christoff hovered above—mind rippling like an ocean storm. Bones shattered, tendrils peeled away layers, yet the creature regrew.

Stronger.

Smarter.

Every strike only made it more aware.

Then—it spoke.

Unknown Entity (in chorus of a thousand whispers):

"Dreamers. Fools. The breath awakens beneath. You are late."

The tower dimmed.

Even the Order hesitated.

Christoff (growling):

"No. You won't rise. Not today."

With a final pulse of psychic rage, Christoff crushed the monster's core—imploding it into dust and silence.

---

Silence. Aftermath.

The battlefield went still.

Roger (panting):

"It talked. That thing… it talked."

Hestia:

"And it remembered."

Martin:

"That was no monster. That was a herald."

Naiomi (serious):

"'The breath awakens'… something is beneath these towers."

Christoff stood motionless.

For the first time in years, he looked—concerned.

Christoff:

"Call the others. This is bigger than Korea. The Dreamer must not wake."

The camera drones went silent, too afraid to hover any closer.

Because what had just happened… was not victory.

It was a warning.

---

To be continue…