The Horror Beneath Dunehaven - 1

The wind howled past his ears, darkness swallowing him whole. The pit stretched deeper than it seemed, its jagged walls flashing by in rapid streaks. His body plummeted, weightless, but his mind—

His mind yanked him back.

Back to the inn.

Max spoke, tired and distant.

"You know…"

Max yawned, rubbing his eyes.

"I was afraid of this." His voice, usually light, had a sharper edge.

"I don't know exactly how your speed works, but I think it's messing with your body."

Ash blinked against the pull of sleep.

"Messing how?"

Max's gaze sharpened, despite the exhaustion hanging on him.

"I think… you're aging faster the more you use it."

The words hit harder than any punch.

Ash forced himself upright.

"What? That's not—"

"Now's not the time to argue,"

Max cut in, voice firm.

"Right now, we need that speed of yours."

Ash met his gaze. Even through the haze, Max was serious.

"Activate your ability right before you sleep," Max said, his voice quieter, the exhaustion creeping in.

"Maybe… it'll make you fall asleep faster…"

Ash hesitated.

"And if it—"

A soft snore answered him. Kael had already succumbed to the weight of sleep.

Max exhaled, his breath slow.

"If you don't do this… we might all die."

Ash's stomach twisted. His mind snapped into focus, the decision solidifying in his chest.

He activated his ability.

"[Activating skill: phantom's stride]"

The world twisted into a blur—his pulse surged through him—and then—

Blackness.

And now, as he tumbled through the abyss, memories folding with the present—

Ash's mind pulsed with one thought.

'I guess he was right.'

The words barely formed before something else surfaced—a memory, sharp and clear.

[Phantom's Stride]

Type: Active Skill

Category: Empowerment

Skill Description:

A technique that severs the chains of time. The world slows to a crawl while the user moves like a ghost—untouchable, unseen. To others, they are but a flickering shadow, striking before their presence is even registered.

Burden:

To walk the phantom's path is to unravel an unseen thread of life. Each use steals something irreplaceable—slow at first, inevitable in time. No shadow escapes the price of stretching too far.

Ash's breath left him in a soft hiss. His fingers curled into fists.

'So that's what the burden means.'

No time to hesitate.

No choice.

He activated the ability again.

"[Activating skill: phantom's stride]"

The world twisted.

The air thickened, turning sluggish, syrup-like. Sound stretched, warping into something distant, something unreal. His heartbeat slowed, but his body—his body was weightless.

Time shattered into fragments.

Ash twisted midair, boots scraping against the pit wall. With the fluid grace of a shadow, he pushed off, his momentum carrying him downward like a streak of darkness cleaving through the void.

That's when he saw Kael.

His brother drifted below—limbs limp, body exposed, vulnerable.

Ash's pulse surged. His muscles screamed under the strain, but he ignored the burn. He forced his legs to move, vision narrowing on Kael's collar.

Almost there.

Now.

His fingers closed around fabric.

Time snapped back.

The impact was deafening. His body slammed against the stone. Bones jolted, lungs crushed as the force sent a violent tremor through him.

He held on.

"[vein energy 75%]"

Breathing hard, Ash lifted his head. His surroundings snapped into focus.

And his breath caught in his chest.

Bones.

Everywhere.

Pale remnants of the dead sprawled across the cavern floor, stretching out into the shadows. Some were shattered, brittle, while others remained eerily intact, as though untouched by time.

Skulls—too small, too delicate—stared up at him, hollow eyes like silent witnesses to something unforgivable.

A sickness twisted in his gut. His breath hitched, but he couldn't pull away. Not from the truth that hit him like a punch to the stomach.

These weren't the remains of warriors.

They were children.

A dull ringing filled his ears. His stomach churned, and though he wanted to look away, he couldn't.

This wasn't just a sacrifice.

It was a system. A ritual.

A routine.

The air grew heavy.

A deep, guttural tremor rumbled beneath him, rolling over Ash's skin like a distant quake. Dust trickled from the ceiling, and the sand shifted as though something—something massive—was stirring beneath the surface.

Then came a sound.

A deep, wet hiss.

Like something breathing—something alive.

Ash's grip on Kael tightened. His instincts flared, but he already knew.

They weren't alone.

The darkness in front of him wasn't empty. It moved.

A slow, sickening shift—barely noticeable at first. The cavern walls seemed to undulate, shadows stretching, twisting, and taking form.

Then, from the abyss, it emerged.

First came the head—if it could even be called that.

A gaping, circular hole, lined with layers of teeth that spiraled inward like a vortex of jagged needles. Flesh around the maw pulsed, twitching, as thick, black saliva dripped from the tips of its fangs. Each drop hit the ground with a hiss, eating through the brittle bones scattered below.

Then came the rest.

A massive body, segmented like an insect's, its armor a rough, sand-colored plating. The ridges of its exoskeleton jutted out in unnatural angles, like something formed from the stone itself. Its length stretched out beyond the darkness, disappearing into the cavern's endless depths.

And it was still moving.

Slithering—slow and deliberate.

The ground trembled beneath its weight, each movement sending a sickening ripple through the earth and into Ash's bones.

Then the smell.

Rot.

Not just decay, but something ancient—something festering.

Ash's stomach clenched. The air was thick with it, suffocating, clinging to his lungs.

This wasn't a beast. This was a gravekeeper.

A predator that had fed on the remains of countless others.

The creature let out a low, guttural growl, a sound so deep and hollow that it felt like the cavern itself was exhaling. The force of it ruffled Ash's clothes and sent an avalanche of dust and bones down from the ceiling.

It knew they were there.

Ash's breath hitched.

His mind screamed for an escape, but there was none. The walls stretched on forever, the only way out blocked by the thing between them and freedom.

Then the worm lunged.

BOOM.

The ground exploded beneath him.

A shockwave of dust and shattered bone erupted outward, cracks tearing through the cavern floor like a wound.

Ash blurred to the side—just in time.

The creature's massive maw collided with the ground where he'd been, splitting the earth beneath its weight. Spiraling fangs snapped shut on empty space, the sickly hiss of its saliva sizzling against the exposed stone.

Ash didn't have time to react before it struck again.

A second lunge—faster.

The air pressure hit him like a tidal wave, the worm's bulk snapping forward, its force shaking the entire cavern.

"[Activating skill: phantom's stride]"

Ash disappeared.

Or at least, that's what it seemed like.

His form flickered between the dust, a shadow slipping through the seams of reality. The worm attacked again, each missed strike sending violent tremors that cracked the walls, sending bone shards flying like deadly confetti.

The cavern shuddered, its foundation groaning as deep fissures split open.

Ash moved on pure instinct, darting between the creature's strikes. His lungs burned, muscles screamed, every flicker of movement tearing at him—but he didn't stop.

He couldn't stop.

Because Kael was still in his arms.

And he wasn't waking up.

"Wake up, dammit!" Ash growled, shaking Kael.

Nothing.

The idiot was still out cold.

Then, a sharp whistle.

Not a sound—more like a warning.

Ash dropped low as the worm's tail came crashing down with the force of a falling mountain. The air snapped, bones and debris exploding outward in every direction.

The shockwave slammed into Ash's back, almost sending him tumbling forward.

No more dodging.

This thing wasn't stopping.

He needed space.

Now.

Ash pivoted and bolted toward the wall.

His boots slammed against the stone, his body propelled upward, each step a blur as the cavern stretched beneath him. He climbed higher, higher—until the air grew thinner, and the chaos below became a distant, writhing nightmare.

At the peak of his climb, he kicked off.

The rock shattered beneath his feet, cracks splintering outward as he shot into the air.

Suspended in the void, he twisted mid-flight.

His gaze locked onto the abyss below.

And the horror waiting for him there.

The worm's body coiled beneath him, moving with eerie calm.

Ash's stomach churned.

This thing wasn't in a rush. It wasn't panicking. It was waiting.

Studying him.

Like a predator savoring the moments before its final strike.

A chill crept through his veins.

Ash gritted his teeth.

'How the hell am I supposed to fight something this big while carrying a dead weight? Come on, Kael, wake up. Now.'

Then, a flicker of movement.

Kael's eyes snapped open.

For a moment, there was only confusion.

Kael's gaze snapped around, his pupils widening as the world blurred. The wind howled past his ears, the cavern walls flickering in streaks of shadow and stone. His body felt weightless, his limbs caught in freefall.

Then, his eyes landed on Ash.

Holding him.

Like a damn princess.

Kael's breath caught in his throat.

Then—

"LET GO OF ME!"

Ash smirked, and did exactly that.

Kael barely had time to react before the warmth around him vanished.

The sudden rush of gravity twisted his stomach, pulling him down. His arms flailed, panic rising in his chest. The cavern swallowed him whole, wind tearing at his clothes, heart hammering against his ribs.

Instinct kicked in.

Kael twisted mid-air, forcing control back into his fall. His breathing steadied, though the shock still lingered, his pulse surging through his veins.

Above him, Ash hovered—arms crossed, a smug grin stretching across his face.

Kael's blood boiled.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" he snapped, still gasping for air.

Ash didn't answer.

He just pointed down.

Kael followed his gaze—

And his breath caught in his chest.

Below them, the darkness shifted.

A mountain of flesh and armor moved in the abyss, its ridged form slithering with an eerie, calculated grace. The cavern trembled under its weight, every movement sending shockwaves through the void.

Then—its maw twitched.

Rows of serrated fangs glistened in the dim light, still wet with the remains of its last meal. The air thickened with the stench of rot, crawling up Kael's throat like poison.

His stomach churned.

His pulse thundered in his ears.

"Where… are we?"

His voice was hoarse, barely a whisper.

Ash's smirk deepened.

"Hell."

The worm shifted.

And the darkness lunged.