The ground trembled beneath Kentro’s feet.
Not with the violence of an earthquake, but with a slow, rhythmic pulse… as though something enormous was breathing beneath the stone.
Kentro stood at the foot of the rocky mountain where the old woman claimed the Maze Village existed.
Yet there was nothing.
No houses.
No people.
No smoke.
No sign of life.
Only endless gray stone stretching beneath a dim crimson sky.
“…Did she lie to me?”
His crimson eyes scanned the area carefully.
Then he felt it again.
THUMP.
THUMP.
THUMP.
Slower than a heartbeat.
Deeper.
Older.
The tiny cracks beneath his boots vibrated with each pulse, almost as if the earth itself were alive.
Kentro slowly stepped back, one hand instinctively moving toward the hilt of his black sword.
Then—
The ground opened.
The stone split apart in eerie silence, revealing a narrow spiral passage descending into darkness.
A strange black mist rose from below like liquid smoke.
Yet instead of swallowing the light…
It pulled the light toward itself.
Kentro stared into the abyss.
No end.
No sound.
Only an unnatural silence pressing against his ears.
“…Of course it’s underground.”
Without hesitation, he stepped forward.
And disappeared into the darkness.
The descent was shorter than expected.
After several minutes, a pale blue glow slowly appeared beneath him.
Cold light.
Not fire.
Not sunlight.
Something stranger.
Kentro narrowed his eyes as the underground world finally revealed itself.
A village.
Not a ruined cave…
But an entire civilization carved into the heart of the mountain itself.
Black stone houses lined layered pathways connected by hanging bridges.
Rivers of shimmering silver water flowed quietly between the structures like glowing veins.
And at the center of it all stood an enormous spiral-shaped structure resembling a giant shell.
Ancient symbols covered its walls.
Symbols Kentro had never seen before.
He remained motionless at the entrance.
The village was alive.
Children ran between narrow streets.
Merchants spoke quietly beneath hanging lanterns.
Strange animals wandered freely through the pathways.
Yet something felt deeply wrong.
The people.
Their eyes.
Their presence.
Some possessed silver irises.
Others looked entirely human.
But every single one of them carried an unsettling aura.
And when they looked at Kentro…
None of them appeared surprised.
Almost as if they had expected him.
“…You finally arrived.”
A calm female voice interrupted his thoughts.
Kentro turned immediately.
A young woman stood several meters away wearing a pale gray robe.
Long black braided hair rested over one shoulder, while her sharp eyes carried a strange age hidden beneath their calmness.
Behind her stood two tall men dressed in dark clothing, silent as shadows.
“Who are you?” Kentro asked cautiously.
“My name is Elara,” she replied calmly.
“Guardian of the Maze Village.”
Her gaze slowly moved toward his sword.
“And you… are someone who was never supposed to find this place.”
Kentro’s hand tightened slightly around his weapon.
“I’m searching for answers.”
Elara’s lips curved faintly.
“Everyone who comes here is.”
She stepped closer.
“But very few survive long enough to obtain them.”
For several seconds, silence lingered between them.
Then she continued:
“If you wish to remain here, you will follow the rules.”
“No fighting.”
“No threatening the villagers.”
“And if you break those rules…”
“The village itself will judge you.”
Kentro said nothing.
Yet his instincts screamed relentlessly.
Something beneath this village felt ancient.
Watching.
Breathing.
The symbols carved across the walls were not decorations.
They felt alive.
Elara suddenly spoke again.
“You seek the Eye of Shadows.”
Kentro’s eyes narrowed instantly.
“And you killed the Catastrophe Bat alone.”
Silence.
“And…”
Her gaze locked onto him.
“You are not entirely human.”
For the first time since entering the village—
Kentro looked genuinely surprised.
“…How do you know my name?”
Elara smiled faintly.
“We possess eyes everywhere.”
“And ears.”
The two silent men behind her stepped forward slightly.
One of them spoke in a low voice:
“He carries the scent of the ancient dragon.”
The second added:
“And a heart untouched by fear.”
Kentro’s expression darkened immediately.
“What did you say?”
Neither answered.
Instead, Elara turned away calmly.
“The leader will decide whether you are worthy of the truth.”
She began walking.
Then stopped briefly.
“If you fail…”
Her voice lowered slightly.
“You will leave this place and never find it again.”
Without another word, she disappeared deeper into the village alongside the two shadow-like men.
Kentro remained alone.
Surrounded by silent eyes.
By strange whispers.
By the overwhelming sensation that this place knew more about him than he knew about himself.
He exhaled slowly.
“…Then let the test begin.”
Suddenly—
He moved.
Not toward the village.
But toward one of the shadows disappearing between the narrow alleys.
Kentro shot forward like an arrow.
His fist struck toward the man’s head instantly.
But the man reacted just as quickly.
Their arms collided violently, sending a sharp shockwave through the alley.
Kentro slid backward slightly.
The man remained completely still.
“…Fast,” the stranger admitted calmly.
“But still reckless.”
Kentro attacked again.
Faster.
More brutal.
The two exchanged blows faster than ordinary eyes could follow.
A punch.
A dodge.
A counter.
Stone cracked beneath their feet as the narrow alley trembled from the pressure alone.
Yet strangely—
The man never attacked directly.
He only defended.
Only observed.
Kentro’s eyes narrowed.
“…Why aren’t you fighting back?”
“Because killing you would be easy.”
The answer came coldly.
“I’m only interested in what hides inside you.”
Kentro’s expression darkened instantly.
He leapt upward and spun violently midair, delivering a crushing kick toward the stranger’s skull.
The man ducked beneath it smoothly, grabbed Kentro’s leg with one hand, and slammed him into the stone ground.
Dust exploded across the alley.
Kentro rose immediately.
But before he could move again—
A new voice echoed behind them.
“That’s enough.”
Everything stopped.
The stranger immediately stepped backward respectfully.
Kentro slowly turned.
A tall man approached from the darkness.
Black robes.
Eyes darker than night itself.
Not cold.
Not angry.
Empty.
Yet impossibly heavy.
The pressure surrounding him alone made the air feel denser.
The shadow warrior lowered his head instantly.
“My apologies, Leader.
I merely wished to test him.”
“The test is over.”
The command was calm.
But absolute.
The man vanished immediately.
Silence filled the alley.
The newcomer slowly approached Kentro.
“I am Idris.”
His voice was low and controlled.
“Leader of the Eye of Shadows.”
Kentro stared at him silently.
Idris continued:
“I witnessed your battle against the Catastrophe Bat.”
“I witnessed your strange power.”
“And I witnessed…”
His eyes sharpened slightly.
“The dragon hidden inside you.”
Kentro froze.
“…Dragon?”
“Of course you don’t understand.”
Idris sighed quietly.
“No one ever told you the truth.”
He stepped aside slightly and gestured toward the deeper parts of the underground village.
“This place is older than kingdoms.”
“Older than empires.”
“Older than the wars consuming this world.”
“We preserve truths humanity was never meant to uncover.”
His gaze locked directly onto Kentro.
“And you…”
“…are connected to one of them.”
Silence crushed the space between them.
Kentro could barely process the weight of those words.
The black book.
The strange power.
The crimson eyes.
The voices.
The monsters.
Everything suddenly felt connected somehow.
Idris slowly extended one hand toward him.
“Join us.”
“And I will show you the truth.”
Kentro stared at the offered hand silently.
“…And if I refuse?”
For the first time—
A faint sadness appeared in Idris’s eyes.
“Then you will leave this place.”
“You will spend the rest of your life searching for answers you will never find.”
“And eventually…”
His voice grew quieter.
“The world itself will begin hunting you.”
A long silence followed.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
Then finally—
Kentro raised his hand.
And gripped Idris’s firmly.
“…I’m in.”
A faint smile crossed Idris’s face.
“Good.”
He turned toward the deeper pathways of the Maze Village.
“Then let us begin.”
Kentro frowned slightly.
“Begin what?”
Idris did not answer immediately.
Instead, he stared toward the glowing silver river flowing beneath the village.
The water pulsed softly with ancient blue light.
Then finally—
He spoke.
“…We’re going to the Spring of Truth.”
Kentro’s brows narrowed.
“…The spring?”
“What spring?”
But Idris simply continued walking into the glowing underground city.
And somewhere deep beneath the Maze Village…
Something ancient began to awaken.
To Be Continued…