For over an hour, Aiden, Mira, and Bone had been making their way forward without encountering a single other adventurer. The traces left by the earlier parties had disappeared long ago. No more footprints in the dust. No abandoned torches. No sword marks carved into the stone. They were alone. Or at least, that was the feeling this place gave. The silence had become almost oppressive. Even the occasional drops of water falling from the ceiling seemed to hesitate before disturbing the stillness.
Ploc.
The sound echoed for several seconds before fading into the depths.
"Do you notice anything?" Mira asked.
The gray stone of the upper corridors had given way to much darker rock. The seams between the blocks were almost invisible, as if the walls had been carved from a single massive slab of stone.
The carvings had changed as well. The human figures were gone. In their place were long geometric symbols. Circles. Interwoven lines. Patterns Aiden couldn't begin to understand.
"It's older," he murmured.
She ran a hand along the wall.
"The upper corridors felt like they belonged to a fortress. Down here... it feels more like a sanctuary."
For the past several minutes, the air had felt different. Colder. But also heavier. Every breath took more effort, as though an invisible weight rested on their shoulders.
Bone came to a stop and slowly raised his head. His silver eye sockets scanned the ceiling. Then the walls. Finally, the corridor ahead.
"What is it?" Aiden asked.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Servant Emotion Detected.
Alert.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
"Did you hear something?"
Mira drew one of her daggers.
"Let's stay on our guard."
They continued forward. The corridors grew wider and wider. The ceiling rose gradually overhead. The walls were no longer perfectly straight. Massive carved columns appeared at regular intervals, their capitals depicting creatures unlike anything Aiden had ever seen. Some had multiple arms. Others bore several skulls.
"Who built this place...?" Aiden whispered.
"I'm starting to wonder the same thing," Mira replied.
"Goblins could never build something like this."
"Do you think they've been living here for a long time?"
"Probably."
She studied the tracks covering the floor.
"But they're definitely not the ones who built these ruins."
At last, the corridor came to an end. Before them stood an enormous stone door. Its two massive halves were slightly ajar. They had to be nearly twenty-five feet tall. Even the statues at the entrance to the ruins looked small in comparison.
"It's enormous," Aiden said.
Mira placed a hand against the stone. A thick layer of dust covered its surface.
"No one has opened this door in a very long time."
"And yet... it's already ajar."
"Yeah..."
She pushed against one of the massive doors, and the ancient stone groaned.
Grrrrrr...
Then... the chamber came into view. Aiden was left speechless. The space stretching out before them was immense. A vast circular hall. Dozens of colossal columns supported a ceiling so high it nearly disappeared into the darkness.
The center of the chamber was completely clear. But that wasn't what immediately drew Aiden's attention. It was the floor. It was covered in bones. Everywhere. Dozens. Maybe hundreds. Human skeletons. Goblin skeletons. The remains of gigantic beasts. They were scattered in complete disarray, as though a great battle had taken place here long ago.
Aiden took a few cautious steps forward. Bones cracked beneath his boots.
Crack.
He stopped at once.
"Sorry..."
"There are so many of them," Mira said.
She crouched beside a human skeleton. The bones were almost pure white. Time had stripped them completely clean. Not a trace of flesh remained. No fabric. No leather. Nothing but the skeleton.
She picked up a metal helmet lying beside the skull. It nearly crumbled apart in her hands.
"It's completely rusted..."
She let the fragments fall. They almost turned to dust the moment they hit the ground.
"This person died a very long time ago."
Aiden looked around. Every piece of equipment was in the same condition. Broken blades. Collapsed shields. Armor reduced to little more than fragments.
"Several centuries..." he murmured.
"At the very least," Mira replied.
She walked over to a much larger skeleton. Its bones were nearly twice as thick as a human's. Two long horns still lay beside its skull.
"I've never seen a species like this," Aiden said as he stepped closer.
"Neither have I."
Bone finally stepped into the chamber. The skeleton stopped the moment it crossed the threshold.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Servant Emotion Detected.
Unease.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Ever since they had entered this part of the ruins, Bone had grown increasingly uneasy. At last, Aiden raised his eyes toward the center of the chamber. Something was wrong. He didn't know what. There were no monsters. No sounds. No visible presence. And yet... the air felt heavier than ever. Every instinct screamed at him to leave this place.
"I don't like this place," Mira murmured.
"Neither do I."
The sound of their footsteps echoed through the chamber.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Then Aiden felt something change. It was subtle. Almost imperceptible. A strange sense of emptiness. As if a constant background noise had suddenly vanished. He stopped dead in his tracks.
"Wait."
"What is it?"
Aiden frowned. Ever since his reincarnation... the system had always been there. Always. Even when it wasn't speaking. Even when no notifications were on display. He could always feel its presence. And now… Nothing. A complete void.
"Mira?" Her voice sounded distant.
Aiden tried to open his status.
"Status."
Nothing.
No window.
Not even a flicker of light.
"Status."
Still nothing.
His heartbeat quickened.
"System."
He waited several seconds.
No response.
Not even a single word.
"Status."
Nothing.
"Display stats."
"Aiden? You're starting to scare me."
He took a slow, deep breath.
"I feel like something's changed."
"What do you mean?"
"It's hard to explain."
"Do you sense a monster?"
"No."
"A trap?"
"Neither."
"Then what is it?"
"I don't know."
That wasn't entirely true. He knew exactly what had disappeared. He just couldn't talk about it. Who would believe him? Bone turned his head toward him. The skeleton seemed to have noticed something as well.
"System."
He tried once more.
Still nothing.
"Answer me..."
Even the familiar mana notifications had vanished. No readings. No notifications. Could the system not enter this place? The thought sent a chill down his spine. Until now, he had almost come to see the system as a natural part of his existence. A constant presence. He had never imagined it could simply disappear. And yet... that was exactly what was happening.
Mira gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey... are you sure you're okay?"
He forced a faint smile.
"Yeah."
"You're a terrible liar."
"You think so?"
"I know so."
She folded her arms.
"Ever since we came in here, you've been staring off into space every thirty seconds."
"I'm just thinking."
"Bad idea. This place already gives you plenty of reasons to become paranoid."
She gestured toward the hundreds of skeletons.
"And if you start imagining things on top of that..."
She left the sentence unfinished. Together, they surveyed the chamber. The bones seemed to be watching them. Of course, it was only an illusion. And yet, the longer Aiden stared into those empty skulls, the more he felt the weight of hundreds of invisible eyes upon them. He gave his head a sharp shake.
"It's nothing."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
He was lying again.
Deep down... a far greater fear was beginning to take root. If the system was gone... then who would protect him now? Until now, he had always had a last resort. A warning. A chance of survival. A difficult choice to make. Today... there was only himself. And the choices he made. They would face every danger without knowing their odds of survival. Aiden tightened his grip on the hilt of his dagger.
"Fine. Then I'll keep going without you."