"In The Obelisk"

Helwin exhaled sharply, adjusting his glasses as he looked around the dim, rune-lit corridor.

"Well, now what?"

Audaxor glanced behind them. The exit was still blocked by the red-eyed golem. "We need to find another way out."

"There's only one way," Bezkon said, nodding toward the path ahead. "And it's forward."

Jovino squinted. "Can anyone make some light? It's too dark here."

Shin'ō tilted his head. "Well, it's not pitch black thanks to the runes. Can't you see them glowing?"

Helwin shrugged. "He doesn't have night vision like us."

"Let me handle it," Audaxor said, stepping forward. A soft whoosh followed as a warm, orange flame hovered above his hand, illuminating the space with flickering light.

Bezkon squinted. "This enough?"

Shin'ō gave a small nod. "Should be. Let's move."

They continued forward, the walls tightening around them like the throat of some ancient beast. The corridor eventually opened into a massive, circular chamber. As Audaxor lifted his hand higher, the flame danced across the cavernous space, revealing worn stone tiles and walls lined with forgotten engravings.

The room appeared empty.

In the center stood a staircase, curling upward like a beckoning finger. The group exchanged looks.

"No traps, hopefully," Bezkon muttered.

"Hopefully," Audaxor echoed with a smirk.

At the top of the stairs, they reached a colossal arena. In its center sat a single pedestal, and atop it burned a steady blue flame.

They approached cautiously.

The moment Shin'ō stepped within arm's reach, the flame flared. Its color shifted violently from calm blue to vibrant, chaotic red.

The floor rumbled.

Monsters began appearing one after another—crawling, leaping, snarling as if summoned from the very walls. The arena began to crack and crumble.

"We need to find an escape route!" Jovino shouted, panic edging into his voice.

"Look up!" Bezkon pointed. "There's a room above us! But there's no way to reach it!"

"Jovino! Use your earth powers!" Audaxor ordered, already gathering fire in his palm. "Helwin, Bezkon, Shin'ō—we're holding the monsters off! I'll light the path!"

"Formation!" Shin'ō ordered.

With practiced timing, Jovino slammed his palms to the ground. The stone beneath them rumbled and lifted, forming a moving platform toward the upper chamber.

Below, the monsters clawed and piled over one another, desperate to reach them. Helwin conjured icicles and hurled them like javelins. Bezkon unleashed bolts of lightning, and Shin'ō fired spirit bullets that burst through enemy lines.

"Jump!" Jovino shouts. "I can't keep this up!"

One by one, they leapt into the upper chamber. The moment the last foot left the platform, the arena below collapsed with a deafening roar.

They moved forward quickly, only to find themselves at a crossroads—three separate tunnels lay ahead.

"Which way?" Bezkon asked.

Before anyone could decide, the ceiling cracked. Then it collapsed.

Dust and rock exploded outward, and the group was split.

Audaxor and Helwin fell into the left corridor. Bezkon and Jovino were pushed into the right. Shin'ō alone was forced straight ahead into the central path.

Left Corridor

Helwin brushed debris off his coat. "Will they be alright?"

Audaxor ignited another flame and nodded. "They will. We just need to find a way back to them."

Right Corridor

Jovino's voice echoed off the walls. "We're gonna die!"

"Shut up." Bezkon cracked his knuckles. "We just need to find a way to join them."

Middle Corridor

Shin'ō stood alone. The air here was different—heavier, suffocating. The rune glow was dimmer.

"Well, I'm all alone now," he muttered. "The duo of flaming frost and the duo of electric earth are separated. I just need to find a way to join them."

But then he froze.

From the end of his corridor, he felt it—a powerful, piercing presence...

At the ends of the left and right corridors, something stirred. Glowing eyes blinked open in the shadows, deep and dark.

And in the center path, Shin'ō ste

pped toward his fate, unaware that what awaited him was something far beyond a mere monster...