2

Dust still hung thick in the air, clinging to my lungs with every breath. My heart hadn’t slowed since the cave-in, every rumble of shifting stone made me flinch.

Cries echoed in the tunnel, sharp and desperate.

I turned and froze. Two miners who had been closest to the collapse were half-buried, dragging themselves forward with bloodied hands. Their legs were mangled, pinned and crushed before they could get clear. Now, their arms trembled with the effort of pulling their bodies across the floor.

“Stones… healing stones… please…” one croaked, coughing blood.

The other reached out, fingers clawing the dust, eyes rolling with pain. They weren’t walking out of here, not ever. But desperation makes people believe in miracles.

I took a step back.

I felt cold, rough fingers latching onto my leg. I looked down. The miner’s grip shook with weakness, but his eyes locked onto mine, pleading. My throat went dry.

I thought about today's labour. I had Healing Stones. Not many. Not enough. Every one of them mattered.

My stomach twisted. I wanted to help. I wanted to shove a stone into his hand and tell him it would be okay. But I knew the truth. Down here, mercy could mean your own death.

“Keep moving!” someone shouted ahead. A cluster of miners further down were yelling that the opposite tunnels might lead to an exit. Deeper into the earth, risking more collapse, but it was the only chance.

My vision blurred for a moment. Tears. I clenched my jaw.

“Sorry…” I whispered, barely a breath.

I pried his hand off my leg. His cracked nails scraped my skin as his grip slipped. I turned, forcing my legs to move, each step heavier than the last. His cries followed me, along with the other’s ragged voice.

I didn’t look back. Couldn’t.

With a teary eye, I followed the others deeper, leaving the injured behind in the dark.

We moved deeper into the tunnels, each step heavier than the last. Dust hung like a fog, thick and choking, clinging to my lungs, making every breath a labor. The stale metallic tang of stone and sweat mixed with the acrid scent of fear, and it settled deep in my throat. Every miner’s footstep echoed eerily, bouncing off the walls, reminding me that the Bottom had no mercy.

“You said there’s an exit up ahead,” the older miner muttered, voice raw and tight. He looked thirty, maybe more, all lean muscle and scars. “Been walking for an hour. Nothing but dead ends.”

I said nothing, my hands brushing the wall for balance. Every footfall reminded me the tunnels weren’t stable. Every rock overhead seemed poised to collapse.

And then we rounded a bend, and my stomach dropped.

The passage was blocked. Tons of stone lay crumbled across the floor, piled high like the bones of the dead. Dust rose in ghostly clouds, choking and thick. The air was thin; every breath came with a rasp, a sharp claw against my lungs. No light flickered beyond the rubble, no movement, only silence.

And then… it glimmered.

A small shard of impossibility on the jagged pile. Not a Healing Stone. Not a Vitality Stone. Not an Impact Stone. Something else.

“By the heavens…” someone breathed, already lunging forward.

I froze. My mind caught fire with disbelief and awe.

'An Ascension Stone.'

Even buried beneath the rubble, it gleamed like a sliver of night sky. Black as obsidian, yet flecked with silver sparks that winked and shimmered, catching every scrap of light. Its beauty was almost obscene against the chaos surrounding it.

Then the madness hit.

Miners surged forward, shoving and clawing like cornered animals. Dust erupted in clouds with every scuffle. A fist landed in someone’s gut; he doubled over, wheezing. A pick swung in desperation, connecting with the back of a man’s head.

He fell, blood and dust mixing into a brown smear on the stones. Another miner’s shoulder slammed into the wall; he slid down, eyes wide with panic and pain.

I could hear my own heart thumping in my ears as the chaos unfolded, each shout and grunt echoing like a drumbeat in the tight tunnel. Men clawed over one another, kicking, shoving, and screaming. Dust stung our eyes; the air was heavy, scarce. I could feel the pull of the stone even from here, as though it were alive, calling to whoever could reach it.

Finally, the leader of our group, scraped, bleeding, and gasping for air, pushed past the others. His legs trembled with fatigue, arms bruised and scratched. He crouched over the stone, brushing away the dust with hands that shook. For a long, horrible heartbeat, he just stared, as though the weight of every choice, every risk, every life lost in this tunnel pressed down on him.

“This time…” he muttered, voice low, hoarse, but with a note of triumph trembling beneath it. “…this time, I’ll make it.”

He grabbed the stone crushing it in his palm. It crumbled between his fingers, black starlit essence spilling into his palms and seeping into his body. His muscles twitched violently, his eyes rolled back, and he staggered. For a moment, it looked like the stone was burning him alive from the inside out. Then he wavered, shuddering, and slowly… faded from sight.

“He… ascended,” someone whispered, voice shaking, incredulous. The remaining miners sank to their knees, pale and trembling, staring at the empty space where he had stood. Some muttered prayers, some just shook, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Before any of us could process the awe or horror, the tunnels groaned. Rock rattled overhead, dust swirled around us, and another collapse threatened to trap us all. 

For good.

The tunnel shuddered violently, stone grinding against stone. Dust choked the air, burning my lungs with every desperate gasp. I ran, but the floor betrayed me.

Above, a massive rock cracked loose. My eyes snapped upward, too late.

It fell.