Chapter 28: And Death Approaches

Chapter 28: And Death Approaches

"How did she get in here?.. I thought no one but me could enter this place..." — Alisar panicked.

He couldn’t take his eyes off Sherial.

She was calmly examining the room. Nearly the entire space was empty, except for the familiar training machines lined up along one wall. She stepped closer and bent down, studying one of them as if she were seeing something completely unfamiliar.

Alisar took a step back, his thoughts spiraling.

"This is my skill... Only I should be able to enter here. How?.. Why?.."

— How? How did you get in here? — he finally asked.

— How?.. — Sherial squinted slightly. — You tell me. I just wanted to ask something… walked up, put my hand on your shoulder… and suddenly we were here, — she said.

Alisar frowned and looked to the side.

"Yeah... I think she’s right. I heard something when I activated the skill. Like she said 'wait'... or something like that. Then… her hand touched my shoulder."

He exhaled slowly.

"So when I activate the skill, if someone is touching me—or maybe if I’m holding them—we get transferred together."

He looked down at his hands, as if trying to feel the truth in his skin.

— If touch is the condition... — he muttered. — Then maybe I can hold someone’s hand… or shoulder… and bring them here with me.

He activated the skill and instantly reappeared in the tent. The air was just the same—slightly cool, with the scent of fabric and earth.

— Where is Sherial? — Rem asked sharply.

Her voice was tense. Her hand had already found the hilt of her sword, fingers tightening.

— Well, uh… — Alisar began nervously, trying to speak quickly. — I’ll explain...

— Now, — Rem interrupted, a hint of irritation in her voice. She didn’t move, but her gaze was fixed on him.

— Everything’s fine, — he hurried to say. — It’s just… Sherial was standing next to me when I activated the skill. Looks like because she was touching me, she got pulled in… to the training room.

Rem relaxed slightly. She slowly removed her hand from the sword, but her eyes remained sharp.

— You never said you could bring others in there, — she said calmly, but there was a cold undertone.

— I didn’t know. It just happened. When I activated the skill, she touched my shoulder… and I guess that was enough. Looks like if someone’s touching me at the moment—I can take them with me.

There was a brief silence.

— Alright. Let’s say I believe you, — said Rem.

She extended her hand.

— Then bring me there too.

Alisar hesitated. He looked at her serious face. There was worry in her eyes. Of course. She was concerned about Sherial.

— Okay, — he answered softly.

He reached out, took her hand—and activated the skill.

The next moment, both of them vanished from the tent.

As soon as Rem and Alisar appeared in the training room, Sherial rushed toward him. Without hesitation, she grabbed him by the collar.

— What the hell?! Why did you leave me locked in here?! — she screamed. — I’ve been waiting for you for hours! Do you have any idea how scared I was?! I thought you left me here… that you weren’t coming back!

Panic trembled in her voice.

Alisar froze, stunned.

"Shit... I completely forgot... I was only gone for a minute… But here… hours have passed."

— I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I forgot, — he blurted out quickly.

Sherial released him and took a step back. Her eyes were still tight, her voice trembling.

— Do you know how scared I was?.. — she whispered. — I thought you were mad at me… or that you were just some bastard who’d trap someone and walk away...

Tears shimmered in the corners of her eyes.

Alisar said nothing. He looked at her, feeling guilt, confusion, and a bitter weight.

"Yeah... That must’ve been terrifying. Trapped in a strange place, with no way out… waiting… not knowing if anyone would come back."

— Calm down, Sherial, — Rem said in a steady voice. — You remember, time flows differently here. A few minutes in the real world can be hours in here. Or even more.

She glanced at Alisar, then back at her friend.

— He told us: time is accelerated by hundreds of times inside.

Sherial lowered her gaze.

— I… I didn’t remember. I didn’t even think about that...

After a few tests, they confirmed it: as long as Alisar was in direct contact with someone, he could bring them into the training room—or back out of it.

— This could be a major advantage, — said Rem, watching the results. — You could save allies. Pull them into a safe place. In combat—this could save lives.

She paused before adding:

— But it’s also a huge flaw. If an enemy grabs you... if someone hostile holds you—you won’t be able to escape alone. Or worse—you might pull the enemy in with you, into this place.

Alisar nodded. She was right.

The tests made it clear: whether he wanted it or not—anyone who was in contact with him at the moment of activation would be pulled in. No exceptions.

"If I ever use this skill in a real fight... I need to remember: if someone grabs me—by the hand, the shoulder, the neck—I won’t be able to shake them off. They’ll come here with me."

That meant the skill was both a weapon and a weakness. A rescue rope—and a trap.

He looked at his hands and clenched them into fists.

"I’ll have to be careful."

Hours passed. They had long since returned to the tent.

Alisar never resumed his training. His mind kept spinning. Again and again, he replayed what had happened in the training room. How Sherial ended up there. That Rem was able to come too. He had learned more about his skill today than ever before—and he couldn’t shake the feeling that there were still hidden aspects left to uncover.

"How else can I use this… to my advantage?.."

He lay there, staring at the ceiling of the tent, thinking through scenarios. How to use the skill in battle, in escape, in defense. Where were its limits?

Meanwhile, the rain had stopped. There were still a few hours left before nightfall.

Rem, having checked the surroundings outside, confidently said:

— There won’t be any fights tonight. But we shouldn’t waste time either.

She pointed forward:

— We’re close to the fourth zone. If we get there before dark—we can start fighting first thing in the morning.

They quickly packed up the tent. Rem and Sherial moved efficiently, like a team. Alisar… was more of a hindrance than a help. His mind still racing, his body sluggish. He was still digesting what he had learned—unable to focus.

Soon, they were on the move.

As the fourth zone drew closer, the sky began to darken.

Night was falling over the dungeon… when suddenly, it grew darker still. Unnaturally dark. As if someone had dimmed the entire world. Alisar frowned.

"Maybe I’m imagining it..." — he thought.

— Stop! — Rem suddenly ordered from the front.

Alisar froze. No… he definitely wasn’t imagining things. The air had changed. The space around them seemed to shiver.

And then he heard it.

A sound straight from the depths of nightmares. A deep, guttural growl. Not one—many. Thousands. Tens of thousands of voices, merging into one low, raspy roar. As if the entire dungeon—all its living creatures—were crying out at once, in rage, in madness.

He froze, gripped by terror.

— Damn… damn it! — Rem cursed, clenching her fists. Her voice was angry and tense.

— What’s happening?! — Alisar asked, panicked.

Rem turned to him. Her face was tight, her voice sharp:

— This… this happens when someone tries to destroy the dungeon’s core.

— The core?.. — he repeated, not fully grasping it.

— Yes! — she snapped. — If some idiot tries to reach the core and destroy it—the dungeon enters combat mode. And then...

She took a quick breath.

— All the monsters become hostile. All of them. They stop staying in their zones. They start moving. Searching. Attacking. Anything that moves.

She paused, then added:

— And that’s not even the worst part. They won’t go beyond the dungeon, but... the zone nearest the core starts to overflow with monsters. In the case of the fourth zone… — she looked into the darkness ahead, — …a massive number of fourth-rank monsters will appear. And they’ll all start moving toward the exit.

Alisar slowly turned to look behind them. A chilling thought pierced him:

— And we… we’re just approaching the fourth zone.

Rem nodded.

— Yeah. And now we can’t just walk away.

Suddenly, Alisar felt a tremor underfoot. He froze. No… it wasn’t just fear. Though the fear was there, no doubt. But what he felt was coming from the ground itself. The dungeon was vibrating—deep, insistent. As if giants were waking beneath it.

— Move! — Rem commanded, and without hesitation, sprinted forward.

At first, Alisar thought they were retreating. But no—Rem was running toward the fourth zone. Sherial followed without question. Alisar, a bit delayed, rushed after them.

When they arrived, it became clear.

Their path was blocked by a massive stone wall. At least ten meters tall, its surface rough and raw. It looked as if it had erupted from the ground—wild, unnatural, cutting off the road ahead. Over thirty meters wide, it reached the cliffs on both sides.

But more importantly—everything was happening in front of it. On their side. The same side they were on.

Tents. People. Movement.

Figures darted between the camps. Orders were being shouted. Crates were being hauled. Some stood atop the wall. Others below. The entire area in front of the barrier was alive—with camps, fighters, urgency.

— Don’t panic! — a loud male voice rang out—firm and commanding. — We won’t let those beasts break through!

Alisar turned toward the voice. Standing before the wall was a man in his forties, with sharp features, dark tousled hair, and thick stubble. His voice was steady and sure—no trace of fear. He barked orders with calm precision.

— They’re coming! Dark wolves! Hundreds of them! — came a shout from atop the wall.

— Everyone to the wall! — the man commanded.

And in the next moment, without the slightest hesitation, he leapt upward—soaring to the top of the ten-meter wall in a single bound. Alisar froze in awe.

"He… jumped ten meters? In one leap?!"

Others followed, one after another, clearing the height with ease—as if it were nothing. The rest, not possessing such power, moved toward the wall’s base, where massive stone structures suddenly rose from the ground.

Were they stairs? Each "step" was a meter high. About ten of them—just enough to reach the top.

Without hesitation, Rem bolted toward the steps. Sherial followed silently. Alisar, stunned for a moment, quickly ran after them.

He reached the top last, climbing the giant stone stairs, and stepped onto the wide surface. The top of the wall was about five meters across. People were already lining up along the edge—like soldiers on a fortress. Some were readying bows. Others stretched their arms forward, preparing spells—magic flickering faintly in their hands. Some just stared into the dark.

Sherial took her position and drew her bow.

Alisar stepped closer and looked out. At first, the night’s darkness revealed nothing. But then he saw them: in the distance, a solid black wave moving steadily forward. A tide. And at its front—giant, beast-like shapes.

He saw them.

Wolves.

But these weren’t the ones he had fought before. Those were animalistic—hostile, yes, but still beasts. These were different.

Massive—like horses. Black, thick fur blending into the shadows, as if the darkness itself had taken shape. And their eyes… red, glowing in the night. All dungeon monsters had glowing eyes—he knew that. But this time… when he looked into those eyes, a chill ran through him. As if death itself was looking back.

Goosebumps raced across his skin. His heart clenched. Alisar knew: if even one of them reached him—he wouldn’t stand a chance. He’d be torn apart before he could even scream.

And that one wasn’t alone.

More began to appear in the darkness—dozens, hundreds of red, angry, glowing eyes. It wasn’t a pack.

It was a wave of death.

And for the first time… it felt different.

Yes, he had fought monsters before. Yes, he had been afraid. But back in the third zone, Rem and Sherial were beside him. He knew—if anything went wrong, they’d save him. He trusted them. He could rely on them.

But now…

Now, the fear was different. Deeper. Colder. The closer the shadows came, the brighter those eyes glowed, the more he realized: no one would save him if even one of them reached him. No potion, no power, no luck would help.

Death was coming.

And he felt it—in every heartbeat, every shaky breath.

And death kept coming closer and closer.