The Void Architect

The group moved through the next corridor in heavy silence. Boots scraped against stone. No one spoke about what had just happened. They were too exhausted, too focused on simply putting one foot in front of the other.

Gerald limped at the front, his sword still drawn despite his trembling arms. Helena supported Jay, both of them leaving small trails of blood. Aria remained unconscious on my back, her breathing shallow but steady.

The corridor stretched on, featureless black stone lit by those same cold blue torches. After what felt like an eternity of walking, another door appeared ahead, this one different from the others. It was made of white stone instead of black.

Gerald reached it first and pushed. The door swung open easily, without resistance.

Whoosh!

And suddenly, blinding white light poured through the opening.

I raised my arm to shield my eyes, but the light seemed to penetrate everything. It wasn't painful, just... absolute. Like stepping into pure nothingness.

When I lowered my arm and my vision adjusted, everything had changed.

I stood in a vast white space that stretched endlessly in all directions. No walls, no ceiling, no floor that I could distinguish - just infinite whiteness. The others were gone. Aria was no longer on my back.

Rei pressed close to my side, its translucent form barely visible against the white void. "Where is everyone? What is this place?"

Wrath materialized on my other side, his bloodshot eyes scanning for threats that didn't exist. "Another dungeon trick. Has to be."

But something ahead caught my attention. A figure standing maybe twenty feet away.

As my eyes focused on it, I felt my stomach drop.

It was me.

Not a reflection or a shadow. An exact copy, same dark hair, same grey eyes, same black cloak and equipment. Even the same blood stains. It stood perfectly still, watching me with an expression I couldn't read.

"What the hell?" I muttered, my hand moving instinctively toward my blade hilt.

The copy didn't move. Didn't speak. Just stood there, staring at me with my own face.

Rei whimpered. 

Wrath's claws extended.

But something about the way it stood there - patient, waiting - made me hesitate. 

Then it copy finally spoke, and its voice was exactly like mine.

"So," it said. "Let's talk about what you just did."

The figure shifted, moving with unnatural speed until it stood directly in front of me. Before I could react, Wrath lunged between us, claws extended.

The copy didn't even flinch. Its hand shot out and plunged into Wrath's chest, and...

WHOOSH!

Wrath's form flickered violently, then simply... evaporated. Gone, as if he'd never been there.

My eyes widened, hand moving to my sword. "What did you—"

"Don't worry," the figure said in my voice. "I just sealed him. He's not gone permanently."

It turned back to me, and I felt the weight of its gaze like a physical thing. "Come. Walk with me."

I didn't move. 

"If I wanted to hurt you," it said patiently, "I already could have. You saw what I did to your echo. Now come."

Rei pressed against my side, trembling. But the figure was right, if it wanted me dead, I'd be dead, and let's not forget it could see and even disturb my echo.

Reluctantly, I followed as it began walking through the endless white void.

We walked in silence for a moment before it spoke again. "Do you know what dungeons are?"

I thought about it, choosing my words carefully. "Places that spawn monsters and treasure. Training grounds for adventurers. They appear randomly, and if left uncleared, they break and release monsters into the surrounding area."

The figure shook its head slowly. "No. That's what people think they are. But they're not."

It stopped walking and turned to face me fully. "Dungeons have existed for centuries - far longer than the current kingdoms, longer than recorded history in most places. People see them as resources. Places for treasure, for practice, for adventure and thrill."

Its expression darkened. "But they're far worse than that."

The white void around us seemed to pulse, and suddenly images began appearing - flickering scenes like memories projected onto nothing.

The figure's expression became cold and calculating. "Dungeons are tears in reality - wounds where something from outside is pushing through. The monsters, treasures, architecture - none of it is natural. It's all byproducts of that intrusion."

Images flickered in the white void - civilizations collapsing as dungeon breaks consumed them.

"The gods know this. They've always known." it gestured, and the images shifted to show divine figures watching from above like spectators at a game board. "But they don't care about stopping it. They're using it."

"Using it how?"

"They're at war with each other. This world is their battlefield, and they needed stronger pieces to play with." The images showed summoning circles, heroes appearing confused and desperate. "So they pull people from other realities. People with different growth potential, different abilities. Chess pieces that can evolve beyond what this world naturally produces."

"You must be wondering why I am telling you this right?." 

The figure pointed its finger at its chest.

"Because I'm one of those heroes. Summoned, used and discarded at the end. The Void Architect." It said it flatly. "I learned how they work. Then I learnt to manipulate the dungeons, accelerate them, use them as weapons against the gods' territories. Every dungeon break weakens their control, disrupts their game."

It stepped closer. "You're an anomaly, Kaito. You weren't summoned but you had the power that could even rival other heroes. That means you're not bound to any faction. You're outside their game entirely."

I blinked, my body rigid.

"So what do you want from me?"

"I want you on my side." Its grey eyes - my eyes - held no warmth. 

The white void pulsed. "Right now, you're stumbling around blind. Playing their game without even knowing the rules. Sooner or later, one of the gods will notice you and either try to recruit you or eliminate you. I'm offering you a third option, join me, and we break their board entirely."

I looked at it.

"And if I refuse?"

The figure smiled coldly. 

"Then you keep being a pawn. Keep fighting things you don't understand. Keep leveling up, getting stronger, right until the moment you're strong enough to be worth eliminating."

He extended his hand. "Or you can choose to be something they never accounted for. Your call."

I narrowed my eyes. "No."

It laughed, a sound that echoed strangely in the white void. "I expected that. You're too stubborn to make the smart choice on the first offer."

He snapped his fingers.

And everything went black.

Then suddenly a dull ache radiated through my entire body. Then sounds filtered in, voices, the creak of wooden floors, distant footsteps.

I forced my eyes open and immediately regretted it. Harsh light streamed through a window, making me squint. The ceiling above me was rough timber beams, and the smell of herbs and alcohol filled my nostrils.

Infirmary.

I tried to sit up, every muscle protesting the movement. My ribs felt like they'd been used as a punching bag.

"Easy there," Gerald's voice came from beside the bed. He was sitting in a chair, his own injuries bandaged. Helena stood near the window, while Jay leaned against the wall with his arm in a sling.

"You know, most people wait until AFTER the dungeon to take a nap. But hey, you do you." Gerald tried to joke, but none laughed. So he just coughed awkwardly and just shut up.

"What happened?" My voice came out rough, throat dry.

Gerald gestured to a water pitcher on the bedside table. "You collapsed right after we exited that chamber. I carried you and Aria to the infirmary, she's in the next bed over there, still recovering."

Helena stepped closer, "You pushed yourself too hard. Blood loss, mana exhaustion, your body just gave out."

"How long was I out?" I asked, leaning back.

"Six hours," Jay said quietly. "It's evening now. Most of the other survivors are being treated or have already left the dungeon."

Rei was sitting at the foot of my bed, not speaking, just looking around.

I processed all what had happened, my mind still trying to separate what had been real from what might have been hallucination. The white void, the Architect, the conversation about gods and wars...

'Was any of that actually real?'