From the rift high above, three figures dropped through the air like shadows falling from the clouds.

Boom!

Lucian hit the ground first. His massive frame slammed into the rocky terrain, shaking the earth beneath him and kicking up a cloud of dust on impact.

Ereskia and Larpard landed right after. Being Cat Furren, their descent was quiet and graceful, more like a soft bounce than a fall. They landed in perfect sync, their knees bending slightly to absorb the impact before straightening up in smooth motion.

Both of them brushed the grit from their clothes, flicked their tails to shake off droplets, then adjusted their stances. Despite the calm landing, their ears twitched, always alert.

"Damn, you were right," Ereskia muttered, her deep blue eyes narrowing as she scanned the surroundings. "The mana here really is thicker, and it's colder too," she added, shivering slightly, her tail curling around her legs for warmth.

As she exhaled, a pale wisp of breath trailed into the air.

"Perhaps it's because of the rain?" Larpard speculated, tilting his head to the drizzle falling from above.

"Yeah, maybe," Ereskia replied, tying her damp hair into a short tail behind her head to keep it from clinging to her face.

Currently, a light rain misted the area, just enough to darken the stones and dampen everyone's hair and tail. However, their clothes were all water proof, so it didn't bother them very much.

Normally, a natural rain would thin out the fog blanketing the ground, but not here. The mist was no natural vapor. It clung low and thick, born from the overabundance of mana in the air.

"So, which way do we go?" Ereskia asked, adjusting her collar.

"Follow me," Larpard replied, already turning toward the path he'd memorized from the clone's exploration.

And so they moved, with Larpard at the front, Lucian just behind him with his greatsword resting on his shoulder, and Ereskia at the rear, her eyes scanning every shadow with caution, twin shadow swords in hand.

Though they moved quickly, none of them let down their guard. Thanks to Larpard's earlier scouting, they bypassed the worst of the threats. The few monsters that crossed their path, they cut them down swiftly and efficiently.

Then, finally—

"We're here," Larpard announced, coming to a stop.

Before them stood the mysterious ruin temple that Larpard found earlier.

-------------------------------------

"Oh shit, it's actually a ruin," Ereskia breathed, her eyes going wide as they took in the structure before them.

A real ruin.

The kind left behind by some ancient, long-forgotten civilization. Ruins were rare, dangerous and often shrouded in mystery, but they were also legendary among adventurers. Treasures, forbidden knowledge, powerful artifacts… such places could either spell doom or fortune. Many a tale had begun, or ended, in places like this.

And now, one stood before them.

It wasn't massive, at least not on the surface. The visible part of the structure was no larger than their adventurer's guild back in town, maybe even a little smaller. But its presence was undeniable. It loomed like a sleeping beast beneath the fog and rain.

The building was made from black stone, ancient, cracked by centuries, and crumbling in some corners. Parts of the roof had sunken in. Time had tried to reclaim it, but something about the ruin resisted, kept it standing.

Meanwhile, around the temple stood five towering pillars, each forged from the same dark stone. They were thick, unyielding, and covered in glowing glyphs that none of them could read nor understand. The letters pulsed faintly with a purple-ish light, like veins filled with dormant magic slowly beginning to stir.

"Don't let it fool you," Larpard said, stepping closer. "This is just the entrance. The real temple is underground. It's much, much bigger beneath the surface."

"I see…" Ereskia murmured, tail twitching slightly with a mix of apprehension and curiosity.

Just then, Lucian stepped forward then, gaze fixed on the ruin. "Good job, Larp," he said, giving the young Cat Furren a firm nod of approval.

Then, he reached beneath his shirt and pulled out the fang pendant once again.

The moment the pendant was exposed to the air, both Ereskia and Larpard froze, their eyes widening.

"It's glowing stronger!" Ereskia exclaimed.

"And it's vibrating too!" Larpard added.

The faint hum from earlier was now a distinct thrum in the air, like a heartbeat.

"That means…" Ereskia trailed off.

"Yeah," Lucian's expression darkened. "I think your father is somewhere inside this place."

A heavy silence fell over them, broken only by the soft patter of rain and the low, eerie hum of the temple. Somewhere beneath this ancient ruin, buried in the earth and shadow, was the clue they'd been chasing for years.

And so, Lucian tucked the glowing pendant back beneath his shirt and stepped forward, leading the group once more toward the shadowed entrance of the ruin.

The path sloped downward, narrow and slick with rain, and they slid down carefully, boots crunching against gravel and loose stone. Mist clung to the air like a second skin, wrapping the whole place in a veil of damp silence.

Suddenly—

RUMBLEEEE!

The ground beneath them trembled.

"Wha—?! What's happening?!" Larpard shouted, body tensing. Instinct kicking in, he drew his twin daggers in a smooth motion, shifting into a low, defensive stance. His ears flattened, eyes darting around. "This didn't happen earlier. Did we trigger a mechanism or something?!"

But Lucian held out a hand calmly. "No. We're good."

"What?"

"Your shadow clone didn't trigger this." Lucian drew his sword. "But we did. That only means one thing…"

Ereskia's eyes narrowed.

"Monsters," she said coldly, creating a darkness halberd as her stance shifted.

"Prepare for combat!" Lucian shouted.

And just then—

BOOM!!

The ground just a few meters ahead exploded, a deafening roar splitting the air as rocks, mud, and mist blasted upward in a violent eruption. From the crater, something enormous surged forth with a screech like grinding stone.

A rock worm. Gigantic, armored in layered black stone-like scales that shimmered faintly with runic veins. Its mouth gaped open like a tunnel, lined with spinning, jagged teeth meant to grind flesh and metal alike. Its massive, eyeless head twisted back and forth, feeling the vibrations in the ground.

And then, another one emerged right beside it, shaking the earth with its bulk.

Then another one.

And another one.

And another one.