CHAPTER 24 - 24: WHISPERS BENEATH STONE

The crystal-like formation pulsed faintly as they approached, tucked into a hollow chamber that looked untouched for centuries.

Its surface shimmered with fractured reflections, and strange etchings ran across it, symbols too old to read, worn down by time but still humming with faint power.

Arden stepped closer, drawn in by the presence it gave off.

It didn't feel like a trap, more like a puzzle waiting for the right hands. He brushed his fingers over the surface, feeling the rough edges of the old carvings. Half the glyphs were broken, incomplete, and the rest flickered faintly as if reacting to his touch.

"How do we open it?" Nyra asked, her voice quiet.

"Give me a second," he said, thinking.

Then it hit him. He activated Archforge Insight, and the world around him shifted slightly. Lines of structure appeared across the formation's surface, glowing faintly in his vision. Not words, but mechanisms, and Locks, buried beneath the surface. He traced the path with his palm, pressing at key points, feeding in a thin flow of life energy.

A dull thrum rolled through the chamber.

With a slow groan, the crystal began to recede into the ground, splitting apart like a cracked shell. Dust swirled in the air. A breath later, the entrance to a hidden ruin opened before them.

From outside, a deep pulse shot through the ground, subtle but wide-reaching.

In distant cities across the kingdom of Eldros, that pulse did not go unnoticed.

In the floating halls of House Caelum, where wind danced between towers of silverstone, an elder dressed in pale robes snapped his fingers, sending an order through glowing scrolls. "Prepare the candidates at the Vein Surge and below. A ruin has surfaced in the first zone."

In the crimson vaults of Ironblood Clan, where the floor rumbled with training drills, a general halted the session and addressed the gathered youth. "A ruin's opened in the Outlands. You know what that means. Ready your gear."

Within the carved halls of the Runekin Guild, elders sat in silence, their eyes already glowing as they scryed the source of the signal. "Mobilize. Now."

In the radiant sanctum of the Luminaria Order, where light poured endlessly through floating crystals, high priestesses bowed in quiet prayer before turning to their disciples. "The past has stirred. Go claim your inheritance."

And deep in the shadows of the Noctharum Circle, where torchlight barely touched the walls, a masked figure gave a single nod. Runners vanished into the dark without a word.

Every major clan had received the signal. And every one of them responded immediately.

The Outland laws allowed for competition, only elemental users of the appropriate level were permitted to enter contested ruins. This kept the balance of power and prevented the great clans from hoarding all strength. But that didn't stop them from sending their best. Ruins like this held more than old stones. They held bloodline fragments, forgotten techniques, and lost secrets that could turn the tide of power.

Even the smaller sects and independent towns stirred. Word spread quickly. This was a chance, and no one big or small wanted to be left behind.

Inside the ruin, the heavy door sealed shut behind Arden's group. The sound echoed down the stone passage, cutting off the world behind them.

Nyra flinched slightly. "That can't be good."

Arden gave her a half-smile. "No one's sneaking in behind us now."

Zephyra flicked her tail and prowled ahead, nose low, sniffing the stale air. The passage was narrow, carved out of dark stone and laced with faint lines of dormant magic.

"Let's move," Arden said. "We don't know what's in here, but whatever it is... it's probably worth the noise we just made."

And so they stepped deeper into the unknown, while the rest of the world began to move.

The deeper they went into the ruin, the tighter the path became. Old symbols lined the walls, barely glowing.

Arden moved ahead with steady steps, his fingers tracing familiar grooves carved into the stone.

"These ruins," he said quietly, more to himself than anyone else, "they follow a pattern. Trials, one after another. If you make it through, you're rewarded."

Nyra kept close behind, eyes darting around the dim corridor. "But the rule... if they catch us here, especially me"

Arden stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "Then we deal with it when it happens. But right now? We're already inside. No one's dragging us out."

Zephyra let out a low growl, pacing beside him like she agreed.

Truth was, he didn't care much for the politics or rules. He just wanted to keep moving, to feel the rush of the unknown. There was something about ruins like this—silent, ancient, dangerous, that made his blood stir.

Still, that excitement quickly turned into focus when he felt it, his life sense caught a flicker ahead.

He didn't say anything, just raised his hand slightly. Zephyra stilled. Then the sound came- low, guttural growls echoing through the corridor.

A pack stepped into the faint light.

Name: Bristlehide Maulers

Rank: Mid D-Rank

Affinity: Earthlight

Traits and Abilities:

Radiant Core Pulse: Bursts of inner light disrupt energy focus and cause brief blindness when released in packs.

Spined Shell: Dense bristle-like hide reflects energy-based attacks and reduces direct force damage.

Tunnel Howl: Can vibrate the earth to locate enemies and disorient them underground.

Pack Surge Instinct: Gains strength in numbers, coordinating seamlessly with nearby kin.

"Great," Arden muttered. "They're strong ones."

Zephyra didn't wait for orders, she darted to the side, drawing the beasts' attention. Arden rushed in right after, his blade dragging along the stone until it sparked, readying a Static Edge Bloom.

One of the beasts lunged at him from the left, jaws snapping, but he twisted around and slammed the blade into its side, surging the electric burst through its bristles.

It squealed, stunned but not out.

Zephyra vaulted over another that tried to flank them and swept it back with a spinning tail swipe. Arden followed through, kicking off the wall and slamming his foot down, triggering Stonepulse Reflex. The vibration buckled the floor under a Mauler's feet, throwing its balance off just enough for his sword to catch it in the neck.

More of them came. Three peeled off toward Nyra at the back, drawn by her weaker presence.

"Go!" she shouted. "I've got them!"

Arden wanted to turn back, but Zephyra gave him a look—trust her.

Nyra gritted her teeth and focused. As one of the beasts lunged, she shifted, calling on both wind and ice. Sharp currents twisted around her as she stepped to the side and let the beast slam into a spike of frost. The others hesitated just enough for her to regain control and hurl a gust that scattered them.

Meanwhile, Arden used Phantom Vein Drift, weaving through the brutes, taking slices where he could. The Maulers started pulsing light from their cores, blinding him momentarily.

"Eyes!" he called.

Zephyra covered him, leaping through the glow and bringing one of the creatures down with a clean bite.

Arden blinked the flare away and charged again, his blade flashing with Ignition Tremor Chain, chaining through two of the remaining beasts as they tried to regroup.

When the last one collapsed, silence fell again, thick and sudden.

Life Energy Absorbed

Gained Life Signature: Radiant Pulse Vein

Effect: The user can condense a burst of radiant energy to briefly blind or disorient nearby enemies. Stronger when used in tandem with movement skills.

Radiant Pulse Vein Fragments: ×14

Arden took a slow breath as the light dimmed from the defeated beasts. He glanced back at Nyra who stood steady, her clothes a little torn, but her grip still firm.

"You alright?" he asked.

She nodded, panting. "I didn't die."

"That's the spirit," he said with a faint grin. "Keep that up, and they'll think you're the scary one."

Zephyra let out a soft growl that sounded suspiciously like agreement.

They didn't rest long. There were more halls ahead, and the ruin was just getting started.

A/N:

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