CHAPTER 37: THE RUINS OF VELNAR
Dark clouds gathered above the ruins of Velnar.
Ancient towers stood broken across the wasteland, their shattered remains buried beneath centuries of dust. Blue lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating symbols carved into stone long before the Arcane Age began.
Shen walked through the ruins with his hands in his pockets.
"This place feels cursed."
Ryulga glanced at him.
"Everything important is cursed."
"That's not comforting."
"It wasn't meant to be."
Shen sighed.
Somehow, that answer felt exactly like Ryulga.
---
The deeper they traveled, the stranger the ruins became.
Collapsed pillars floated several feet above the ground.
Ancient statues stared at them with empty eyes.
Even the wind sounded wrong.
Then Shen stepped on a glowing tile.
Click.
Both froze.
"...Commander?"
"Run."
A second later, the ground exploded.
Stone guardians burst from beneath the ruins.
Massive creatures formed from enchanted rock surrounded them.
One of them pointed at Shen.
"INTRUDERS DETECTED."
Another pointed at Ryulga.
"PARTICULARLY SUSPICIOUS OLD MAN DETECTED."
Shen laughed.
"It called you old."
Ryulga pulled out a pistol.
"It dies first."
Five seconds later the guardians were rubble.
---
After escaping several traps and one hallway that attempted to eat them, they discovered a hidden chamber beneath the ruins.
Thousands of ancient books floated in the darkness.
At the center stood a black crystal orb.
Dark mist leaked from its surface.
Shen immediately felt something familiar.
Arcane energy.
But twisted.
Corrupted.
"Someone sealed this here," Shen said quietly.
Ryulga's expression hardened.
"No."
Shen looked at him.
Ryulga slowly approached the orb.
"This wasn't sealed."
His eyes narrowed.
"It was imprisoned."
The room suddenly became cold.
Very cold.
Then a voice echoed through the chamber.
"Leave."
The books trembled.
The mist thickened.
Shadows gathered around the crystal.
"Leave... while you still can."
Shen grinned.
"Yeah, that's usually when things get interesting."
---
A figure emerged from the darkness.
Black armor.
A masked face.
A massive scythe formed from Arcane mist.
The stranger pointed the weapon toward Shen.
Killing intent flooded the room.
Shen immediately activated Dark Mage Form.
Shadows wrapped around his arms.
The masked warrior vanished.
Boom!
The chamber shook as their weapons collided.
Shen slid backward.
The enemy was fast.
Far faster than ordinary Arcane creatures.
Ryulga fired enchanted rounds from both pistols.
The bullets struck.
The warrior staggered.
But instead of bleeding—
black mist poured from the wounds.
"Not human," Ryulga said.
The figure suddenly retreated.
The mist around the orb surged.
Then both the warrior and the orb disappeared.
Silence returned.
Only a torn piece of black cloth remained on the floor.
Shen picked it up.
A strange symbol was stitched into the fabric.
Ryulga's expression darkened immediately.
For the first time since entering the ruins...
he looked genuinely concerned.
Shen noticed.
"What is it?"
Ryulga stared at the symbol.
"The Arcane Commander's army."
Shen's smile slowly faded.
The enemy they were searching for had already found them.
Far away, beyond the ruins, something powerful awakened.
And it was waiting.
To Be Continued...