But the Bone Dogs were not known for mercy.
Oscar's final moments came like a storm breaking over jagged coral—violent, relentless, and inescapable.
He had fought with everything he possessed, his body pushed far beyond what any human should endure. Each swing, each strike, each kick sent Bone Dogs tumbling, yet the monsters never stopped. Their snarls and yelps were constant, a chorus of fury that rose over the thundering heartbeat in his chest. Every blow drained him, muscles quivering under the weight of exertion, blood oozing from the wound in his leg. The Flaw in his Aspect—the insidious curse he had always known would come—crept closer with every motion. His heart thumped erratically, pain shooting like lightning down his spine and into his limbs, but he refused to falter.
Above him, Varkass clung to the pillar, pale and shaking, inches from true panic. Jahness and Lina were already climbing toward the ridge, but Oscar knew they would never make it if he didn't hold the Bone Dogs off, even for a few precious seconds. He made the impossible choice in a heartbeat: he would be their shield. Their lifeline.
Finally, the inevitable came. One massive Bone Dog, larger than the others, came at him with a coordinated leap, jaws aimed perfectly. Oscar's red-hot muscles coiled for one last strike, hands forming fists like battering hammers, but the fatigue, the injuries, the relentless force of the Flaw—the curse in his own body—left him vulnerable. The creature's teeth sank deep into his chest, tossing him against the coral with a sickening crunch. Pain exploded in every nerve; black blood pooled beneath him, mixing with his sweat, searing the senses.
For a brief, haunting moment, everything slowed. He thought of Varkass, fragile and terrified, Jahness and Lina clawing their way toward the ridge. A flicker of grim satisfaction crossed his mind: they were alive. He had bought them time.
The Bone Dogs pounced again and again, tearing, clawing, snapping. His strength finally failed him; his fists slackened, arms no longer able to strike, legs no longer able to push. His vision blurred, world tilting with vertigo, red and black smearing into one. His final thought was neither fear nor regret but resolve—he had done what he could.
Then, as the creatures closed in, Oscar's body went limp, muscles unraveling entirely, the Flaw claiming its due. His eyes, wide for a final heartbeat, reflected neither light nor shadow, only the memory of his friends climbing higher, farther away, toward the ridge he would never reach.
The Bone Dogs howled their victory and then turned to rewarding themselves on his corpse. His sacrifice was absolute, a wall between life and death for the Sleepers, a final, crimson testament to courage in the face of an impossible darkness.
Above him, Varkass, Jahness, and Lina continued their climb, the latter two ignorant for now of the full weight of what had just been given. But for Varkass, hatred and tears flowed from his eyes.
The three of them moved forward in silence, their footsteps echoing softly against the jagged coral. Each step was sluggish, heavy with fatigue, bruises, cuts, and the invisible weight of grief. Without Oscar, their dynamic felt fractured, incomplete, as though part of the rhythm of survival had been ripped from them. Jahness, unusually unscathed thanks to the regenerative nature of his Aspect, strode ahead with an almost unnerving calm; in fact, he looked healthier than he had before the harrowing climb. Lina and Varkass, meanwhile, trudged behind, pale, limping, and with eyes glazed from exhaustion and shock. Their movements were mechanical—shuffling, dragging, sometimes staggering over uneven coral formations, sometimes clenching at cuts and scrapes as they avoided sharp edges.
Then, the rhythm of their march was broken. Lina's foot landed on something solid, producing a distinctly different sound from the coral beneath. She froze. Her dead, vacant eyes widened, the light of recognition flickering back into them. "Cobble," she whispered, voice trembling with disbelief.
Jahness and Varkass followed her gaze. Their pale eyes mirrored the same astonishment. For the first time since leaving the Dark Sea behind, the unnatural labyrinth seemed to give way to something familiar.
They ran forward, turning a corner, adrenaline slowly overriding exhaustion—and then the labyrinth opened up before them. Their breath caught in unison.
The city sprawled ahead like a shadowed jewel, immense and foreboding. The architecture was unlike anything they had ever encountered: towering spires of dark stone that glinted faintly in the ambient light, archways carved with spiraling motifs and intricate reliefs of impossible creatures, streets paved in uneven cobbles that curved and twisted in ways that seemed to defy logic. Bridges arched gracefully over stagnant canals filled with dark water, and the air carried the faint tang of salt, blood, and something metallic. Broken statues of forgotten deities leaned over streets, their eyes staring blindly, yet somehow aware. The trio stumbled over loose cobbles, trying to keep pace with the sight before them, shoulders brushing stone walls slick with moisture, eyes darting from shadow to shadow, all senses on edge.
Then they heard it: a faint, irregular sound, rising above the natural hum of the city. Footsteps? Clanging metal? Voices? The trio froze, muscles coiling, and instinctively prepared for confrontation. Their Memories—their most powerful tools—whispered to them, surged beneath the skin, ready to ignite.
As they crept closer, the sounds grew clearer. Peeking around a corner, Jahness' eyes widened. Before them lay a grisly scene: corpses of monsters, sliced and torn in ways that spoke of skilled violence. And standing amidst the carnage were three humans. Their armor and weapons were slick with blood, yet their postures were relaxed. They laughed and chatted casually, seemingly unconcerned with the destruction around them. Each wore a jacket with a spiral symbol emblazoned on the shoulder, faintly catching the light. The sound was too distant for the trio to hear properly, but the sight alone sent a ripple of awe and apprehension through them.
Lina whispered, voice hoarse: "Who… are they? They're—strong. Way stronger than anything we've faced."
Jahness shook his head slowly. "I don't know, but we can't just walk in there. They're armed, organized… we don't even know if they'd… help us, or kill us."
Varkass' jaw tightened. "We can't just turn around either. If we're caught out in the open… we won't last five seconds. We need a plan. Watch, wait, maybe—maybe sneak closer?"
Before any more words could be exchanged, a soft, subtle sound came from behind them—a barely perceptible shift in the shadows. Varkass reacted instantly, spinning on instinct. His hands shot forward, releasing a blinding torrent of white light that lit the entire wall behind them like a supercharged torch.
The light revealed… nothing.
For a heartbeat, relief washed over them, until the shadows themselves shifted unnaturally. A figure burst from the illuminated wall before their eyes, moving faster than humanly possible. Before anyone could react, a blade rested lazily against Varkass' throat. The boy froze, his breath catching in his chest, muscles locking in terror.
The sudden commotion carried. The three humans ahead, who had been laughing, paused. Weapons were drawn instantly as they rushed over, rushing toward the source of disturbance—but then they stopped. They saw Varkass standing frozen, a blade pressed against his throat by a shadowy figure, and the expression of wary caution on Jahness and Lina. And instead of alarm, they all laughed loudly, booming across the empty streets.
One of them spoke, amusement clear in his voice. "Damn, Sasrir," he said, glancing at the trio with a smirk. "What did this kid do to piss you off?"
The man holding Varkass—the one who had emerged from the shadows—smirked lazily, the blade still resting lightly on the boy's skin. "Nothing much," he replied, voice low, dangerous, and amused. "Just some fresh meat that doesn't know the rules."
He tilted his head toward the trio, eyes glinting. "Isn't that right, fresh meat?"