Ren didn't sleep.
The city grew quieter as the night dragged on, but his mind refused to settle. The mysterious presence from earlier still lingered in his thoughts—heavy, unsettling, and impossible to shake.
"You're not supposed to be alive."
The words echoed again and again.
"…Tch."
Ren leaned back against the rooftop wall, eyes half-closed. His core pulsed faintly, uneven but steady. It wasn't completely broken anymore.
It was changing.
And that bothered him more than anything else.
---
"You're thinking too loud again," Lira muttered.
Ren glanced sideways. "…You're still here?"
She rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm still here. You think I'd leave you alone after that?"
"…Fair."
She stepped closer, arms still crossed. "So? You gonna tell me what that was about?"
Ren exhaled slowly. "No idea."
"Liar."
"…Half liar."
Lira raised an eyebrow. "Better."
---
Ren looked down at his hand. A faint flicker of mana gathered there—unstable, but present.
"They knew something," he said quietly. "About my core."
"And you don't like that."
"No."
"…Me neither."
---
Silence settled between them.
---
"So what now?" Lira asked.
Ren didn't hesitate.
"We go down."
"…Of course we do."
---
The streets were still half-asleep when they moved. Oros City in the early hours felt different—less noise, fewer people, and far more shadows. It made things easier.
And harder.
Because now, everything felt like it was watching.
---
They avoided the main gates.
Instead, Ren led them through narrow alleys, past broken walls and abandoned structures, deeper into the parts of the city people usually avoided.
"…You've been here before," Lira noted.
"A few times."
"For what?"
"Scavenging."
"…Right."
---
Eventually, they stopped in front of what looked like nothing at all.
Just an old, collapsed building. Ruined. Forgotten.
---
"This is it?" Lira asked.
"…Yeah."
She frowned. "There's nothing here."
Ren stepped forward without answering. Then he kicked aside a loose stone.
---
A hollow sound echoed.
---
Lira's eyes sharpened. "…Hidden entrance."
Ren nodded. "Old one. Not official. Not marked."
"Which means…"
"No protection. No monitoring."
"…And no help if we die."
"Exactly."
---
Lira sighed. "…You really pick the worst places."
Ren smirked faintly. "They're usually the ones worth something."
---
He crouched down and gripped the edge of the hidden slab.
"…Ready?"
Lira hesitated for half a second, then nodded.
"…Yeah."
---
Together, they pushed. The stone shifted slowly, grinding against the ground before sliding aside just enough to reveal the darkness beneath.
Cold air rushed out immediately. Heavy. Old.
---
Lira wrinkled her nose. "…That smells like death."
Ren stared into the opening.
"…Close enough."
---
A narrow staircase led down into the earth. Deep. Too deep to see the bottom.
---
"The Ashen Depths…" Lira muttered.
Ren didn't respond. He stepped forward, then stopped.
---
"…Wait," Lira said suddenly.
Ren glanced back. "What?"
She hesitated.
"…If something happens down there…"
Ren sighed softly. "We've already had this talk."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
---
She stepped closer than usual.
"…Just don't die."
---
Ren blinked, then gave a faint smile.
"…I'll try."
---
"…Idiot."
---
He turned before she could say anything else and stepped into the darkness.
---
Each step down felt heavier than the last. The air grew colder. Thicker. Like it didn't want them there.
---
Lira followed closely behind.
"…I hate this already."
"Good," Ren said quietly. "That means you're paying attention."
---
The staircase continued far longer than expected.
---
"…This doesn't feel like Black Hollow," Lira whispered.
"It isn't."
"Then what is it?"
Ren's voice remained calm.
"…The path to something worse."
---
A faint sound echoed from below.
Not loud. Not clear.
But alive.
---
Lira's grip tightened on her weapon. "…You heard that?"
"Yeah."
---
Ren's eyes narrowed. His core pulsed again—stronger this time. Reacting.
"…It's close," he murmured.
---
The stairs finally ended.
They stepped into a wide underground chamber. Dark. Silent. Ancient.
The walls were covered in faint, broken runes. Older than anything they had seen before. Not glowing. Not active.
But watching.
---
"…This place…" Lira whispered.
"…Yeah."
---
Ren took a step forward. Then another.
The moment his foot crossed the center of the chamber—
Something shifted.
A low hum filled the air. The runes flickered faintly, unstable.
---
"…Ren," Lira said sharply.
"I know."
---
The ground trembled slightly. Dust fell from above.
Then—a crack.
Right in front of them.
The stone floor split open slowly, revealing endless darkness beneath.
---
And from that darkness…
Something moved.
---
Ren's eyes locked onto it. His body tensed. His core reacted violently.
"…Here we go," he muttered.
---
The thing beneath the crack began to rise.
Not fast. Not slow.
Deliberate.
---
And as it emerged, the temperature dropped sharply.
---
Lira took a step back. "…That's not normal."
---
Ren didn't answer.
Because he already knew.
This was just the entrance.