Jade and Aaron walked deeper into the ancient ruin, their footsteps echoing softly through the endless corridor. The deeper they went, the colder the atmosphere became. It was not the ordinary cold of winter or snow.
It was ancient cold.
A dead cold.
The kind of chill that crawled beneath the skin and settled directly into the bones.
The ruin itself felt alive.
Blue flames flickered silently from ancient stone bowls mounted along the walls, casting strange shadows that twisted unnaturally across the ground. Massive pillars stood crookedly like ancient guardians frozen in time, while cracks spread endlessly through the black stone walls.
But the most disturbing sight…
Was the bones.
Bones littered the entire ruin.
Human bones.
Monster bones.
Creatures so massive their skulls alone were larger than houses.
Some skeletons were shattered apart as though crushed by unimaginable force, while others remained seated against the walls, almost looking peaceful despite having died countless years ago.
Jade's eyes narrowed carefully as he observed the surroundings.
Even after everything he had experienced inside the trial…
This place still frightened him.
And that alone was enough to make him cautious.
Beside him, Aaron remained calm as always, though his eyes constantly scanned the darkness ahead.
Then Aaron suddenly spoke in a cold joking tone.
"Is it just me… or does this place look exactly like the kind of place people come to die?"
Jade glanced at him briefly.
"That isn't funny."
Aaron looked ahead emotionlessly.
"I wasn't trying to be funny."
Silence returned once more.
The further they walked, the heavier the pressure around them became.
Jade immediately noticed something strange.
His power was weakening.
Not disappearing completely…
But suppressed.
Even circulating energy through his body had become harder. His Ice Vine felt slower beneath his skin, and his instincts screamed danger repeatedly.
Then there was the fear.
It was subtle at first.
But it gradually became stronger.
An invisible pressure pressing down on their minds.
Jade frowned slightly.
"This ruin suppresses power."
Aaron nodded.
"And amplifies fear."
Jade looked at him.
"You feel it too?"
Aaron answered calmly.
"Yes."
That single word made Jade even more alert.
Aaron was not someone who admitted weakness easily.
If even Aaron acknowledged the fear…
Then this ruin was truly dangerous.
Jade exhaled slowly and continued forward.
Then—
He suddenly stopped.
There were carvings on the wall.
Massive engravings stretched endlessly along the ancient stone surface. The carvings depicted giant humanoid figures standing above mountains while strange creatures bowed beneath them.
Some engravings showed battles.
Others showed destruction.
And beneath each carving were writings.
Ancient writings.
Jade stepped closer.
The symbols looked strange and unnatural, unlike any human language he had ever seen. Just staring at them caused a faint headache to form in his mind.
"This isn't human language," Jade muttered.
Aaron stepped forward beside him.
His eyes scanned the symbols carefully.
Then—
To Jade's shock—
Aaron began reading.
"This…"
Aaron paused slightly.
"…is the cave in which the gods were born."
Jade turned sharply toward him.
"You can read ancient language?"
Aaron glanced at him casually.
"What do you expect from someone trained by a Transcendent?"
Jade clicked his tongue.
"My grandfather never taught me anything like this."
Aaron smirked faintly.
"Then your grandfather probably wanted you alive."
Jade ignored the comment and pointed toward the wall.
"Continue reading."
Aaron nodded slightly before focusing on the engravings again.
"The gods were born beneath the earth…"
"…where divinity and darkness intertwined."
"The first gods devoured the void…"
"…and the void devoured them in return."
Jade frowned.
"That sounds messed up."
Aaron continued reading.
"The divine ranks were divided according to ancient law."
Then he slowly read the names aloud.
"Ashling."
"Feral."
"Warden."
"Marauder."
" Sovereign."
"Primordial."
"Tyrant."
"Terror."
"And Titan."
The moment the final word echoed through the ruin—
Titan—
The corridor trembled violently.
Dust rained from above.
The blue flames flickered wildly.
Jade immediately summoned his Ice Vine. Crystalline vines burst from his chest and wrapped around his body defensively.
Aaron's hand instantly moved toward his sword.
For a brief moment—
It felt as though something ancient had awakened.
Then the trembling stopped.
Silence returned once more.
Jade slowly exhaled.
"This place reacts to those names."
Aaron nodded quietly.
"Probably."
Jade looked back at the wall.
The carvings became even stranger further ahead.
One engraving showed giant beings kneeling beneath a massive black sphere suspended above the sky.
The sphere looked endless.
Like a void.
And from that void—
Countless chains extended downward into the bodies of the gods.
Jade narrowed his eyes.
"Their power…"
Aaron glanced at him.
"What about it?"
Jade pointed at the carving.
"The void is draining them."
Aaron observed the image carefully.
And Jade was right.
The carvings clearly showed energy being pulled from the gods into the black sphere above them. Some gods resisted desperately.
Others had already collapsed.
Jade's expression darkened slightly.
"What exactly are gods in this world?"
Aaron answered calmly.
"Probably slaves."
The atmosphere became even heavier after those words.
Jade looked around the ruin again.
The fear.
The suppression.
The bones.
The void.
Everything suddenly felt connected.
Then a disturbing thought entered Jade's mind.
"What if this entire trial…"
Aaron looked at him.
"What?"
Jade's eyes narrowed slowly.
"What if this trial was never meant to create strong people?"
Aaron remained silent.
Jade continued quietly.
"What if it was meant to create food?"
Silence.
Even Aaron's expression shifted slightly.
The gods grew stronger only to have their power drained away.
The participants hunted endlessly, evolved endlessly, became stronger endlessly.
The similarities were too obvious.
Aaron finally broke the silence.
"Don't think too deeply about it."
Jade snorted softly.
"That's easy for you to say."
They continued walking deeper into the ruin.
The blue flames gradually darkened into black flames.
The air became heavier.
Jade could now hear whispers.
Very faint whispers.
Like countless voices speaking from somewhere far away.
He frowned.
"You hear that?"
Aaron nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Jade looked around cautiously.
The whispers almost sounded human.
Almost.
But not completely.
Then—
Crack.
A loud sound echoed from somewhere deep inside the ruin.
Both Jade and Aaron froze instantly.
Aaron's hand tightened around his sword.
Jade summoned more vines around himself.
Another crack echoed.
Then silence.
Jade's instincts screamed danger.
The shadows ahead shifted unnaturally.
Something was moving inside the darkness.
Watching them.
Waiting.
Jade swallowed slightly before forcing himself calm.
"We find Sarah…"
"…and leave immediately."
Aaron nodded.
For once—
Neither of them joked anymore.
They walked deeper into the ancient ruin.
Past endless bones.
Past forgotten gods.
Past the history carved into the walls.
Toward the darkness waiting ahead.
And somewhere inside that darkness…
Sarah was waiting.