THE DESERT RUINS

  The warm desert wind blew against Ethan’s face as he stepped through the portal, the golden sands stretching as far as the eye could see. The air was dry, carrying a faint whisper of ancient times long forgotten. The vast emptiness was only broken by a few crumbling pillars—silent remnants of a lost civilization.

  Ethan adjusted the strap of his backpack, taking in his surroundings before turning to Solis, who was now standing in the middle of what looked like the remnants of an old temple.

  Solis’s silver eyes gleamed under the moonlight as his tails flicked behind him. “It’s here.”

  Ethan furrowed his brows, scanning the area. All he saw was sand, stone, and more sand.

  “Are you sure?” he asked, doubtful.

  Solis didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he lifted his twin tails—and with a single flick, a powerful gust of wind surged forward, clearing away the layers of sand beneath their feet.

  As the dust settled, symbols were revealed, etched into the stone floor in intricate patterns, glowing faintly beneath the moonlight.

  Ethan crouched down, running his fingers over the carvings. He couldn’t read them—but he could feelthem.

  “This…” He narrowed his eyes, activating his Leo sight.

  Immediately, the world shifted. The inscriptions on the ground came to life, flowing like lines of code, rearranging themselves in his vision. They weren’t just symbols—they were a mechanism. A doorhidden beneath the surface.

  Ethan exhaled, placing his palm flat against the stone.

  “I see it,” he muttered.

  Closing his eyes, he sent his aura through the stone, reaching into the structure’s very foundation.

  The code of the door revealed itself—solid rock disguising a hidden entrance.

  Ethan modified it.

  A low rumble echoed through the temple ruins as the ground beneath them shifted. Dust and sand cascaded into the air as the stone began to rearrange itself, parting like a massive hidden vault.

  A few moments later, the entrance revealed itself—a staircase leading downward, vanishing into the dark depths below.

  Solis stepped forward, peering into the abyss. His tails swayed, seemingly pleased.

  “Well done,” he murmured.

  Ethan exhaled, shaking off the strain of the transmutation.

  Then, gripping the straps of his backpack, he stared into the unknown below.

  “…Let’s go.”

  Without hesitation, he descended into the darkness.

  Solis followed, the hidden temple waiting for them below.

  As Ethan and Solis descended the ancient stone staircase, torches lining the walls flickered to lifeone by one, illuminating the path ahead. The air grew thick with dust and the scent of ancient stone, untouched by time. The faint echoes of their footsteps filled the underground corridor.

  Ethan glanced at the glowing torches and let out a dry chuckle.

  “Well… at least whoever built this place had the courtesy to light the way.”

  Solis, walking a few steps ahead, flicked his tail. “Be grateful. The deeper we go, the less welcoming it will become.”

  Ethan frowned but kept moving forward, eyes scanning the intricate inscriptions carved into the walls. He couldn’t read the language, but he could feel the weight of something ancient pressing down on them.

  Then—click.

  The sound was almost imperceptible beneath his foot.

  Ethan’s heart lurched.

  A trap.

  Without hesitation, he pushed off the ground, jumping backward just as a barrage of arrows shot from the walls, slicing through the air like lethal rain.

  The first wave barely missed him. He twisted mid-air, landing on his palms, then flipped backward into a crouch. His heart pounded in his chest as another volley of dark-tipped arrows fired toward him.

  Too many. No time to dodge.

  His eyes darted to the walls, seeing the faint traces of ancient mechanisms fueling the trap. In an instant, he rewrote the stone at his feet—morphing it into a curved surface.

  The arrows hit the slope and veered off course—whistling harmlessly over his shoulder.

  A shadow streaked past him—Solis, moving with effortless grace, his twin tails weaving through the storm of arrows like a dancer in the wind.

  As the final arrow embedded itself into the stone wall, silence settled once more.

  Ethan let out a sharp breath, getting to his feet.

  “That was close.”

  Solis sat down on a nearby ledge, licking his paw lazily. “For you, maybe.”

  Ethan shot him a glare. “You could’ve warned me.”

  Solis flicked an ear. “And ruin the fun?”

  Ethan groaned and shook his head. This was going to be a long night.

  ?The Chamber of Inscription

  The corridor widened into a vast chamber, its walls covered in ancient carvings that seemed to pulse with an eerie, golden glow. At the far end stood massive stone doors, engraved with layers of inscriptions that shimmered faintly in the dim light.

  Ethan stepped forward, running his fingers over the intricate markings. His Leo sight activated, revealing the hidden layers of code woven into the stone.

  “This is some kind of… seal,” he murmured, narrowing his eyes as he traced the glowing symbols.

  But before he could analyze it further—

  Chittering.

  A sickening, unnatural clicking filled the air, echoing through the chamber like a whisper of something foul crawling just beyond sight.

  Ethan’s muscles tensed.

  Then they emerged.

  From the cracks in the stone walls, from the crevices above—they came skittering forward.

  Twisted desert insects, grotesquely morphed by the darkness, their bodies a fusion of chitin and writhing black tendrils. Their elongated legs twitched unnaturally, their crimson eyes gleaming with hunger. Mandibles dripped with a black, bubbling tar-like substance, hissing as it touched the ground.

  And then, they lunged.

  Ethan barely had time to react.

  He dove to the side, rolling across the cold stone floor as three massive, warped beetles slammedinto where he had been standing a moment ago. Their clawed legs ripped through solid rock, leaving deep gouges behind.

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  Too strong. Too fast.

  One of the creatures reared back, its bloated abdomen pulsing—before it spat a glob of corrosive bilestraight at him.

  Ethan’s eyes widened. Acid.

  No time to dodge.

  In a split-second decision, he unleashed his chains, gripping them tightly as he whipped them forward.

  The Virgo-enchanted metal extended like a living limb, wrapping around a fallen stone slab nearby. With a sharp pull, Ethan yanked the slab upright, positioning it between himself and the incoming attack.

  Sssssssss!

  The acid struck the slab, melting through it instantly—but Ethan had already moved.

  With a flick of his wrist, he redirected his chains toward the nearest insect, wrapping them around its thin, jagged legs.

  The creature screeched, its body struggling against the bindings.

  Ethan yanked hard—pulling it off balance.

  The moment it hit the ground, struggling to right itself, Ethan dashed forward. He twisted the composition of his chains, hardening them into a razor-sharp edge.

  With one clean whip of his wrist, the chains sliced through the creature’s legs, severing them from its body.

  The beetle let out a ghastly screech, black ichor gushing from its wounds, before it collapsed into a convulsing heap.

  But there was no time to celebrate—

  The second beetle was already mid-air, lunging toward him, its grotesque mandibles snapping in rapid succession.

  Ethan barely had time to think.

  He had no shield. No cover.

  But he had momentum.

  Instead of dodging, he attacked.

  Gripping his chains, he twisted his body mid-step, using the force of his motion to swing the metal like a whip.

  CRACK!

  The end of the chain lashed across the beetle’s face, shattering one of its glowing red eyes.

  The creature let out a deafening shriek, its body recoiling from the impact.

  Ethan used the opening—he lunged forward, gripping the insect’s body and rewriting the properties of its carapace.

  In seconds, the once-hard shell became brittle—fragile.

  With a brutal punch, Ethan drove his fist straight through the beetle’s now-weakened exoskeleton, shattering its core.

  It let out a final, choking screech—before collapsing into dust.

  Panting, Ethan staggered back, wiping sweat from his forehead.

  The room was silent once more.

  Ethan glanced down at the remains of the creatures, their blackened forms crumbling away, leaving behind only faint traces of darkness lingering in the air.

  His heartbeat slowed.

  That was… too close.

  He turned toward Solis, who sat on a nearby rock—watching with an unreadable expression.

  The silver-eyed cat flicked his tail.

  “Well,” Solis finally said, his voice calm, unbothered. “That was entertaining.”

  Ethan let out a breathless chuckle, shaking his head.

  “We’re just getting started, aren’t we?”

  Solis’s tail swayed lazily. “Oh, absolutely.”

  And beyond the sealed stone doors—something stirred.

  ?Deeper Into Darkness

  Ethan exhaled sharply, steadying his breath as he advanced further into the underground temple. The air thickened, heavy with the scent of damp stone and something more sinister—the presence of corruption.

  Every step forward brought a sense of unease.

  Solis followed silently, his silver eyes flickering with faint amusement, as if enjoying the spectacle of Ethan’s struggle.

  Then, the tunnel widened—opening into a vast, cavernous chamber.

  And the chittering returned.

  This time, it was louder.

  From the darkness above, they descended.

  Ethan’s eyes snapped upward just in time to see grotesque, mutated spiders crawling across the ceiling.

  Their bodies were bloated, pulsating with an eerie, blackened glow, veins of dark energy running through their limbs. Their multiple eyes burned red, and thick black ichor dripped from their fangs.

  Then they dropped.

  Ethan leapt back, narrowly avoiding the impact as two of the monstrous arachnids landed with a sickening thud, their legs kicking up dust.

  Another one lunged, its bloated abdomen splitting open to reveal barbed tendrils, whipping toward him like spears.

  Too close!

  Ethan reacted instantly—grabbing his chains and swinging them in a wide arc.

  The metal lashed out, intercepting the tendrils mid-strike, slicing through them.

  Screeeeech!

  The spider reeled back, black ichor gushing from the severed limbs—but the others were already closing in.

  Three more.

  Their legs moved unnaturally fast, their bodies twisting in ways that defied nature.

  Ethan’s mind raced.

  He needed an opening.

  Then he saw it—

  The stalactites above.

  Ethan rewrote the properties of his chain, increasing its elasticity and reach. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he latched onto one of the ceiling’s rock formations—

  And yanked himself upward.

  The spiders skittered beneath him, their fangs snapping at empty air.

  Ethan used the momentum, flipping mid-air, and as he descended, he modified his chains again—this time hardening them into serrated edges.

  He whipped them downward.

  SLAASH!

  The sharp metal tore through the heads of two spiders in one strike, splattering the ground with black ichor.

  Only one left.

  Ethan landed, rolling onto his feet. The last spider hissed, its form twitching violently as the dark energy inside it surged—

  Then—

  It exploded.

  A wave of black tendrils erupted outward in all directions.

  Ethan’s eyes widened. No time to dodge!

  He whirled his chains into a defensive spiral, forming a makeshift barrier around himself.

  The tendrils slammed into the metal, pushing him back, but he held his ground.

  When the black mass finally dissipated, Ethan lowered his arms—only to see the remains of the spider twitching before finally crumbling to dust.

  Silence.

  Ethan let out a slow breath.

  That was too close.

  Solis, seated on a nearby rock, licked his paw. “You almost died.”

  Ethan shot him a glare. “Thanks for the support.”

  Solis’s tail flicked lazily. “You’re welcome.”

  But before Ethan could respond—

  The ground trembled.

  A deep rumbling sound echoed through the chamber.

  Then—

  A massive stone door ahead slowly creaked open, revealing another passageway leading deeper underground.

  Ethan clenched his fists. He had no choice but to move forward.

  And as he stepped inside—

  Something was waiting for him.

  ?The Corrupted Warlord

  The next chamber was vast, its walls lined with towering pillars of black stone, inscribed with glowing red runes.

  In the center—

  A massive figure loomed in the darkness.

  A humanoid scorpion.

  It stood over eight feet tall, its chitinous exoskeleton fused with tendrils of darkness, giving it a monstrous, half-living, half-shadowed form.

  Its six arms twitched, each one clutching jagged, obsidian-like blades.

  But it was the eyes that unsettled Ethan the most—

  A deep, hollow crimson glow, devoid of life, but filled with hunger.

  Then—

  It charged.

  Faster than something its size should be able to move.

  Ethan barely had time to react before one of its bladed arms cleaved downward—

  He jumped back, dodging by inches, the blade slicing into the ground, leaving a deep gash in the stone.

  Too fast. Too strong.

  Ethan lashed out with his chains, aiming to bind its arms—

  But the warlord was smarter than the previous beasts.

  It caught the chain mid-air.

  And yanked.

  Ethan felt his body jerk forward violently, thrown completely off balance.

  Shit—!

  Before he could react, the warlord whipped him around, slamming him against a pillar.

  Pain exploded through his back.

  Ethan coughed, struggling to regain his footing—

  But the warlord was already moving, its jagged blades gleaming, ready to impale him where he stood.

  No chains. No time.

  Ethan’s mind raced. What can I use?

  Then—

  He remembered.

  The pillar.

  He had seen its composition when he crashed into it. Brittle near its base.

  He didn’t have time to alter it.

  But he didn’t need to.

  As the warlord lunged forward, Ethan sidestepped at the last second—

  And slammed his foot into the weakened section of the pillar.

  CRACK!

  The stone split apart.

  The entire pillar collapsed, falling directly onto the warlord.

  BOOOOM!

  A cloud of dust erupted, and the massive beast was buried under tons of rubble.

  Ethan staggered back, panting.

  He didn’t have time to celebrate.

  A low rumble vibrated through the ground.

  Then—

  The rubble exploded outward.

  The warlord rose from the debris, its body covered in cracks, but its hollow red eyes still burned with malice.

  Ethan grit his teeth. He needed something more.

  His mind raced.

  Then, he saw it—

  The warlord’s shadow.

  Ethan’s gaze locked onto it.

  He didn’t need to fight this thing head-on. He needed to use the environment.

  He rewrote his boots, altering their properties to soften sound—vanishing into complete silence.

  Then—

  He moved.

  The warlord swung wildly, unable to pinpoint Ethan’s position.

  He was too quiet.

  Ethan dashed behind it, spotting the joints where its legs connected to its torso.

  Weak points.

  Ethan rewrote the stone beneath its feet, making it unstable.

  The warlord’s footing shifted—and that was all he needed.

  With a sharp snap of his fingers, Ethan returned the stone to solid form, locking the warlord’s feet in place.

  For the first time—

  The creature hesitated.

  And Ethan took his shot.

  He grabbed a nearby fallen stalactite, infusing it with reinforced density—

  And drove it straight into the warlord’s exposed joint.

  A sickening crunch echoed through the chamber—

  The warlord let out a final, guttural screech—before its body shuddered and collapsed.

  Dust settled.

  Ethan stood, panting, hands shaking.

  Solis, lounging casually on a rock, yawned.

  “Well,” the cat mused. “That was dramatic.”

  Ethan sighed. “Shut up.”

  And beyond the final door—

  The third fragment waited.

  Ethan wiped the sweat from his forehead, his muscles burning with exhaustion. The corrupted scorpion warlord lay still, its massive form crumbling into black dust as the last traces of darkness left its body.

  He turned to the massive stone doors at the end of the chamber. Unlike the previous ones, these weren’t locked by inscriptions—they were already open.

  And inside—

  The fragment awaited.

  A golden glow pulsed softly within the next room, illuminating the ancient carvings lining the walls. Ethan stepped forward cautiously, his breath steady as he entered.

  The chamber was vast—a circular sanctum with an elevated pedestal at its center. Hovering just above it was the third fragment, a swirling mass of radiant energy shaped like a golden ember.

  The air felt different here.

  Heavy.

  Ethan’s instincts screamed at him. Something was wrong.

  Solis, padding silently behind him, let out a small hum. “You feel it, don’t you?”

  Ethan nodded. “Yeah… this place is testing me.”

  Solis flicked his twin tails. “It won’t be like the others. The first two fragments were guarded. This one? It’s different. It’s waiting.”

  Ethan took another step forward, feeling an unseen force pressing against his skin. It wasn’t a physical barrier—it was something deeper.

  A trial.

  The closer he got, the stronger the resistance became, like walking against an invisible current.

  Solis’s voice came from behind.

  “This isn’t just a test of strength, Ethan.” The cat’s silver eyes gleamed. “It’s a test of will.”

  Ethan took a deep breath. “Then let’s see if I pass.”

  The moment he stepped onto the pedestal, the chamber shifted.

  A wave of golden energy erupted outward—

  And the world changed.

  Ethan was no longer in the temple.

  He was somewhere else entirely.