The dungeon was quite, all one hear was that, it was on verge of colpse.

  Zortheus, who was feared by every adventurer, also known as the "Uned King of the Dungeons". But he wasn't like the typical dungeon bosses who drowned iru or chaos. He had fought not out of malice but to protect his domain a his strength against worthy oppos. One day he stood silently in the heart of his domain . His pierg eyes looked over the crumbling walls, orong and unyielding, now covered with cracks and moss. The once-shining marble floors were dulled, and the air, which had once filled with the energy of tless battles, now felt heavy and still. He looked at the cracks along a broken pilr, his expression unreadable. For turies, this dungeon had been his pride and joy, a bastion of his strength, the stage for tless cshes with adventurers, and a home to the loyal minions who had stood by his side. But evero fortresses could not withstand the relentless passage of time.

  The dungeon could no longer afford the battles it was known for. The traps, the meisms, the spell, they were wearing out. The very foundation was crumbling uhe weight of its age. Zortheus khat if it tio stand, it would eventually colpse into nothing more than rubble, taking with it all the memories and stories it held.

  He sighed, the sound low and heavy in the quiet chamber. This pce was more than a duo him, it art of who he was. Every stone, every corridor, every scar on its walls told a story of his life, his battles, and his panions. Letting it go felt like losing a piece of himself. But he had no choice. After much thought, Zortheus summoned his anders. They appeared one by oheir forms materializing in the dim light of the chamber. These were his most trusted allies, the ones who had fought alongside him through tless battles. Each of them with their own stories, who gave their all to protect this very own dungeon.

  He didn't o expiuation to them, they already khe state of the dungeon was clear to all of them. Still, Zortheus spoke, his voice steady but filled with aion he rarely showed. "This dungeon... it ot endure much longer" he said. "We've fought too many battles, pushed it too far. If we ti will crumble entirely, and everything we've built here will be lost." The anders listened in sileheir expressions was quite depressing. They too had spent their lives defending this pce, p their strength and loyalty into its walls. The thought of leaving it behind was almost unbearable.

  Zortheus paused, his glowing eyes looking over each of them. "I've decided to close it. Temporarily, at least." There was a long silehey all knew what "temporary" really meant. The odds of the dungeon reopening were slim. Ohey left, there would be no oo maintain it, no oo guard it. This was likely the end. Even so, no one objected. They had fought alongside Zortheus long enough to trust his judgment. One by ohe anders gave their nods of agreement. There were no grand speeches, no dramatic farewells, just a quiet uanding among rades.

  Zortheus turo the tral pilr of the chamber, where the core of the dungeon's magic resided. With a heavy heart, he pced his hand on the glowing crystal. His magic flowed into it, activating the a spells that would seal the dungeon. The walls trembled as the doors and passageways began to close, one by ohe anders watched as their home was locked away, their expressions heavy with emotion. This was the end of an era, the closing of a chapter they had all been a part of.

  As the st door sealed shut, Zortheus turo his anders. "Thank you", he said simply.

  And then they left. No one looked back as if they were hiding their emotions back.

  ---

  For the first time iuries, Zortheus was alone.

  He wahe world, his once-purposeful strides now aimless. Without the dungeon, without his minions, he felt... lost. He traveled through forests, mountains, and towns, always keeping to the shadows, hiding his identity.

  The world had ged while he had been in the dungeon. Vilges had grown into bustling towns. Now adventurers no longer roamed in search of his dungeon flory, and his name, once whispered in fear, was now just a tale told to children.

  At first, he didn't know what to do with himself. The battles, the challehe dungeon, those were the things that had defined his life. Now, they were gone, and he had no idea who he was without them. He wandered aimlessly for years, watg the world move on while he stayed the same. Until oeful day, everything ged.

  ---

  The jungle was thid unweling, the air heavy with humidity. Zortheus pushed through the dense undergrowth, his cloak snagging on branches. He wasn't sure why he had e here, perhaps it was just another pce to pass through, another distra. He felt nostalgic, as his duoo resided in somewhat simir forest, and memories were fshing down to him. As he walked, he heard a sound. It was faint, almost drowned out by the noise of the is buzzing and the rustling of leaves. But his sharp senses picked it up, a weak, high-pitched cry. Curious, he followed the sound. It led him to a small clearing, where a bundle of cloth y beh a tree. The g grew louder as he approached, and when he crouched down to ihe bundle, he froze.

  Inside he found was a baby.

  She was tiny, her face was all red as she was g. Her little hands waved in the air, and her cheeks were covered with tears. Zortheus stared at her, his mind bnk. He had faced tless foes, anded armies, and ruled over a dungeon for turies, but this... this was somethiirely new.

  "Why are you here?" he murmured, his deep voiusually soft.

  The baby didn't answer, of course. She just blinked up at him, her cries slowing as if sensing that he wasn't a threat. He looked around the clearing, searg for any sign of someone else. There were no tracks, no st of another human nearby. Whoever had left her here was long gone. For a moment, he sidered leaving her. She wasn't his responsibility. But as he looked at her, so small, so helpless, something inside him shifted. A memory flickered in his mind, of the minions he had cared for, the panions he had fought beside.

  No, he couldn't leave her.

  Carefully, he picked her up. She fit easily in his rge hands, her tiny form warm against his cold skin. Her cries stopped as she snuggled into his chest, her breathing evening out. Theightly held onto Zortheus's pinky finger, at that moment something struck him, something that even he couldn't render.

  "This is going to be trouble" he muttered, though there was a faint softness in his tone.

  As he walked out of the juhe baby cradled in his arms, he began to think. He couldn't keep wandering aimlessly with her. She needed a home, a pce to grow up safely. By the time he reached the edge of the jungle, he had made his decision. He would settle in a human vilge, take on a new identity, and raise this child as his own. Looking down at the baby who now was sleeping , he smiled faintly. "Your name will be Li" he said softly.

  From that day on, Zortheus became Zora, a simple man with a newfound purpose, with a new beginning...