The cold bit deeper the closer we came to the ruins. The air grew still, heavy, as though the mountain itself was holding its breath. Snow crunched beneath our boots, but even that sound felt muted against the looming structure ahead.
The bronze dwarven gates loomed higher with every step we took, forged from ancient metal that gleamed faintly beneath the snowlight. Their geometric carvings caught the dim light like runes, and the weight of centuries pressed against us as if the ruin itself were alive. A faint grinding hum echoed from within, as if unseen gears deep inside had never truly stopped moving.
I swallowed hard as I looked up at them. No matter how many times I tried to tell myself these were just doors, they did not feel like it. They felt like a warning.
Zavir kept his eyes forward. His hand never left his weapon. "Stay close. The bandits won't all be waiting inside. Some will be patrolling the outskirts."
I nodded, though my hands were already slick with sweat beneath my gloves. I tried to keep my sword steady, but every step closer to the ruin made it heavier.
Then it came again—sudden and sharp in my mind.
"Praise Meridia… you have leveled up!"
The voice rang out like a chime, almost mocking in its brightness. My body stiffened. My heart thumped against my ribs. I glanced at Zavir, but he didn't react—he hadn't heard it. It was only me.
I grit my teeth. "Not now…" I whispered under my breath.
For a moment, I wanted to reach out, to check whatever strange "stats" this blessing had given me, to see if I had grown stronger, faster—anything at all. But the thought died just as quickly. I was in the middle of a quest, in the middle of danger. There was no pause button here, no safe screen I could retreat to. Only cold snow, enemies waiting, and the gates of the ruin ahead.
The blessing was supposed to give me strength. Instead, it felt like a curse that reminded me this wasn't a dream. This world was real. The blood on my sword was real. And now, the gates before me were just as real.
We stopped a dozen paces from the entrance. The bronze doors rose far above us, their carved patterns twisting like a maze my eyes couldn't follow. Every so often, I swore I heard the faint groan of hidden machinery turning behind them.
The silence was broken when three figures appeared from the snow to our left. Bandits. Their armor mismatched, their weapons crude but dangerous.
"Well, well," one of them sneered. "Strays heading into the ruins? You must be lost. But don't worry—we'll help you find your graves."
Zavir drew his blade with a calmness that only made my stomach turn more. He looked back at me, his expression sharp. "Stay sharp. No hesitation."
I tried to nod. My throat felt dry.
The bandits rushed forward. Zavir moved to meet them, his strikes swift and sure. He clashed steel with the first man, sparks bursting in the snow. The second circled wide—towards me.
My heart dropped. I raised my sword, my arms trembling. The bandit grinned like he'd already won. He lunged.
The clash rang in my ears. His blade pressed against mine, the weight almost knocking me back. I stumbled but held on. He shoved forward, forcing me down to one knee. My arms burned.
I thought it was over. Instinct took over instead. I shifted my grip, pushed back just enough, and drove my blade forward.
The sword pierced his chest. His grin vanished. His eyes widened, mouth opening but no sound came out. He staggered, then fell into the snow.
I froze. My chest heaved. My vision blurred at the edges. The blood on my blade steamed in the cold air.
Zavir's voice cut through the haze. "Efficient. Quick. You didn't hesitate."
I didn't answer. I couldn't. My hands trembled as I pulled the sword free. Inside, my stomach churned. My body wanted to retch, but I forced it down.
To Zavir, it must have looked like control. To me, it was barely holding on.
The other two bandits lay dead at his feet. He wiped his blade clean and gestured toward the gates. "We can't linger. More will come."
I nodded numbly, forcing my legs to move. Each step felt heavy, but I kept walking.
As we reached the base of the bronze gates, the hum of machinery grew louder. The sound of gears turning deep beneath the mountain echoed faintly through the cold metal. The ruin was not silent. It was awake.
And then it came again—clear and bright inside my skull.
"Praise Meridia… you have leveled up!"
I clenched my teeth, trying to hide the shiver running down my spine. Zavir looked at me, but only saw determination. He thought me a hardened adventurer, one who'd killed without hesitation.
If only he knew the truth.
I stared at the doors as the grinding hum deepened. Whatever waited beyond them would be worse than bandits. Far worse.
But I was already caught in Meridia's design. There was no turning back now.