The drop-off point was about two miles from the site. The trail to the ruins wasn't dangerous, just winding, with scenic routes branching off in three directions. To keep things organized, the students were split into small exploration groups.
Ryu naturally drifted toward Soka and a few classmates, assuming he'd be with them.
But when the names were called, Ryu's wasn't among them.
Confused, he approached the supervising lecturer.
"Oh, Ryu. You're in the last group. There was a slight reshuffle."
He nodded politely, but his heart dropped when he learned who he'd been assigned to.
His group included Princess Yan, Kalavan, one of her personal guards and close friend, the one she shared a room with.
Ryu blinked, thinking, Great. No pressure.
Still, he reminded himself: it was just a hike. He could manage. At least he'd get a good view of the ruins.
Their group departed last, choosing a slightly shorter path that weaved through gentle slopes and smooth ridges. The air smelled of cedar and wildflowers. Birds flitted through the branches above, chirping faintly. Every so often, moss-covered stones jutted out, remnants of what may have once been a perimeter wall.
The trail was peaceful, quiet in a way that made Ryu hyperaware of every step he took. He stayed near the back, watching Yan from a distance. She walked with a confident gait, her silver hair tied back, occasionally pausing to glance at interesting flora or markings on old stones.
They followed the path until a crumbled column came into view, half-buried in ivy and bent at a strange angle.
Yan slowed. "I think that leads closer to the foundation," she said, pointing toward a faint path veering off the main trail.
Kalavan frowned. "It's not on the assigned route."
But Yan had already begun walking, her expression focused. Ryu glanced at the others, then followed.
The trail dipped into a shallow basin, overgrown with tall grass and stones worn smooth by time. The air cooled noticeably, and the light dimmed beneath the thick canopy.
The ground felt soft underfoot. Too soft.
Ryu furrowed his brow. The sensation was subtle, but the earth beneath them seemed to give slightly with every step.
The further they walked, the more the terrain pulsed beneath them, like something sleeping beneath the surface.
And then,
Crack.
A deep rumble echoed below. The grass trembled.
"The ground's giving way!" Kalavan shouted, spinning around.
Panic surged. The basin buckled. Dirt and stone heaved upward, then dropped like a sinkhole. Dust exploded into the air. They scattered instinctively, but the grasses tangled their steps.
Yan stumbled. Her ankle twisted violently. She cried out and collapsed as the soil cracked beneath her.
Ryu turned back.
Kalavan was ahead, shouting commands. The guard scrambled to grab Yan but was too far. Ryu was closest.
The edge widened, five feet, six, then seven.
Yan was trying to crawl. Her fingers dug into the grass, but the slope gave way beneath her.
Ryu didn't hesitate.
He dove.
Sliding across crumbling soil, he grabbed her wrist.
Their eyes met, hers wide with panic and disbelief.
"I don't want to die like this," she whispered.
With all of Ryu's strength, he grabbed her hand and pulled, dragging her toward the ledge as the ground crumbled beneath them. For a moment, it worked. She rose, breathing heavily.
But then the earth beneath them gave way entirely.
They fell.
Darkness swallowed them.
Ryu stirred, a dull ache pulsing behind his eyes. Dust filled his lungs as he coughed, blinking through the gloom. He was lying on rough stone, cold and cracked, and a fine layer of earth clung to his clothes and skin. His head pounded, but as awareness returned, he looked down and froze.
The Princess was lying against him, unconscious, her arms loosely wrapped around his chest, as if she had clung to him even in the fall.
Bits and pieces of memory returned in flashes; the collapsing earth, the frantic sprint, her injured ankle, his decision to turn back, and then,
The fall.
I... I held her the whole way down?
His heart thudded quietly. He had risked his life for someone he barely knew. And yet, in that moment, he hadn't hesitated. Looking at her now, covered in dust, but peaceful, alive, he realized something strange.
He didn't regret it.
Ryu glanced at his own body, taking inventory. His arms were scratched and bleeding lightly, and he had a deep graze across his left shin, but nothing appeared broken. All things considered, it was a miracle.
He looked around.
The space they had landed in wasn't a chamber, it was a corridor. Narrow and long, lined with worn stone that curved in ancient, unnatural ways. It reminded him of a mine shaft, but the air was too still, too clean. There were no beams, no tool marks, just smooth, weathered walls and a faint, ambient glow from strange minerals embedded in the stone.
How far down are we...? he wondered.
He took off his jumper, carefully folded it, and slipped it beneath Yan's head to give her some comfort. Then he stood slowly, testing his balance, and began to explore.
The corridor branched off in three directions, one straight ahead, and two side passages that veered off into darkness. The central path seemed to align with the direction they had fallen from above. Something about it felt... correct. Faint currents of air moved through it, carrying a whisper of moisture and age.
That must lead to the ruins, he thought.
Still, he paused. He wouldn't go on without her.
Returning to the princess, he knelt beside her. Her breathing was steady, and though she had a few scrapes and a small bruise on her cheek, she looked mostly unharmed. After nearly an hour of waiting, Ryu gently placed his arms beneath her, preparing to lift her in case she couldn't walk.
That's when her eyes fluttered open.
He froze mid-motion, hands under her back and legs.
Her crimson gaze met his, wide with surprise, and instinctively, she raised a hand to slap him.
Ryu flinched, "Wait!"
But the strike never came.
She stopped herself, her eyes scanning his face, then her surroundings, and finally the makeshift pillow beneath her head. Her brows softened.
She realized that he had stayed.
Lowering her hand, she exhaled slowly, "You… didn't leave."
Ryu blinked, "Of course not. You were hurt. I wasn't just going to walk off and leave you underground."
She sat up slowly, brushing the dust from her sleeves. Her expression was unreadable for a moment, but then she gave a small nod, "Thank you."
Ryu smiled awkwardly, relieved, "Don't mention it."
They both rose to their feet, still disoriented but aware of their surroundings. The corridor stretched on in all directions, dimly illuminated by glowing veins of crystal in the walls. Small vines with pale, bioluminescent leaves curled around some of the stones, plants that could never have survived in the surface world.
Ryu gestured forward, "I think the ruins are this way."
Yan looked at the path, then at the other two branches, "We'll stick to the main route. If this really is part of the palace's underground network, that should lead us to the heart of it."
They began walking side by side, their footsteps echoing faintly. The corridor felt ancient, like it hadn't been touched by another living soul in thousands of years.
Thirty or forty minutes passed. They crossed a trickle of running water; clear, cold, and eerily still. It flowed gently along the edge of the corridor, disappearing into the stone as mysteriously as it appeared.
"Still no end in sight," Ryu muttered.
"Not yet," Yan replied, scanning the walls. "But we're close. Look, torches."
He followed her gaze. Sure enough, metal sconces were embedded into the stone now, each holding a long-dried torch. No fire remained, but the fact that they were here at all was promising.
"They wouldn't waste resources like this in a dead-end," she said.
As they pressed onward, the tunnel began to widen.
The ceiling arched higher. The walls opened into a large, domed chamber where the crystals pulsed more brightly. And there, at the far end, was a pair of colossal iron doors, at least forty feet high. They gleamed with a dull silver sheen, covered in intricate carvings. A soft glow radiated from them, not bright, but steady.
Ryu stood in awe.
He couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.
The air around the doors felt... different. Like the space was pressing inward, humming with forgotten power.
Yan stepped forward. "It's real," she whispered. "The Emperor's sigil… That's it."
She ran her fingers along the etching at the centre of the doors, an elaborate circular crest made of interwoven phoenixes and dragons. "This is the same as the one carved into the Grand Hall's relics. These doors… they were built to seal something."
Ryu said nothing. He was locked in a trance, staring at the symbol like it called to something inside him.
Yan looked over at him. "Ryu?"
He didn't answer.
His eyes were fixed, pupils dilated. The low glow from the doors reflected in his gaze.
Why does this feel so familiar...?
He took a step forward.
The symbols on the door flickered.
Yan's breath caught. "Wait, don't get too close, the formation, "
But as Ryu approached, the carvings began to pulse.
A deep, resonant hum echoed through the stone. Ancient lines glowed to life along the ground, forming a web of runes that circled outward from the base of the doors.
Yan backed away, stunned. "The Qi... it's reacting to you."
Ryu kept walking, slowly, drawn to the gate like a moth to flame. His thoughts were hazy, but something inside whispered a single truth.
I've seen this before, recalling dreams as a child flashbacks of memories that seemed blurred, that he couldn't quite remember.