The air in Layer 1 thickened with the smell of damp stone and ancient decay. Each step Reinhart took echoed hollowly, swallowed quickly by the vast emptiness around them. Faint glimmers of bioluminescent moss painted ghostly patterns on the cracked walls—faint reminders that the ruins were not yet dead, only sleeping.
Reinhart tightened his grip on Petra's Anchor. His muscles ached from their last brutal fight, but his spirit burned brighter than ever. "These ruins... they don't just hold monsters. They remember. They're alive in their own way." His voice was low, a mixture of awe and unease.
Julius, ever the pragmatist despite his size and appetite, gave a dry chuckle. "Alive and hungry. Like us." He shifted his gauntlets, the flamecharm's embers glowing faintly in the dim light. "I can almost taste the fire from here."
Subaru stood a little apart, his eyes flickering like candle flames caught in a breeze. The faintest breeze. His galebreath stirred gently, invisible yet potent, wrapping around him like a whispered promise. The awakening was close. Reinhart could feel it—a tempest barely contained beneath Subaru's calm exterior.
"Keep alert," Reinhart whispered, scanning the shadows. "The Depths have teeth, and they're hungry."
Chapter 2.1
A low growl broke the stillness ahead, followed by the unmistakable sound of claws scraping stone. Reinhart's heartbeat quickened.
"Hunters," Julius growled, stepping forward with a fiery blaze erupting from his gauntlets. The flames cracked and hissed, their light throwing grotesque shadows on the cavern walls.
From the darkness emerged twisted forms—pack hunters, corrupted by the Abyss. Their amber eyes gleamed with a feral hunger. The very ground seemed to tremble as they surged forward.
"Stay close!" Reinhart barked, planting his feet. His Ironsing pulsed—an invisible force rippling from his hammer, steadying and empowering his allies.
Julius charged, flames streaking like shooting stars as he struck with precision and fury. Subaru melted into the shadows, a ghost moving too fast to track, landing swift strikes before vanishing again.
Reinhart stood like a wall, blocking the beasts' desperate lunges, hammer crashing down with bone-shattering force.
Then, a savage blow caught Reinhart off-guard. He crashed to the ground, breath stolen, vision dimming.
The last hunter lunged.
Subaru's body convulsed violently, caught between collapse and defiance. Then, with a roar born of desperation, his galebreath erupted like a storm, a fierce wind tearing through the pack. The hunters were thrown back, howling in defeat.
They were alive.
Chapter 2.2
The cavern fell silent except for their ragged breaths. Blood dripped from scratches and bruises, but none were broken.
Reinhart pushed himself upright, hammer resting heavy in his hands. His eyes shimmered faintly with shadow magic—a dark power flickering just beyond his control.
"Level 2… we're almost there," he said quietly, a note of grim hope threading through his words.
Julius wiped sweat from his forehead, chuckling despite their wounds. "And I'm already hungry again. This Abyss is gonna kill me with hunger before it kills me with monsters."
Subaru leaned against a cracked pillar, his eyes distant and troubled. "There's a storm inside me," he said softly, voice barely audible. "Every time I hit my lowest, something surges. I'm not sure if I control it... or if it controls me."
Reinhart met his gaze steadily. "Fear isn't weakness. It's a warning. And if you let it push you forward, it can be a weapon."
Julius grinned, slapping Subaru's shoulder. "Sounds like the story of every great Diver who ever lived."
Chapter 2.3
The trio made camp in a small alcove, shadows flickering against the stone as Julius tore into a Megurger with an enthusiasm that belied their danger.
"We need strength," Julius said between mouthfuls. "Reinhart, when your Shadowcast finally awakens, it'll be a game-changer."
Reinhart stared into the dying embers of their fire, his jaw tight. "It has to be. But Amelia's watching us. She's the Protector of the King—healer, executioner, predator."
Subaru exhaled slowly, the weight of unseen forces pressing on his chest. "Then we fight. Or we die trying."
Julius laughed—a harsh sound in the cold darkness. "That's the Diver way."
Chapter 2.4
The night thickened, and the fire's glow became a fragile beacon against the abyssal dark. Somewhere beyond their camp, a faint hum pulsed—a living signal from the depths.
Reinhart's voice was barely above a whisper. "The Depths remember the fallen... and those who dare to rise. We're both now."
The three sat in silence, bound by pain and hope, their fates entwined beneath the crushing weight of the Abyss.
They had survived Layer 1. But survival was just the beginning.