Lihuen placed a hand on his chest and felt the pulse of his own breath.His legs bent into a stable stance, arms raised in quiet discipline.He had nothing better — just his body, his focus, and the small, growing miracle in his palm.
Sen stopped at his side, head tilted, paws poised.No growl. No predator's posture — only calm trust.The golem moved, at first imperceptibly.One hand, sculpted from a single block of stone, rose — heavy, but ready to strike.
Lihuen dodged the first blow by reflex — knee bent, body tucked in.The mass slammed into the ground, making the entire chamber vibrate.The force of it sent a shiver through his shoulders.But he knew from that instant: this wasn't a brutal clash.It would be a dance.
He scanned the space — two distant columns, an area of broken rock, a shattered side wall.Every feature became a potential foothold, cover, springboard.He positioned himself and launched into a movement he'd rehearsed countless times.
Sen sprang forward — fluid, swift.The golem turned, bracing itself — rough mass locking into a defensive stance.Lihuen seized the moment.His steps clung to the ground for an instant, but his focus was elsewhere.He felt the world shift beneath him — not normal gravity, but the kind his rune sensed:the pull near his footing, the diffused tension.
He knew where to place his weight to remain upright.And then — the golem staggered.
A disorienting blow.It tilted toward Sen.
She didn't wait.She seized the golem's side, reacting to the subtle slip.Its supports gave way, and it fell — its torso crashing to the ground with a deep crack.
Silence.
Lihuen shook his head, searching for breath — but his heart was pounding.The red light in the golem's chest faded in one final pulse.He looked to Sen.She stared back, ears twitching, chest high, wearing a calm air of triumph.
She had been remarkable.
So had he.
They weren't running anymore.
They had stood their ground, for the first time.
A low rumble echoed through the chamber.Not a threat — an acknowledgment, rippling through the stone.The walls vibrated faintly, welcoming.A whisper — almost inaudible — brushed their ears.
The Domain was inviting them to move forward.
Lihuen walked without hurry, his stride adapting to the uneven floor of the corridor opening ahead.Sen moved beside him, alert but calm, as if the battle had settled them deeper into the rhythm of the place.
The path rose in a gentle spiral.Occasionally, a breath of air kissed his skin — not a sharp wind, but a slow respiration, ancient as the rock.The walls barely trembled, filled with that strange tension the Domain released at every threshold.
They passed several branching tunnels — but Lihuen didn't hesitate.He wasn't following a plan.He was following a pull — a sensation, almost physical, that the way opened when he was ready.Each step forward seemed validated by that thread inside him — that fluid, quiet warmth, always true.
A sound, suddenly.Light. Quick.
He froze.
So did Sen.
A faint clatter, followed by a dry hiss.
He had no time to look — a shard of stone cut through the air.Lihuen dove aside.The blade whistled past his face and shattered against the wall.
Sliding panels opened in the stone.Ancient mechanisms, perhaps triggered by his presence alone.
He rolled, skidded along the floor, pressed into an alcove.Another projectile sliced past.He raised his arm instinctively — and felt his rune vibrate.
The blow hit his elbow — a dull pain — but he held on.
Sen leapt, dodging with almost choreographed precision.She reached the wall in one bound, clung to a ledge, and with a swipe of her paw, dislodged a hidden lever.
The clattering stopped.
Lihuen, breathless, stood slowly.
He hadn't bested the trap.He'd gotten lucky.
But he wasn't afraid.
He was focused.
He looked at Sen, gave a nod.She gave a soft, almost proud growl.
— Thank you.
They moved on.
The traps didn't return.But the climb grew steeper.The ground, less stable.Thin slabs of stone sometimes broke loose under their weight.
He fell once — caught himself just in time.His shoulder struck a corner.A sharp pain lanced down his arm.He winced — but kept going.
And finally — they arrived.
A final corridor, straight and narrow, led to a white opening.Not a harsh light — but a gentle mist, still and saturated with intention.
They crossed the threshold.
And the world changed.
A vast rocky plateau unfolded before them, suspended above a calm void.There was no sky.Or maybe the Domain no longer needed one.Just that pale clarity, everywhere — as if the light came from the stone itself.
And at the center… an arch.
Carved from ancient rock — older than the rest of this place.It pulsed softly.Not with magic — with memory.
Sen froze.
So did Lihuen.
A quiet rumble rose.Then, slowly, a final shape emerged from the ground.
Massive.Not as tall as the first golems — but far broader.Compact. Dense.A living armor of black stone, laced with golden striations.
Its chest bore a circular hollow — empty, but still vibrating.
It didn't charge.It waited.
Lihuen felt his throat tighten.
Not from fear — from tension.
This was the final threshold.
He looked to Sen.
She growled — without hesitation.
So he stepped forward.
And the fight began.
The golem struck without haste — but each blow warped the air.Lihuen dodged narrowly, heat building in his chest.The rune in his hand vibrated with every contact — as if reading the space around him.
He tried to close in.Feinted.
The golem's kick threw him against a column.His ribs screamed.He rolled, coughed, stood trembling.
Sen leapt — a fast, focused attack.The golem blocked her without turning.But that moment of pause let Lihuen approach again.
He pressed a hand to the ground.Focused.Visualized — not the golem, but his own center of gravity.Then — the golem's.
He drew in.
Gravity relented.Just a fraction of a second.
The giant staggered.A barely visible imbalance — but enough.
Sen struck again.This time, the golem dropped to one knee.
Lihuen leapt.A punch into the central notch.Nothing spectacular.But the rune pulsed.A faint ripple ran through the golem's structure.
It stilled.
Then, slowly… collapsed.
Not like a defeated enemy.Like a barrier removed.
Silence returned.
Lihuen's rune burned in his palm — not with pain, but recognition.
He staggered.Sen slipped beneath his arm.He rested a hand on her head.
— Thank you.
They approached the arch.
It pulsed.A light emerged.
And a voice — calm, shapeless.Only the presence of the Domain.
— The threshold has been crossed.The thread held.Balance accepted.
A pause.
— Title confirmed: He-Who-Walks-Beyond-Paths.Path: Nebulous.Status: Stabilized.
The arch opened.
Beyond it — another space.Perhaps Qin.Perhaps something else.
Lihuen inhaled.Leaned on Sen.
And stepped forward.
Toward what came next.