Morning had clawed its way across the sky hours ago, but down here on the northern cliffs, the sun felt far away. The sea raged below, waves smashing against stone with the subtlety of an angry drunk. Gulls wheeled overhead, screaming like they knew something I didn't—probably that I was about to do something stupid.
The cavern mouth yawned before me, hidden behind thorns and jagged rock. A place no sane person would bother with. Which, conveniently, made me the perfect candidate.
I squeezed through, muttering curses every time a thorn snagged my already tattered clothes. When I finally stumbled into the cavern proper, my breath caught.
An ancient door loomed ahead, massive and black, carved straight into the cliff's bones. Runes etched across its surface glowed faintly, pulsing like the heartbeat of something that wasn't quite dead. Cold air seeped from the cracks, brushing against my skin like skeletal fingers.
"Well," I muttered, forcing a grin. "Definitely not a wine cellar."
The runes pulsed brighter at my voice, almost as if the door found me… amusing. Which, honestly, was both flattering and terrifying.
I edged closer, sword hilt warm against my palm. "Okay. Creepy magic door that hums ominously? Totally safe. One hundred percent not going to lead to my untimely demise. Nope. Definitely fine."
The door rumbled in response. Dust trickled from the cavern ceiling. My grin faltered.
"...I hate when sarcasm doesn't work."
Still, I pressed my hand against the cold stone. Instantly, the runes flared, blinding in their intensity. The ground shuddered beneath me as gears older than kingdoms groaned awake. Slowly—agonizingly—the massive slabs of stone parted, revealing a black maw beyond.
The stench of time itself wafted out: dust, rot, and something faintly metallic, like old blood.
Every instinct screamed *leave*. My brain, however, reminded me that this was the dungeon. The one from the game. The one where destinies changed.
And I wasn't about to hand that future to someone else.
I stepped forward.
The darkness swallowed me whole.
At first, there was only silence. My boots echoed faintly against stone, but the sound felt muted, like the walls themselves were listening.
Faint lights flickered above—tiny spheres suspended in the air like captive stars. They illuminated just enough to show the path ahead: a long corridor carved with sharp, angular patterns. The walls were smooth, unnaturally so, as if chiseled by precision tools far beyond human hands.
"This place…" My voice came out in a whisper, though I hadn't meant it to. "It's not man-made. Not fully."
The corridor opened into a vast chamber. My breath caught again.
The ceiling soared high above, lost in shadow. Towering statues lined the walls—robed figures with hollow eyes, their hands outstretched as though offering blessings… or demanding tribute. Between them, relief carvings stretched in endless panels, depicting wars, stars falling from the heavens, gates shattering, and shadows swallowing entire cities.
"Cheery decor," I muttered. "Really welcoming. Nothing says 'please relax' like apocalypse murals."
Despite the joke, a chill trickled down my spine. This place felt wrong. Ancient. Hungry.
In the game, this dungeon had been called **Eclipse Hollow**. A ruin from a civilization erased long before recorded history. The lore had been vague—deliberately so—but whispers said it had been built as a trial ground. Not for warriors. Not for kings. But for those with… potential.
People like the protagonist.
People who were never meant to be me.
The air thickened as I moved deeper into the chamber. My every step echoed like a drumbeat. The statues seemed to follow me with their empty eyes. Once or twice, I swore one shifted slightly, just enough to keep me in its gaze.
I tried not to look at them. I failed.
"Yup," I muttered. "Definitely haunted. Probably cursed. Ten out of ten would not Airbnb again."
At the far end of the chamber stood another door, smaller than the first but no less intimidating. This one wasn't carved with runes—it was made of pure obsidian, perfectly smooth, like a slab of midnight itself. In its center, a circular indentation glowed faintly.
A pedestal rose before it, stone worn from centuries of waiting. Upon it rested a small, crystalline orb. Inside swirled motes of silver light, drifting lazily like snowflakes in water.
I stared at it, my heartbeat suddenly louder in my ears.
In the game, this was the trial key. Touching it would begin the dungeon's test. Fail, and… well. Players usually got a "Game Over."
Real life wasn't so forgiving.
My hand hovered over the orb. My throat tightened. This was it—the point of no return.
I forced a laugh, though it came out weaker than intended. "All right, mysterious death orb. Don't kill me. Or do. Dealer's choice."
My fingers brushed the surface.
The orb flared, light exploding outward in a blinding wave. I staggered back, shielding my eyes. When the glare finally dimmed, the chamber was gone.
I stood in darkness.
At least, I thought it was darkness. Slowly, pinpricks of light bloomed around me—stars, scattered across an endless void. A pale moon hung overhead, its light washing over a floating platform beneath my feet. Beyond its edge: nothing. Just infinite emptiness.
I swallowed hard. "Well. If this is death, I gotta admit—nice view."
A voice rippled through the void. Deep. Resonant. Neither male nor female, but something vast. Something ancient.
"Seeker."
I froze. "Uh. Hi. That's me. Seeker. Seeking… stuff."
"You stand before Eclipse Hollow. A trial of soul and self. Strength of flesh is nothing here. Only resolve endures."
The platform trembled. Shapes began to crawl out of the void—figures made of shadow and starlight, their forms shifting constantly. Some bore swords, others claws, others wings. All faceless. All watching me.
My sword felt suddenly, painfully small in my grip.
"Right," I muttered. "So this is the part where I fight things that look like they crawled out of a cosmic horror artist's sketchbook. Perfect. Totally fine."
[New quest generated]
[Conquer Eclipse Hollow]
[Reward : A new skill]
My eyes lit up seeing the panel.
Ohh .... A new skill. Now that's what I'm talking. Hope I get something useful.
While I was lost in my thought The voice echoed again.
"Overcome. Or be consumed."
The shadows lunged.
My blade flashed instinctively, cutting through one figure. It dissolved into starlight, reforming almost instantly. Another slashed at me; I barely parried, the impact rattling my bones.
There were too many.
My chest tightened. This wasn't a fight I could win by strength alone. The voice had said so. This was a trial of soul. Of resolve.
Resolve…
I thought of the Duskhound, of nearly dying in the forest. Of waking up in a body that wasn't mine, doomed to play the role of a villain who didn't even get a decent death scene.
And I thought of the Vial of Ascension. Of the future I was clawing toward, one desperate step at a time.
"No," I snarled, blocking another strike. My voice echoed across the void. "I refuse to die here. I refuse to be a footnote in someone else's story!"
The shadows hesitated, just for a moment. The stars above flared brighter.
I pressed forward, blade cutting a path through the endless dark. Each strike burned brighter, my movements fueled less by strength and more by sheer will. The figures shrieked as they dissolved into light, fading one by one.
Finally, silence.
The platform trembled again. The voice returned, softer this time.
"You endured. The path opens."
Before me, the obsidian door shimmered into existence, glowing faintly. Beyond it, I could sense more trials—harder ones. But also… possibility.
I let out a shaky laugh, sweat dripping down my brow. "Great. Level one nearly killed me. Can't wait to see level two."
Still, my steps didn't falter.
Because this was it—the start of something bigger. Something dangerous.
Something mine.
I pushed the door open and stepped through.
Into the heart of Eclipse Hollow.