The city exhaled.
For six nights, its ruins had howled with monsters and whispers. But when the seventh night arrived, all sound died. No wind. No footsteps. Only silence, deep and suffocating.
Elara clung to Aelric's arm. Her wrist timer glowed faintly.
[0 Days : 23 Hours : 59 Minutes]
Her lips trembled. "This is it. The last day."
Aelric's corrupted arm throbbed, black veins now wrapping his neck and jaw. His timer still burned strong—[10 Years : 8 Months]—but it flickered, unstable. He smiled anyway, that thin, terrifying grin that never faded.
"Then let's see what kind of god thinks it can outlive me."
The ground shuddered.
---
> [System Notice: Night 7 Begins.]
Final Trial Unlocked: The God Beneath.
Objective: Descend into the Core. Seal or Slay the Sleeper.]
---
The Descent
The streets split open. Stone crumbled away, revealing a vast spiral stair plunging into darkness beneath the city. From below came a pulse—like a heartbeat, slow and terrible. Each thrum rattled their bones.
Elara stared down the abyss. "It's… alive. It's been alive this whole time."
Aelric smirked, pipe resting on his shoulder. "Good. Makes it easier to kill."
They began the descent.
The stairs were endless, carved from black stone slick with moisture. Symbols glowed faintly on the walls—ancient runes no human hand had written. With every step, Elara's timer ticked forward, losing minutes faster than before.
[23:59 → 23:41 → 23:25]
She gasped. "It's eating my time!"
Aelric glanced at his own wrist. His timer shook but didn't move. Instead, his corruption surged, veins crawling faster up his face.
He laughed under his breath. "Figures. It takes from you. But it feeds on me."
---
Whispers of the Sleeper
At the midpoint of the descent, they heard it.
A voice. Not loud. Not clear. A whisper carried on the walls, speaking in every tongue and none.
Why struggle?
All clocks end at zero.
Rest in me. Rest in forever.
Elara staggered, clutching her ears. Her willpower [33% → 19%].
Aelric stepped in front of her, glaring at the dark. "Save your lullabies. I already killed a choir last night."
The voice chuckled. The stair shook, cracks forming in the stone. From them, shapes crawled—ashen bodies, their torsos split by glowing countdowns stuck at [00:00:00]. Their eyes were empty sockets burning faint light.
The Hollowed Dead.
---
> [Minions of the Sleeper detected.]
Rule: They cannot be killed. Only delayed.]
---
Elara's voice broke. "We can't win—!"
Aelric's grin sharpened. "Didn't say we had to."
He swung his pipe, smashing through the first Hollow's chest. It reformed instantly, timer still frozen at zero. But the blow gave space. Enough to move.
"Run!" he barked, dragging Elara forward. "We're not here to kill. We're here to beat the clock."
---
The Heart Chamber
At last, the stair opened into a cavern vast enough to hold a kingdom.
In the center of the chamber lay the Sleeper.
A body half-buried in molten stone, so vast its ribs were mountains, its face hidden beneath a mask of gold. From its chest, the heartbeat pulsed, shaking the world. Every thrum made their timers flicker.
Elara collapsed to her knees, tears streaming. "It's… a god."
Aelric's grin faltered for the first time. His corrupted arm throbbed like it would burst. Still, he forced his voice steady. "No. It's just big. Gods bleed too."
The Sleeper's voice rumbled through the chamber.
I gave you clocks so you would know despair. Every tick, every second—your cage. You cannot kill time. You are time.
Aelric spat blood, laughing. "Then I'll break the cage."
---
> [Final Trial Rule Established.]
The Sleeper cannot be slain by weapons.
Only by offering what you cherish most.
---
The Choice
Elara froze, staring at the notice. "Offering…?"
Her timer burned violently. [0 Days : 12 Hours].
Aelric's grin cracked. He understood. "It wants… time."
The god's voice whispered. Yes. One life ends, the other walks free. Give the girl. She dies, and you live untouched.
Elara gasped, eyes wide. "No—"
But Aelric laughed, voice ragged, bloody teeth bared. "You think I'd hand her over? You really don't know me."
He raised his corrupted arm, veins flaring like black fire. "If all you want is time… take mine."
Elara screamed, grabbing his chest. "No! You'll—"
Her timer blinked faster, draining even quicker. [12 Hours → 8 Hours → 6 Hours].
The Sleeper's laughter shook the chamber. Both will break. Both will end. That is law.
---
The Lawbreaker
Aelric roared, slamming his corrupted hand into the molten stone around the Sleeper's ribs. Tendrils of infection spread like wildfire, latching onto the god's flesh. The chamber screamed, runes shattering across the walls.
The System's voice broke into static.
> [Corruption Threshold Exceeded.]
[Warning: Hollowfication Imminent.]
[Override—]
Elara clutched him, tears burning. "Aelric! If you do this—you'll become—"
He laughed through blood, eyes blazing. "I told you, Elara. I die last. That's the law."
The Sleeper convulsed, its heartbeat faltering. The entire chamber shook, molten stone cracking.
Elara's timer dropped—[6 Hours → 4 Hours → 3 Hours].
Aelric's grin turned feral. "One night left, huh? Then let's make it the longest damn night in history."
---
To Be Continued…