Rain whispered, voice thin and breaking,
"W-what… what is that thing…?"
No one moved.
Lance swallowed. "That must be… the boss."
The boss howled—louder than before. The dungeon trembled. Dust rained from the ceiling. Rocks cracked.
The wolves surged forward like a tide.
The boss didn't move. It just… watched. As if its pack fighting was beneath it.
Two wolves leapt at Aiden. His eyes sharpened, snapping out of fear. His blade flared yellow.
Swoosh.
He was suddenly behind them—before their bodies even realized they'd been cut. Blood splattered, limbs dropping like wet meat.
Kaiden's hands glowed blue, forming a machine-like gun with two floating glowing circles.
He yelled and fired, bullets raining down—piercing, tearing, shredding through wolves.
Brugar leapt high, fist raised.
BAM.
The dungeon floor cracked, a crater forming as wolves flew from the shockwave.
Another wolf lunged—he grabbed it midair and hurled it into the others.
Selena slammed her staff into the stone.
"Fire Rain!"
Three glowing red magic circles appeared—two above the wolves, one above the boss.
Fireballs poured down like a burning storm, scorching fur, flesh, air.
The circle above the boss unleashed its own rain of fire.
Smoke filled the chamber. The flames died out slowly.
Selena held her breath. "Did I… get him?"
Aiden cut down a wolf beside him. "I don't know… but with a hit like that, he has to be dead."
Kaiden shouted while firing, "Then let's finish the rest!"
From the back, Rain whispered, star-struck, "They… they really have it under control."
Rowen turned to Lance. "I'll heal you now."
His hand hovered over the bloody bite wound. "Heal."
Green light wrapped around Lance's ruined arm.
But then—
The smoke in front cleared.
The boss still stood.
Steam hissed from its body… completely unharmed.
Brugar's eyes stretched wide. "You've gotta be kidding me."
Selena's voice trembled. "That attack didn't even scratch him…"
Aiden stabbed a wolf, face streaked with blood. "If we take the boss down, everything ends. Focus!"
They nodded—
But the boss howled again.
The dungeon shook violently. Wolves erupted from the ground this time—twisting out of the earth like nightmares with teeth.
Everyone froze.
Aiden tried to shout, "Don't give up! The boss won't—"
He stopped.
Because the boss wasn't where it stood before.
It vanished.
And in a blur of wind reappeared behind the healers.
Behind Rain. Behind Rowen. Behind injured Lance.
Its fist rose—huge, fast, final.
They froze—three bodies caught in a moment that stretched too long.
Lance moved first.
He kicked Rowen aside and thrust his hand up.
A green shield burst out—but the punch shattered it instantly.
Lance flew like a broken arrow, smashing into the wall. Blood splattered—thick and dark. Cracks Spider-webbed across the stone. His head drooped. His vision blurred.
Rain screamed—
"Lance!"
Lance flew like a broken arrow—no grace, just panic and pain—slamming into the stone wall.
Blood splattered, thick and dark, like someone squeezed the life straight out of him.
Cracks spider-webbed behind his body. His head slumped, vision fading at the edges.
Rain shouted, voice cracking, "Lance!"
Aiden gritted his teeth so hard it looked like they might snap. His sword shone—brighter, brighter—like the sun was trapped inside it.
He dashed forward, a blur of yellow streaks cutting the air.
"First fold," he hissed through his breath.
Then zigzagging through monsters, "Second—third—fourth fold!"
He stopped just long enough to look back at the beasts he had cut down, their bodies dropping like puppets with cut strings.
Selena's scream tore through the dungeon as she fired another wave of fireballs.
Kaiden didn't let up—fingers locked around the trigger of his machine gun, brass shells clinking as they hit the floor.
Rowen… sat up. Barely. His breath shivered as he saw the boss—towering, monstrous—the kind of thing that makes you understand fear in a new language. He turned and saw Lance unconscious, slumped against the wall like a rag doll.
Rain staggered toward Lance, boots dragging.
Tears poured down his cheeks, messy and unhidden. "Lance… you'll be fine. I'll— I'll heal you. Just hang on."
He raised his trembling hand.
But something heavy—like a god's palm—pressed down on him from behind. His whole body froze.
Four glowing eyes. Behind him.
Rain slowly tilted his head, and there it was—the boss—its shadow swallowing him whole. Its fist rose.
The reflection of that fist was clear and cruel in Rain's eyes.
BAM.
Brugar's fist collided with the monster's, shaking the entire dungeon. Rain was blown away by the shockwave, rolling across the dirt.
Brugar raised his other fist. The boss mirrored him. Their punches slammed again—neither of them budging, even as cracks spidered through the ground beneath them.
Brugar didn't turn. His voice was tight. "Rain, get Lance out of here now. We'll hold this thing off. We'll give you time. "
Rain's voice was small, cracked. "But… I can't leave you—"
Brugar roared as the boss pushed him back, "Just go!"
Rain squeezed his eyes shut, tears falling again. "I can't…"
Aiden, struggling with two wolf-beasts, yelled without looking back, "Listen to him! Go!"
Rain turned. "But—"
"As your leader. I command you to go." Aiden barked, "That's an order."
Rain froze. Shock. Hurt.
But he wiped his face, nodded weakly, and forced himself up. He grabbed Lance, draping the limp arm over his shoulder.
"We'll wait for you," he whispered to the others… even though his voice didn't sound like he believed it.
He walked away.
Rowen still stood frozen until Aiden snapped, "Rowen! Support us—NOW!"
Rowen jolted, then raised his trembling hands. "H-Heal!"
Green glow washed over the fighters. Hope, borrowed and fragile.
Brugar smiled under the weight of the enemy's fists. He ducked low—power exploding upward as he drove a punch into the boss's gut, launching it into the air. He followed, delivering barrage after barrage of blows.
Some wolves tried to chase Rain, but Selena blasted fire at the entrance—stones crashed down, sealing the way.
Rain continued limping down the tunnel, Lance hanging heavily from his shoulder.
"I don't… think I know the way out," Rain muttered, voice tired. Lance remained unconscious, barely breathing.
He kept walking until the path split into two. He hesitated—looked left, then right—and chose the right path.
He walked deeper. The wall opened into a cliff drop beside the narrow walkway. He didn't pay attention—he was exhausted.
A small stone rolled under his foot.
He slipped.
He and Lance slammed into the ground—Lance's body sliding dangerously close to the edge. Rain's arm dangled over the empty void. He couldn't see anything below. Only darkness.
He scrambled back, heart pounding. Then he dragged Lance to a safer spot and leaned him against the wall.
Lance's blood trail smeared behind them.
"You've lost too much blood…" Rain whispered. "I'll heal you now."
He placed his hand over Lance. "Heal…"
Lance glowed green.
The spell dragged on… and on… and Rain felt his mana draining like someone uncorked him from the inside. Sweat rolled down his face. His breathing turned ragged.
"Just… a little more," he whispered.
When he finally dropped his arm, he was panting and coughing, hunched over. "I healed your wounds… and gave you some mana. You should… feel a little stronger."
He wiped his forehead with a shaky hand.
Lance slowly opened his eyes. He saw Rain's exhausted smile.
He sat up, touching his healed body. "You… did this?"
Rain nodded. "Yeah… took some time."
"Thanks," Lance said softly.
Then he looked around. "Where are the others?"
Rain's face darkened. "Still fighting… Aiden said they'd catch up."
Lance shifted to sit straighter. "If Aiden said it… I believe him."
Rain blinked. "You do?"
"Of course," Lance smiled faintly. Then his voice dropped. "Rain… can I ask you something?"
Rain nodded. "Sure."
Lance stared at the ground. "If I asked you to give up your life to save the rest of us… would you do it?"
Rain's breath stopped. "L-Lance… what kind of—"
"Just answer," Lance said.
Rain lowered his head. "I don't know about dying but… I'd do my best to save everyone."
Lance sighed. "I see." Then he continued quietly, "Remember when Rowen said you'd understand your role soon?"
Rain frowned. "What do you—"
BAM.
Lance's kick hit him like a cannon. Rain flew backward—right off the cliff.
"Lance! Why—"
He fell. The wind roared around him.
Above, at the cliff's edge… they all stood.
Aiden. Selena. Brugar. Kaiden. Rowen.
And Lance.
All smiling.
Rain's heart snapped. How…?
His mind flashed back to the trail of blood—neat, intentional.
Aiden waved." Goodbye, Rain."
Selena smiled wickedly." Make sure to scream, okay ."
They walked away.
Memory after memory crashed into Rain's head:
Aiden saying, "This is your last mission with us."
Rowen wearing the guild coat he had never received.
Aiden saying, "You'll get your coat soon enough."
Rowen laughing, "I thought you didn't want to complete the mission with us."
Again—You'll understand your role soon.
Rain whispered, voice shaking, "I see… so this was never a mission. This was… just a way to get rid of me…"
He struck the stone below, rolling painfully across the floor.
His head split open—blood running down into his eyes. His leg twisted. His arm broken. Everything red, blurry.
A low growl came from behind.
Wolves approached, shadows crawling around him.
The boss landed behind him. Dust blasted forward.
Rain crawled, dragging himself with one arm.
The boss howled.
The wolves surged.
One bit into his leg. He screamed. Another tore into his side. More piled on him.
Rain's eyes slowly dimmed, like a candle that forgot how to stay alive.
"I cared for you all," he whispered first… then the words cracked, rougher, "I took… you all to be my friends."
His throat tightened. He grit his teeth hard enough that it almost sounded like bones grinding.
Memories of him and the guild flickered through his head — not smoothly, not like a story — more like old photographs being thrown into a fire one by one. Flash. Burn. Flash. Burn. Each one taking a piece of him with it.
He pressed a hand to his chest as if trying to hold something together, something leaking out too fast.
"My heart…" he swallowed, eyes shaking, "my heart is turning black."
The boss stomped toward him, slow, merciless. It grabbed Rain's head, crushing him into the dirt.
Rain sobbed. "I don't want to die… someone… please…"
SLASH.
His head rolled. The boss picked it up, opened its mouth, and swallowed it whole.
Darkness.
—————
A flash of white. Blinding. Sharp.
A young man opened his eyes under a large red maple tree. Wind brushed the grass like fingers combing through hair.
He sat up quickly, confused. "Where… am I?"