The flickering orb above dimmed for a moment, and the chains around Orion clicked open.
He collapsed forward onto his hands and knees, coughing at the sudden drop. He wanted to charge forward, but something was preventing him from doing so, even after he was released.
"You have three days," the masked man continued. "Within that time, either escape this dungeon, or become part of it."
Orion spat to the side, eyes narrowing. "You… why are you doing this?"
"Well, let's just say I'm bored," the man replied, taking a step back into the shadows. "And I want to see some fun."
The orb dimmed again, and when it brightened, he was gone.
The silence that followed was suffocating. Orion exhaled hard, cracking his knuckles. "What the hell is happening here…"
He turned toward the single archway that had revealed itself in the stone wall, an exit etched with strange, runic script glowing faintly blue. "Whatever the case, let's try to get out."
He passed under it.
However, the corridor twisted into darkness, almost blinding his vision for a while. He continued to walk with his hands on the wall, taking its help to move forward.
It didn't take long before the path forked into two, and some vision restored by light, god knows where it is coming from. But Orion saw a crude wooden sign standing in the center, pointing left and right. No words, just symbols: a claw on the left… and a chain on the right.
"Are dungeons in this world like this…" Orion grumbled.
He chose the path of the chain.
The tunnel narrowed as he walked, the walls pressing in like a throat trying to swallow him whole. The air grew colder. And then, in the flickering gloom of a torch ahead, he saw a girl.
She was sitting in a slumped posture, chained to the wall by her ankles and wrists. Her clothes were torn at the sleeves, dusty, and old. Pale hair draped across her face like a curtain, and her body was frail, starved even. Her legs had bruises, and her arms trembled faintly.
As Orion approached, she stirred. Her eyes met his, but they were too calm for someone imprisoned.
"Another one?" she whispered.
Orion slowed. "Who are you?"
"No one important," she murmured, letting her head fall back. "Been here a while. You're the fifth they've thrown down here…"
Figuring out that she is just like him, he asked. "You need help?"
She looked at the chains. "Do I look like I don't?"
"Fair enough," he muttered and stepped closer. "Back up a little. I'll break the links."
"Nah, you can't. These chains can only be broken by…" She paused, her words disappeared into a murmur, and her eyes widened in surprise as she saw divine energy twisted around his arm as he punched the chain.
The touch of divine energy melted the chain like ice.
And the moment she was freed, the girl fell forward, catching herself on trembling hands.
"You okay?"
She nodded faintly. "Yeah… Just dizzy."
He offered a hand. "Orion."
She looked up, accepting the hand. "Lyra."
They moved forward together.
Behind them, however, a large pair of eyes appeared, watching their backs before disappearing.
After a while;
Both of them reached a path that was narrow, the kind that forced shoulders to brush stone even if one walks straight, especially for someone with a built body like Orion. The dim torches embedded in the walls flickered with a smoky flame, casting their shadows long and thin. Every few steps, the flames would hiss like serpents.
Orion kept one arm slightly forward, his other hovering near Lyra's back. She walked with unsteady steps, her bare feet scraping against the cold stone floor, her limbs still trembling from fatigue.
He watched her out of the corner of his eye. The way she moved, timid and frail, evoked a strange frustration in him. Not at her, but at that damn masked man who was too bored and thought this was entertainment.
"So," he broke the silence after a long silence, "how long were you down here?"
Lyra didn't look at him but answered. "I don't know. You can't tell the passage of time here."
"Where are you from?" He asked in curiosity.
She shook her head. "I don't remember the place. But it was an island. I only remember meeting a couple of people, and they said I had potential. Said I can become stronger."
Orion's brow furrowed. He didn't like the premise of her story. He could see that she was duped.
"Are you awakened? Can you use soul energy?" he asked.
She paused but then said, glancing at him. "No." She said in the end.
Orion stopped walking for a second and asked. "But, you seemed like someone in your teenage years. Isn't it common sense that if you can't awaken the Arcana spirit by the age of 12, you can't ever awaken it?"
Lyra sighed at that. "I don't know that. But since I was born, I have powers. I can sense others' feelings. You can say, I'm an Empath. So, I naturally thought I could become an Arcana Master."
"You're an empath?" Orion looked at her, tilting his head.
She nodded slowly, finally looking at him with a tilted head, almost mirroring his movements. "I can say that you're afraid of failure."
Orion blinked. "What?"
"Not pain. Not death. Just… disappointing someone." Her lips curled faintly. "Your father, maybe?"
He stared at her. "How do you know?"
"Told you that I'm an Empath," she said, then tapping a finger gently against her temple. "I can sense everything."
Orion looked away, jaw clenching. "Tch… creepy."
"It could be." Lyra just giggled under her breath and kept walking.
They moved through the corridor in silence for another stretch of time, descending a spiraled stairwell lit by blue crystals embedded in the ceiling.
At the bottom, the tunnel opened into a wide, stone chamber, circular again, but more ornate.
Strange, winged statues stood in alcoves around the room, and in the center was a stone pedestal with a crimson orb resting on top.
A word hovered in mid-air, etched in glowing script.
TRIAL: UNITY
Orion narrowed his eyes. "What kind of dungeon is this? No monsters or enemies… What sort of entertainment would that basta*d get from this."
Still, he stepped forward to approach the pedestal, but the moment his foot touched the center circle, the room trembled.
A sharp hiss of steam burst from vents above, and the statues suddenly came to life as if they heard his words. They drew massive blades.
Lyra stumbled back. "The Puppets. You need to be careful around them."
Orion pushed her behind him. "Get back."
Six stone guardians surrounded the pedestal now. Their eyes glowed red. Without warning, they lunged.
The first swung its sword downward, Orion ducked and rolled forward, summoning divine energy into his hands.
He slammed his palm into the construct's chest, blasting a chunk of stone loose, but not stopping it.
Another came from behind. He turned a bit too slowly.
CLANG!
The blade didn't hit.
It stopped inches from him, blocked by a glowing silver disc of a barrier.
Orion's eyes widened. Lyra stood a few feet away, hand outstretched, her face tense with focus.
"You can form shields? I heard you don't have soul energy."
She said nothing, just collapsed to her knees, sweating but still have her hands outstretched. "No, I just use my mental energy to create them, but it won't last for long…"
He gritted his teeth and turned back. "Then I'll finish this quick."
His body surged with divine energy as he launched forward, weaving between the statues like wind in a canyon.
He ducked one slash, leapt over another, and landed behind the pedestal. The orb hovered now, rising slowly.
A new script appeared above it.
Both must touch the orb at once.
Orion's heart skipped. "Damn…!"
"Lyra!" he called. "Come on!"
She tried to move, one step, then another, but her legs faltered. The strain of the shield seemed like it was catching up to her.
"Forget me," she said, panting. "Just finish it yourself."
"I can't," he shouted, swatting away a blade with divine-infused strength. "It says both of us have to touch it!"
She looked up, dazed. "But I'm…"
"You're not weak," he growled. "Just believe in your own strength. I too, don't have any soul energy or Arcana spirit, but I'm doing what I can with the powers I possessed. Then, you must also not give up and do everything you can do you with your powers."
Another construct closed in behind her.
Orion's eyes flared. "MOVE!"
She screamed and leapt forward just in time.
Orion jumped too, and together, their hands touched the orb.
A bright light engulfed the room.
The constructs froze. Then shattered.
The light faded. The orb disappeared. The chamber began to collapse behind them, stone walls crumbling into dust.
"Go!" Orion shouted, grabbing her hand.
They ran through the only opening ahead, diving just as the last section of ceiling gave out behind them.
Silence followed.
Only the sound of their gasps echoed now, deep in the tunnel of whatever came next.
Orion sat back against the wall, panting. "Haha, we did it."
Lyra curled next to him, eyes half-lidded but still forced out a smile "Yeah, we did it."