“Enough dilly-dallying now, let's get to the cavern or we'll be late!” My dad posed as if we were at an adventure party, which was followed by a deafening silence that was broken by Zinnia’s laughter. We made haste and headed towards the cave, which wasn't too far away, although I tried to hide as much as possible in case Selena spotted me in the crowd. Before I knew it, we arrived at the entrance of the cavern among a crowd of people. With a trumpet being blown, the people created a pathway in the middle of the road, and a large man in a red suit and black cape walked through with Selena by his side.

  “Is that the Duke, Velracour?” I whispered to myself, seeing Selena look around the crowd with a slightly worried expression. I knew she was looking for me, so I just told my mother I'd explore on my own and went deeper into the cavern in search of the mana storm dwelling within. Once I had reached a point where the only light was provided by the torches on the wall, I put my hand on the stone wall feeling the cold of it, but feeling the surge of mana run through the air I took a sigh of relief having ones life near an end isn't exactly the least stressful scenario.

  “Hey, Ash. Why’d you avoid me? Did I make you mad?” she walked behind me, worry filling her voice.

  “No, not really. I just don't prefer attention; being a duke's daughter isn't exactly a small thing.” I turned towards her, smiling with a wave of relief washing over me.

  “Few you worried me! Anyway, you wanna see something cool?” She showed me a grin that felt a bit too familiar. Before I could even answer, she grabbed me by the wrist, taking me on a walk that led to a giant crack that formed around the cavern, stretching from the walls to the roof.

  “This crack has been getting bigger every year. That is the main reason that this will be the last opening of the cavern.” She looked around and put her hand, feeling the crack as small pebbles fell off of it.

  “Woah, something feels weird about this.” I wondered what could cause this. As I started to focus more, I felt large amounts of mana seeping from the crack; the pebbles that fell were now accompanied by large pieces of rock. I turned towards Selena, she had yet to realize the cavern was collapsing. I dart to her, pulling her aside as a boulder falls in her place.

  “Quick, we gotta run!” I grabbed her by the wrist, trying to return the way we came, but I needed to come to a stop as a large boulder caused a fork in the path. Before I knew it, I heard a scream.

  “Watch out!” Selena pushed me out of the way but had her legs crushed by a large rock, She howled in pain. I fell, landing around ten feet away after rolling. By the time I came to my senses, I was hit in the head with a rock, leading my vision to fade as a wall of rubble covered Selena's screams, till an eerie silence of rubble falling was all that remained.

  I awoke in a dark chamber, yet again, with a sharp pain shooting through my head. A sense of disbelief shot through my bones, followed by a chill running up my spine. I shouldn't move for now, I need a way to see where I am. I need to check if I'm injured; it's about time I started anyway. Closing my eyes, lying my back on the cold rock floor, I took a large breath, feeling the mana flow within me. I guided the mana as it ran through my heart, flowing through my blood and supplying me with its essence. Gathered it at places where I was losing blood, after an hour of this, I got u, dusting myself off.

  I need a way to see; it's too dark for my eyes to see normally, and starting a fire will be hard without being able to see. After a moment, i idea came to mind, mana-enhanced senses can surpass the normal limits. Although I would be able to see, I would only be able to use it for half an hour at my level. I need to locate mana crystals if I want to be able to maintain them. I might also be able to do that as well with a mana body.

  Focusing my mana on my eyes, my surroundings got brighter, blurring in and out of vision. After a moment, I could see again. I was surrounded by rubble, a large rubble wall covered one side of the cavern, while the other side extended for an unknown distance. Hesitating for a moment, I went deeper. I walked in silence and an eerie cold until a small pond formed beneath the steady dripping of a spike jutting from the cave ceiling. I cupped my hands, drinking from the cool water, letting it wash away the dryness in my throat. But then—movement. A faint, deliberate shift in the air behind me.

  I froze.

  Whatever was lurking in the darkness wasn’t wandering by chance. It was hunting. In a cave this deep, with little to no light, that meant it relied on something else—vibrations, sound, or the faintest tremors in the air. I was surrounded by the constant trickle of water, a place where movement never truly stopped. If it had been tracking me, it was already close.

  Slowly, as silently as possible, I turned. A chasm crawler.

  Its arachnid body clung to the cavern floor, its dark, rock-like exoskeleton blending into the surrounding stone. Not yet fully grown, but still large enough to be dangerous. Six spindly legs, thin as branches, ended in hooked claws that clutched the stone with unnatural stillness. Its hollow bones let it feel the air shift around it, and its jagged mandibles twitched, as if tasting the space between us. It had no eyes—because it didn’t need them. It was already locked onto me.

  Neither of us moved. A standoff in the dark. Carefully, I raised my hand to the side. A mere test. The chasm crawler tensed instantly, its body coiling, ready to strike.

  Then, a pebble, loosened from the cavern wall, tumbled down the rocky surface and clattered onto the ground a few feet away. The moment it fell, the crawler lunged.

  Its hooked claws slammed into the stone, mandibles snapping violently as it tore into empty air. Dust and fragments scattered from the impact, but the crawler didn’t stop—it thrashed, limbs scraping the ground, seeking whatever had disturbed the silence.

  I exhaled, trying to keep my steps light as I crept away from the water, heading deeper into the cave. Every shift in my stance felt like it might betray me. The tension in my muscles refused to ease, even as I put distance between us.

  Then, too late—I sighed in relief. Fast, skittering footsteps erupted behind me. It was close. Too close. I bolted. The cavern twisted ahead, and in the dim light, I saw it—another chasm crawler, but this one was already dead. Its carapace was rotting, its mandibles half-buried in the dirt. Without thinking, I lunged forward, ripping a mandible from its body. I barely managed to wrap my fingers around its base before I turned to face the predator chasing me.

  This time, I wasn’t running. I raise my left hand upwards, Gust, in a swift motion, it quickly pounces on the movement, slashing at its leg, cutting it off, and leaving a third limb. It let out another screech, lowering its stance and waiting for me to make the first move. I rushed towards it, giving it no time to recover.

  I moved to its right, slowing myself down, and launched a gust at it, making it dodge and attack the wind, giving me an opening on its right mandible. I swung with my mana coursing through my body, slowly depleting both the mandible I was holding, and its mandible shattered in the attack.

  I backed off with no weapon to give me an advantage, without hesitation, it closed the distance and swung its sharp claws at me slightly, cutting my arm as I struggled to dodge. It repeatedly attacked me, grazing me every time as I struggled to dodge, slowly running out of mana. I launched a final gust at it, making a run for it, tripping on a familiar corpse, I grabbed a leg that was broken, leaving a sharp spear-like edge.

  As the chasm crawler sprinted towards me, I left the spear facing it. Damn it, Hope I won't die a second time. My eyes slowly weighed heavily, and feeling my mana run dry, I held the spear with all my might, hoping for the best.

  I raised myself, gasping, looking down at my body, which was covered by a green liquid. Thank god I was lucky, although I should put its corpse to use. I walked up to the monster, kicking it, making sure it died. I went to the pond, finally getting some water, and I arrived back at the fight scene. I used the rotting corpse of the chasm crawler i had already found, taking its other fang and using it to cut the tendons and peel off the shell of my fresh kill. Ten minutes later, I found myself consuming the raw flesh with a pair of fangs and a leg that could be used as daggers and a spear, respectively.

  I got up, stretched, and started walking deeper into the cave. I had encountered multiple chasm crawlers sneaking by them from a distance away. I came across a small space, which was a crack in the cave wall that served perfectly as a place to rest. I lay on the cold cave floor, reminiscing about how my family would be doing until sleep took over.

  ? ? ? ? ? ?

  It's been around a month since I've been trapped here, and I'm not sure if there's even an exit at this point. I've been walking for days, killing monsters and finding water on the cave floor. Not to mention it's slightly slanted, so I'm only going deeper, the amount of air here is very low. I guess more than 60% of the air here is mana, how reality hasn't warped yet, I do not know.

  Finding a small area to sleep in for the time being, I lay down, slowly falling asleep. A roar that rumbled through the cave shot me u The sound wasn’t just loud—it was suffocating. It vibrated through the walls, rattling loose pebbles from the ceiling. The very air trembled as if something massive was shifting deep within the cavern.

  I pressed a hand to the cave floor—it was trembling, pulsing in time with the echoes of the roar. The distant sound of rocks cracking made my stomach sink. Something big was moving closer. I held my daggers in my hand, hidden behind a large roc, peeking over at the creature.

  At first, I saw nothing.

  Then, the shadows moved.

  A pair of glowing slits sliced through the darkness, staring straight ahead. The light they cast wasn’t normal—it flickered, distorted like faulty mana circuits barely holding together.

  The beast stepped forward.

  Its limbs were sleek but wrong, bending at angles that sent a chill up my spine. The front legs were longer than the back, built for speed, ending in razor-sharp talons that clacked against the stone with every step.

  Then I saw its face.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Or at least, what was left of it.

  One side was organic, resembling a massive predatory beast, with coarse fur and exposed muscle. The other side was metallic, grafted with ancient technology—mana-infused plating covering its skull, a mechanical eye whirring and adjusting, scanning the cavern as if calculating every possible movement.

  Its mouth split open unnaturally, revealing too many teeth, some sharpened metal, others jagged bone, twitching as if trying to fit together properly.

  It didn’t growl.

  It didn’t snarl.

  It just stood there, head slightly tilted, watching.

  Waiting.

  Then, without warning—

  It vanished.

  A blur of movement, a rush of wind—

  It was coming.

  Shadows distorted around me, its eyes a blur, running around me,

  Then it pounced, its claws digging through the flesh of my arm.

  My dagger dropped to the floor.

  It stopped moving as if mocking me

  I wasted no time and leaped onto a pointed rock

  The monster was still snickering at its spot

  I looked around, I don't know what for, but gates that held a large pressure behind them were blended with the cave walls

  Before I could think any longer, it pounced

  Leaping up at me, I jumped backwards, attempting to block an attack

  But the monster stuttered in mid-air as if its limbs had all locked up

  Its attack left a scratch on me, nowhere near the first gash

  landing, I steadied my grip on the dagger, my breathing ragged. Blood trickled from the gash on my arm, but I pushed the pain aside. The monster circled, its body twitching in anticipation.

  I had its weakness. I just had to force it into another leap.

  Raising my weapon, I shouted, “Come on!”

  The beast snarled and lunged. I watched, waiting for the exact moment—

  There!

  Mid-air, its body jerked again, its limbs stiffening for an instant. I moved.

  Ducking low, I twisted my body and thrust my dagger upward.

  The blade sank deep into its left eye.

  A shriek tore through the cave, a warped, choked cry that echoed off the cavern walls. The monster crashed onto the cave floor, skidding wildly, claws scraping against the stone.

  I didn’t hesitate. I scrambled up another rock, watching as it thrashed, blinded on one side. Its breathing turned erratic, its movements more desperate.

  It was vulnerable.

  I had to finish it.

  I shouted again, baiting it into attacking. The beast whipped its head toward me, its one remaining eye locking on.

  It pounced.

  I leaped at the same time, twisting mid-air.

  I need to get the monster’s left side—its blind spot.

  I slashed across its ribs, feeling the resistance of flesh and metal splitting apart. It shrieked again, trying to twist toward me—

  Too slow.

  My feet hit solid ground. Before it could recover, I lunged in low, driving the blade across its neck.

  A gush of dark, steaming blood.

  The beast staggered, choking on a garbled hiss. Its body convulsed, mechanical parts sparking wildly. Then—

  It collapsed.

  The dust settled around me. My breath was the only sound left in the cavern.

  It was over.

  I stood there, panting, my grip on the bloodied dagger tightening before slowly loosening. The monster lay still, its body sprawled across the cavern floor, dark liquid pooling beneath it.

  It was dead.

  I let out a shaky breath, my body screaming from exhaustion. Every muscle ached, the gash on his arm throbbed, and the cave’s oppressive air felt heavier than ever. But I had won.

  Relief washed over me as I turned away. “Time to move—”

  A Twitch of metal and flesh echoed throughout the cave.

  A faint, unnatural whirring filled the air.

  I froze.

  A jagged, broken inhale rattled from the beast’s torn throat. The metallic groan of shifting limbs scraped against the cave floor.

  Slow, unsteady footsteps. It was moving.

  I whipped around just in time to see the monster stumble forward. Its movements were clumsy, its head lolling to the side, blood leaking from the ruin of its left eye, and the deep gash in its neck. Yet, it kept dragging itself toward me.

  Another step. Another stumble.

  Then, it collapsed at my feet.

  I exhaled sharply, my heart pounding.

  “…Persistent bastard,” I muttered, a bitter smirk tugging at my lips.

  But it was done. For real, this time.

  The beast’s body spasmed once, its limbs locking. Then, silence.

  I sighed, shaking my head—time to keep moving.

  Then I heard it.

  A deep, guttural hum that vibrated through the ground.

  My stomach twisted.

  The air around me grew hot.

  Too hot.

  A pulse of blinding red light flickered from the creature’s chest. The broken machinery inside it let out a shrieking, mechanical whine—

  Then the world exploded.

  A shockwave of pure heat and force slammed into him before he could react.

  Fire and raw energy consumed his vision. His skin was seared. His lungs screamed as all the oxygen around him vanished in an instant.

  Then—nothing but weightlessness.

  Ash didn’t even realize he was flying through the air until his back collided with something solid.

  A gate.

  The impact sent him tumbling, pain splintering through his body. He barely registered the sensation of passing through before everything went dark.

  I slowly regained consciousness, my body aching along with a throbbing pain that coursed throughout my entire body. I was in a void, feeling a soft surface under me. I attempted to move when a shock of pain stopped me. A mechanical hum echoed throughout the room. Then footsteps, light, and calculated.

  “You are awake.” The voice is cold, missing any emotions. It is feminine, but unnatural, as if the words were passing through layers of filters. I turned towards where the voice was coming from, still unable to see anything.

  “Who… are you?” My voice was dry and raspy.

  “I am Eve, the caretaker of this facility. Your condition was critical, with severe burns over your body along with ruptured eardrums and multiple broken bones. It has been two weeks since then, your condition is now stable, and healing will be approximately completed in one to two months,” her tone unchanging.

  I lift my hands to my face, feeling the bandages over my head. “My eyes… why can't I see?” I muttered

  A moment of silence passed before she continued in the same level tone as before

  “Your optical nerves have suffered extensive burn damage due to a high-temperature mana explosion. Recovery is uncertain.”

  Her words hit like a hammer to my chest. The reality of the situation settles in.

  A hum filled the air, and a cold hand was put on my forehead. “Certain mana frequencies promote recovery and reduce mental fatigue; this will increase the recovery chance of the injury and calm emotional turmoil,” she stated as cold as ever.

  Once I had zoned out, I started to feel something not through my senses but through the mana around me. Waves of mana seemed to echo around me, and with a familiar hum, the room I was in started to take form. I could feel where I was and what was around me, regardless of my eyesight.

  “Recovery time completed, rest is suggested for now.” As Eve retracted her hand, the hum stopped, leaving me in the familiar dark again.

  ? ? ? ? ? ?

  A crying Selena was trapped in a small cavity in the rubble, her right arm bent the wrong way, along with her left leg becoming chunks under the weight of a large boulder.

  A drip slowly fell near her from above, a nectar that had a faint but bright glow to it in the dark prison she was in.

  She pushes on the boulder in a futile effort. She bangs at the boulder, hoping it will just move.

  She lies on the walls, trapped, weeping in pain.

  Her restriction of movement, itching her, she slowly calms.

  But as she does, she starts gasping for air, clawing at the walls around her, pealing off her nails as she bled from her fingers.

  In a desperate attempt at survival, she scoops the nectar in her hand, drinking it.

  Ice floods her veins. A burning sensation follows, spreading through her shattered bones.

  Then—pop. Her arm snaps back into place. Her crushed leg mends, the pain disappearing in an instant.

  She howls in pain as her healed leg is immediately crushed under the same boulder.

  She continues to suffocate.

  Selena covers her mouth, but faces resistance as the nectar that was only a single drop already fills up a portion of the cavity.

  Ripping the nectar from her hands, she covers her mouth, passing out, reducing her pain.

  What had only seemed like a moment of relief was then abruptly broken as she awoke again to the same crushing pain in her leg.

  The nectar had reached up to her neck, a drop entering her mouth.

  She shrieks in pain, only for more nectar to enter her body.

  Her leg gets destroyed and reformed over and over again

  In a desperate attempt at relief, something snaps her bone, spreading, covering her, spiking out, enlarging the cavity.

  Her leg becomes freed, and the nectar slowly drips again, filling the cavity.

  The bones retract as if they were never there to begin with,

  She curls up into a fetus position, accepting her fate, crying into her legs, “Please wait for me, Ash… I don't want to leave without you.” She weeps till she is drowned in nectar.

  Without her knowledge, bones start to form around her, covering her body, extending out, then forming a shell around her filled with nectar and branches of bones supporting the shell.

  I'm scared, I don't know how long it's been. The sound of metal hitting rock has been getting louder. I've tried moving or doing something in an attempt to signal that I'm close to no avail. My only hope is for someone to save me from this hell.

  The sound of metal hitting rock was close till it made contact with the shell. The sound alerted Selena as she prayed for them to break her out.

  “Sir, I've made contact with something,” a worker with a pickaxe brushed his hand over the shell.

  The duke walked over to the miner, calling other workers to fully dig it up. “Selena, come home quickly. Your mother hasn't left her chamber,” the duke mumbled under his breath on the verge of defeat.

  After a moment, they carried the shell on a cart to the duke. “Sir, this seems to be some sort of shell. It was filled with some liquid. We've tried breaking through it to no avail.”

  Dad. I'm here, please don't leave me. I'm scared, I want to leave, I want to see Mom again. Don't leave. Please

  Selena pleaded with herself. Her emotions were swelling once again as she was made to be trapped as this happened.

  “I see, I apologize for making you work so much. I put myselfishness over you, feel free to sell this shell and take the payment as well.” The duke's emotions weighed heavily on his voice, defeat filling him.

  Selena was frozen; she could sense the movement of being taken away. A numbness filled her, the tears ceased to flow. Her fate sealed, in a husk of what it once was. Soon enough, she was sold and on a carriage to a faraway place.

  “Eve, are you there?” Ash was lying helplessly in the bed as Eve stood frozen next to him

  “Yes, Ash. How may I be of assistance?” Her filtered voice echoed in a similar fashion

  “Is it possible to copy the sound that you used to calm me down?” Finding a chance of survival was my only chance of leaving this place

  “I am unaware whether you will be able to mimic it. It does seem like a brief solution. I will process this and work a formula that uses less mana for optimal use.” As soon as she finished, she froze once again, emitting different sounds rapidly. This continued for one week.

  I've tried telling her to do it somewhere else, but she's just been ignoring me. This might as well be torture.