Chapter Title: Echoes in the Deep
The descent into the cave grew colder, not just in temperature but in atmosphere. The walls grew tighter, the light dimmer, and the air thicker—as if something ancient had inhaled long ago and never let go.
Asher's flames hovered faintly in his palm, casting flickering light against the jagged stone. Beside him, Nick's senses were sharpening; he could feel the way the wind resisted movement, like it was warning them. Ethan, his eyes sharp, trailed his fingers along faintly glowing dragon runes on the wall. The magic here was old. Too old to be idle.
"You feel that?" Nick asked, suddenly halting.
"What, the judgmental glares or the crawling sensation under my skin?" Asher replied.
"No. The stillness. Listen."
Silence. Not the kind that settled gently—but one that pressed in. Even the idle chatter of the explorers had died down. No sound of dripping water, no wind. Just... breathless quiet.
Then the cavern shuddered.
A low rumble echoed through the walls, followed by the snapping crack of stone. One of the human mages stumbled. The ground beneath them pulsed like a heartbeat.
Ethan's eyes narrowed. "Something's waking up."
A growl emerged from the dark—not bestial, but… wrong. Wet. Multi-toned, as if layered by many throats at once. From the shadows, a shimmer of movement—fluid and fast—burst forward.
"What the hell is that?!" one of the humans cried out.
From the depths, it surged: a massive, half-transparent creature made of coalesced darkness and mist, bound by bone fragments and molten sinew. Its maw split into too many jaws, each crackling with residual magical essence—the remnants of long-dead casters, absorbed into its form.
"A rune wraith," Ethan muttered grimly. "A guardian of cursed ground. Born from trapped spells and dying breaths."
The explorers panicked, scrambling back. One of the human mages immediately fired a rune spell—l magic flaring through his palms—but the wraith twisted, absorbed the strike, and then retaliated. A tendril of black shot forward, crashing the boy into the cavern wall.
!A
"Aven" a girl screamed.
The trio didn't wait.
"Asher!" Nick shouted.
"On it!" Asher's flame surged, forming a crackling arc as he raised Blazefang overhead. "Hey, shadow-blob! You want light?! I'll give you a solar flare!"
He slammed the blade down, sending a trail of fire roaring toward the wraith. It shrieked as part of its form caught fire, illuminating the cave like a brief sunrise. Nick was already moving, twin blades—Zephyrfang—in hand. The wind wrapped around him like a second skin, and he blinked forward in a burst of speed, slicing the creature's side before vanishing again.
Ethan spun his Spellmirror Daggers, their mirrored surfaces catching the wraith's magical glow. He timed its next attack, letting it strike—and just as the dark magic neared him, he turned, reflecting the bolt straight back at its core.
The wraith wailed.
"Don't just stand there!" one of the explorers yelled at the human mages. "Do something!"
"They can't," Ethan said quietly, watching their pale faces. "They weren't ready."
"They wanted to prove they didn't need us," Nick added. "Guess they're learning now."
Asher stepped forward, fire surging hotter. "This is what being Dragon-Born means. When magic fights back, we don't run—we burn it out."
The wraith lunged in desperation, mouth wide. But it was too late. Together, the trio moved—wind, flame, and lightning converging. Nick leapt into the air, blades slicing wind shears through its limbs. Ethan followed, flipping behind it, daggers catching its residual spellfield and reflecting it back inside.
Asher brought Blazefang down like a hammer, fire erupting in a ring that devoured the remaining mist.
Silence returned.
The wraith fell in upon itself with a shriek, vanishing into fading runes and dust. All that remained was a soft blue glow in the stone, pulsing like a satisfied heartbeat.
The cave calmed.
Behind them, the human mages stared, pale and shaken. The one who had insulted Ethan earlier couldn't even meet their eyes.
Asher broke the silence with a smirk. "So... are we still cave-scorching abominations, or did we just save your butts?"
No one answered.
"Thought so."
Nick checked the explorers, who were rattled but unharmed. Ethan stood by the runes, still faintly glowing.
"This place isn't done testing us," he said quietly.
Asher nodded. "Let it come. We've got more where that came from."
They continued deeper, but this time the tension had shifted. No more cocky whispers. No more smug glances.
Because now… they understood.