The entrance to the final floor loomed before them—
An ancient obsidian archway pulsating with a crimson glow. The temperature dropped, but the air burned with an invisible heat, as if the flames were not of fire, but of fate itself.
Kael, Lyra, and Orin stood in silence.
This was it. The fifth and final floor. The dungeon's core. The place where the Gate Stone's recipe would be revealed… or lost forever.
"Final checks," Kael said, voice steady.
Lyra tightened the enchantments on her spear. Orin laced his daggers with shadow poison, the tips coated in a smoky hue. Kael activated his wristplate, bringing up the scanned map so far—
But the screen glitched.
"Something's disrupting the scan."
"The core doesn't want to be found," Lyra guessed.
"Or someone already found it before us," Kael muttered grimly.
---
Inside the Core
The floor was like stepping into a volcano's heart.
Lava rivers flowed across cracked stone, but floating bridges—carved of obsidian and suspended by magic—offered a path forward. Molten embers floated in the air like fireflies.
"Watch your step," Orin muttered. "A wrong move and we're fried."
Suddenly—
A low growl echoed through the chamber.
From the shadows emerged a six-legged draconic beast, covered in black stone armor. Its eyes glowed violet. Its wings were torn, but its power was suffocating.
"Dungeon Guardian," Kael whispered.
"You think?" Orin said, drawing blades.
Kael didn't answer. His eyes were locked on a pedestal behind the beast. Upon it, glowing in golden runes, was a scroll case. That was it—the Recipe of Return, the final piece.
"We need to distract it," Kael said. "I'll go for the scroll."
"You sure?" Lyra asked.
"This is why I came to this world."
---
The First Clash
The moment they attacked, the beast roared with such force the bridges trembled. Orin vanished into the shadows, striking from behind, while Lyra charged head-on with her spear blazing.
Kael leapt, running across the cracking stone, dodging falling debris and fire.
Every step I take… brings me closer to her.
The Guardian swiped its claw, tearing through a floating platform.
Kael launched a flash grenade—a tech device he secretly crafted using this world's magic stones and Earth's engineering logic. The light blinded the Guardian for mere seconds.
Enough.
Kael reached the pedestal and grabbed the scroll.
The moment his hand touched it—visions flashed before his eyes:
—His old lab, burning.
—Her face, crying out as he collapsed.
—The goddess, whispering, "You have one chance."
---
Back with Lyra and Orin
"Kael!" Lyra shouted.
He turned, holding the scroll high.
"I got it!"
But the beast turned toward him. Furious. Focused.
"RUN!" Orin yelled.
Kael's eyes narrowed. "No. This ends here."
As the beast charged, Kael activated a device on his belt—a pressure-field emitter.
The dungeon quaked.
BOOM.
A shockwave burst from Kael's belt as the pressure-field emitter ignited. A shimmering dome expanded, catching the Guardian mid-leap. The creature roared in frustration, crashing against the invisible field. Cracks webbed through the magical barrier—but it held. For now.
"That won't hold it for long," Orin said, skidding to Kael's side.
"Just need ten seconds," Kael muttered, unrolling the scroll.
The ancient parchment shimmered with gold light. Archaic runes danced across the surface—
But Kael's genius mind instantly began decoding. His memory surged with fragments of both science and sorcery.
"This is it," he breathed. "The core formula for the dimensional gate key..."
Lyra covered them both, her spear ablaze with flame enchantment. She deflected molten projectiles the Guardian flung through gaps in the barrier.
"Kael, now would be a good time to say this was worth it!" she yelled.
Kael didn't answer. His fingers flew, sketching the blueprint into his internal memory.
The design was elegant—using mana crystals, quantum phase stabilizers, and a rune-etched alloy impossible to create without both science and magic.
With this… I can return.
I can save her.
---
The Barrier Collapses
The Guardian let out a final, thunderous roar. The barrier shattered, sending Kael and Orin flying backward. Lyra held her ground, but her armor cracked from the shockwave.
"Get out of here!" she screamed.
The Guardian lunged again, jaws wide—
But Kael activated a micro-tether explosive. A glowing shard of tech clamped onto the creature's neck, detonating with a thunderclap of compressed sound and flame.
The Guardian staggered.
"NOW, RUN!" Kael roared.
They dashed across the crumbling bridges, the dungeon behind them collapsing into the lava below. Kael kept the scroll clutched to his chest like a lifeline. It was more than a plan—it was his vow made real.
---
At the Surface
The dungeon doors exploded outward as they emerged, coughing and bruised but alive.
Kael fell to his knees, gasping.
"We… we did it."
Orin clapped him on the back. "I hope whatever's on that scroll was worth it."
Kael stood slowly, eyes hard, the sunset casting a firelight glow on his face.
"It is. That scroll is the blueprint to the bridge between worlds."
Lyra raised an eyebrow. "You mean…?"
"Yes," Kael said, clutching the scroll. "I can finally go home. And next time… I'll be ready for them."
His mind already raced ahead: Materials he'd need. Time required. The locations of rare ores. The magic circuits he must carve.
Because in three years, on his fifteenth birthday—
The goddess would return.
And Kael would open the gate.
"Wait for me, Aria," he whispered. "I will come back… and this time, I'll save you."
Kael sat alone that night beside the glowing campfire, the Recipe Scroll stretched across his lap.
He had cleaned off the blood, stitched his wounds, and taken inventory of the broken tools he had used inside the dungeon.
But sleep wouldn't come.
"Three years until the Gate can be crafted… three years until I return."
His gaze wandered to the distant sky—glittering with twin moons and constellations that didn't exist back home.
---
Flashback – Earth, 3 Years Ago
"Kael, if you keep running around like that, you'll spill the tea!"
Her voice.
Her laughter.
That tiny rooftop lab where they once ran simulations on artificial wormholes.
Aria, always scribbling formulae on the whiteboard while Kael adjusted the calibrators. They were building a new kind of engine—one that could reshape human travel.
And then… they came.
The Obsidian Ring, a shadow organization hiding behind megacorp names and silent assassins, wanted the engine. Kael refused.
They retaliated by burning everything—and killing him.
He remembered his last moment. Blood on cold concrete. Aria's scream. Then... blackness.
Until the goddess brought light again.
---
Back in the Present – The Resolve
Lyra walked over, carrying two mugs of heated berry wine.
"You keep staring at the sky," she said, handing him one.
"I'm trying to memorize every star. So when I return, I'll know which world I left behind."
She sat beside him, silence falling comfortably between them.
"You really love her, huh?" she asked softly.
Kael didn't respond for a while. Then:
"I don't just love her. She's the reason I built everything… the reason I kept breathing. I owe her a future."
Lyra looked into the fire.
"I don't know who this Aria is, but she's lucky. I just hope when the time comes… you make it back."
Kael gave her a small smile.
"I will."
He rolled the scroll back up and tucked it inside a protective capsule. His gaze hardened—not in arrogance, but in certainty.
"I've died once. I've been given a second chance. I won't waste it."
---
Foreshadow – The Hidden Watcher
Unbeknownst to them, across the cliff edge, a dark figure watched. Cloaked in black and violet robes, only its glowing monocle shimmered under the moonlight.
"So... the boy survived," the figure whispered.
A communication crystal buzzed.
"Begin Phase Two. The Genius has retrieved the Key Fragment. The countdown begins now."
And with that, the figure vanished into the darkness.
The wind grew cold as the flames from their campfire flickered low. The scroll was safely sealed now, and Kael stood at the edge of the cliff, watching the valley below. The ruins of the dungeon glowed faintly, like a dying ember. Monsters would repopulate it in time, but the treasure it once held—the first key—was now his.
Three years to gather materials. Three years to master this world. Then I return…
Orin approached quietly, the night mist curling around his boots.
He glanced at Kael's stern face and scratched the back of his head.
"You know… most people celebrate when they survive a dungeon."
"I'll celebrate when she's safe," Kael said without turning.
Orin smirked, then grew serious.
"Whatever's waiting for you in that world—when you get there—you won't be the same. And they won't be either. Are you ready for that?"
Kael's expression didn't change, but his voice softened.
"Even if time passes differently, even if everything is different… if I can stop her from dying the way I did… it'll be worth it."
---
Goddess's Whisper
That night, as Kael finally drifted into sleep beneath the stars, a gentle light bathed his dreams.
The Goddess appeared again—her form glowing, translucent, ethereal.
"You have done well, Kael. The path you've chosen is painful… but noble."
Kael stood in the dreamscape, breathing slowly.
"I got the recipe. But it's only the beginning."
The goddess nodded.
"Indeed. There are three total fragments to complete the Return Gate. Each hidden in realms twisted by magic and time."
She extended her hand, revealing an astral map, lighting up with three star-like points.
"And beware… the Obsidian Ring has awakened a branch even in this world. They've sensed your presence."
Kael's fists clenched.
"Let them come. I'll crush them here… and there."
The goddess's eyes glowed with warmth and sadness.
"You burn with love and rage. Just remember… sometimes, the path to save others means sacrificing more than time."
"I've already died once," Kael replied. "This time, I'll rewrite fate."
---
Dawn of a New Mission
As the sun rose, Kael awoke to birdsong, the scroll tucked tightly against his chest.
He stood, brushed dust from his cloak, and looked at Lyra and Orin—still asleep beside the fire.
Today marked a new beginning.
"Two more fragments," he whispered. "And then I go home."
He tightened his gloves, adjusted his gear, and turned toward the eastern horizon.
Aria… just wait a little longer. This time, I'll reach you. And I'll save you with my own two hands.
And with that vow etched in his heart, Kael stepped into the rising dawn.
To be continue...