The sky above Netherhold never changed.
There were no stars.
No moon.
No sunrise nor sunset—just a ceiling of stone thick with time and dust, pressing down with the weight of a thousand forgotten years.
And yet… deep within me, something stirred.
Not hunger. Not rage.
But the awakening hum of purpose.
This place had become mine.
And now, it was time to step beyond it.
---
In the main hall, the residents of Netherhold gathered.
Slimes quivered nervously at the edges of the stone walls. The small stone golem sat in a corner, eyes blank but focused. Luma hovered near the soul altar, casting gentle spirals of violet light.
And Gob… sat on an overturned crate, legs dangling, feet too short to touch the floor.
He looked up the moment I entered.
"I go," he said before I could speak. "With Za-Za."
I paused, watching him.
His words were still clumsy, but his will was unmistakable.
"You're brave," I said.
He puffed his cheeks proudly. "Braver when with Za-Za."
The others said nothing, but I saw the flickers of recognition in their eyes—or what passed for eyes. Their king was leaving the nest.
Not to flee.
But to know what threats might come knocking.
---
I gathered a team.
Gob.
Luma.
Two Bone Wraiths.
And myself.
I didn't expect a war.
But I expected signs of one.
> [Expedition Initiated]
[Direction: Eastern Corridor – Status: Dormant]
[Visibility: Limited | Risk: Moderate]
---
We departed at what the system designated "third cycle"—when the soulflow of the fortress reached its most stable rhythm. Our footsteps echoed down cracked corridors, and for a while… silence followed us like a second shadow.
The walls here were different.
They pulsed faintly with runes of the old world—glyphs left behind by the Shadow Order, a sect known for treating the soul like a tool. There were traces of old experiments: melted bones, whispering stones, scrawled warnings carved into the stone in blood languages.
Gob stayed close, eyes wide.
He held a glowshroom in one hand, illuminating his path. I caught him glancing up at Luma occasionally, admiring the way she drifted effortlessly through the air like a dream.
They were opposites—earthbound and weightless.
Yet somehow… they moved in harmony.
---
We came upon a side chamber.
Cracked open by time, it revealed a broken ritual altar still faintly glowing with the embers of ancient magic. The air here felt dense—as if too many voices had once spoken here at once, and now lingered in the silence.
> [Soul Residue Detected]
[Classification: Fragmented Entity – Hostile Potential]
[Recommendation: Maintain Distance]
But the energy shifted.
Cracks spidered along the altar's base. The room shook with unnatural weight, and suddenly—a form began to emerge from the center of the stone.
A figure, or what remained of one.
Head melting. Body half-wraith, half-shadow.
It screamed—not with sound, but with memory.
> [Entity Identified: Wailing Echo – Forgotten Fragment]
[Threat Level: Low–Moderate]
[Immune to Physical Damage – Vulnerable to Soulfire]
Gob dropped the glowshroom.
The Bone Wraiths drew their swords, useless against vapor and grief.
I extended my hand. "Nullflare."
A lance of violet flame burst from my palm, striking the shadow straight through its core.
It convulsed—shrieking in all tongues at once—then shattered into luminous ash.
---
Gob trembled beside me. I knelt, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You held your ground," I said. "That's all I ever ask."
He sniffled and nodded.
Luma spun slowly above us, casting a soft light that pulsed like a heartbeat.
---
We pressed on, deeper into the forgotten veins of this buried world.
With each step, the architecture shifted. Runes became more complex. The dust thinner. The presence… stronger.
Finally, we reached it.
The Outer Seal.
A massive gate of obsidian and bonesteel, etched with chains that hummed with locked magic. Sealed long ago, yet still pulsing with the faint echo of guardianship.
> [Gate Detected: Path to Seraph-Nal]
[Status: Bound – Ancient Locking Sigils Active]
[Permission to Unseal (Partial Recon)?]
[Yes] | [Postpone]
I placed my hand upon the gate and whispered, "Yes."
The glyphs sputtered.
Chains clinked and loosened.
The gate opened just a crack—enough for us to see what slept beyond.
---
Seraph-Nal.
A hollow city beneath the world.
Once beautiful—now swallowed by time and rot.
Its vaulted halls stretched beyond what our eyes could see, lit only by flickers of dead starlight reflecting from crystal shards buried in the walls.
Golden murals depicting winged titans had turned to blackened scrawls.
In the center of the main chamber, atop a massive tomb, sat a knight in black armor—headless, yet proud. His massive blade pierced the ground before him, both weapon and gravestone.
> [Entity Detected: Dormant Deathknight Lv. 12]
[Status: Sealed – Soul Anchor Active]
[Potential Threat: Extreme if Awakened]
[Conversion Chance: Low (without Artifact Key)]
Gob tugged at my cloak.
"Za-Za… leave now?"
"Yes," I said.
I didn't need to challenge him.
Not yet.
---
We resealed the gate.
I etched runes of warning across the threshold.
> ⚠ DO NOT ENGAGE ⚠
⚠ SOUL-LINKED ENTITY – HIGH RISK ⚠
The Bone Wraiths kept silent vigil as we retreated.
Luma cast trails of ghostlight behind us—warnings to anyone foolish enough to follow.
---
But before we reached home, we found something far worse than any monster.
A campfire.
Dead. But recent.
Charred wood.
Cracked stones.
Bones. Clean. Arranged.
And next to them... a bootprint.
Not clawed. Not armored.
Laced leather. Human. Modern.
> [Human Trace Detected]
[Timestamp: 2–3 Days Prior]
[No Known Intrusion Detected – Implies Unregistered Entry]
I crouched low.
The tread pattern… was urban. Not designed for underground traversal. Which meant… someone had stumbled here. Or been sent.
And not just one.
Footprints.
Multiple. Moving in a pattern.
Scouting. Measuring.
"They know," I murmured.
"Someone knows something."
And that… was unacceptable.
---
We returned to Netherhold without a word.
Even Glep, usually bouncing, remained still in Gob's arms.
Back in the hall, I dismissed the Bone Wraiths to the gate.
Gob collapsed at the base of the altar, hugging Glep tight.
And I…
I climbed to the highest overlook of the fortress.
---
There, beneath the same stone sky, I stared out across the darkness.
Felt it breathing.
Shifting.
I was no longer alone in this abyss.
> [Expedition Complete]
[Ruin Data Logged – Seraph-Nal (Restricted Entry)]
[External Sign Detected – Human Presence Confirmed]
My thoughts swirled.
I had been reborn in shadow.
Built sanctuary from bone and ash.
Gathered the broken and gave them peace.
And now...
Something dares to approach.
They think me blind.
Buried.
Forgotten.
Let them believe that.
Because when they finally realize what I am...
It will be too late to run.
---