The platform's hum faded, leaving an unsettling silence in its wake. The creature was gone, consumed by the vortex that erupted from the archway, but its memory lingered in the charged air. The faint glow of the glyphs on the platform and the crystal's steady pulse were the only reminders that we had survived—not won.
Kijin collapsed onto a moss-covered rock, letting out a groan of exhaustion. "I'm calling it. These guardians are getting smarter. What's next, one that gives us a pop quiz?"
Raijuu, ever the sentinel, prowled the edge of the clearing, his nose low to the ground. His growls had subsided, but the occasional flick of his ears suggested he was still uneasy. Tenko, always methodical, stood near the archway with her camera aimed at the faint traces of energy left behind by the vortex.
The chat, as always, wasted no time in weighing in:
: Kijin soloed another boss. Tsukasa just watched with his shiny rock.
