The dim glow of the runes flickered weakly as Min Joon, Astra, and Dain pressed deeper into the labyrinth. The oppressive air of the ruins seemed to grow heavier with each step, and an uneasy silence settled over the group.
"How much longer until we're out of here?" Astra asked, her voice cutting through the tension.
Dain glanced over his shoulder, his sharp gaze scanning their surroundings. "Not far. The exit should be just ahead—assuming the layout hasn't shifted again."
Min Joon frowned. "Shifted? These ruins can… move?"
Dain nodded, his tone matter-of-fact. "They're alive in a way. Magic this old tends to have a mind of its own. It's why no one stays in these places for long."
"Great," Astra muttered, rolling her eyes. "Let's hope it doesn't decide to crush us on the way out."
As they rounded a corner, the faint sound of whispering reached Min Joon's ears. He froze, his hand instinctively reaching for the shard.
"Do you hear that?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Astra stopped, tilting her head. "Yeah… it's coming from—"
The floor beneath them trembled, cutting her off. Cracks spidered across the stone, and the air grew colder.
"Stay sharp," Dain warned, drawing his blades.
From the shadows ahead, figures began to emerge. At first, they seemed like nothing more than mist, their forms indistinct and shifting. But as they drew closer, their shapes solidified into twisted humanoid silhouettes, their eyes glowing with an eerie green light.
"Specters," Astra hissed, gripping her sword tightly. "This just keeps getting better."
The specters moved as one, their hollow eyes fixed on Min Joon. Their whispering grew louder, the words unintelligible but filled with malice.
"They want the shard," Dain said grimly.
Min Joon stepped forward, his chest tight as the Eye flared to life. The specters recoiled slightly at its glow, but their advance didn't stop.
"What do we do?" Min Joon asked, his voice steady despite the fear gnawing at him.
"We fight," Astra said, her blade igniting with a soft, golden light. "And we don't let them touch you. If they get their hands on that shard, we're all dead."
The specters surged forward.
The battle was chaos.
Astra was a blur of motion, her blade cutting through the specters with precision. Each strike sent golden light rippling through their forms, but they reformed almost instantly, their whispers turning to furious screeches.
Dain fought with brutal efficiency, his twin blades carving through the enemy. But for every specter he felled, two more seemed to take its place.
Min Joon stood at the center of the storm, the Eye's energy crackling around him. He lashed out with crimson tendrils, keeping the specters at bay, but the effort was draining him quickly.
"They just keep coming!" Astra shouted, frustration evident in her voice.
"They're drawn to the shard," Dain said, slicing through another specter. "We need to get out of here or they'll overwhelm us."
Min Joon's mind raced. The shard in his pouch was pulsing erratically, its energy resonating with the Eye. An idea formed—a desperate, reckless idea.
"Astra! Dain! Cover me!" he shouted.
The two didn't hesitate, forming a protective barrier around him as the specters closed in.
Min Joon reached into his pouch, pulling out the shard. Its glow intensified, flooding the chamber with a fiery crimson light.
"What are you doing?" Astra demanded, slashing at a specter that got too close.
"Ending this," Min Joon said through gritted teeth. He closed his eyes, focusing all his energy on the shard.
The Eye in his chest flared, its power merging with the shard's. The air around him crackled with energy, and the specters hesitated, their forms flickering uncertainly.
"Stay back!" Min Joon warned, his voice reverberating with power.
With a final surge of energy, Min Joon unleashed the combined power of the Eye and the shard. A wave of crimson light erupted from him, sweeping through the chamber and consuming the specters in its path. Their screams echoed briefly before fading into silence.
When the light dimmed, the specters were gone. The chamber was still, the oppressive air lifting slightly.
Min Joon collapsed to his knees, the shard slipping from his fingers. Astra and Dain rushed to his side, their expressions a mix of concern and awe.
"You okay?" Astra asked, helping him to his feet.
Min Joon nodded weakly. "Yeah. Just… give me a minute."
Dain picked up the shard, examining it carefully before handing it back to Min Joon. "You took a big risk. If that had gone wrong…"
"But it didn't," Min Joon said, taking the shard and sliding it back into his pouch. He met Dain's gaze, his voice firm. "We can't keep running from this power. If I'm going to survive—if we're going to survive—I need to learn how to control it."
Dain didn't reply, but the look in his eyes was unreadable.
As they finally reached the exit, the ruins opened into a vast, starlit landscape. The cool night air was a welcome relief after the suffocating darkness of the labyrinth.
Astra sheathed her blade, her expression thoughtful. "So, what's next? More ruins? More angry ghosts?"
Min Joon stared out at the horizon, his hand resting on the pouch containing the shard. The Guardian's words echoed in his mind: The truth you seek may not be the one you wish to find.
"I don't know what's next," he admitted. "But whatever it is, I'll face it head-on."
The trio set off into the night, the weight of their journey heavy on their shoulders—but their resolve stronger than ever.