the air in the cave grew colder, each breath forming a thin mist that lingered in the air. My body still felt heavy after the transformation. The energy I had absorbed from the glowing blue crystal had strengthened me, but it left behind a complex feeling—a mix of relief and unease.
Before me lay the lifeless body of the massive scaled creature. Its dark blood pooled on the cave floor, but I felt no satisfaction. There was no victory, only a hollow void that continued to haunt my mind.
I stepped away from the carcass, trying to calm my thoughts. But something within the cave wouldn't let me leave so easily. Whispers began to emerge, faint and indistinct, as if they were coming from the walls themselves.
"...Aksular... Lor'taan…"
The language was foreign, yet somehow, I could understand its meaning. The words flowed into my mind like fragments of memory: *"The chosen... sacrifice…"*
I froze mid-step. Where was that voice coming from? Was it an effect of the crystal? Or was I losing my sanity?
"Who's there?!" I called out, my voice echoing through the tunnels. But there was no reply.
***
I continued forward, more cautious than before. Every shadow, every faint sound made me turn my head, my claws digging into the ground instinctively. The tunnels grew narrower, though some opened into grand chambers. One of these caught my attention.
The space was filled with carvings etched into the stone walls. The dim light from the glowing moss revealed strange depictions: colossal creatures like dragons and serpentine beasts soaring above the land, tiny humans reaching their hands toward the sky, and above it all, radiant figures resembling gods, crowned with great halos and shimmering wings.
I approached the carvings warily, my claws brushing against the cold stone. A strange sensation coursed through me as I touched it—like an electric current surging through my body.
"This world is a cycle," the voice echoed again in my mind, clearer this time, as if someone were speaking directly to me. "Only the strongest will endure. Only the chosen will rule."
I stepped back, struggling to steady myself. The voice was real, but I couldn't see its source.
Yet something had shifted within me. Those words seemed to open a door in my mind, revealing a greater understanding of this world. It wasn't just a wild, chaotic realm. Something was orchestrating it all.
***
As I left the chamber of carvings, I began noticing things I hadn't before. The walls of the cave seemed to bear marks as if shaped by enormous hands. Some tunnels didn't appear natural—they looked as though they had been carved with intent.
I pressed on until I reached another passageway, narrower than the rest. Beyond it lay a circular room with a single altar at its center.
The altar was simple—a large black stone with cracks running across its surface. But atop it lay something strange: a large claw, similar to mine yet much bigger, forged from a green-tinged metal that shimmered faintly in the dim light.
Curiosity overcame my fear as I cautiously approached the altar. When I touched the claw, the world around me abruptly shifted.
I was no longer in the cave. Instead, I stood in the middle of a vast battlefield, the sky a deep blood-red, and the ground littered with the corpses of the fallen. Gigantic beasts clashed violently, their roars echoing across the land, while radiant figures watched from above.
"This is the past of this world," the voice spoke again, louder and more commanding. "A world ruled by gods and great beasts. They created us to fight, to destroy, to perpetuate this endless cycle."
I looked up at the sky, where the radiant figures stood arrogantly, gazing down at the battlefield they had orchestrated.
"And you," the voice continued, "you are part of this game. You will either be their tool, or you will surpass them."
I snapped back to reality, my breaths shallow and quick. The metal claw trembled in my hand, as if it were alive. I didn't know what I had just witnessed, but one thing was certain: this world held secrets far greater than I had imagined.
***
I left the chamber, the metal claw in my grasp, an eerie sensation still gripping my mind. But I knew one thing.
I would not be a pawn in anyone's game. If these gods truly existed, I would find them. And I would ensure that I was more than just a piece in their cycle.
I would become something greater.