The fall felt endless. The labyrinth above vanished into the void, leaving only the whistling wind and the suffocating black. Shi Yan's thoughts raced, fragments of the whispers still clinging to his mind like cobwebs.
When the impact came, it wasn't bone-breaking as he'd feared. Instead, he plunged into a pool of liquid so cold it burned. The shock stole his breath, and he thrashed wildly, trying to find the surface.
His hands found something solid, and he dragged himself onto a jagged outcropping. Gasping for air, he looked around.
The faint glow of bioluminescent moss illuminated the cavern, casting everything in shades of sickly green. Stalactites dripped with viscous fluid, and the walls were alive with writhing shapes—creatures too small to identify but unsettling in their ceaseless motion.
A deep growl echoed through the chamber.
Shi Yan froze.
---
The sound came again, louder this time. It resonated through the cavern, a guttural rumble that vibrated in his chest.
Shi Yan tightened his grip on his dagger—the one that had somehow found its way back into his hand. The sigil on his arm pulsed faintly, as if responding to his fear.
The growl turned into a roar, and the darkness shifted.
Something enormous lumbered into the faint light. Its body was grotesque, a mass of muscle and chitin fused together in a mockery of natural form. Its face was a twisted amalgamation of eyes, too many to count, all staring at him with unblinking malice.
The creature's maw opened, revealing rows of jagged teeth, and a noxious breath rolled over him.
"A trial," Shi Yan muttered, realization dawning. This wasn't just a random attack. This was part of the labyrinth, a test designed to break him.
The creature lunged.
---
Shi Yan barely rolled away in time, the ground splintering where he'd stood. The creature moved faster than something its size had any right to, each step shaking the cavern.
"Think," he whispered to himself. "Don't just run. Use the environment."
The bioluminescent moss caught his eye. It clung to the walls in thick patches, and as the creature charged again, he darted toward it.
The beast followed, its jaws snapping inches from his back. At the last moment, Shi Yan leapt, grabbing onto a low-hanging stalactite and kicking off it. The creature crashed into the wall, its momentum carrying it into the glowing moss.
A terrible screech filled the air as the moss ignited, burning the creature's flesh with an acidic hiss.
It thrashed wildly, its many eyes now focused entirely on him.
---
Shi Yan landed hard, the impact jarring his shoulder. He scrambled to his feet, watching as the creature turned, its movements slower now but no less dangerous.
The sigil on his arm pulsed again, brighter this time, and he felt a strange pull. It wasn't a voice, but an instinct—a suggestion whispered directly into his soul.
The Path must be claimed. The hunter cannot falter.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, focusing on the ember within him. When he opened them, the world seemed sharper, every detail alive with intensity.
The creature charged once more, but this time, Shi Yan was ready.
---
He sidestepped the attack, slashing at one of its legs. The blade sank deep, and the creature howled, stumbling.
Seizing the opportunity, he darted forward, aiming for its underbelly—a weak point revealed by the faint glow of his sigil. The dagger plunged in, and the creature's screech turned into a wet, choking noise.
It collapsed, its massive body twitching as it began to dissolve into the same glowing liquid that coated the walls.
Shi Yan fell to his knees, gasping for air. His arm burned, the sigil's glow now steady and bright.
---
As the creature's remains faded, the cavern began to change. The walls shifted, the moss receding into darkness. A single path opened before him, lined with faintly glowing stones.
A voice echoed in the stillness—not a whisper this time, but a deep, resonant tone.
"You have survived the Hunger Below. Your Path strengthens, but the trials have only begun."
Shi Yan stood, wiping sweat and blood from his face. There was no time to rest. The labyrinth wasn't finished with him yet.
With a final glance at the dissolving creature, he stepped forward, the path ahead disappearing into shadows.