The cavern seemed eerily quiet after all this time, the only sounds from the defeated Guardian being the muted thrum of the Shard of Veilmoor. It pulsed gently, casting a soft glint on the path it walked, their footsteps bouncing through the tunnels off jagged walls.
"Do we even know what this thing does?" Aris asked, glancing out from Ryu's HUD at the shard's faint glow.
Draven, walking a few paces ahead, chuckled. "No clue. That's part of the fun, isn't it?"
Aris rolled her eyes. "Fun isn't the word I'd use. What if it's cursed? Or worse—what if it's a trap?"
Ryu clutched his sword harder, his eyes scanning the dark. "Whatever it is, it has something to do with the Nexus Keeper. That much is certain. If we are to find a way out of this game, we have to figure it out."
"Good kid," Draven said, turning back to grin. "You're beginning to think like a real player. Focus on the big picture. Forget the rest.
"Easy for you to say," Aris muttered. "You're not the one nearly getting flattened every five minutes."
Draven just laughed, his confidence irritating but oddly reassuring.
As they turned a corner, the tunnel opened into a smaller chamber. The air grew colder, and faint symbols glowed on the walls—ancient runes that seemed to shift and writhe when stared at too long.
"What is this place?" Aris asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Looks like some kind of waypoint," Ryu said, noting the circular markings on the ground. He stepped closer, his hand instinctively reaching for the shard. As he did, the runes on the walls flared brighter, bathing the room in an eerie light.
A low hum filled the air, and then a system notification appeared:
[Activate the Nexus Gate? Warning: Unknown Destination.]
Draven's grin widened. "Now we're talking."
"Hold on," Aris interjected, stepping between Draven and the glowing circle. "We have no idea where this thing leads. It could take us straight into another boss fight—or worse."
Draven shrugged. "Or it could lead us to answers. Isn't that why we're here?"
Ryu hesitated, his eyes fixed on the glowing symbols. The shard in his inventory seemed to resonate with the gate, pulsing in time with the runes. "We don't have to activate it now. We can come back when we're stronger—" he said.
"Or," Draven cut in, "we go now and get a head start on everyone else."
Aris clasped her arms, her frustration obvious. "You're far too foolhardy, Draven. One of these days it's going to kill you."
Draven smiled. "Perhaps. But not today."
Ryu was still processing the statement when a new, almost imperceptible voice broke through the silence—a weak whisper. It was not coming from the gate or the shard but through the walls themselves.
"Do you hear that?" Ryu questioned, his voice almost to a whisper.
Aris nodded, her hand gripping her daggers tighter. "What is it?"
Draven furrowed his brow, his earlier cockiness replaced by caution. "Keep your wits about you. This could be another trap."
The whispers grew louder, taking on disjointed words in an ancient language Ryu couldn't understand. The runes on the walls began to shift again, this time faster, and the air grew heavy with oppressive energy.
Then, without warning, the whispers stopped.
A single voice cut through the silence, deep and resonant, as if coming from everywhere at once.
"Seek the Nexus. Follow the threads. Only then shall you know freedom."
The light from the runes began to fade, and they were left in near darkness. The three of them stood stock-still, the weight of the message sinking in.
"Well," Draven said after a long pause, his tone lighter than the situation warranted. "That's ominous.
He glared at Draven. "This isn't funny. That voice wasn't a part of the system."
Ryu nodded, hand still on the shard. "It felt… different. As if it was trying to tell us something."
"It could've messed with our heads," Aris returned.
Draven shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe it's a clue. Either way, we're not going anywhere just standing here. I say we activate the gate and see where it takes us."
"Of course you do," Aris muttered.
Ryu considered their options. Staying here didn't feel safe, not with whatever presence had just spoken to them. But stepping into the unknown could be even more dangerous.
"Let's vote," Ryu said finally. "Do we stay and regroup, or activate the gate?"
"I say we go," Draven said without hesitation.
"I vote to wait," Aris said. "We need to be smart about this."
The deciding vote fell to Ryu. He glanced between his companions, the shard still pulsing faintly in his inventory.
"We go," he said firmly.
Arised sighed but didn't complain. "Fine. But if this gets us killed, I'm haunting you both."
Draven snorted, stepping into the circle. "Noted."
Ryu and Aris entered the circle, and when Ryu showed the shard, the runes lit up again. Ground underneath them started glowing and, in a flash, took everything in the room inside its swirling vortex of light.
System notification appeared:
[Nexus Gate Activated. Destination: Unknown.]
The light intensified, and the three of them were pulled into the vortex.
As the chamber disappeared around them, one thought echoed in Ryu's mind.
"Follow the threads."
When the light faded, they found themselves standing in a vast, desolate landscape. The sky above was a swirling storm of crimson and black, and jagged cliffs rose around them like the teeth of some ancient beast.
Welcome," Draven said, his voice a little in awe, "to the unknown.