The hulking creature roared, its massive claws tearing chunks of stone from the walls as it forced its way into the chamber. The ground beneath me cracked, and I stumbled back, the orb in my hand glowing faintly as though reacting to the danger.
The beast towered over me, a mass of muscle, shadows, and jagged fangs. Its glowing red eyes fixed on me with a predatory hunger, and I could feel its malice as a tangible weight pressing against my chest. My legs trembled, locked in place, and my breath came in shallow gasps.
I was paralyzed.
The creature crouched low, its body coiling like a spring as it prepared to lunge. My mind screamed for me to run, but I couldn't. I had no weapons, no powers—nothing but the orb, and I had no idea what it could do.
Before it could strike, the carvings on the walls flared to life.
The pale white light surged, blinding in its intensity, as the symbols began to shift and move. Tendrils of light broke free from the walls, wrapping around the creature's limbs and binding it in place. It thrashed violently, its claws slamming into the ground with enough force to shake the entire chamber, but the tendrils held firm, dragging it backward.
The voice returned, calm yet commanding.
"You stand at the threshold, anomaly. Will you run? Or will you prove your worth?"
The sound seemed to come from everywhere, vibrating through the air and the stone. My heart pounded, and my knees buckled as I tried to respond.
"I didn't ask for this!" I shouted, my voice cracking. "I don't even know why I'm here!"
The light dimmed slightly, and the carvings pulsed in rhythm with the voice.
"You were chosen," it said simply. "Now you must choose. Flee, and this place will consume you. Stay, and face the Trial."
"Trial?" My voice trembled. "What kind of trial?"
There was no answer.
Instead, the carvings along the walls began to shift again, their glowing shapes spiraling inward toward the center of the chamber. Beneath my feet, the stone cracked and split apart, revealing a circular pattern of glowing runes that pulsed with an ominous energy.
The beast behind me let out a deafening roar, and I turned to see the bindings around its limbs beginning to waver.
I clenched the orb tighter, swallowing the lump in my throat as I faced the glowing circle on the ground. The pull in my mind grew stronger, urging me forward.
There was no other choice.
"I'll do it," I said, barely above a whisper.
The moment the words left my mouth, the room erupted with light.
The ground beneath me vanished, and I fell into darkness.
For a moment, I was weightless, tumbling through an endless void. The oppressive heat and cold of the dungeon were gone, replaced by an overwhelming sense of nothingness. My chest tightened as I tried to breathe, but there was no air here—just the suffocating emptiness pressing in on me from all sides.
And then I landed.
The impact sent a shock of pain through my legs, but the ground beneath me was solid. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself upright, my vision swimming as I took in my surroundings.
The chamber I found myself in was massive, far larger than any I'd seen before. The walls were smooth and black, reflecting the faint red glow of an enormous symbol carved into the floor. The air was heavy, thick with an energy that made my skin crawl, and every breath felt like it was being stolen from my lungs.
The orb in my hand pulsed faintly, its light syncing with the rhythm of the glowing symbol on the ground.
"You have chosen," the voice said, louder and more direct than before.
A figure emerged from the shadows at the far end of the chamber.
It wasn't human.
Its body was tall and thin, its limbs elongated and shrouded in twisting smoke. Glowing runes covered its form, shifting and writhing as if alive, and its eyes—two piercing white lights—burned with an intensity that made my knees buckle.
"I am the Keeper," it said, its voice resonating through the chamber. "You stand unbound. A crack in the order. Now, you must prove yourself."
"Prove myself?" I stammered, taking a step back. "What does that even mean?"
The Keeper didn't answer. Instead, it raised one of its long, smoke-like hands, and the ground beneath me cracked violently. I stumbled, barely keeping my balance as the glowing runes on the floor began to rise into the air, twisting into jagged, spiraling shapes that filled the chamber.
The air grew colder, and a deep growl echoed from the shadows.
I turned toward the sound and froze.
Three creatures emerged from the darkness, their twisted forms hunched and unnatural. Their skin was mottled black and crimson, and their glowing red eyes locked onto me with feral hunger.
I clutched the orb tighter, my pulse racing.
"Fight," the Keeper said, its voice unyielding.
"I don't have any weapons!" I shouted.
The orb in my hand pulsed violently, and for a moment, I felt something—heat, power—radiating from it. My fingers twitched involuntarily, and the shadows within the orb began to twist and writhe, as if alive.
The first creature lunged.
I threw myself to the side, narrowly avoiding its claws as they sliced through the air where I'd been standing. I hit the ground hard, pain flaring through my shoulder, and rolled just in time to avoid the second creature's fanged maw.
The orb pulsed again, and this time, the shadows erupted outward.
Black tendrils shot from my hand, slamming into the creature mid-lunge and throwing it across the chamber. The other two froze, their glowing eyes fixed on me with a mix of caution and rage.
I stared at the tendrils as they recoiled back into the orb, my chest heaving.
"What… what is this?" I muttered.
The Keeper's voice returned, calm but firm.
"Your potential."
The creatures began to circle me, their movements slow and deliberate. I pushed myself to my feet, gripping the orb tightly as the tendrils writhed and shifted, reacting to the creatures' presence.
The first one lunged again, and this time, I didn't move back.
The tendrils lashed out on their own, wrapping around the creature's limbs and slamming it into the ground with a sickening crunch. The other two hesitated, snarling as they watched their comrade fall.
I felt a strange surge of confidence—a power I had never known before.
The second creature charged, its claws raised high. I swung the orb instinctively, and the tendrils responded, slicing through the air and ripping the creature apart before it could reach me.
The final one let out a deafening roar, its body swelling as if preparing for a final, desperate attack.
The orb in my hand grew hot, its glow intensifying as the tendrils writhed violently, waiting for my command.
I didn't hesitate.
The tendrils shot forward, piercing the creature's chest and dragging it to the ground. Its roar faded into a low whimper as it dissolved into a pool of black smoke, leaving me alone in the chamber.
My legs gave out, and I collapsed to the ground, clutching the orb tightly as my breaths came in ragged gasps.
"You have begun to understand," the Keeper said, its voice echoing through the chamber.
I looked up, trembling. "What… what am I supposed to do with this?"
The Keeper's glowing eyes burned brighter.
"Survive."