The silence that followed the corruption of the ruin was deafening. The air felt wrong, thick, dark, and heavy with dread. The once-beautiful scenery had twisted into a nightmare, and everyone could feel it. The Mythical Ruin that was supposed to be the "Ruins of Never-ending Dreams" now looked like the ruins of endless despair.
The ground beneath them trembled faintly at first, then stronger, the vibrations deep and powerful like something was moving far beneath the surface. Dust and shards of blackened petals rose from the cracked earth as the shaking intensified. Everyone struggled to keep their balance.
"What's happening!?" Lila shouted, her voice echoing strangely in the warped air.
Caelus's eyes narrowed as he gripped the hilt of his sword. "The ruin is shifting its form. Be on guard!"
But before anyone could move, the ground erupted violently. The terrain beneath them cracked open like shattered glass, sections of earth rising and falling at once. A force unlike anything they had ever felt before pulled them apart, each group sliding, tumbling, or being thrown across newly formed cliffs and valleys.
"Stay together!" Alex yelled, but it was too late.
The landscape itself was dividing them. The land split and twisted, forming five uneven levels of terrain, each separated by impossible distances. It was as if the ruin wanted them divided, isolated from one another.
And it wasn't an accident.
From the torn earth, a swarm of beasts emerged. Giant scorpion-like creatures with jagged, stone-colored shells crawled out first, their bodies pulsing faintly with corrupted energy. They were the Great Scorvex.
From between their legs slithered Sand SerpentsThey hissed, fangs glinting with black venom.
And behind them, Needlestrikes.
And the sky wasn't free either. Above each group, dark winged creatures began to circle. They looked like vultures but were larger, with tattered wings that left trails of dark mist as they flew. Their eyes glowed dimly red, and their beaks were serrated. These were called Mournwings, creatures said to feed on the fear of the dying.
Every group was surrounded, and the air was filled with the screech of monsters. The battle inside the corrupted ruin had begun.
---
First Terrain
The ground here was uneven, cracked, and covered in sand mixed with ash. Lila stood at the front, her sword igniting faintly with blue and red energy, flames of water and fire twisting together around her blade. Beside her stood Iria, her hands glowing with a soft, golden-white light. Deigo's synth axe hummed as it charged with energy, Darius tightened his grip on his shovel, and Anya stood calm, frost forming on the edge of her broadsword.
"Here they come!" Deigo shouted as the first wave rushed in.
Three Great Scorvex charged forward, their tails slamming down like hammers. Lila dashed ahead, sliding between them with graceful movement. Her sword slashed upward, flames bursting through one scorpion's underbelly. Before the creature could recover, a blast of steam followed as she spun, slicing again with her water-imbued blade. The mix of elements made her strikes flow like a dance, graceful but lethal.
Darius jumped beside her, his shovel glowing faintly as he enhanced his body's strength. He smashed one serpent's head into the ground, leaving a deep crater. The sand hissed and rose as more beasts emerged, but he didn't stop. His movements were raw but powerful, each swing shaking the earth.
Anya moved to cover Iria, her broadsword radiating icy mist. She swung wide, sending a sharp wave of frost forward, freezing a group of Needlestrikes in place. Their bodies stiffened, then shattered when Deigo followed up with a charged strike from his axe, sending shards of blue energy scattering in the air.
"Keep them back! Don't let them surround us!" Lila yelled.
From above, the Mournwings dived. Their cries were sharp and shrill. Iria's hands glowed brighter, and she raised them skyward. A beam of radiant light burst forth, cutting through the mist and piercing the vultures mid-flight. The light broke apart into smaller rays, raining down gently over her teammates. Their fatigue eased, and their wounds began to close.
"Nice one!" Lila called out with a grin as she slashed another beast.
Lila spun once more, combining water and fire in her blade to release a wave of scalding steam that swept across the field, disorienting the remaining monsters. Anya and Darius finished the rest with clean, precise strikes.
The beasts fell silent one after another. The sand settled.
"Too many of them," Darius muttered, panting slightly. "It's like they're endless."
Deigo wiped the sweat from hid forehead, hid gaze fixed on the dark horizon. "This isn't just random. Someone's controlling them."
---
Second Terrain
Far below, the ground here was different, it was hard, cold, and covered with bones. The terrain stretched endlessly, littered with broken weapons, rusted armor, and skulls half-buried in the dirt. The air smelled of decay, heavy with dust.
Caelus stood at the front, his sword, Dreams of the Fallen Leaf, glowing faintly with ripples of blue light. Hugo had already drawn his longbow, his fingers steady despite the tension. Elric held his rod close, wind swirling around him like invisible threads. Rosa spun her dual hook swords once, the chains clinking softly before wrapping them around her arms.
As the ground cracked, the beasts emerged once more, Great Scorvex and Needlestrikes charging from below while Mournwings swooped down from above.
"Stay close!" Caelus commanded.
He dashed forward, his sword glowing brighter. His first swing sliced through the air, releasing a curved wave of water that split two Scorvex cleanly in half. The blade shimmered like liquid silver, each movement flowing like a river.
"Watch the sky!" Hugo warned as he fired an arrow upward. The shot burst into three smaller arrows mid-flight, each finding its mark. The Mournwings shrieked as their bodies dissolved into dark mist. He fired again and again, every arrow enhanced with sharp precision.
Elric raised his rod high. "Wind Burst!"
A cyclone of green light erupted around him, tearing through a cluster of Needlestrikes that tried to close in. Their spines shattered as they were flung into the air. Rosa jumped into the whirlwind, spinning with her dual blades, slashing through the falling beasts like ribbons of light.
Caelus moved with calm determination, his every strike clean and purposeful. His blade left ripples of water in the air that shimmered briefly before exploding outward, cutting down anything that dared approach.
"Caelus, behind you!" Hugo shouted.
Without turning, Caelus stepped aside, twisting his sword and letting the tail of a Scorvex pierce empty air. With a quick motion, he slashed upward, cutting the tail off cleanly. The beast screeched before falling silent.
The fight dragged on, but not for long. The combined precision of their teamwork cut through the endless tide.
When the last Mournwing fell, its skeletal body crumbling into dust, silence returned.
Elric looked around at the bone-covered field and frowned. "This place feels like a graveyard."
Caelus wiped his blade clean, his expression serious. "No… it is a graveyard. These bones must be the result of corrupted core"
Rosa exhaled slowly. "Then we'll make sure we're not added to it."
Caelus nodded. His sword pulsed faintly in response, its glow dim but steady. He looked ahead, toward the unseen center of the ruin.
The corruption had awakened something deep inside these ruins. And now, it was their turn to face whatever nightmare awaited next.