The air was heavy with the aftermath of the battle. Yeo sat on the cold stone floor, trying to steady his breath. His body ached from the grueling fight, and the bloodstains on his arm were a stark reminder of how close he had come to death. But he had won.
The Warden was dead.
Yet, there was something unsettling about the victory. The Warden's final moments had been too easy, almost anticlimactic, as if something more sinister was hiding beneath the surface.
Yeo stood up, wincing from the pain in his legs. His Echo Pulse skill had saved him, but each use drained him more than he cared to admit. And though his wounds were healing faster than they would have in his old life, there was still a gnawing sensation in the back of his mind that something was wrong.
The dungeon continued to hum, its pulse an ominous reminder that the trials were far from over.
> [System Alert: Pathway Detected. Hidden Doorway Unlocked.]
Yeo turned, his eyes narrowing as the stone wall in front of him shifted. The sound of grinding rock filled the air as a hidden passage opened up, revealing a narrow corridor leading deeper into the dungeon. The faintest glow emitted from within, casting eerie shadows on the walls.
With no other choice, Yeo walked toward the doorway, his hand instinctively reaching for his Radiant Blade.
"Guess we keep going," he muttered to himself, more out of habit than hope. He wasn't sure what he expected to find, but he wasn't ready to face whatever lay beyond just yet.
The passage was damp, the walls slick with moisture. Each step he took echoed through the silence, as if the dungeon itself was holding its breath. The deeper he went, the colder it became. It was as if the very air had turned against him.
Then, the light ahead grew stronger. And with it, a hum.
A deep, resonant hum that vibrated through his bones.
Yeo stopped in his tracks. The sound… it wasn't just the dungeon. It was something alive.
He crept forward, his pulse quickening. The hallway opened into a vast chamber. And at the center of it, suspended in mid-air, was a glowing sphere of light. It pulsed with a rhythmic energy, casting an unnatural glow on the room.
A voice filled his mind—familiar yet distant.
"The Path Beneath leads only to destruction. But you… you are different."
Yeo froze. He wasn't sure if the voice was real or just his imagination, but it sounded too real to ignore.
The sphere shifted, its light intensifying. Slowly, a figure began to emerge from within it—tall, ethereal, and cloaked in robes of shimmering gold. Its face was obscured by a hood, but its presence filled the room with a palpable power.
"You have awakened the Echo-Bearer. You have called upon the heroes of the past, and now, you must face the consequences."
Yeo's heart pounded in his chest. "What do you mean? Who are you?"
The figure tilted its head slightly, as if contemplating Yeo's question. The voice that followed was both soft and commanding.
"I am the Guardian of the Forgotten Path. The one who watches over those who seek the truth of the ancients. You have walked this path, and now the price must be paid."
The light in the sphere flared brighter, and the chamber around them began to warp. The stone walls cracked open, revealing glimpses of another world—another time. It was like looking through a shattered window into a forgotten past.
Yeo took a cautious step back. "What price? I didn't ask for any of this!"
The figure's voice softened, almost mournful. "You were chosen, Yeo. Not by chance, but by design. The echoes you have summoned are not just memories—they are the last remnants of a war long forgotten. And you… you will play your part in the rebirth of that war."
The sphere pulsed again, sending a wave of energy toward Yeo. His body trembled as the force slammed into him, knocking him to the ground.
> [System Alert: Internal System Interference – Forced Recalibration.]
A sudden burst of light filled the chamber, blinding Yeo. When his vision cleared, the figure was gone, and the sphere had dissipated into thin air, leaving nothing but the faintest echo of its power.
Yeo rose to his feet, his mind spinning. The words of the Guardian echoed in his head—You were chosen. What did it mean? What did he have to do with this war? And why was the world forcing him to relive the past?
He stumbled back, his thoughts racing. There was no time to answer these questions—not yet. The trial was far from over.
> [Quest Updated: The Forgotten War – Seek the Echoes of the Past.]
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. The path beneath him was darker than he had imagined. But there was no turning back now. He would need to uncover the secrets of the past—whether he was ready or not.