Scene 1: The Ascent
We arrived near the foot of the mountain range cloaked in mist. DA looked around, squinting toward the winding paths ahead.
> "The vehicle's useless from here. We walk," he said, voice calm but commanding.
Lia leaned closer to Carter, whispering,
> "Sir, why are we even bringing him along?"
Carter sighed.
> "How would I know? Ron said he has some kind of cure for the aging gas. Let's hope he's right."
As we climbed, we came across a torn bag lying near the entrance to the Ancient Mill—clear signs someone had gone in. According to the data, the aging gas activates within minutes of entry.
Without wasting time, we rushed inside.
Just a few minutes in, we found someone collapsed on the stone floor, his body twitching slightly. I knelt to check him, but DA grabbed my wrist.
> "Don't touch him," he warned.
DA knelt down, examining the wound.
> "He's been bitten. This place breeds cursed monsters—beasts with venom that doesn't just kill… it transforms. They can shift their size too."
From seemingly nowhere, DA pulled out an injection and jabbed it into the wounded man's neck.
> "This'll slow the curse," he muttered.
We carried the man back outside. Lia contacted the department to retrieve him safely. As we regrouped at the entrance, Carter looked at us.
> "We'll cover more ground if we split up."
Lia subtly glanced at Carter. I caught it.
> "Fine," I said. "Ron and DA, Carter and Lia."
The Ancient Mill's entrance led to two paths: right and left. Since the wounded man was found on the left, DA and I headed that way. Carter and Lia took the right.
Before we parted, DA handed us each three syringes.
> "Use them wisely," he said. "And pray they're enough."
Scene 2: Feelings in the Fog
Carter and Lia's path was infested with monsters—feral, screeching, fast. Together, they cut them down with expert precision. But the air was thick. The aging gas had started to take effect.
Carter walked ahead with focus, while Lia, perhaps trying to distract herself, asked softly,
> "What's your favorite food? Drink?"
Carter remained quiet, slicing down another beast. Lia laughed to herself awkwardly.
They cleared the first floor with ease. A strange glowing circle appeared on the floor. Without hesitation, they stepped onto it and vanished—teleported to the next floor.
The second floor was worse.
Stronger monsters. A mid-tier dragon. And thicker gas.
Lia grew silent, weighed down not just by exhaustion but by emotion. She remembered their graduation day—the day she almost confessed.
She took a breath and asked,
> "Sir, do you have someone you like?"
> "No." Carter didn't even pause.
Lia smiled to herself.
Then Carter turned.
> "What about you?"
> "Sorry... I shouldn't have asked," Cartrr said.
Carter turned forward, walking again—but Lia reached out and grabbed his shirt.
He stopped.
Her voice trembled.
> "Yes. I do. I've liked him since childhood. He was popular... but he always talked to a loner like me. I wanted to tell him during graduation. But I couldn't. Then he moved away. Years later, we met again—and he remembered me. We've been on missions together since."
Carter looked stunned.
He opened his mouth to speak—
—but monsters burst from the shadows. Dozens of them.
They fought fiercely. At first, swordplay was enough. But then the gas hit harder, slowing their reactions. Poison seeped into the air. They started using their powers—but it wasn't enough.
Lia's mind started to spiral:
> What if one of us dies? What if Carter turns into a monster? What if I never get to—
She panicked. Her attacks weakened.
Carter noticed and grabbed her hand.
> "Run!"
They sprinted through the hallways and ducked into a cavern. It sloped downward. They followed it instinctively, desperate to escape.
Inside, they found something strange:
A coffin.
Surrounded by hundreds of burning candles.
It looked like something straight out of a vampire movie.
They hid.
Carter held Lia close, calming her breath.
Then… a noise.
The coffin creaked open.
Carter turned.
They both looked at it—
—and everything went black.
Scene 3: The Fourth Wall
DA and I reached the second floor with little trouble. The monsters here were stronger, sure—but manageable.
DA, however, was starting to show signs of fatigue. The gas was affecting him. But strangely… not me.
> "Weird," I muttered. "Why isn't the gas affecting me?"
> [FOURTH WALL HAS BLOCKED THE AGEING AND MIND CONTROL GAS]
Fourth Wall? Like in fiction? But no one said anything about other gases...
DA spoke, panting slightly.
> "As we climb, this place gets worse. Aging gas isn't the only thing. On this floor, mind control gas too. The next one? Who knows. Every floor adds a new type."
He paused.
> "I wonder how Carter and Lia are doing…"