"Are we having fun yet?!" shouted Trisha, hacking down another goblin-looking creature with her short sword. Her hair was damp with sweat, her face smudged with blood and dirt, but she was grinning like a madwoman.
They had arrived in the jungle just before midnight, following the map Alex insisted would lead them to a major concentration of dark energy. It had been more than an hour since the first wave of monsters ambushed them—and the horde didn't seem to be thinning out. Not even close.
"Where the bloody hell are they coming from?!" Callum called out in frustration as he loosed another arrow, impaling a snarling creature mid-lunge. "I've put down more than fifty already, and I'm going to run out of arrows soon if this keeps up!"
Kael, the enormous silver direwolf, held the rear, tearing through any monster that dared to sneak up on them. His growls echoed like thunder through the trees, and the jungle floor was soaked with the blood of their enemies.
Meanwhile, Alex was busy experimenting—because of course he was. With his newly acquired rune abilities, he seemed more like a magician at a carnival than a warrior in battle. He had created turret-shaped runes—some firing earth bullets, others spitting out fireballs or beams of ice. He'd placed them all around their position like it was some kind of fantasy tower defense.
"Are we playing DOTA now, or is this tower defense?" Trisha asked dryly, ducking as a rune turret blasted a cluster of enemies behind her with a jet of flame.
Alex, crouched beside a large rock while drawing a fresh rune into the air, didn't even look up. "Come now. I'm just trying to protect you guys," he said cheerfully, tracing another glowing symbol with his fingertips.
Trisha narrowed her eyes as she kicked a monster in the face. "Are you really now? Why do I feel like we're just your training dummies?"
"Because you are," Alex muttered with a grin.
"What was that?" Trisha snapped.
"I said you're doing amazing," Alex replied, a little too quickly.
Callum rolled his eyes. "If we make it out of here alive, I swear I'm going to shove one of those rune turrets up your—"
A loud snarl cut him off. A fresh wave of monsters charged from the dark, but this time they looked slower—wounded, tired, and fewer in number. Trisha, Callum, and Kael made quick work of them while Alex held the line with another pair of rune turrets that hissed with steam and mana energy.
After another thirty minutes of grueling battle, the horde finally thinned out.
The jungle grew still. Silent.
Callum lowered his bow and stretched his arms with a groan. "Is it over?"
"For now," Alex said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "But I doubt that was the main nest. These creatures were too uncoordinated, like sentries."
Trisha glanced at the direction some of the monsters had retreated to. "Then let's find where they're coming from."
Kael let out a low growl and took the lead, his nose twitching as he followed the scent trail. They moved slowly now, cautiously, weapons ready. The jungle felt alive—watching them. The moonlight barely pierced the thick canopy above, and strange chirping echoed in the distance.
Finally, they came to a stop.
A large, gaping hole loomed in front of them—hidden beneath vines and thick foliage. It was at least twenty meters wide, the entrance of a cave that seemed to breathe cold air into the humid night.
Trisha narrowed her eyes. "That's not ominous at all."
"Looks like we found their front door," Callum muttered.
Alex's eyes glinted with excitement—and maybe a little worry. "Whatever's inside… it's not done yet. I can still feel the dark energy pulsing from here."
Kael growled low, his silver fur bristling.
Trisha adjusted the strap on her sword. "Well, then. Shall we knock?"
The three of them stepped forward, the jungle behind them falling into silence once more.
*********
Unseen above the jungle floor, perched on the gnarled branch of an ancient tree, a small black bird sat still as stone. Its unblinking eyes glowed faintly with electric-blue light. It was no ordinary bird.
Every movement, every whisper exchanged between the three awakened below—Alex, Trisha, and Callum—was being recorded and transmitted across dimensions. From inside the Dome, the signals traveled through hidden channels to a secure location far beyond Earth's reach—into the ancient city of the Guardians.
This bird, delicate in form but monstrous in function, was one of many bio-robotic drones built by Coal himself—crafted with forgotten tech and runic science. Designed to infiltrate without detection, it now hovered silently on its perch, feeding data back to a round, floating crystal embedded in the heart of a vast lab.
Coal stood before the crystal module, his hands behind his back, studying the rotating holographic feed with an intensity that made even the glowing rune-lights around him flicker.
"So… these three are the hope of more than four billion people?" he muttered, eyes narrowing. "Do you really think they can do it?"
The feed zoomed in on Alex, who was adjusting one of his rune turrets. Beside him, Trisha wiped blood from her blade, and Callum glanced behind him, bow still in hand. Kael, the silver wolf, prowled the jungle floor with eyes glowing like embers.
From the side of the room, Silver approached. She held a small, translucent blue crystal etched with complex runes pulsing like a heartbeat. Her expression was unreadable—but her steps were deliberate.
"You still don't recognize them, do you?" she asked, eyes fixed on the image of the trio.
Coal turned to her, confused. "Recognize them? What are you talking about? They're newly awakened—untrained, unpolished. Why?"
Silver didn't answer with words. Instead, she placed the crystal into a docking slot beside the main hologram. Immediately, data bloomed in the air: DNA strands, genetic comparisons, and bloodline hierarchies. As the results stabilized, Coal leaned forward—and froze.
His eyes widened. "No… That's impossible."
"You see it now," Silver said, her tone sharper than before. "You know what this means."
Coal's voice was hoarse. "Are you sure this is accurate?"
Silver scowled. "Seriously? Do you have to ask?"
She waved her hand over the rune interface, and the projection zoomed in—showing highlighted strands in the Druid's genetic code. Coal stared, pale.
"Oh my god…" he whispered. "This changes everything. This—this can't get out. Promise me, Silvy. This stays between us."
Silver crossed her arms. "I know what's at stake. But for once, I'm relieved. This confirms it—they're the right ones."
Coal sat back heavily, hands rubbing his temples as if trying to hold his thoughts in place. "Still… Are we sure we should send them into this? Shouldn't we protect them? Especially the Druid. If they find out who he really is—"
"Then they'll come after him either way," Silver cut in. "All the more reason to let them grow stronger now. They can't remain sheltered. We don't have that luxury anymore. The moment this secret leaks, they'll be hunted."
Coal got to his feet and walked toward the projection, now showing the team standing at the mouth of a cavern. His eyes narrowed as the bio-drone zoomed out to reveal more of the terrain.
"Then they'll need to survive what's coming," he said grimly. "The cave. It's not just a hideout."
Silver nodded, already knowing what he was about to say.
"There's something inside that cave," Coal continued. "An ancient race… one we haven't seen in over ten thousand years. They've kept to themselves all this time, cloaking their existence from the elites and even from us."
He paused.
"They've turned their own territory into a sanctuary, protecting their bloodlines, their culture, and their artifacts. But at what cost?" he said, his voice turning bitter. "They abandoned their kin outside—allowed them to suffer, to be used as pawns by the elites. All just to preserve their hidden sanctum."
"Survival sometimes demands sacrifice," Silver replied coldly.
Coal turned to her, regret deep in his eyes. "Even if the sacrifice is their own people?"
The air between them grew heavy.
"They won't welcome the Druid and the others," Coal said. "Not with gifts. Not with smiles. Those ancient ones… they'll see the Chosen as threats, intruders, challengers."
"Let them," Silver said. "If they survive this encounter, they'll be stronger for it."
Coal returned to the console, fingers dancing over the rune-pad, rewinding the feed. His gaze lingered on Alex.
"There's more to him than he knows. That blood… it's not just rare. It's legendary. And it's not just him. That Assassin and the Ranger too. All three of them—bound by fate, but chosen for different reasons."
He exhaled sharply.
Coal stood silently, staring at the feed from inside the Dome. Alex, Trisha, and Callum had entered the cave where the last wave of corrupted creatures had come from. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the glowing panel in front of him, his mind racing with what they were about to face.
"They're getting close to the perimeter," he muttered.
Silver nodded, her eyes still fixed on the floating data stream projected in the air. "Yes. If they go a few hundred meters deeper, they'll cross into the outskirts of the hidden city."
Coal's jaw clenched. "That place… no one's gone near it in ten thousand years. Not even the Council."
"Their decision," Silver said, "not mine. That race has been in hiding ever since the war shattered the world and the Dome was raised. They sealed their city off from everyone—enemies and allies alike."
"I remember the stories," Coal said quietly. "They were once among the most loyal to the cause, but after the collapse, they lost faith in both sides."
"And now," Silver added, "they survive by pretending not to exist."
Coal turned to face her. "Do you think they'll attack?"
Silver paused. "Not if they recognize what the boy carries in his blood."