Faint echoes rolled across the cave — not from monsters this time, but from the shifting debris, dripping water, and footsteps.
Isaac moved first, stepping over a broken piece of armor left behind by one of the five hunters. Blood trailed behind it, thick and dark, staining the rocks beneath.
Trish followed, her daggers now dark with grime, a scratch on her cheek glowing faintly in the cave's bioluminescent light.
"I think I'm starting to hate caves," she muttered.
Isaac didn't reply. His eyes were on the far wall — not just staring, but watching. The stone itself was trembling, ever so slightly. Faint pulses, like something breathing. Something alive.
Trish noticed it too.
"...Please don't tell me the cave is alive."
Isaac sighed. "If the cave is alive, then we're technically inside something's stomach."
He paused. "Which might explain the smell."
Just then, a sharp crack echoed through the cave, and dust began to fall from the ceiling. The rumbling was getting louder now, no longer subtle.
Isaac turned, his tone dry. "You ever feel like the universe is trying to kill you personally?"
Trish raised an eyebrow. "No, just you."
"Fair."
Another crack. This one closer.
Then, a roar — deep, low, and vibrating through the walls.
Isaac clenched his fists. "We either run now… or we find out what's behind Door Number 'Oh God Please No.'"
Trish rolled her eyes. "Why do I feel like we're going to open the door anyway?"
Isaac cracked a grin. "Because we're idiots with unresolved trauma and sharp objects."
She couldn't help but smile.
"…Lead the way, genius."
The ground split open with a deep rumble, the ceiling of the cave cracking as the monstrous figure slowly crawled out of the abyss. It was tall, its body stitched together like a cursed experiment, with a skull-like face and glowing veins of corrupted mana pulsing through its limbs.
Trish stepped forward, her daggers already out, eyes scanning for weak points.
Isaac stood still, eyebrows raised.
"Ah. Of course. Giant undead abomination stitched by the gods of bad timing. Because why not?"
The monster roared, the shockwave alone sending a crack through the nearest wall.
"Split!" Trish yelled, dodging left.
Isaac rolled to the right, but he couldn't avoid the monster's grotesque claw. He grunted as he landed, a sharp pain exploding in his ribs. He could feel it—something was definitely broken.
The cave thundered with each step of the colossal beast. Shadows twisted along the walls, illuminated by the sickly green glow of the monster's crystalized core pulsing from its chest
Isaac exhaled sharply, his arm hanging limp, blood trickling from a gash that nearly tore through his shoulder. He stood between the monster and Trish, swaying slightly, his blade trembling in his grip.
"Okay... that hurt," he muttered dryly, glancing down at his bleeding side. "On a scale of one to ten, that was a solid 'screw you'."
The boss shrieked — an ear-splitting blend of metal grinding and something… alive. It surged forward, claws raking the earth.
"Isaac!" Trish called, summoning a barrier just in time to deflect the creature's charge. She turned to him, panic and fire in her eyes. "You're in no shape to fight!"
Isaac spat blood and smiled with that damn irritating grin of his. "Yeah, well, neither is my dignity, but here we are."
He stumbled back, reaching into his storage ring with trembling fingers. "Trish… stall it. I need a minute."
Her expression tightened. "What are you planning?"
"The dumbest thing I've ever done," he muttered under his breath.
From the storage ring, he pulled out two green vials — the last of his mana boosters — and a dark, jagged crystal wrapped in cloth. He didn't hesitate. He uncorked both potions and downed them like bitter shots of regret. Energy flooded his veins, painful and sharp.
Trish yelled in the background, struggling to keep the monster's attention.
Isaac fell to one knee. The crystal hummed in his hand, responding to his unstable mana. Every breath was agony. His bones felt too heavy, his nerves too raw.
"No other choice," he muttered. "You want a miracle? Here's a suicide pact instead."
Isaac tore open his shirt, revealing his scarred chest, and unwrapped the black crystal.
A brief silence passed between him and the glowing shard.
"…Well," he whispered with a smirk, "you better be worth it."
And then he stabbed it straight into his heart.
The pain was immediate.
His legs gave out as his body spasmed, veins turning a vivid green as the raw mana surged into his system. His mouth opened in a silent scream. The air itself crackled around him, the cave trembling from the sudden spike in power.
Trish turned — eyes wide — "ISAAC!?"
He collapsed, twitching… and then, silence.
The monster stopped moving, sensing the shift in power. Even Trish froze.
Then… his fingers twitched.
His head rose slowly, shadows dancing across his face. His eyes flared a vibrant red, glowing with unstable energy.
"...Alright," Isaac hissed through clenched teeth. "it's time for payback"