The lake was quiet.
Too quiet.
The dragon's body had vanished into the depths, leaving only ripples lapping at the rocks. The survivors huddled together on jagged outcroppings, soaked, bloodied, fewer than before. Their breaths came ragged, hollow, every pair of eyes haunted.
The silence pressed heavy, suffocating.
Until the wind came.
It started as a faint draft, almost unnoticeable, brushing across Ravi's face. Cold, dry, carrying with it a smell that didn't belong underground—dust, ash, and something faintly sweet, like burned flowers.
Ravi frowned, lifting his head. "You feel that?"
Arjun's gaze swept the cavern. His hair stirred gently in the breeze, though there was no opening above, no crack for air to pass through. He nodded slowly. "The system is shifting again."
The survivors stirred uneasily. Some muttered prayers. Others just stared into the dark.
The wind grew stronger.
And with it came whispers.
Soft at first, so faint Ravi thought they were in his head. Half-heard voices, murmuring in a language just out of reach, like words caught on the edge of a dream.
His skin prickled. He tightened his grip on the pipe. "I don't like this."
The whispers grew clearer.
Not words, not yet—but intent. They coiled in his mind like smoke, brushing across his thoughts, probing, pushing. He clenched his jaw, shaking his head.
Arjun's voice cut sharp across the group. "Do not listen."
Too late.
One of the survivors screamed. A woman, clutching her head, eyes wide and bloodshot. She stumbled forward, shrieking at shadows no one else could see. The whispers were loud for her now—Ravi could hear the way they filled her throat, echoing through her cries.
Before anyone could reach her, she ran. Straight into the lake.
The water swallowed her whole. No splash, no ripple. Just gone.
The survivors recoiled, horror on their faces. The whispers pulsed louder, as if pleased.
System text flickered:
[New Condition Unlocked.]Whispers in the Wind.]Objective: Endure the voices until the trial passes.]Failure Condition: Succumb to the whispers.]
Ravi swore under his breath. "Figures. Monsters weren't bad enough now it's voices in our heads."
The wind circled them, faster now, carrying the whispers like a chorus. Ravi pressed his palms hard against his ears, but it didn't matter. The sound wasn't coming from outside. It was inside.
The whispers slid into his mind, painting images on the backs of his eyes.
his father, sneering, telling him he'd never be more than a street rat.his own hands, red with blood, coins scattered across a broken body.Arjun, standing calm, but with a smile sharp as betrayal.
"Shut up," Ravi growled. His voice shook. "Shut the hell up."
The whispers only laughed.
He staggered, knees buckling, pipe clattering against stone. His vision blurred. The lake shimmered like gold, calling him, beckoning him into its depths.
Then pressure on his shoulder.
Strong, steady.
Arjun's voice, low but cutting through the fog. "Breathe."
Ravi gasped, sucking air into his burning lungs. The whispers hissed, recoiling slightly, their edges blunted. He clutched the pipe again, grounding himself on the cold metal, the familiar weight.
Arjun's eyes locked on his, steady, unyielding. "They are not real. They only use what you already fear."
Ravi barked a ragged laugh. "That's supposed to make me feel better?"
"No." Arjun turned, scanning the others. Survivors twitched and shook, some whispering to themselves, others scratching at their own skin. "But it makes them weaker if you know."
The wind howled, the whispers rising into a chorus. The cavern shook with their fury, dust raining from above.
Ravi staggered to his feet, pipe raised like defiance itself. "Alright then. You want inside my head? Fine. But you'll find it's a mess in there."
He swung the pipe at the air. The strike met nothing but the whispers recoiled all the same, hissing. The survivors blinked, some snapping out of their trances, eyes clearing.
Arjun loosed an arrow into the darkness. The wind shrieked, scattering, whispers splintering like glass.
For a moment silence.
Then the system text returned:
[Condition Completed: Whispers Endured.]Reward: +600 Coins.]
The wind stilled. The cavern fell quiet once more.
Ravi slumped to his knees, chest heaving. His ears rang with the ghost of whispers, but the silence felt like mercy.
He looked at Arjun, who stood unbowed, bow lowered, gaze steady.
"You always this good at ignoring voices in your head?" Ravi muttered.
Arjun's lips twitched, almost a smile. "Only the useless ones."