The Secret Land stretched endlessly, every step like treading deeper into a nightmare. The crimson moon above had not shifted since their arrival, frozen in its blood-soaked brilliance. Shadows crawled along the silver trees, and ruins whispered with voices that didn't belong to the living.
Kael kept pace with the others, his senses sharp. Though outwardly calm, his thoughts were storming. My brother… he won't stop until he sees me fall. Not for honor, not even for family—only for the princess, and the humiliation he feels. A shallow man's pride is the sharpest dagger.
His brother's eyes flickered with cold intent as they traveled, but for now he kept his blade sheathed. He would wait for the perfect moment.
The group of rising stars moved deeper into the land until the ground began to quake. A thunderous roar split the silence, shaking the earth beneath their feet. The trees bent as if bowing, and the air turned heavy with killing intent.
From the shadows of the ruins emerged a monster that dwarfed them all.
It was a colossal beast, scales black as obsidian, eyes burning with molten fire. Four massive legs dug into the earth, each step sending shockwaves across the ground. Its fangs were jagged like broken swords, dripping venom that hissed and burned wherever it touched the soil.
"A… Rank Four beast…" one of the rising stars whispered, his voice trembling. "We're doomed."
"No one has ever left this place alive," another muttered. "Now we know why…"
Kael's eyes narrowed. His heart pounded, but fear did not control him. Instead, a strange calm settled over him. "If we cower, we die. If we fight, we might live. Prepare yourselves!"
The beast roared again, the sound so powerful it cracked the ruins around them.
Kael surged forward first, his qi blazing like a raging fire. Blades of energy shot from his hands, striking the beast's armored hide. Sparks flew, but no blood spilled.
The others followed—blades, spears, lightning, and flames converged on the giant beast. Explosions shook the land, the air filled with chaos and heat. Yet when the smoke cleared, the beast stood unscathed. Its hide shimmered with a faint glow.
"It resists physical attacks!" Kael shouted, blocking a swipe of its massive claw that sent him skidding across the ground. "No wonder so many have perished here. It was never meant to be killed with brute force!"
The others looked at him in shock. "Then what? If our blades can't pierce it, how do we fight something like this?"
Kael's eyes narrowed, his mind racing. Think… not every monster is invincible. If its body resists the physical… then strike where the body cannot defend—the mind.
His voice rang out, clear and commanding: "It can be defeated by mental attacks! Focus your spirit power—shatter its will!"
The others hesitated, then followed his lead. Their bodies stilled, their qi condensed inward. Waves of mental pressure surged like invisible tides, crashing against the beast's mind.
The monster staggered, roaring in pain. Its claws thrashed, smashing the ground and shattering trees, but its movements grew slower. Its fire-bright eyes flickered with instability.
Kael's mental energy burned like a blazing sun, focused into a single sharp spear of will. He thrust it forward, piercing into the beast's consciousness.
The beast shrieked, thrashing violently, but Kael did not relent. His will pressed harder, burning through layers of resistance until he felt the creature's core mind shatter.
With one final roar, the beast collapsed. The ground trembled beneath its weight, dust rising like a storm. Silence returned—except for the heavy breathing of the rising stars.
For a moment, no one spoke. Then one of them whispered, awe clear in his tone: "He… he figured it out. Without him, we'd all be corpses."
Another nodded reluctantly. "Kael… you've saved us."
But his brother's jaw clenched, his eyes cold. Saved us, yes… but taken the glory for himself. Again. Even here, he dares to outshine me. He must die.
---
They moved on, shaken but alive. As night fell, they found a clearing among the ruins and set up camp. The crimson moon's glow bathed them in eerie light as they lit a small fire, pulling out their rations.
Kael sat apart from the others, silent. His brother approached with a faint smile, carrying food.
"Little brother," he said warmly, holding out a portion. "You must be exhausted after leading the battle. Eat—restore your strength."
Kael's eyes flickered. The food smelled fine, but something in the way his brother's hand trembled gave him pause. His instincts screamed louder than hunger.
Poison, he thought instantly. He really believes me a fool.
Outwardly calm, Kael shook his head. "I'm not hungry."
His brother frowned faintly. "You've fought hard, Kael. You'll collapse without food."
Kael smiled lightly, his eyes sharp in the moonlight. I'd sooner starve than eat a gift from my future enemy. He said nothing more, only leaning back against a broken pillar, closing his eyes as though to rest.
His brother turned away, his face shadowed. Damn him. Even here, he escapes my trap… but you won't escape forever, Kael.
---
Meanwhile, far beyond the Secret Land—three days had passed in the outside world.
In the divine heavens, the gods convened in a hall vast enough to swallow mountains. The weakest among them, a Tier Two god whose pride was boundless, paced with fury.
"I cannot feel him in this world anymore," the god spat, his voice booming like thunder. His eyes blazed with divine fire. "That mortal—how dare he slip from my senses! How dare a worm crawl beyond the gaze of the gods!"
The messenger of the gods knelt low, his forehead pressed against the marble floor. "My lord, perhaps the mortal has entered a place hidden even from divine sight—the Secret Land of Mystica."
The god's fury grew hotter, flames rising around his form. "Excuses! Do you mortals think your trials, your lands, can shield one I have marked? Insolence!"
He struck the hall with his palm, and the marble cracked like glass. Even other gods flinched under the weight of his fury.
"You will find him," the god thundered. "Or I will raze your continents to ash. Do not forget, mortals—you exist at our mercy."
The messengers and masters bowed, trembling beneath divine wrath. The storm of gods had only begun.
---
Back in the Secret Land, Kael's eyes snapped open. For a moment, he felt a burning heat in his chest, as though someone far above was trying to pierce into his soul. His body shivered, but the Immortal Book's hidden power pulsed within him, shielding him.
The gods… they're searching. Their fury is reaching even here.
He clenched his fists. If they find me, then this world truly will be set aflame.
And from the shadows nearby, his brother's eyes gleamed with malice.
The night was only beginning.