The entrance to the Dungeon of Eternity was an ominous black void, a towering gateway of stone that pulsed with an eerie, malevolent energy. Ethan stepped forward, the weight of unseen eyes pressing down on him. The moment he crossed the threshold, an unnatural chill seeped into his bones, a silent reminder that this place was unlike any dungeon he had ever faced.
Behind him, Seraphina, Serene, and Selene followed, their gazes hardened in determination. The obsidian walls seemed to swallow sound itself, rendering their footsteps eerily silent.
"We have two objectives," Ethan said, his voice steady. "Get to the artifact before Aldric and get out alive."
Selene smirked. "Simple enough."
Serene let out a quiet laugh. "If it were simple, we wouldn't be here."
Seraphina placed a hand on her sword. "Something is watching us."
A sudden howl echoed through the corridors, rattling the very foundations of the dungeon. Ethan's eyes darted ahead, his muscles tensing as grotesque figures emerged from the darkness. They were creatures unlike anything he had encountered before—shadowy wraiths with hollowed-out faces, their mouths stretched into eternal screams. Their bodies flickered like dying embers, shifting between the physical and the ethereal.
Iron Stride: 75%
Titan's Ascent: 50%
Unyielding Will: Fully Mastered
Crimson Resolve: 40%
A wraith lunged, its clawed hand aiming straight for Ethan's throat. He sidestepped effortlessly, his Iron Stride allowing him to move with inhuman agility. He countered with a devastating kick, his strength amplified by Titan's Ascent, sending the wraith crashing into the wall. But instead of falling, the creature simply faded into the shadows.
"They're phasing in and out," Seraphina noted, slicing through another with her blade, only for it to reassemble itself a moment later. "Physical attacks won't be enough."
Ethan clicked his tongue. "Then we hit them faster than they can reform."
Serene's eyes glowed as she summoned celestial fire, her flames burning with a golden radiance. "Let's see how they like this."
She unleashed a torrent of fire, the wraiths screeching in agony as their forms disintegrated in the holy light.
Selene summoned her frost magic, launching ice lances that froze the creatures mid-air, shattering them into dust. "We need to keep moving."
Ethan led the charge deeper into the dungeon, the corridors narrowing into a spiraling descent. The deeper they went, the more the air thickened, suffused with a terrifying presence that sent shivers down their spines.
Then, the ground lurched violently beneath them.
A massive figure emerged from the abyss—a colossal wraith, its form composed of intertwining shadows, its glowing eyes radiating pure malice. Chains of cursed energy wrapped around its massive limbs, keeping it bound, but not for long.
"The Warden of Eternity," Seraphina whispered. "It guards the artifact."
Ethan clenched his fists. "Then we take it down."
The warden let out an ear-splitting roar, shaking the dungeon as its chains snapped free. Ethan charged first, his enhanced Iron Stride allowing him to maneuver around its massive strikes. He leaped high, delivering a crushing blow to the creature's face, but it barely flinched.
Seraphina and Selene moved in tandem, one striking with searing flames while the other froze its limbs, trying to slow it down. Serene weaved between them, launching radiant projectiles at its glowing core.
Despite their attacks, the warden's massive fist came crashing down, barely missing Ethan as he dodged to the side. The sheer force sent cracks rippling through the dungeon walls.
Ethan needed an edge.
His gaze flickered to his passive abilities. Iron Stride was close—just a little more.
Dodging another massive swing, Ethan pushed his body beyond its limits, moving faster than he ever had before. The passive ability's percentage ticked higher and higher until—
Iron Stride has reached 100%
A surge of unparalleled speed coursed through him. His entire body felt weightless, as if the very concept of gravity had lost its hold over him.
New Evolution: Phantom Step
Ethan disappeared. One moment he was there, the next he was a blur of motion, dodging through the warden's attacks as if moving through time itself. His body became an afterimage, appearing and disappearing unpredictably.
With his newfound speed, he reappeared behind the warden, delivering a devastating blow to its exposed core. The impact sent shockwaves through the dungeon, the warden howling in agony as cracks formed along its body.
"Now!" Ethan shouted.
Seraphina, Selene, and Serene unleashed their full power in unison, their combined magic striking at the weakened core. The warden shattered into fragments, its deathly scream fading into nothingness.
The dungeon fell eerily silent.
At the center of the now-ruined chamber, a small pedestal rose from the ground, and atop it sat a golden relic, pulsating with a divine glow.
"The artifact," Ethan breathed.
But as he reached for it, a new presence entered the chamber.
Clad in dark robes, a figure stepped forward, his crimson eyes gleaming with malevolence.
Aldric had arrived.
To be continued…