The passageway stretches before them, the air within dense with the weight of time. De-Reece and Kalia move cautiously, their footsteps echoing off ancient stone walls. The corridor twists and narrows, symbols flickering faintly along the surface, remnants of long-forgotten inscriptions. The deeper they descend, the stronger the pressure becomes, as though the ruins themselves are testing their resolve.
Solar's fur bristles, her ears twitching. A low growl rumbles from her throat.
"Something's ahead," De-Reece murmurs.
Kalia tightens her grip on her sword, nodding. "I feel it too."
The tunnel opens into a vast underground chamber. At its center, a colossal statue stands—humanoid in form but forged from blackened stone, its surface inscribed with glowing runes. Its hands rest on the hilt of an immense blade, its head bowed in silent vigil.
Then, as if sensing their presence, the air crackles with energy.
The statue moves.
A low tremor rumbles through the chamber as the guardian's head lifts. Two hollow, ember-like eyes ignite, locking onto them. The runes pulse with ancient power, and the weight in the air grows suffocating.
A guardian left behind to judge intruders.
The massive construct shifts, lifting its blade. Dust rains from its stone body as its first step shakes the chamber.
"It's waking up!" Kalia shouts, already moving.
De-Reece's mind races. The sheer force radiating from the guardian makes it clear—this is not a foe to be beaten through brute strength alone.
They need a plan.
The guardian strikes. Its massive blade cleaves through the air, carving a deep gouge into the ground where De-Reece stood only moments before. The impact sends tremors through the chamber, forcing both him and Kalia to move.
"Too slow," De-Reece mutters, eyes sharp.
He darts forward, weaving through the guardian's next strike with Shadow Phantom Steps. The aftershock of the attack nearly throws him off balance, but he stabilises, aiming a devastating Sky Shattering Demon Palm at the guardian's knee joint.
The attack lands with a resounding boom, but the guardian doesn't falter.
"We need to find a weak point!" Kalia calls, dodging back as the blade narrowly misses her.
She dashes in from the opposite side, slashing at the runes glowing along the guardian's arm. The strike connects, sending sparks flying—but the damage is minimal.
The guardian swings its massive blade horizontally, forcing them to separate. Its strength is overwhelming, but its movements are slow, deliberate.
De-Reece analyses the pattern. It isn't an enraged beast. It's methodical. Controlled.
Then he sees it.
A core sigil—engraved deep within its chest, pulsing faintly.
"Kalia! The chest! That's the source!"
She pivots mid-step, eyes locking onto the sigil. "Then let's break it!"
De-Reece charges head-on, baiting the guardian into attacking. As expected, it reacts, its blade descending like an executioner's axe.
But he doesn't evade. Instead, he meets the force with an enhanced Domineering Demon Fist, colliding with the weapon. The shockwave nearly shatters the stone beneath him, but his intent is clear—hold it back, even for a moment.
"Now!"
Kalia moves like lightning. With a burst of qi, she leaps high, her sword gleaming in the chamber's dim light.
A final strike.
She plunges her blade into the guardian's core sigil.
A tremor runs through the construct.
For a breath, it stands frozen. Then—
A deafening crack.
The sigil shatters, and the guardian's body fractures, its form collapsing into cascading shards of qi-infused stone. The residual energy erupts outward before fading into silence.
The battle is over.
The chamber quakes one last time. From the remnants of the guardian, something glows.
A pedestal rises from the ground where the sigil was destroyed. Upon it rests two items, untouched by time.
De-Reece picks up the jade slip, studying the inscriptions before offering it to Kalia. "This might suit you," he says, tossing it her way. "You could use a proper technique."
The other—a small, unassuming artifact, its surface etched with strange markings.
De-Reece approaches, reaching for the artifact. The moment his fingers brush against it, a pulse of ancient intent surges through him.
A whisper echoes in his mind.
"You are not the first. Nor the last."
His grip tightens.
Another piece of the puzzle has fallen into place.
Kalia exhales, still catching her breath. "That was... more than I expected."
De-Reece turns the artefact over in his palm, unreadable emotions flickering across his face. "We came here for strength. Looks like we found it."
Solar steps between them, her fur bristling as if sensing something still lingering in the chamber.
The ruins have given their rewards.
But their secrets remain buried.
"Let's get out of here," De-Reece says, tucking the artefact away.
Kalia nods, securing the jade slip. "Yeah. Before this place decides to throw another guardian at us."
Together, they make their way toward the surface, the weight of their new gains settling upon them.
Their journey continues.
The climb back to the surface is slow, the ruins seemingly reluctant to release them. The remnants of old formations flicker weakly, their power nearly drained from time and the guardian's destruction. De-Reece leads the way, Solar following closely, her ears twitching at every shift in the air. Kalia moves steadily behind, her grip firm on the jade slip De-Reece had given her.
Neither speaks much. The weight of what they have gained—and what remains unanswered—settles between them.
Finally, they emerge from the depths, the night sky stretched wide above them. The crisp air fills their lungs, a stark contrast to the oppressive weight of the ruins below. The moon hangs low, casting a silver glow over the landscape.
Kalia exhales, rolling her shoulders. "Well... that happened."
De-Reece glances at her. "You regretting going down there?"
She huffs, tucking the jade slip into her robes. "Not a chance. But I'd rather not fight another giant stone warrior any time soon."
A dry smirk tugs at his lips, but his attention shifts back to the artefact in his hands. The etchings along its surface remain unreadable, yet the energy pulsing from within tells him it is no ordinary relic.
It is connected to something. Something greater.
He clenches his fingers around it, his mind tracing over the whisper that had echoed in his thoughts. You are not the first. Nor the last.
Solar lets out a quiet huff, nudging his leg as if sensing his thoughts drifting too deep. He gives her a slight nod in acknowledgement before tucking the artefact away.
"Let's move," he says. "We need to make up for lost time."
Kalia stretches before falling into step beside him. "Still heading to Mount Kunlun?"
"That hasn't changed."
Her expression softens slightly, her usual confident smirk tempered by something steadier. "Good. Wouldn't want to let you walk into that alone."
They move through the forest with newfound purpose, the trials behind them now a part of their foundation.
As dawn begins to break on the horizon, the silhouette of their destination looms ever closer. Mount Kunlun awaits. The sect trials, the challenges, the rivalries—
A new battlefield is calling.