The air inside the underground vault was thick with dust and divine energy—two things that absolutely did not belong together. Arin coughed dramatically, brushing away centuries of ancient grime from his shoulders. Behind him, Yura gave him a withering glare.
"If you die because of dust allergies, I'm not reviving you," she muttered.
"Even if I beg with puppy eyes?" Arin grinned.
Yura rolled her eyes, flicked a finger, and a gust of clean air swept through the chamber. Yue Lan entered next, serene and graceful, her eyes scanning the relics surrounding them.
"This chamber belonged to the First Void Emperor," she said softly. "Everything here predates our current cultivation cycle."
Arin's system pinged.
[You have entered: Ruins of Arrogance] [Hidden Quest: Touch nothing or suffer everything]
"Oh, that's comforting," he muttered.
As if on cue, Jun Bai stepped in from a different entrance, his white robes immaculate, his blade humming faintly at his hip. "You again," he said, his voice soaked in disdain.
"I'd say the same, but I've run out of emotional energy to hate you properly," Arin replied, already preparing his mental defenses.
Jun Bai smirked. "Still relying on trash-tier luck?"
"No," Arin said, holding up a strange, humming cube he had definitely not meant to touch. "Now I rely on accident-tier chaos."
The cube activated. Ancient runes spun in the air, and the walls began shifting. A platform rose in the middle of the vault, and an enormous circular seal glowed beneath their feet. In a split second, everything tilted.
The vault collapsed into a deeper chamber—a core sealed away by time.
They all landed with varying levels of dignity. Arin belly-flopped onto enchanted stone, Yura landed like a cat, and Yue Lan floated like a divine lotus petal. Jun Bai managed to draw his sword mid-air like he was posing for a promotional poster.
Before them stood a statue—no, not a statue.
A woman. Chained in floating stasis. Her silver eyes were open, and her presence was overwhelming. Regal, terrifying, ageless. Her lips curled ever so slightly.
"Ah… company," she whispered.
Yura stepped back, alarmed. "This aura… she's not a cultivator. She's something older."
The woman smiled wider. "I am the Parasite Queen. Bound by fate. Forgotten by gods. Fed only by systems and souls."
Arin's system trembled.
[Warning: Ancient Entity Detected] [Subprocess Omega attempting override] [Override failed] [Override failed] [Override failed]
The entity's gaze locked onto Arin. "You. You are broken."
"Thanks," Arin said. "I hear that a lot."
"You smell of stolen fate… and of a glitch. You reek of a crooked system."
"Okay, now it's personal," the system muttered inside his head.
Yue Lan raised her hand. "She's feeding off residual system fragments. Like… a predator hiding in code."
Jun Bai had already slashed forward. His sword struck the air before the Queen, only to be repelled with a casual flick of her finger. He was slammed back into the stone.
"I don't like him," she said.
"Get in line," Arin muttered, summoning his Mind Link.
The Queen tilted her head. "You wish to link with me?"
"Not really, no. That sounds horrifying," Arin replied. "But I do want answers."
"Then make a wish," she said, grinning now. "Three wishes. And I will grant them. I was the First System."
The chamber shook as every artifact responded to her words. The seal began unraveling. Yura stepped in front of Arin protectively.
"Don't you dare," she growled.
Arin blinked. "Since when do you get all fierce and… possessive?"
"Since I realized you're the kind of idiot who might actually say yes to a wish demon sealed underground," Yura snapped.
Yue Lan nodded. "If she's the First System, she predates divine logic. Her wishes are traps."
The Queen raised her hand. "So… no takers?"
Arin raised his hand cautiously. "What if I just wish for you to shut up for like… five centuries?"
She laughed, and the chains around her shimmered.
"Clever. That would release me."
"Damn," Arin said. "And I thought I was being smooth."
Suddenly, a second figure stepped from behind the sealed throne. A young girl in a white robe with silver hair, face serene but eyes empty.
Yue Lan's eyes widened. "That's not a girl. That's a failed vessel."
The Queen sighed. "My last attempt. A broken master. She was too kind. I needed malice."
The girl blinked and locked eyes with Arin.
And smiled.
"She likes you," the Queen purred.
"Story of my life," Arin muttered, slowly backing away. "Even the broken ones fall for me."
Jun Bai groaned from the floor. "He says that like it's charming."
The chamber dimmed as system lights flickered in Arin's vision.
[Emergency Extraction Available] [Would you like to escape?]
Arin stared at the Queen. "...Not yet."
"You're staying?" Yura said in disbelief.
"She knows what's wrong with my system," Arin said. "That means answers. And I'm tired of questions."
The Queen's smile widened. "Welcome, Little Chaos."
And the chains cracked.