Fortis Lactresia had now spent two full months in the mines.
He wasn't in a hurry.
Unlike most who worked there to earn a living, Fortis had another goal entirely: to understand every inch, every crack, every corner of the mines. He treated the tunnels like books. The walls were the pages, the people were the footnotes, and the pain—constant, grinding pain—was his tutor.
He studied the structure during breaks, sketched hidden passages at night, and watched how even the smallest vibration affected the deeper shafts. The others thought he was strange. Some laughed. Some grew curious. Borkas, the foreman, grumbled at first but learned to respect him.
On the day everything changed, Fortis wasn't in the mines.
He was visiting his sister, Elena, at the Sworder Academy. She had challenged a senior in mock combat and managed to hold her ground. She was already at Norm Reach at age fourteen—an impressive feat even by noble standards.
They spoke briefly.
She teased him, again, for being dusty and darker from working underground. He smiled but didn't tell her why he truly remained there.
Later that evening, after returning to the castle, he heard the panic.
A royal servant rushed into the hallway, nearly tripping.
"Your Highness—! Trouble! The mines—Mine Three—there's been an attack! A cave-in! Twenty-four workers are trapped inside!"
Fortis's expression didn't change, but inside, his heart dropped.
"Cave-in?"
"No. Not just that. Monsters. A horde—nobody's seen anything like them before. Nine confirmed dead. Three injured. The rest—no contact."
Before the man finished speaking, Fortis was already gone.
He moved so fast, even the knights at the gate barely saw a blur.
"W-Was that—?"
"Yes! The prince!"
"He's going into the mine?! That's suicide!"
The queen's appointed guardian of Fortis was stunned. He had been trailing Fortis all day and was completely caught off guard. It took him several moments before he turned and ran straight to the queen.
Inside the mine, Fortis wasn't running blindly.
He had spent the last two months preparing for this very situation.
He knew paths even the senior miners didn't. Knew where walls were weakest, where echoes were sharpest. He had charted more than any surveyor.
Unlike the miners, he had purpose beyond labor.
As he entered through a narrow path—one even the safety officers had long forgotten—he heard it:
Screaming. Pleading. Steel clashing against bone.
He climbed along a support beam and peered over a broken ledge.
What he saw made him freeze for half a second.
A horde of horrifying, unfamiliar creatures surrounded a cluster of workers.
🐾 Monster Name: Garnok Mawls
Type: Subterranean Pack Predators
Appearance: Fanged lizard-like quadrupeds the size of wolves, with jet-black rock-textured skin that glows faintly orange from under the cracks. Their backs are covered with spiked ridges, and their eyes burn like embers.
Behavior: Hunt in swarms. Feed on minerals and blood. Prefer the dark and are enraged by heat. They emit clicking noises that can echo throughout tunnels, disorienting prey.
Weakness: Weak jaws when struck from above. Fear sudden temperature changes.
Fortis slid down the slope silently, avoiding the gaze of the Garnok Mawls.
Three miners lay moaning in a pile of rubble—wounded and barely conscious.
Nine others were already dead. Torn apart. The rest, no more than a dozen, were trying to hold the line.
At the front of the cluster stood Borkas.
He held a shovel like a sword. His arms trembled. His face was soaked in sweat.
But he didn't back down.
"Run! Just run!" he shouted to the others. "I'll hold them! GO!"
One of the miners screamed, "No! You'll die!"
"I said GO!"
"Borkas!" Fortis shouted from behind.
The man turned in shock. "Rian?! Are you insane—?!"
"Give me the shovel."
"I said go back, boy! You don't know what—"
"I studied every inch of this place. I know more than anyone here."
He stepped forward, voice calm and low.
"You know the exit path. They'll follow you. They trust you. I need you to lead them out."
Borkas hesitated. "What about you?"
"I'll draw them away. There's a secondary exit east of tunnel seven. It's risky, but I'll manage."
"You'll be eaten alive."
"I'm faster than I look."
Borkas handed him the shovel.
Fortis nodded and turned.
The Garnok Mawls noticed the movement. They hissed and began to close in.
Fortis gritted his teeth.
He slammed the flat of the shovel against the floor, drawing their attention with sound. Then, using debris and natural choke points in the terrain, he funneled them toward him, striking at legs, eyes, and throats—not to kill, but to disable.
He moved fast. Efficient. Every second bought meant another miner closer to safety.
He counted.
One, two, three—seven. Nine.
Finally, Borkas gave him a thumbs up from the far tunnel.
Everyone had escaped.
Fortis turned and ran toward the exit he had scouted during his secret mapping.
But the path wasn't as clear as before.
Rubble. Fallen beams. Slippery moss.
And two Garnok Mawls chased him.
He struck one across the jaw mid-sprint—shattering its teeth and sending it tumbling.
But the other pounced.
He spun and jabbed the pointed end of the shovel into its burning eye.
It shrieked—but its claws caught his side.
He gasped.
Then everything blurred.
The mine groaned. The walls shook.
Rocks began to fall.
He stumbled into the narrow passage, bleeding, panting. The mine was collapsing behind him.
He took two steps forward—
Then darkness.
Time passed.
He didn't know how long.
But he opened his eyes slowly.
Not to darkness.
But to light.
White.
Pure.
Blinding.
He lay in a space with no ceiling, no floor, no walls.
Only light. Endless, stretching light in every direction.
He tried to speak.
No sound.
He tried to move.
His body didn't respond.
The whiteness pulsed once—like a heartbeat.
And then, something began to form in the distance...