The subway tunnels were a world apart from the ruined city above colder, darker, and haunted by the echoes of a civilization that no longer existed. Kael moved with the group, his senses straining for any sign of danger. The air was thick with dust and the faint, metallic tang of old blood. Every step felt like a descent into the unknown.
Sera led the way, her flashlight cutting a narrow path through the gloom. Jonas and Hana followed, their weapons clutched tight. Malik brought up the rear, his broad shoulders tense beneath his battered jacket. Kael kept close to Sera, his new instincts prickling with unease.
They passed the remnants of old advertisements, their colors faded and peeling. Rats scurried in the shadows, their eyes glinting red. Somewhere far ahead, water dripped in a steady, maddening rhythm.
"Stay close," Sera whispered, her voice barely more than a breath. "No heroics."
Kael nodded, but his mind was elsewhere. The dream from the night before still lingered, its images flickering at the edge of his thoughts: the corridor of blue light, the black stone door, the boy's haunted eyes. He shook himself, forcing his focus back to the present.
A sudden tremor shook the ground. Dust rained from the ceiling, and the group froze. Sera raised a fist, signaling a halt. "Everyone stay sharp," she said, her voice tight.
But the warning came too late. The floor beneath Kael's feet crumbled with a deafening crack. He shouted, reaching for the edge, but the ground gave way. He fell, tumbling into darkness, the shouts of his team fading above.
---
"Kael!" Mira's voice echoed through the tunnels, raw with panic. Sera dropped to her knees, shining her flashlight into the gaping hole. "Kael, answer me!"
Jonas peered over the edge, shaking his head. "It's too deep. We can't see him."
Ryu's face was pale. "We have to get him out!"
Sera's jaw tightened. "We'll circle around, look for another way down. Stay together. No one else gets lost."
They moved quickly, retracing their steps and searching for another entrance. The tunnels were a maze, every passage looking the same. Hours passed, their hope fading with every dead end.
---
Kael landed hard, pain lancing through his shoulder and ribs. He groaned, rolling onto his back. His flashlight, miraculously unbroken, cast a weak beam across the debris-strewn floor.
He was alone, deep beneath the city.
He forced himself up, every muscle protesting. Blood trickled down his arm, but nothing felt broken. He swept the light around, heart pounding.
The tunnel here was different older, lined with strange, pulsing blue veins. The air was thick with the metallic tang of mana. Kael's system interface flickered to life.
**[WARNING: DUNGEON ENTRANCE DETECTED]**
**[E-RANK DUNGEON: THE FORGOTTEN NEST]**
**[STATUS: COLLAPSE IMMINENT]**
A low, guttural growl echoed from the darkness. Kael's grip tightened on his knife. He could try to find a way back, but the dungeon's pull was irresistible a challenge, a promise of power, a test he could not refuse.
He stepped forward, the dungeon's entrance sealing behind him with a shuddering crash.
---
The team searched for hours, voices echoing through the maze of tunnels. Sera's frustration grew with every dead end.
"We have to go back," Jonas said finally, exhaustion in his voice. "If we stay down here, we'll all end up lost."
Mira's eyes were red, but her voice was fierce. "We can't leave him!"
Sera put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll try again at first light. He's strong, Mira. If anyone can survive, it's him."
They returned to the surface, battered and silent, the weight of Kael's absence heavy on their shoulders.
---
The dungeon was a nightmare of twisting corridors and crumbling chambers. The walls pulsed with sickly blue light, the air thick with the stench of rot. Kael moved cautiously, every sense alert.
Monsters lurked in the shadows mutated rats the size of dogs, their eyes glowing with hunger. Kael fought with grim determination, his knife flashing in the gloom. Each kill brought a surge of energy, the system feeding him strength.
**[YOU HAVE SLAIN: MUTANT RAT (F)]**
**[XP GAINED: 10]**
**[MONSTER CORE OBTAINED!]**
**[DEVOUR? Y/N]**
**Yes.**
He pressed on, exhaustion gnawing at him. The dungeon trembled, chunks of ceiling crashing down. Time lost meaning he fought, he bled, he survived.
In a ruined chamber, he found a corpse an old hunter, long dead. Clutched in the man's hands was a weapon: a short sword, its blade etched with runes that shimmered in the dungeon's light.
**[ITEM ACQUIRED: RUNE-ETCHED SHORT SWORD (E-RANK)]**
**[BONUS: +2 Strength, Mana Edge (Active)]**
Kael took the sword, feeling its weight, its balance. It was a king's weapon, even in this forsaken place.
But wounds slowed him. Blood dripped from a gash in his thigh, pain flaring with every step. He pressed on, driven by the need to survive.
---
Nightfall
Back at the community center, Mira refused to eat, her eyes fixed on the door. Ryu tried to comfort her, but his own worry was plain.
"He's strong," Ryu said, forcing a smile. "If anyone can make it, it's Kael."
Sera organized another search, but the tunnels were unstable, the risk too great. The community center grew quieter, hope fading with each passing hour.
---
Night 1
Kael found a small alcove and collapsed, exhaustion overwhelming him. He tore a strip from his shirt and bound his thigh, the pain a dull throb. The system's interface hovered at the edge of his vision, a silent reminder of the power he carried and the responsibility.
He closed his eyes, letting the slow, steady rhythm of his heartbeat lull him into a restless sleep. In his dreams, the corridor of blue light returned, the black stone door looming at the end. The boy's face flickered in the mirror, his eyes pleading.
**"When the time comes, you must choose."**
Kael woke startled, the words echoing in his mind. He forced himself to his feet, the pain in his leg already lessening. He pressed on, deeper into the dungeon.
---
Day 2
The dungeon was collapsing, the walls shaking with every step. Kael fought through swarms of rats, a monstrous centipede, and finally, the dungeon's boss a grotesque, many-eyed rat king.
The battle was brutal. Kael's wounds reopened, blood slicking his hands. But he fought with everything he had, the rune-etched sword blazing with blue light.
**[YOU HAVE SLAIN: RAT KING (E)]**
**[XP GAINED: 80]**
**[MONSTER CORE OBTAINED!]**
**[DEVOUR? Y/N]**
**Yes.**
A surge of power flooded him, burning away the worst of his pain. A new notification appeared:
**[SKILL ACQUIRED: SLOW REGENERATION (PASSIVE)]**
**[Wounds heal gradually over time. Rate increases with rest.]**
Kael collapsed, exhaustion overwhelming him. The dungeon shuddered, the walls crumbling. He staggered to the exit, the world spinning.
**[DUNGEON CLEARED: THE FORGOTTEN NEST]**
**[REWARD: 1x Dungeon Core Fragment, +1 Stat Point, +1 Skill Point]**
He stumbled through the collapsing entrance, the tunnel spitting him out into the ruins of the subway. He crawled into a side passage, darkness claiming him.
---
Day 2
Mira sat by the door, her hands clenched in her lap. Ryu paced the room, his nerves frayed. Sera stood at the window, her jaw tight.
"We'll try again tomorrow," she said quietly. "We won't give up."
Mira nodded, but her eyes were hollow. The hours dragged on, each one heavier than the last.
---
Escape
Kael woke to the sound of distant voices faint, muffled, but real. He forced himself up, every muscle screaming in protest. The slow regeneration skill was working, but he was still weak, still wounded.
He followed the sound, crawling through the debris until he found a narrow passage leading up. Light filtered through a crack in the ceiling. Kael clawed his way upward, the world spinning.
He emerged into the ruins of the subway, the city's light blinding after so long in the dark. He collapsed, gasping for air, the rune-etched sword clutched in his hand.
He was alive. He had survived.
But the ordeal had changed him. He could feel it in his bones, in the slow, steady healing of his wounds, in the weight of the sword at his side. He was stronger now, but the world was still full of dangers and mysteries he had yet to unravel.
He looked up at the sky, the fires of the city burning in the distance. The dream's words echoed in his mind:
**"When the time comes, you must choose."**
Kael gritted his teeth, resolve hardening in his chest. He would return to the community center. He would see Mira and Ryu again. And whatever choice awaited him, he would face it not as a king, not as a boy, but as both.
And this time, he would not fail.