Morning came without birdsong.

Mist draped the ground in a pale sheet, curling around boots and stone markers like ghostly fingers. The camp was quiet—no one spoke more than necessary. Even the knights, usually chatty while striking camp, packed in silence.

Oliver stood in front of the boundary stone from yesterday, tracing the faded runes with his fingers. Cold. Old. Waiting.

Elisha approached, now dressed in travel leathers rather than royal garb. A plain cloak covered her shoulders, but there was still a certain grace in how she stood.

"There should be more of these ahead," she said quietly. "The expedition left them as a guide."

Isolde stepped forward, arms crossed. "Let's get this over with. The sooner we see what's hidden here, the sooner we decide whether it's worth dying for."

They moved.

The forest thickened. Every few hundred steps, another moss-covered stone appeared—some cracked, some leaning, some half-swallowed by roots—but all carved with the same ancient sigils. Oliver read each one under his breath, the meanings forming naturally in his mind.

"The path narrows."

"Test of patience."

"Only the boundless shall reach the Heart."

"What does that even mean?" Ariana muttered behind him.

"Dunno," Oliver shrugged. "Sounds like something carved by a poet with too much free time."

After hours of hiking, the air changed—dense with mana and dampness. The trees opened up, revealing… nothing.

Or so it seemed at first.

Then Oliver looked down.

Stone.

A circular platform of carved stone was embedded in the forest floor, buried under fallen leaves and vines. At its center, half-hidden beneath roots, was a massive stone disc—like a sealed door—engraved with spiraling runes.

Elisha's breath caught. "This is it… the entrance."

Ronald stepped forward warily, clearing vines away. "Looks ancient. Traps are possible. We should proceed cautiously."

Isolde knelt and pressed her palm against the stone. Mana rippled under her touch. "This seal isn't dead. It's sleeping."

Oliver placed his hand next to hers.

And the runes moved.

They didn't glow—they shifted, rearranging themselves like flowing water. The disc rumbled, dust shaking loose.

Ariana stepped back, eyes wide. "Did you just—"

Crack.

Grind.

The stone disc split down the middle, slowly sliding apart and revealing a dark spiral staircase descending into the earth.

Cold air rose from below—old, untouched, smelling faintly of iron and moss.

Ronald drew his sword. "Knights, torches up. Stay alert."

Elisha stood at the edge, staring into the dark. Her fists were clenched, but her voice was steady. "This is the path my ancestor took."

Oliver glanced at Isolde. "Ready to go tomb-diving?"

She smirked. "You first. If you die, at least I'll know where to avoid stepping."

He rolled his eyes and stepped forward, torch in hand.

The group started down the spiral stairs.

The deeper they went, the colder it became. Drips of water echoed. Walls carved with archaic symbols lined the descent.

Then, at the base—

A vast stone hallway. Columns decorated with faded murals. Broken weapons. Rusted armor.

And bones.

Lots of bones.

Some human. Some not.

Ronald's face darkened. "An entire battalion must have died here…"

Elisha knelt beside a shattered banner half-buried in dust. The royal crest of Hestia—old, worn, and forgotten.

"My ancestor really was here."

Isolde brushed her fingers along the mural of warriors facing a towering silhouette. "Guess he didn't make it far."

Oliver stepped past them, noticing something carved onto the doorway ahead.

Fresh runes.

Not ancient.

And in blood.

He read them quietly.

"Turn back.

The Heart does not belong to us."

A cold breeze swept through the hall.

"Still want to continue?" Ariana whispered.

Oliver stared ahead into the dark passage.

"…Yeah."

And they walked forward—toward the forgotten chamber where history vanished.

*****

The stale air inside the underground hall smelled of dust, rust, and old mana. Their footsteps echoed against the stone floor as they moved deeper, torches flickering against mural-lined walls.

Oliver walked slightly ahead with his torch, eyes narrowed. Isolde followed with casual confidence. Ariana and Elisha stayed between them, while Ronald guarded the rear, hand never leaving his sword.

It didn't take long.

Elisha froze. "Don't step forward."

Everyone stopped.

She pointed to the ground — a square stone, ever so slightly lower than the others.

A pressure plate.

Ronald clicked his tongue. "Ancient trap formations…"

Oliver crouched to inspect. "Still functioning after all these years?"

Isolde, hands on her hips: "Of course. If carved correctly and fueled by ambient mana, rune formations can last centuries."

Oliver raised a brow. "So how do we—"

Click.

Everyone stiffened.

"Ariana—" Oliver started.

"I didn't touch it!" she blurted.

The sound didn't come from the plate.

It came from ahead.

From the walls.

Stone slid. Dust spilled.

Figures stepped out — six of them — carved stone soldiers clad in cracked armor, empty eye sockets glowing faintly blue. Each held rusted swords and shields, joints creaking as magic reanimated them.

Ariana whispered, pale-faced, "Runic guardians…"

"Animated stone knights," Isolde muttered. "Low intelligence. High durability."

The foremost guardian raised its sword.

"Shields!" Ronald barked.

Three knights rushed forward.

Clang!

The knight's steel shattered.

"What!?"

The stone guardian's blade didn't even chip.

Before panic could spread — Oliver moved.

He lunged forward, runes on his sword flaring. He aimed not at their stone bodies—

—but at their runic cores.

Behind their cracked breastplates, faint circles glowed.

Crack!

His blade smacked into the guardian's chest — mana vibrating through the stone.

The guardian froze.

Then — shattered.

Sand and stone dust spilled onto the floor.

Ronald's eyes widened slightly.

The other guardians advanced, heavy footsteps shaking the ground.

Elisha exhaled shakily. "I'll support."

Ariana nodded. "I'll buff — Speed Boost!"

A soft glow enveloped Oliver.

He moved — faster now — weaving between stone swords, blade slicing through glowing runic cores.

One by one, they crumbled.

Crash!

Shatter!

But then—

Thoom.

Something deeper shifted.

The ground vibrated.

Oliver's torchlight caught something massive in the darkness.

From behind a collapsed archway…

A giant.

Not human.

A towering construct, at least four meters tall — a knight made entirely of obsidian-black stone, with glowing runes crawling across its surface like veins of molten silver.

Its helmet was broken, revealing a hollow—a furnace-like glow burning within.

A guardian of the old expedition.

Ronald drew his greatsword. "Everyone fall back!"

The stone colossus lifted its halberd and swung.

The floor cracked.

Three knights were thrown back, armor dented.

Ariana's voice trembled. "Oliver…"

He didn't answer.

He stepped forward.

Isolde watched, arms crossed. "You better not die."

Oliver rolled his shoulders. His pulse was steady. His vision sharpened.

No fear.

Just excitement.

The golem lunged.

Boom!

Oliver dashed aside — faster than a human should move — and slammed his blade into the guardian's leg. Sparks flew. The rune glowed, dented but intact.

It turned.

Slow but relentless.

"Keep attacking the core!" Elisha urged.

The golem swung its halberd — Oliver slid under the attack, slicing an arm joint while Ariana cast enhancement spells like beads on a string.

Runic blood thrummed through his body.

No fatigue. No hesitation.

The colossus slammed its weapon down—

Oliver leapt onto the shaft.

Ran up its length.

And drove his sword into its exposed chest rune.

Crack—

BOOM!

A shockwave of mana blasted outward. Stone fragments flew. Ariana threw up a protective barrier. Knights raised shields, barely staying upright.

The golem let out a hollow, echoing scream.

Then —

It collapsed.

Dust.

Silence.

Only the faint humming of deeper magic remained.

Oliver slid off its remains, landing lightly, chest heaving.

Elisha stared. "That was reckless."

Oliver grinned. "Thanks."

Isolde sauntered over, unimpressed. "It took you long enough."

A contraption behind the fallen golem clicked — a door in the wall slid open, revealing another passage. Runes flickered along its frame.

Ariana whispered, "The way forward…"

Elisha looked at the entrance, then at Oliver and Isolde.

"From here onward… it won't get easier."

Oliver exhaled slowly. "Wasn't expecting a walk in the park."

They stepped through the doorway.

Deeper into the dark.

*****

The corridor narrowed as they moved deeper.

The walls, once simply stone, now glowed faintly with pale blue runes — ancient, pulsing softly like a heartbeat. Dust floated in the stale air, catching the torchlight.

Sir Ronald took lead with his sword drawn. Isolde walked right behind, eyes narrowed, analyzing each rune etched on the walls. Elisha remained in the center, protected, while Oliver and Ariana followed closely.

The silence was heavy.

Only the echo of their footsteps and distant dripping water could be heard.

Then—

Click.

Everyone's head snapped toward the sound.

The rune beneath Oliver's boot glowed.

Isolde opened her mouth to yell—

Too late.

—WHOOOOM!

The floor beneath Oliver and Elisha vanished.

"ELARA!" Ronald roared.

"OLIVER!" Ariana screamed.

Oliver barely had time to grab Elisha's arm before they both vanished into darkness.

*****

They fell.

Stone walls rushed past them.

Then—*

Splash!

Cold water enveloped them.

Oliver surfaced first, coughing. Elisha emerged moments later, hair plastered to her face, mask gone, soaked to the bone.

They swam to shallow ground, gasping.

Stone steps led out of the underground pool into a chamber — wide, circular, faintly lit by glowing moss on the ceiling.

Behind them, the pool bubbled quietly.

Above them?

Only pitch-black darkness. No way back up.

Elisha held her breath, dripping water, staring up into the void. "We fell at least ten meters… climbing back is impossible."

Oliver sighed. "…Yeah. This sucks."

She shot him a glare. "You're surprisingly calm."

"I've been through worse."

Her lips twitched — annoyed, but relieved.

Then—thud.

A grinding echo.

They turned.

The corridor they landed in began to close.

Stone walls moved.

Fast.

"Move!" Oliver grabbed Elisha's hand.

They ran.

The stone gate slammed shut just inches behind them.

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