Deeper into the S-rank gate, the terrain warped beyond comprehension. Gravity fluctuated. Colors bled into one another. The sky rippled like fabric, torn at the edges.
Zian paused. "This… isn't just a dungeon."
"It's a prison," Kaen whispered, voice almost reverent.
The group found a crumbling fortress embedded into a cliffside. On its stone walls were murals—depictions of celestial beings bound in chains, symbols of betrayal etched into their halos. One mural showed twelve figures striking down a thirteenth, a radiant being surrounded by fire and light.
Zian felt her chest tighten. Her fingers brushed the image. "This feels… familiar."
Lirien glanced sideways. "You're remembering something."
Kaen stood back, silent. Only his eyes moved, scanning every inch of the carvings.
Leon broke the tension. "We shouldn't linger. Who knows what kind of monsters this place spawns."
Kyel nodded, but his hand trembled as he gripped his sword.
They pressed on. As they walked through the fortress, the murals seemed to shift. One, which had once shown the fall of angels, now showed a red-eyed figure cloaked in shadow standing over the broken heavens. Beneath it, the phrase: He watches. He waits.
Mira read it aloud, voice shaky. "He waits… for what?"
Zian answered quietly. "For the right moment."
A sudden quake shook the corridor. From the cracks in the floor, dozens of pale, masked creatures crawled out—silent, twitching, soulless.
"Mask Revenants!" Lirien shouted, already moving.
The group burst into coordinated action. Leon speared three in a line, Mira fired light-infused bolts, and Kyel guarded the rear. Zian's blade danced, glowing brighter with every strike.
Kaen did not move until one Revenant leapt directly at him.
With a sigh, he extended a finger. The creature disintegrated midair.
"They're being tested," he muttered to himself. "The gate wants to see who remembers what they are."
Zian stood amid a circle of fallen enemies, chest heaving, her golden eyes wide with something more than battle.
"I've seen this before," she whispered.
Kaen stepped beside her, his voice soft. "And soon, you'll remember why."