The door breathed.
Not in a metaphorical sense. I could hear it. Each pulse of spiral light along the stone arch came with the sound of a wet exhale—like something deep behind the barrier was stirring… and sensing us.
[Spiral Lock Severed – Passage Unsealed][Warning: Spiral-Bound Elite Presence Confirmed]
"I don't like that sound," I said.
Lira stepped beside me, her voice firm despite the slight tremble. "The Spiral-Bound Elites… they're the ones who listen too long. They've been shaped by what they heard."
"And what are they listening to?"
Her answer was a whisper.
"Something older than gods."
The stone door cracked open. Just slightly. Cold mist spilled out—rushing over our boots, curling around my ankles like smoke from a pyre. The mist reeked of metal, incense, and something more primal.
I drew my weapon.
We stepped in.
The chamber beyond was larger than the one before. A dome of worn stone and bone-white columns framed a circular arena. Spiral sigils covered the floor in layers, as if the cult had rewritten the same ritual over and over again.
At the far side stood a figure.
They—or it—wore robes stitched from flayed fabric. Spiral tattoos covered their exposed arms and neck, shifting in subtle motion. Where eyes should've been, their face was smooth skin marked with a single spiral on the forehead.
And yet, I could feel them watching.
[Spiral-Bound Elite – The Listener of Hollow Echoes]Threat Level: HighTraits: Cursed Hearing, Echo Chant, Fragmented Will
As we entered, it raised a hand and tapped its spiral forehead once.
The spirals in the room lit up in tandem.
Then came the whisper.
Not from its mouth—but from the walls.
A thousand soft voices.
"Listen… listen… listen…"
I clutched my ears. The sound bypassed them. It burrowed straight into my skull.
[System Warning: Auditory Corruption Detected – Willpower Check Required][Willpower Check: Passed]
Lira staggered, her sigil flickering—but held firm.
I moved.
"Lira, left side!"
She nodded, already circling.
The Listener didn't move. Instead, the spiral runes on the ground surged with energy.
"Too late to wait—time to test this."
I activated:
[Rot Pulse – Rank C]
A wave of corrupted energy exploded from me, eating through the ambient sigil power. The runes flickered—several sputtered out.
The Listener finally reacted. It turned its body, raising both arms. Spirals ignited across its limbs, then spoke in a voice that wasn't its own.
"Come closer, broken soul… and let your echo be devoured."
It hurled a wave of sound so dense the air rippled.
I activated [Clawing Swipe – Level 2] and lunged sideways, avoiding the brunt of the sonic blast. A portion of the stone behind me cracked.
Lira retaliated with a piercing pulse from her sigil—raw white light that slammed into the Listener's side. Its robes smoked, but it barely flinched.
'I need to go bigger.'
[Spiral Rend – Rank B]
I surged forward, channeling spiral energy into my blade, carving a sigil mid-air. The slash connected, slicing across the Listener's chest.
It staggered.
[Critical Hit – Spiral Core Integrity Disrupted][+88 EXP Earned][Soul Echo Triggered – +1 END, +1 STR, +1 INT][Skill Rank Increase: Spiral Rend – Rank B → Rank B+][New Passive Acquired: Spiral Resistance I]
Description:Your body and soul have begun adapting to the maddening influence of spiral-based magic, rituals, and cursed whispers. You've faced the voice behind the spirals—and survived.
The Listener screamed. Not in pain.
In chorus.
The walls screamed with it.
Spirals everywhere began to crack.
And then—its body imploded in silence. Not dust. Not blood. Just… gone.
Silence.
[Elite Defeated – Ritual Disruption Successful][New Objective: Exit Spiral Chamber Safely][Note: Spiral Feedback Detected – Instability Rising]
I gasped for air. Lira leaned against a broken pillar, eyes wide.
"You okay?" I asked.
She nodded. "I felt it. The thing behind the spirals—it noticed us."
I sheathed my weapon.
"Then we better leave before it starts listening harder."
We turned toward the now-crumbling exit.
Behind us, the spiral runes continued to flicker—some dying, others glowing brighter than ever.
Whatever we'd just killed wasn't the end.
Just a voice.
One voice among many.
And now they knew my name.