"Fireball!" A ball of flame dances in Clarence’s hands before he hurls it at the nearest zombie's head.

  The stench of burning flesh fills the air as the zombie is consumed by the fire, collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

  "Good, keep it up!" I encourage him while grabbing hold of an Aetheric Needle. It shimmers a dim blue in the night. With a flick of my wrist, I send it forth, watching as it flies at high speeds towards another zombie

  The needle penetrates the zombie's eye socket with a solid thunk, but it continues to lurch forward, unfazed.

  "Fine then," I mutter under my breath, and another dozen needles appear behind me. I launch them all at once, and they all meet their mark. The zombie stops dead in its tracks, and falls backwards.

  Clarence and I make quick work out of the rest of the zombies. Their grotesque forms fall one after the other as we combine our magic to cut through their dwindling ranks.

  However, just when it appeared to be over, one last zombie charges Clarence with much greater speed than the rest.

  In a split second, I pull Trinity’s Thorn from its sheath, gripping it tightly.

  In the blink of an eye, I thrust the blade a dozen times, each attack slowing the zombie more than the last. The zombie just barely manages to reach Clarence as its 12 red hot wounds begin to glow, and then they explode. The zombie's body is blown into more chunks than I can count, but I spot the only one that matters.

  A single Aetheric blade soars through the air, and slices cleanly through the zombie's decapitated head.

  "Thanks," Clarence pants, his eyes wide as he watches the blade dissipate. "Where did that come from?..."

  Aetheric Needles. It was a spell capable of creating many crystalline-like needles, they were mana efficient, and somewhat sentient. Capable of tracking targets, all while having pinpoint precision. It’s possible to form them into anything you can imagine, and you can even give them more mass as long as you have the necessary mana. Making complex items was more difficult, but a simple blade was doable for now.

  "Don’t mention it," I say , wiping zombie blood from my cheek. "It’s just something I picked up a while ago."

  The Dusken Depths was a difficult dungeon to locate. Its entrance was nearly hidden by the foliage of the forest that grew around it. Proof that this dungeon had been here for quite some time now.

  I hesitate for a moment, this was uncharted territory for me. I had never gone this way, but these are the cards I had been dealt. This life was proving to be different in many ways, but maybe this was for the best.

  "Lead the way. I'm right behind you," Clarence says , his eyes fixed on the circular piece of metal that concealed the dungeon's entrance.

  It’s difficult, but together we’re able to lift the lid, and toss it aside. What lay below was an almost alien-like world. It has been theorized that dungeons might come from different worlds, but nobody is for certain.

  "Have you ever seen a place like this? Everything looks weird..."

  "Never," I admit, examining the dark tunnel with curiosity. The crumbling walls and the twisted metal railing going down the center was unlike anything I had ever seen, as if they were remnants of a time long since forgotten. There are lights that flash a dull yellow in the distance, but their meaning is lost to me.

  "The train is where you let the world move you instead of pushing yourself forward. Go on, sit. Sit! Not forever, just until you stop hurting." I hear a man's voice. It sounds tired, like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

  "I can’t." This time I hear my own, and I grimace at the hooded figure sitting on the train.

  "You think all that pain does something for you? You think you get a second chance? I’ve seen the ones who keep running, and let me tell you something. They all end up in the same place, out of breath, out of reasons, and out of time."

  I shake the thought away, holding my head as my sight returns to me.

  "It’s a subway tunnel… Stay close, I’ll lead the way."

  "A what?"

  I ignore Clarence, and we delve deeper into the tunnel. It isn’t long until we stumble upon a collapsed section, the path forward seemingly blocked.

  "Clara, it's too dark. I can't see anything."

  "Give us some light, then."

  "Flame." Clarence snaps his fingers, and a small flame appears in the palm of his hand. Slowly, he increases its intensity until it casts a warm glow over our surroundings.

  "Look," I point, "there's a small opening up ahead." We squeeze through the narrow gap, our bodies scraping against the rough stone and metal as we make our way to the other side.

  Upon emerging from the claustrophobic passage, we find ourselves in a vast chamber. A glowing altar stands in the distance, surrounded by a collection of bones.

  As we approach, I summon five Aetheric Needles, and they float just above me. They hang in the air like deadly icicles, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

  "What is that?..."

  "It's the Soul Harvester," I say, reaching out to touch one of the many bones that are scattered around. As my fingers brush against its cold surface, I see a message.

  [Seraphine Crowsong’s femur bone]

  The moment I read it, tendrils of electricity shoot forth from the darkness, crackling with lethal intent. I barely have time to react, turning away and shielding my face as one of them strikes me. Searing pain radiates through my body as I fall to the ground.

  "Clara?!"

  "Track!" I grunt out through gritted teeth, fighting to maintain my focus. The five Needles spring into action, hurtling towards the source of the attack.

  The sound of a pained cry reaches my ears, but I can’t be certain of how many needles had hit their target. "Put your flames out!"

  Without hesitation, Clarence snuff out the fire in his hand, plunging us into darkness. The only light comes from the pulsating glow of the altar in the center of the tunnel. We wait in silence, our breaths shallow as the minutes stretch on.

  That's when the room begins to take on a sickly shade of green. The Soul Harvest was beginning. Waves of energy roll outwards from the altar, seeking out souls to siphon.

  It washes over me. It definitely does, but I don’t feel its effect. My soul is still mainly intact. How could that be though?... Unless we had a certain insignia to protect us. One that was easy to nab off of a sweet old man…

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  "Dammit Clarence!" I sprint towards the altar, stepping into the sickly green light that bathes the tunnel. Another bolt of lighting streaks through the darkness, heading straight towards me. With a desperate lunge, I narrowly avoid it, watching it pass mere inches above my face.

  I kick at the base of the altar with all my strength, and it topples over with a resounding crash. The ritual comes to an abrupt halt, and I roll out of the way as another bolt of lighting strikes where I had just been.

  A surge of power fills me as the stolen fragment of my soul returns to me, knitting together the frayed edges of my being.

  "Clarence," I call out, lying on my back, near breathless from the effort. "Light!"

  He obliges, a torrent of flames erupting from his hands, flying in every direction and illuminating the tunnel once more.

  As the flames dance wildly around us, I finally catch a glimpse of the creature that had been lurking in the dark.

  It hisses furiously at the sudden light, its grotesque features contorting with malice as it tries to retreat into the safety of the shadows.

  I don’t hesitate. Launching a dozen Needles towards the creature, I watch as they grow larger and more menacing with each passing second. They transform into daggers and mercilessly puncture the creature's back, causing it to let out a guttural scream of pain. The beast turns to face us, its sightless eyes and tattered robes revealing its true nature.

  So that’s what we’re dealing with, huh?

  "A Zombie Master… get ready, Clarence! We have to put this thing down, and fast. Zombie Masters use magic to control the undead and they get more aggressive the more agitated they become."

  As if in response, the Zombie Master channels another spell. With a groan, bolts of lightning crackle through the air towards us. We dodge and weave, doing our best to avoid the deadly onslaught. One of these many bolts was unlike the rest though. It wasn’t randomly thrown, it had a target in mind. As it speeds past me, it snaps sharply, changing course and heading straight for Clarence. It was fast, but I was closer, and I had just enough time to intercept it with the only thing I could.

  My body.

  Everyone is born with an innate magic. While you excel in this magic, it can come with other benefits too.

  As the electricity tears through my body, my nerves begin to spasm. I’m knocked away and I roll at least a handful of times as my world spins. Aftershocks fill my frame as my heart beats to an unfamiliar pulse.

  I ground myself. Pressing my hands into the ground beneath me as I gasp for air. Thankfully, my innate magic was Geomancy. I have a natural immunity to electricity due to this. I survived the strike, but it did little for the pain I was feeling now.

  I have no time to recover though. I look up just in time to see the Zombie Master closing in on Clarence, seemingly gliding across the floor with a burst of magic. Its hands are held out and its jaw is unhinged.

  The Zombie Master must be targeting Clarence because of the flames. Behind the boss, I see over 30 more zombies inching their way towards us. It was likely he had summoned them beforehand, with all the mana he was getting from the Soul Harvest.

  I can barely move my legs, and the image of Clarence going up in flames flashes through my mind. A sight I’d witnessed too many times to count. I refuse to let it happen again.

  Desperate, I slam a single Aetheric Needle into the stone wall behind me. "Expand!" I roar. In a heartbeat, the needle surges, lengthening into a massive sword. The base of the blade braces against the wall, acting like as a piston that launches me across the tunnel at breakneck speed.

  I became a human projectile, and reach Clarence just as the Zombie Master lunges forward, its jaw unhinged. I don't have time to create a shield or swing a weapon. Instead, I throw my right arm out, shoving my forearm deep into the creature’s putrid maw to keep its teeth away from Clarence.

  The creature’s jaw snaps shut, and I feel its teeth sink through my soft flesh and grind against the bone, but I don't pull away. I used the pain to anchor myself.

  With the boss latched onto my arm, I turn my focus to the massive Aetheric blade still in my left hand. I let go of it, and it disappears. I push Clarence, hard, and he hits the ground with a thud. "Stay down!" I command, and then conjure up another blade. This one is just as large as the last, but it is hollow, a weightless shell. I swing the empty frame in a wide, whistling arc toward the horde of zombies approaching from behind.

  Just as the hollow edge makes contact with the first of the undead, I flood it with every drop of mana I have left, and it gains much more mass. The sudden shift in weight combined with the existing momentum turns the blade into an unstoppable force of nature.

  It is no longer a mere swing; it is destruction.

  The blade tears through twenty zombies like they are made of parchment, and their shattered remains fill the tunnel. The momentum carries to the tip of the sword, and all the way to the Zombie Master that's still clamped onto my arm. The blade cleaves through his torso with ease, leaving the creature in two separate parts now.

  The creature tries to crawl at me even in this state, and I bring the heel of my shoe down on its head. After several quick, bloody stomps, it stops moving.

  "Thank you," Clarence whispers, his voice trembling. "You saved me, again… but you… you got bit!"

  My body trembles as a pain in my forearm throbs relentlessly. I look down to see a set of bitemarks in my arm, and I groan.

  "It would appear so."

  I knew what had to be done; if I didn't deal with the infection now, I would become one of those mindless creatures myself.

  But my mana was spent. Already too tired to stand, I bring my arm to my mouth, determined to bite the infection out if I have to.

  "Clara, let me do it! We can get you back to a healer later, so…"

  "Make sure that you burn it all away," I reply through gritted teeth. I stuff a wad of my dress into my mouth as I prepare myself for the pain that's about to follow.

  "Thank you...for saving me," Clarence whispers, his eyes welling up with tears as his hands clamp around the wound.

  A gentle warmth fills my arm. At first, it’s almost pleasant, but it quickly became unbearable. A guttural cry is muffled as the flames begin to burn through skin and muscle alike. My vision blurs, but I hold on.

  When it’s done, I push Clarence’s away softly, my breathing ragged and uneven. "You...You need to gather Seraphine’s remains, and then we’re getting out of here..."

  I watch Clarence run, following my instructions, and I force myself upright before looking down at my palm. There’s a small, dark green, bloodstained cloth in my hand. It’s wrapped neatly, and when I open it there’s a small strip of beating flesh.

  If I had to guess, this dungeon was likely E-rank, meaning that the reward would be a weaker Aspect.

  There are many reasons that adventurers aim to clear dungeons. Riches, fame, glory, justice, but more than that, for power. When you clear a dungeon, the final boss will always give a Divine Aspect to the top contributors.

  [Would you like to read about Divine Aspects? Y/N]

  "No, I already kno-"

  [Divine Aspects come in five ranks, and have differing abilities based on their rarity]

  "Hey, I said no! Wait, five?..."

  [Divine Aspects are as follows]

  [Whisper: Earned from F-E rank dungeons. These Aspects grant a passive effect permanently]

  [Fragment: Earned from E-C rank dungeons. These Aspects stir and respond to intent, but are not yet awake]

  [Eidolon: Gained from C-A rank dungeons. These Aspects come with one great power and have gained sentience, they learn from you]

  [Dominion: These Aspects have strong personalities, and grant even stronger powers]

  [■■■■■■■■: ■ ■■■ ■■■■■ ■■■■■■■ ■■■]

  "There’s never been five, there’s only supposed to be four! All I see on the last one is a bunch of boxes! Is this thing even working?!"

  [Spend 999,999,999 Karma to reveal the fifth Divine Aspect? Y/N]

  "What load of shit is this? I don’t even have a thousand Karma, how do you expect me to pay that extortionate price?"

  [Spend 999,999,999 Karma to reveal the fifth Divine Aspect? Y/N]

  "No!"

  The message finally goes away, and I let out a sigh as I look at the small hair in my hand. I squeeze it gently, and I feel something whisper to my soul, but I can’t make out what it’s saying.

  [Divine Aspect, Whisper of the Grave acquired!]

  [Passive Effect, Whisper of the Grave: When taking a fatal blow, you will persevere]

  Could be better, could also be worse. No use in complaining, I’m sure it’ll come in handy at some point.

  As we make our way towards the exit, I lean on Clarence.

  [Zombie Master has been slain!]

  [First Divine Aspect acquired!]

  [Dusken Depths has been cleared!]

  [Extra Karma allotted for your achievements!]