After their conversation, silence settled once more, broken only by the crackling fire that continued drying Alynia’s gear. Time passed slowly. Veil, leaning against a rock, took advantage of the quiet to rest a little. Alynia, her eyes closed but senses alert, remained on edge. Her ears twitched at the slightest sound, ever watchful.
Eventually, after a moment of stillness, she opened her eyes and gently shook Veil awake.
“It’s time. The sooner we get out of here, the better,” Alynia said calmly, her tone firm.
She pulled on her tights, still warm from drying, then laced up her boots while Veil extinguished the fire. But as she straightened up, he caught a subtle imbalance in her posture. Her face remained composed, but something beneath the surface betrayed a lingering pain.
“You sure you’re okay?” Veil asked, concern in his voice.
Alynia nodded without hesitation.
“I’m fine,” she replied evenly.
But her steps were heavy. The exhaustion from her transformation weighed more than she was willing to admit.
Veil instinctively moved closer, just in case. Together, they scanned their surroundings until they noticed a gap between the debris—a dark passage, as if the rocks had been moved... silently.
Veil frowned.
“Was that there before?” he asked warily.
Alynia observed it for a moment before answering.
“No… I didn’t see it earlier,” she said, her voice serious.
One look exchanged between them was enough to confirm they were thinking the same thing: the dungeon was shifting.
Without another word, they stepped through the opening and found themselves at the top of a spiral staircase. They descended cautiously, the light from their previous battle fading behind them.
At the bottom, a wide open doorway revealed a long corridor stretching straight ahead with no visible end.
The brick walls, dull and timeworn, exuded abandonment. The scent of damp stone hung thick in the air, and an oppressive silence loomed—so heavy it felt like it swallowed every sound.
Alynia gave the space a quick scan before moving forward, Veil right behind her.
“Stay sharp,” she warned, her voice low and guarded.
Veil glanced sideways at her. It wasn’t the corridor that worried him most... but Alynia herself. Her steps were just slightly uneven. She was trying to mask her fatigue, but he could see the tension in her body, the subtle loss of balance.
They moved forward in silence—until something strange caught their attention.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Etched directly into the stone walls were faces.
Their eyes were closed, their mouths carefully detailed, each expression unique—almost as if they’d been real people, frozen in time.
A shiver ran down Veil’s spine.
But that wasn’t all.
Along the length of the corridor, they noticed evenly spaced recesses on either side—dark alcoves disappearing into shadow.
They advanced a few more steps, perplexed. Then, suddenly, Alynia raised her hand, stopping Veil in his tracks.
“Look,” she whispered cautiously.
She pointed toward the floor, the ceiling, and the walls.
Veil narrowed his eyes.
Holes.
Thin, perfectly aligned... too well-placed not to be traps.
He instinctively moved closer to the wall, following Alynia’s cautious pace.
Then, without warning, a mechanical noise echoed.
The air whistled.
“Shit!” Veil shouted, alert.
He dove to the side just in time. A black arrow shot past and slammed into the wall—or rather, into one of the sculpted faces.
The stone cracked.
A scream followed.
An inhuman wail—shrill and agonizing.
Veil and Alynia clutched their ears against the piercing sound, but it was already too late.
The scream drowned out everything, tearing through their focus. In the confusion, a second arrow struck.
Veil didn’t even hear it coming.
The tip grazed his leg before he could process what was happening. A sharp pain tore through him, pulling a grunt from his throat.
Without thinking, he grabbed Alynia’s hand and yanked her toward him.
“Move!” he shouted, urgency in his voice.
He ran, dragging her behind him, and dove into the nearest alcove for cover.
The scream slowly faded.
Silence returned... but the pain remained.
Veil winced, clutching his leg as the burning sensation worsened.
Alynia, just now removing her hands from her ears, turned toward him with sharp focus.
Her eyes dropped to his wounded leg.
She immediately crouched beside him, examining the injury.
“Tch...” Alynia muttered darkly.
It wasn’t deep. But black smoke was curling from the wound, slithering upward in slow tendrils.
Never a good sign.
She swiftly pulled a small vial of salve and a short bandage from her pouch and applied them to Veil’s leg. Her movements were fast, but unsteady. She wrapped the cloth tightly, then looked up at him.
“Will you be okay?” she asked, calm and focused.
“It burns like hell, but I can still move,” Veil replied through a grimace, trying for irony.
Then he looked down at her hands, frowning.
Something was off.
“But... I should be the one asking you that,” he added, his tone more serious.
Alynia raised a brow.
“You’re trembling. Normally your hands are steady when treating wounds. This time... you hesitated,” he noted, eyes narrowing.
She offered a faint smile, tightening the bandage one last time before standing. Her gaze shifted down the corridor, and she murmured:
“Little Wolf... take a look.”
Veil stood, following her eyes.
The carved faces along the walls had changed.
All of them now had their eyes open.
Their mouths moved silently, as if these stone beings were trying to speak—but no sound came out.
A chill ran down Veil’s spine as he stared at those shifting features. The stone… no longer looked rigid. It seemed almost elastic, warping and bending as if these faces were alive.
“...Are these real people?” Veil asked, disturbed.
The idea was absurd, but what he was seeing defied all logic.
“I don’t know… but if they are, it’s messed up,” Alynia replied in a low voice.
She crossed her arms, her eyes still fixed on the living walls.
“Who could do something like this? It’s... inhuman,” she murmured, her tone dark.
A heavy silence settled between them.
As they tried to make sense of the scene, Alynia spotted a faint glow at the end of the corridor. A pale light, far ahead, piercing through the darkness.
She stepped forward slightly, extending one foot out of the alcove.
Instantly, all the faces turned their gaze toward her.
Her blood ran cold.
She yanked her foot back at once, every muscle tense with adrenaline.
“...Bad idea,” she said, her voice cold.
Veil swallowed hard, his eyes locked on the stone gazes now fixed on them.
“I can try,” Veil offered hesitantly.
Alynia looked at him, surprised.
“If I propel myself with wind, I might be able to reach the next alcove before anything hits me,” he suggested, calm but confident.
Alynia didn’t like the idea. Her instincts screamed that it was too dangerous—but she knew it too well... Right now, she didn’t have the strength to move fast.
She met his eyes before relenting.
“Be careful. Don’t push yourself too hard. That wound... it’s not normal,” she sighed, resigned.
Veil gave her a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry. I’m tough. I mean, I’ve survived this long with you, haven’t I?” he replied with a cocky grin.
Without waiting for her response, he took a few steps back, drew a deep breath, and focused his mana.
In a sharp burst, he released the pressure under his feet.
The blast of air erupted beneath him, launching his body from the alcove.
The moment he was exposed, a whistle split the air. A volley of arrows burst from the walls, firing toward him at breakneck speed.
He dodged just in time, shifting midair with a second blast of wind.
Some arrows brushed past his coat, ripping through bits of fabric, but none struck true.
He landed in a roll, crashing into the opposite alcove and pressing himself against the wall, chest heaving.
“Damn...” he muttered.
He looked up, meeting Alynia’s gaze.
She had been watching everything closely, analyzing every detail.
This corridor… wasn’t going to let them pass so easily.
