The transport vehicle didn't go all the way.
It never did.
It stopped at the edge of a dead road.
Cracked stone stretched ahead—broken, uneven, swallowed by time.
Beyond it…
Nothing moved.
Ren stepped out first.
Boot hitting the ground with a dull thud.
"…From here, we walk."
Kai followed, stepping down slowly.
The moment his foot touched the ground—
He felt it.
A faint pressure.
Not strong.
But… watching.
"…This place…" he muttered.
Lira adjusted her gloves.
"…The Ashen Ruins of Velkhar."
Dain let out a low whistle.
"…So the rumors were real."
Kai glanced at him.
"…What rumors?"
Dain's jaw tightened slightly.
"…Ancient battlefield. Wiped out in a single night."
A pause.
"…No survivors. No remains."
Sera spoke softly.
"…Only silence."
Ren rolled his shoulder slightly.
"…And now a missing squad."
No one laughed.
They started walking.
Step by step—
Across broken stone.
Through dead land.
The deeper they went—
The colder it became.
Not natural cold.
Heavy.
Still.
Like the air hadn't moved in years.
Ruins began to appear.
Collapsed pillars.
Shattered walls.
Fragments of something that used to matter.
Kai's eyes moved slowly.
Taking everything in.
"…This wasn't just a battlefield."
Lira nodded faintly.
"…It was a city."
Silence followed.
Ren's flame flickered to life in his palm—
Casting faint orange light across the ruins.
But even that light—
Felt weak.
"…Stay close," he said.
They stepped into the ruins fully.
And the world changed.
Sound died.
Not reduced.
Not softened.
Gone.
Their footsteps made no noise.
Their breathing felt distant.
Kai frowned.
"…I don't like this."
"Good," Ren replied quietly.
"…Means you're paying attention."
Sera moved ahead—
Slower now.
More careful.
She crouched.
Touched the ground.
"…No tracks."
Dain frowned.
"…Still?"
Lira scanned the area.
"…No mana residue either."
Ren's flame flickered—
Then dimmed slightly.
"…Something's suppressing everything…"
Kai's grip tightened—
Then paused.
No weapon.
Ren noticed.
Without looking—
He pulled a dagger from his side.
And tossed it.
Kai caught it mid-air.
A sleek mana dagger.
Edges humming faintly.
"…Borrow it," Ren said.
"…Don't lose it."
Kai looked at it briefly.
Then nodded.
"…I won't."
Their eyes met for a second.
Unspoken trust.
Then—
Sera froze.
"…Stop."
Everyone did.
Instantly.
Even Ren's flame stilled.
"…What is it?" Lira asked.
Sera didn't turn.
Her voice dropped.
"…We're not alone."
Silence deepened.
Dain shifted slightly.
"…Where?"
Sera's fingers trembled—
Just slightly.
"…Everywhere."
Kai's heartbeat slowed.
Then—
A sound.
Not loud.
A drag.
Like something pulling itself—
Across nothing.
Ren's flame flickered violently.
Then—
A shape.
Humanoid.
But wrong.
Too tall.
Limbs stretched unnaturally.
Its arms hung low—
Fingers dragging against the ground—
But making no sound.
Its body—
Not flesh.
Shadow.
Moving.
Breathing.
Watching.
Lira's barrier flickered into existence—
And immediately trembled.
"…That's not normal…"
Dain took a step back.
"…What the hell is that…"
The thing tilted its head.
Slowly.
Its "face" shifted—
Two hollow spaces formed.
Not eyes.
But something that stared.
Directly at them.
Sera's voice broke the silence.
"…Voidbound."
The word landed heavily.
Ren's flame dimmed again.
"…Explain."
Sera didn't look away.
"…It consumes mana… life… presence…"
"…It doesn't leave anything behind."
Kai's mind clicked.
"…That squad…"
"…Was erased," Sera finished quietly.
Silence.
The Voidbound took a step forward.
No sound.
No weight.
But the pressure—
Crushed down harder.
Kai felt it in his chest.
His fingers tightened around the dagger.
Inside him—
A whisper.
…This one…
Kai's eyes darkened slightly.
"…Not now."
Ren shifted slightly in front.
Flame rising.
"…Stay focused."
For once—
No teasing.
Just seriousness.
The Voidbound stopped.
Then—
Turned.
Slowly.
Toward Kai.
Everything froze.
Then—
It moved.
Not forward.
Closer.
Without crossing space.
Like distance didn't matter.
Kai's breath caught.
"…What the—"
The Voidbound's form twisted—
And for a split second—
Ren's flame flared—
Revealing it fully.
A hollow face.
Split down the middle.
Opening.
Not a mouth.
Something deeper.
Wrong.
Kai's eyes widened.
"…MOVE!!"
The ground shattered.
Darkness surged upward—
Like the ruins themselves were alive.
Ren grabbed Kai—
Flame erupting outward—
"Don't lose focus!!"
Kai steadied—
Dagger glowing—
Eyes sharpening—
The Voidbound's voice echoed—
Inside all of them.
"You… will do…"
Silence—
Collapsed.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Thanks for reading this chapter, guys help me rank up as the story progresses