The darkness swallowed him—
But when Luis opened his eyes, he was no longer in a cave.
Warm wind brushed across his cheeks. Above, a surreal sky unfolded—blue streaked with veins of purple cloud, and floating islands drifted lazily through the air, their roots spilling vines like green waterfalls. Beneath his feet, the ground pulsed with life: flowers glowing faintly with light, trees whose bark shimmered like polished obsidian, and tiny bioluminescent creatures flitting through the foliage like fireflies on caffeine.
He took a cautious step forward. "What... the hell?"
Zyx floated beside him, unusually quiet. "Okay. This is new."
Luis slowly turned in place, trying to take it all in. "This place looks like that one movie. You know, with the blue giants and the flying bat-lizard things..."
Zyx perked up. "You mean Pandora? Avatar?"
"Yeah, that one!" Luis blinked at him. "Wait. How the hell do you know about that?"
"I pirated it in heaven," Zyx replied, smug.
Luis stared. "You are actually just a loser."
Zyx sniffed. "Says the guy still swinging a junkyard hammer."
But before Luis could reply, a deep growl rolled through the forest like thunder from under the earth.
From the dense brush ahead, something massive emerged.
A panther-like beast stalked into view—sleek black fur that shimmered like wet ink, six muscular legs moving with unnatural grace. Its violet eyes glowed like distant stars, and its tail flicked behind it, sharp and fluid like a whip made of shadow.
[IRON CLASS] - Nyxra, the Voidstalker Leopard – Level 8
Luis went still.
Zyx's voice snapped, sharp and clear. "Look out!"
With movement buffs stacked from his gear, Luis lunged sideways—just as claws the size of daggers tore through the space he'd been standing. The ground behind him exploded in a shower of dirt.
Luis landed on one knee, exhaling. "Okay. That… felt good."
The beast growled again, circling. It was toying with him now. Watching. Waiting.
Zyx hissed, floating just behind him. "It's studying you. That's a hunter's tactic. Don't let it flank—"
The leopard lunged.
Luis reacted instantly. He spun and swung his hammer in a wide arc.
CLANG. The weapon connected with Nyxra's shoulder—bone and shadow cracking under the impact. Wind Snap flared to life, boosting his attack speed, and Wind Dancer surged again, blurring his movements.
Luis twisted his stance and unleashed a flurry—four strikes, five, six—too fast to follow. The hammer slammed into the beast's flank, ribs, spine. Nyxra screeched, its body faltering as it tried to escape.
The final strike came crashing down like a meteor. The hammer crushed its skull with a wet crack.
The Voidstalker dissolved into black mist, vanishing into the wind.
Luis stood still, panting, adrenaline pulsing in his fingertips.
Zyx hovered beside him, wide-eyed. "Okay… that was kind of badass."
Luis managed a shaky smirk. "Thought so too."
But Zyx's tone shifted, low and tense. "That was the first. This zone? Definitely not empty."
Luis nodded, wiping sweat from his brow. His gaze drifted—until something strange caught his eye.
In a small clearing, a stone pillar stood tall among a bed of thorned, alien flowers. The surface of the pillar shimmered with etched runes, glowing faintly.
He approached slowly. "Zyx… can you read that?"
The god floated closer, squinting. His form flickered unnaturally for a moment.
"Oh man. These symbols are a mess. Ancient dialect… some corrupted characters… definitely cursed. Yep. Super cursed."
He groaned. "Okay. I think it says: 'The hunted will be the hunter.'"
Luis frowned. "That's not ominous at all."
Zyx crossed his arms. "I don't like this place. It smells like cosmic horror and bad decisions."
Luis gripped his hammer tighter. "We keep going. The deeper we go, the more we learn."
"Or die." Zyx mumbled.
Luis smirked. "We'll figure it out. We always do."
"Spoken like a true idiot," Zyx said, shaking his head.
The glowing leaves rustled overhead, and the wind shifted—carrying a hum that felt almost like a whisper.
Luis stepped past the pillar, into the trees beyond.
And the forest swallowed him, just like the cave had.