The boss's hood had fallen.
His face—scarred, aged, and strangely familiar—gleamed under the dungeon torches. His glowing eyes locked with Rai's, but there was no hostility in them. Only something deeper.
Something personal.
Rai gritted his teeth, stepping forward.
Rai: "Who the hell are you?"
Boss: "A shadow from your past. Or maybe... your future."
Rai: "That doesn't make sense! I don't know you."
Boss: "You don't remember me. That's not the same thing."
Rai flinched.
Rai (in his mind): He's toying with me… Or is he telling the truth?
Beside him, Mina watched silently, sword still raised, eyes flicking between Rai and the boss.
Rai: "Why do you know my name?"
Boss: "Because before you were Rai... you were someone else."
Rai: "Tch... Is this about my past life?"
Boss: "Now you're thinking."
A pause.
Rai: "So who was I, then? Tell me."
The boss walked slowly down the steps of the altar, every footstep echoing.
Boss: "You were feared. You were respected. You were—"
He stopped.
Boss: "—the one they called Ryu Takeda."
Rai's breath hitched. The name rang like a bell in his bones.
> Ryu Takeda… That was me. My past life. But how does he know that?
Rai: "How do you know that name?!"
Boss: "Because I fought beside you. I watched you fall. And I waited… for your return."
Mina's eyes widened. "Wait—what do you mean? Are you saying he's not just the reincarnation of Ryu… but someone meant to return?"
The boss turned to her and nodded.
Boss: "His death was not the end. Just a delay."
Rai stepped forward. "So what now? You gonna fight me? Kill me again?"
The boss smiled—not coldly, but almost… proudly.
Boss: "Kill you? No. I came to remind you."
Rai: "Remind me of what?"
Boss: "Of who you really are."
The torches around them dimmed slightly. The room grew colder. Rai's heart beat faster—not from fear, but from something rising inside him. A pulse.
A flicker.
> Is this… my awakening?
The boss stopped walking. His glowing eyes softened.
Boss: "When your power stirs, the world will shake again."
Rai: "Why help me? Aren't you the dungeon boss?"
Boss: "Not every boss was born to kill. Some were placed here... to awaken."
Rai: "So what's your name?"
The boss turned, his silhouette bathed in red flame.
Boss: "Call me what I once was."
He raised his hand—and a seal appeared in the air behind him, glowing with golden light.
Boss: "Your trial begins now, Rai."
---
To be continued...
> Who exactly is this mysterious boss?
Is he friend, guardian, or something more?
Will Rai finally awaken... or fall again before remembering who he was?