Chapter 22 – Trial of Constructs

The chamber was silent except for the faint hum of the glyphs on the massive door, their light pulsating like a heartbeat. The voice, deep and resonant, lingered in the air as if it had soaked into the stone itself.

"Welcome, my child."

The words echoed in my mind, their tone almost... familiar, though I couldn't place why. My claws scraped lightly against the cracked floor as I took a cautious step forward. The orb in my chest pulsed in response, the heat ebbing and flowing like a second heartbeat.

The horned rabbit moved beside me, her steps slow and deliberate. Her gaze was locked on the door, her usually sharp eyes softened by an expression I couldn't quite read—was it awe? Recognition? Or fear?

"Do you know what this is?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

She didn't answer, but her ears twitched faintly at the sound of my voice. She stepped closer to the door, her horn glinting faintly in the dim light.

The glyphs across the door flared brighter, illuminating intricate patterns that seemed to shift and flow like water. The weight in the air deepened, pressing down on my chest. It wasn't oppressive, exactly, but it was suffocating in its sheer presence, as though the chamber itself was alive, waiting for something.

"Step forward and know the truth," the voice said again, its calm tone undercut by a weight of expectation.

I hesitated. Every instinct in me screamed caution, my [Danger Sense] buzzing faintly in the back of my mind. But there was no malice in the voice. No threat. Only... a quiet certainty, like the pages of an ancient book waiting to be read.

The horned rabbit was the first to move. She stepped to the base of the door, her small frame dwarfed by its immense size. Her horn tapped against the glowing glyphs, and they rippled under her touch, shifting into new configurations.

The orb in my chest flared sharply, its heat surging through my body like a wave of fire. My legs moved on their own, carrying me toward the door. The closer I got, the louder the pulse in my chest became, until it was deafening, drowning out everything else.

Then, as I placed a trembling paw on the cold, glowing surface, the world shifted.

The chamber around us dissolved, the cracked stone and glowing glyphs fading into an endless void. I stumbled, my claws scrabbling for purchase on a ground that wasn't there. The air felt dense, thick with a presence I couldn't place.

"What… what is this?" I muttered, my voice barely audible in the oppressive silence.

The horned rabbit stood motionless beside me, her eyes narrowing as she surveyed the void. Her fur glowed faintly in the dim, shifting light, her stance tense but ready. I envied her calm—or maybe it wasn't calm at all. Maybe she was as on edge as I was.

The voice returned, cutting through the silence with an eerie clarity.

"This is a place of revelation. A shard of what was left behind. And what lies ahead."

The words hung in the air, weighted with a meaning I couldn't grasp. My chest tightened, and the orb within me flared, its warmth almost painful as it pulsed in uneven beats. The sensation tugged at me, like an invisible thread pulling me toward something unseen.

Shapes began to form in the void, faint outlines of glyphs and swirling patterns that shifted like smoke caught in an unseen current. At the center of it all, a figure emerged—a tall silhouette, its features indistinct. The only clear detail was the weight of its presence, bearing down on me like a storm.

The horned rabbit took a step forward, her ears twitching. Her gaze locked onto the figure, but she made no move to attack. I followed her lead, though every instinct in me screamed to run.

The voice came again, low and resonant, like the hum of distant thunder.

"You carry the orb and the bloodline. Two anomalies converging in one vessel. How curious."

I bristled at the words, my ears flattening against my head. My claws scraped against the invisible ground, but I held my ground.

"What does that mean?" I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.

The figure shifted, its outline flickering. I thought I saw a hand—a slender, human-like hand—raise slightly before falling back to its side.

"It means you are interesting," the voice said, almost amused.

"Though whether you prove worthy of my interest remains to be seen."

I didn't like the way it said "worthy." My fur bristled, and I glanced at the horned rabbit. She remained still, her gaze unwavering. If she was unnerved, she didn't show it.

"Why are you interested in us?" I demanded.

"What do you want?"

The figure didn't answer immediately. Instead, the glyphs around it flared, their light casting long, jagged shadows that twisted unnaturally. The orb in my chest pulsed again, syncing with the rhythm of the glyphs.

"You have something that belongs to me," the voice said finally.

"And I will see if you are strong enough to keep it."

A chill ran through me, colder than the void itself. The figure tilted its head slightly, as though watching for my reaction.

"This isn't some accident, is it?" I said, my voice trembling.

"You've been watching. Waiting."

The figure stilled, its presence looming larger.

"Perhaps. Or perhaps you've merely stumbled into a web that was already spun."

Before I could respond, the light around the figure dimmed, its form retreating into the shadows. The glyphs pulsed one last time, their light fading until only the oppressive darkness remained.

"You will need your strength for what lies ahead. Even I am not without mercy. Rest while you can."

A soothing fog suddenly enveloped the entire room, swallowing us whole. I felt a calming sensation on my body, wounds healing and I could see from my status that I've fully recovered.

It must be the same for the horned rabbit then, well, I hope so.

After a few minutes, the fog disappeared and we were back to the oppressive darkness that we once saw before being swallowed by the fog.

"Survive," the voice said, its tone impossibly soft.

"And we shall speak again."

The void collapsed, and I fell.

The fall was disorienting. The void twisted around me, shifting like a kaleidoscope of black and gray. My stomach lurched, and the sensation of weightlessness gripped me until, without warning, I hit solid ground.

Thud.

I groaned, my legs wobbling as I tried to stand. The horned rabbit landed beside me with far more grace, her sharp blue eyes scanning our surroundings. The oppressive darkness had lifted, replaced by a cold, sterile light emanating from nowhere and everywhere all at once.

The room stretched endlessly in all directions, its dark walls rising high into an unseen void. Glyphs pulsed faintly along the floor, their intricate patterns glowing with an otherworldly rhythm. The air was heavy—each breath felt like dragging a stone into my lungs.

The voice returned, echoing from the walls themselves.

"You who bear the anomaly, and you who embody humility, prove your worth. This is the first trial."

The glyphs beneath us flared, blinding for a moment. When my vision cleared, a ring of glowing figures surrounded us. They rose from the floor like sculptures coming to life, their stone bodies humanoid yet grotesquely distorted. Eyes of molten light burned in their featureless faces, and each held a weapon of jagged stone that glowed faintly at its edges—spears, swords, hammers, axes.

"Great," I muttered, dropping into a defensive stance. My claws scraped against the stone as I prepared for the fight.

"Haaaaaaa… Yeah right, because I wasn't tired enough."

The voice offered no reprieve.

"Begin."

The constructs moved as one, their steps synchronized, deliberate. Their molten eyes locked onto us, and their weapons gleamed as they raised them in unison.

The first construct lunged with alarming speed, its spear slicing the air as it aimed for my chest. I activated [Bounce], leaping over the attack and narrowly avoiding another strike from a hammer-wielding construct behind it. My claws scraped against the stone as I landed, twisting to keep both enemies in sight.

The horned rabbit darted forward, her horn glinting in the glyph-light. She struck at a construct's chest, her attack sharp and precise. The impact cracked its surface, molten light spilling from the wound, but the creature didn't fall. It swung its axe in retaliation, forcing her to leap back.

I wasn't so lucky. A second construct's sword arced toward me, and though I twisted midair to evade, the blade grazed my side, sending a sharp jolt of pain through me.

[HP: 34 → 28.]

I hit the ground hard, the impact rattling through my legs. The orb in my chest pulsed faintly, its warmth a dull reminder that I was still alive.

"Damn it!" I growled.

"They're not giving us any room!"

The constructs pressed in, their movements relentless and coordinated. It wasn't just overwhelming—it was deliberate, like they were testing us. I lashed out with my claws, aiming for the molten veins running through one of their limbs. My strike landed, sending a jolt through the construct's arm, but it didn't falter. Instead, it retaliated with a downward swing of its hammer, forcing me to roll to the side.

The horned rabbit was a blur of motion, her horn slicing through one construct's glowing veins before darting to the next. But for every enemy we struck down, another seemed to rise from the glyph-covered floor, their bodies crackling as they reformed.

The voice returned, calm and detached.

"Strength alone will not suffice. Adapt, or perish."

I staggered back, narrowly dodging a spear thrust that gouged into the floor. My gaze darted to the glyphs beneath us, their glow intensifying with each strike. The patterns were intricate, interconnected—almost alive.

My claws scraped against the stone as I leapt away from another attack.

"The glyphs!" I shouted.

"They're powering these things!"

The horned rabbit's ears twitched, and she immediately turned her attention to the floor. She darted toward one of the larger glyphs, her horn slicing into its glowing center. The impact sent a ripple through the room, and several constructs froze mid-step before crumbling into rubble.

I didn't wait for confirmation. With [Bounce], I launched myself toward another glowing glyph, landing just above its pulsating center. My claws tore into the pattern, and the orb in my chest flared in response. Heat coursed through me as I drove my legs down in a powerful [Kick], shattering the glyph.

[Skill Proficiency Increased: Kick Level 6 → Kick Level 7.]

The light from the glyph dimmed, and three constructs nearby faltered, their molten veins flickering out before they collapsed into heaps of stone.

But the trial didn't end. The remaining constructs surged forward, their movements frenzied, desperate. One swung its axe in a wild arc, forcing me to leap back, while another lunged with its spear. I twisted midair, the spear's edge slicing the air inches from my face.

The horned rabbit moved in tandem with me, her horn striking at weak points in the constructs' glowing veins. Her precision was impressive, but even she couldn't keep up with the relentless onslaught. A hammer caught her flank, sending her skidding across the floor. She scrambled to her feet, her breathing heavy but her gaze fierce.

I activated [Blood Sight], the world shifting into crimson as the constructs' veins became visible through their stone bodies. My eyes locked onto a particularly dense glyph at the center of the room.

"There!" I shouted, darting toward it.

The constructs converged, their movements frantic as they tried to block me. I dodged and weaved, my claws scraping against the stone as I leapt over a spear and slid under a hammer swing. The orb in my chest burned hotter, its warmth spreading through me like a quiet inferno.

I reached the glyph and slammed my hind legs down with a devastating [Kick].

The pattern shattered, its light fading instantly. The constructs convulsed, their bodies crumbling as their molten veins dimmed. One by one, they fell, their weapons clattering to the floor as the energy sustaining them vanished.

Silence fell, heavy and oppressive. My legs buckled, and I collapsed onto the cold stone, my breath ragged. The orb in my chest pulsed faintly, its warmth a small comfort against the exhaustion weighing me down.

[You have defeated Trial of Constructs. Obtained 350 EXP.]

[Level Up! Level 9 → Level 10. EXP to next level: 500.]

The rush of warmth from the level-up was almost overwhelming, dulling the edges of my pain but leaving me drained. My vision swam as I forced myself upright, my claws scraping against the stone for balance.

Beside me, the horned rabbit stood tall, her blue eyes scanning the room for any lingering threats. Her fur was matted with blood, her movements slower, but she didn't waver.

"You… okay?" I rasped, my voice barely audible.

She glanced at me, her expression unreadable. Then, with a quiet flick of her ear, she turned her gaze to the far end of the chamber. A faint hum filled the air, and the wall ahead began to shift.

The stone rippled like water, a doorway emerging from the wall's surface. The glyphs around it pulsed faintly, their light softer now, almost soothing. The oppressive weight of the room lifted slightly, giving us a chance to breathe.

The voice returned, quieter now.

"You have passed the first trial. Rest, for the path ahead will demand even more."

A faint warmth enveloped us, soothing the aches in my limbs and dulling the pain in my side. Even the fur singed from the fight felt renewed. I glanced at the horned rabbit, who stood straighter now, her wounds healed but her exhaustion evident.

The door ahead glowed softly, its surface etched with new glyphs.

I forced myself to my feet, my claws scraping the floor as I steadied myself.

"We're not done yet," I muttered, my voice tinged with exhaustion. The horned rabbit met my gaze, her blue eyes calm but resolute. Without a word, she turned toward the door.

Together, we stepped forward, ready for whatever came next.