Free Web NovelCHAPTER 9 — SHADOWS OF THE PAST
The roar echoed through every corridor of the dungeon.
Stone groaned.
Dust drifted from the ceiling like gray snow.
For several long seconds, no one moved.
The surviving adventurers slowly backed away from the shattered prison.
Even the knight who had attacked Vespera lowered his sword.
"What... was that?"
Lirael's voice was barely above a whisper.
"The reason this place was sealed."
Another tremor rolled through the chamber.
Deep beneath their feet, something colossal dragged itself across ancient stone.
The sound was not loud.
It was heavy.
Like a mountain learning to walk.
The System appeared.
────────────────────────
Emergency Quest
Escape the Forgotten Prison
Objective:
Reach the Upper Caverns.
Time Remaining:
Unknown
Warning:
The lower levels are no longer safe.
Reward:
Survival.
────────────────────────
"No reward?" Vespera muttered.
The System answered with cold simplicity.
Some encounters are not meant to be won.
A chill ran down her spine.
"Captain!"
The young mage pointed toward the collapsing hallway.
"The tunnels are coming down!"
The knight hesitated only a moment.
He looked toward Lirael.
"You should come with us."
His eyes shifted to Vespera.
"But the monster stays."
Lirael stepped beside Vespera.
"I'm not leaving her."
"She's an Abyssal creature!"
"She saved my life."
"She could kill you tomorrow."
"She could have killed me yesterday."
Silence.
The knight had no answer.
Without warning, the ground split apart.
A massive crack raced through the prison floor.
Ancient blue light erupted from below.
One of the swordsmen lost his footing.
He screamed as he slid toward the widening abyss.
Vespera reacted before anyone else.
She lunged forward.
Her tail wrapped around his waist.
The sudden pull nearly dragged her into the chasm as well.
Lirael grabbed Vespera's arm.
The knight grabbed Lirael.
Together they hauled the terrified adventurer back onto solid ground.
The man stared at Vespera with wide eyes.
"You..."
"I thought monsters only killed."
Vespera let go of him.
"I thought humans only judged."
Neither spoke again.
The escape began.
The narrow tunnels twisted upward through forgotten ruins and natural caverns alike.
Several times they heard the Devourer's roar.
Each time it sounded closer.
No one wanted to find out what it looked like.
Hours later...
They stopped beside an underground lake glowing with pale blue crystals.
The adventurers rested at a cautious distance.
No one trusted Vespera completely.
But no one attacked her anymore.
Lirael knelt beside the water.
"You should eat."
"I'm not hungry."
The lie was obvious.
The System flashed.
────────────────────────
Warning
Abyss Hunger:
72%
Extended starvation reduces
Strength
Agility
Recovery
────────────────────────
Lirael frowned.
"You're lying."
Vespera looked away.
"I don't want to hunt while they're watching."
"Why?"
"They already think I'm a monster."
Lirael smiled faintly.
"You are a monster."
Vespera sighed.
"Thanks."
"But..."
Lirael's expression softened.
"...you're also the first monster who ever chose kindness."
Those words lingered in the silence.
That night, while the others slept...
Vespera wandered to the edge of the lake.
The still water reflected her human form.
Golden eyes.
Midnight-black hair.
Small obsidian horns.
Beautiful.
Yet unmistakably inhuman.
She touched the surface.
The reflection rippled.
Suddenly—
A memory.
Not from the dungeon.
Not from Vespera.
Priya.
She stood in a tiny kitchen.
Steam rose from a mug of coffee.
A phone vibrated on the table.
"Maa" flashed across the screen.
She smiled.
"I'll call back after work."
The memory shattered.
Vespera stumbled backward.
Pain lanced through her head.
"No..."
The coffee.
The apartment.
The rain.
They felt real.
Yet impossibly distant.
Lirael approached quietly.
"You remembered something."
"How did you know?"
"You were crying."
Vespera touched her cheek.
Her fingers came away wet.
"I don't remember who I was."
"Only pieces."
"I had another life." freewёbnoνel.com
Lirael didn't ask questions.
Instead, she sat beside her.
Sometimes silence was kinder than curiosity.
The peace lasted only moments.
The lake suddenly rippled.
Once.
Twice.
Then violently.
Something enormous moved beneath the black water.
The adventurers jolted awake.
The knight drew his sword.
"What now?"
The System flashed crimson.
────────────────────────
New Enemy Detected
Species:
Unknown
Threat:
High
Recommendation:
Prepare for Battle.
────────────────────────
The glowing lake erupted.
A gigantic serpentine creature burst from the depths, water cascading from its emerald scales.
Its golden eyes locked onto Vespera.
Then...
It spoke.
"You..."
Its voice echoed across the cavern.
"...carry the blood of the Abyss."
Every weapon in the chamber slowly lowered.
Because monsters...
Were never supposed to speak.
End of Chapter 9
