My eyes fluttered open, drawn to the fractured sky above. A lifeless expanse of darkness stretched endlessly, yet a strange azure hue clung stubbornly to its shattered surface, like veins of light coursing through a dying world.
With a slow, deliberate movement, I stretched my body, feeling the stiffness in my bones.
Step. Step.
I walked to the edge of the dune structure, peering into the vast dark mist. And just like any other day, the inky depths held no answers, just an endless void that seemed to stare right back at me.
And now that I think about it. Now that I went through the memories I'd on the Dark Mist.
I realized the Eldritch horror didn't attack me because it was… scared.
Scared of… me, perhaps? No. Not me.
There and then, realization dawned on me.
'It was scared of the flame!' I mused under my breath.
That seemed plausible. After all, even one of the natural phenomena— the endless darkness was scared of the flame.
So… it was safe to assume that with the flame, I could very well roam through the dark mist.
'But there was a problem.' A frown tugged at my lips.
The flame inside me was weak, barely a whisper of what it once was. And more importantly, the mist was home to monstrosities beyond human comprehension. Diving into those depths was suicide—nothing less than a losing battle.
'…Speaking of the flame.'
My mind drifted to it, sensing its faint pulse.
Weak? Yes. But recovering. Slowly, surely, it was returning to life.
A small, tired smile crept onto my lips. I had no doubt about it, now.
The flame was healing, and that puts me at ease. Very much so. After all, most eldritch horrors tend to avoid me because of it.
But, if it were to be in a weakened state, I doubted it would have the same "deterrent" effect.
Just then—
The sky changed.
A crimson constellation bled through the cracks above, seeping into the world like fresh wounds torn into reality itself. The uneven sky pulsed, and with it came a deep, guttural rumbling.
The dark mist trembled. Waves recoiled violently, as if receding in fear.
'Uh…?'
I stepped closer to the edge of the Dune Structure, dropping to my knees. I stared into the abyss, making sure my eyes weren't deceiving me.
But the truth was undeniable.
A pale, crimson constellation- Môøn, the Moon pathway sigil had risen, casting its eerie glow across the horizon. And before I could fully process what I was witnessing—the dark mist retreated violently.
The endless abyss withdrew at an unnatural pace, pulling back hundreds of meters in mere moments. In its wake, something else emerged.
Twisting spires of crumbled buildings and ruined structures erupted from the ground— monolithic structures that seemed more alive than mere stones, their cracked surfaces pulsating a strange, abyssal energy.
"...."
I blinked. Then blinked again.
But no. The mist was truly gone!
'W-hat the hell…?'
I remained frozen, my mind struggling to comprehend the impossible sight before me. The landscape beneath me—once submerged beneath the black tides—was now laid bare. Towering walls of sigil-etched structures stretched toward the sky, their jagged peaks painted in hues of red and blue.
For a fleeting moment, I considered descending, exploring the newfound terrain. But logic overruled impulse.
No one survived this land by acting on impulse.
Venturing into the unknown without understanding when the mist would return—or what lurked in this region's depths—was as good as signing my own death sentence.
And I had no intention of dying.
Not yet...
I shuddered, pushing the thought aside. For now, waiting was the safest choice. I needed certainty. If I could learn the mist's cycle—when it retreated and when it came crashing back—then and only then would I consider descending.
With nothing else to do, I turned my thoughts inward. There, something nagged at me, a feeling that I had forgotten something important.
Then… it hit him.
'Wait… where is that damn spear?!'
My breath hitched.
I scrambled, patting myself down, checking every possible place it could be. But no matter where I searched, the dark bone was gone.
Panic twisted in my gut as I traced my memories back. I had it before entering the temple—before the flame… changed me.
'Don't tell me… the flame consumed it?'
I wasn't sure. But deep down, I had a feeling I wasn't wrong.
This land—this world—had rules. Strange, twisted rules. Equivalent exchange, perhaps. Something had been given to me. And in return… something had to be taken.
I exhaled, forcing myself to let it go.
"It wasn't that useful anyway…"
I told myself. Tried to convince myself. But failed, and at that—very badly.
The dark bone had saved my life from lots of precarious situations— well just one. But even in that brief time it had been with me, it had been more than just a tool. It was a lifeline in this cursed land.
An anchor in the chaos.
And now, without it, I already felt its absence.
I was really going to miss it.
Sighing, I shook my head and sat down, resigning myself to sleep. It was difficult—
I wasn't tired, and the thought of this ever-changing cruel world gnawed at my mind.
But eventually, exhaustion won, pulling me into unconsciousness.
***
In the depths of the night, lightning streaked across the fractured sky.
The world rumbled, a storm gathering strength.
Then—
Thud! Thud!
Rain.
Heavy droplets pelted the ground, splashing against the surface of the dark mist. Cold beads of water dripped onto my face, stirring me from restless sleep.
Blinking groggily, I raised my hand to the sky, catching the falling droplets in my palm.
'Rain? H-ere…?' Shock rippled through me.
In all the time I had spent in this cursed land —months— not once had it rained. Not even once.
A wry chuckle slipped past my lips. Some immortal must've been feeling generous today.
But then, the pang of thirst hit me hard, reminding me of just how deprived my body was. Without hesitation, I cupped my hands, drinking the cold rainwater like a man starved.
For a moment, just a moment, I allowed myself to smile. Then, as suddenly as it came, the storm waned.
The crimson constellation returned, illuminating the land once more. But as I gazed upon the horizon, something strange stood out.
The buildings. The constructs. The formations left behind after the mist's retreat.
They weren't… natural.
And somewhere deep in my gut, I already knew the answer.
These… these were made by someone.
Not just anyone. Something colossal.
The sheer scale of it was mind-boggling.
How tall must a being be to shape this landscape?!
And then slowly, as I allowed my thoughts to trail off, my breath slowed.
Something wasn't… right. I frowned.
My initial plan had been to stay put. To wait. To survive. But now, I knew— staying here was suicide.
Because right now, hunger clawed at my stomach. Thirst burned my throat.
I needed food. I needed water. I needed to move.
And just as the thought settled in my mind—
The sky pulsed.
An azure constellation flickered across the fractured sky, and from the horizon, the dark mist roared back to life.
Like an unstoppable tide, it surged forward, reclaiming the land it had left behind.
I barely had time to react before the abyss swallowed everything once more.
But now— now I understood.
I knew the cycle. I knew when the dark mist receded. And I knew when it returned.
And with that knowledge came a decision.
Next time the dark mist withdrew…
I would descend into the labyrinth.
And I would be ready. Ready for any horror headed my way…