Salvos

The cavern was dark and damp and cool, shrouded by a thin fog that glowed under the light of my blue fire. My eyes flickered. I no longer heard the call of the [Lux Golmi]. The voice that echoed in my head faded away, leaving me alone in the main chamber of the Stonefort Labyrinth.

“Alright then.”

I took a step forward. The [Lux Golmi] had taunted me, telling me to try and find it. I wasn’t afraid of it. It could’ve been responsible for the deaths of all the skeletal remains here, and I wouldn’t be scared. After all, I was always up for a challenge.

“Now, where are you hiding?”

I closed my eyes, and [Planar Navigation] took over my senses. It was space magic. The spell let me see everything that was around me, not in a physical sense, but in the space that each object took up in this plane, weighing down on it. My eyes opened as I saw nothing but rocks around me.

Nothing moved. The Dungeon was empty. It was harder to see with magic here, due to the high density of mana in the air muddling any magical vision. I narrowed my eyes, walking forward.

“Did you seriously decide to just stop moving? Come on.”

I could tell when anything within the peripheries of my [Planar Navigation] Skill was making a movement, but… the Dungeon was oddly barren, without any Lairs or monsters within the vicinity. Most of the monsters and Lairs seemed to be on their way down, and the very depth of the Stonefort Labyrinth which I stood at was nothing but a graveyard. I crunched my way through the dirt floor.

“Let’s fight. It’ll be fun, come on. Aren’t you curious about who’s stronger?”

No response. I shook my head.

“You were here just a moment ago. I know you were. I will find you.”

My wings spread open as I glanced around. I looked at the closest tunnel, grinning.

“This is your last chance.”

I waited. A single beat passed. Then the voice came once more.

“I will not give myself to you.”

I bared my teeth, head snapping to the side. It was only briefly— I picked up the traces of its mana signature. A trail to follow with [Planar Navigation].

“I don’t need you. I just need your heart.”

Then I shot out. I exploded into one of the tunnels, propelled by flames and by my wings. I saw stone and rock filling the gray canvas ahead, turning, curving even as I sped through the labyrinth. I followed the sharp corners, a smirk printed on my face. I saw the residual mana it left behind with its mind magic.

There was a figure moving up ahead. One that almost glowed ethereal and white. It pranced about, like a mare in an open pasture, with a backdrop of a clear blue sky speckled by the occasional pure clouds. I reached for it. My [Mystical Projection] extended out, clawing to grab onto its back. But the figure was too fast. It was just like it was out of reach for me.

It burst out into an open chamber as I rushed after it, teleporting after building up the spell for a moment, using flames to boost me even further. I should’ve been able to catch it. This was a game of speed, and I was one of the fastest around.

A memory flashed into my head. I remembered the [Razorsoul Falcon]. It annoyed me because it had been faster than me. I scowled.

“Alright, how about this?”

I activated [Haste] as I raised a finger. I pointed right at what I thought was the [Lux Golmi] right before it escaped into another tunnel. This was just like the time when I was training with Lily. Except, now, I had an eclectic set of Skills and was even faster than before.

“[Temporal Distortion].”

I caught the [Lux Golmi] in a bubble of slowed time. Its movements slowed. A grin spread across my face as I reached to grab it—

And I blinked. The glowing figure vanished. It evaporated into motes and specks of light, like it wasn’t even there.

“Huh?”

I stared at it for a moment. Then I took in my surroundings. I stood in the exact same chamber I was at before I started my chase. Blinking, I crossed my arms.

“Where did it go…?”

Again, the voice echoed down one of the hallways. A giggle. It taunted me as I struggled to pinpoint where it came from with my [Planar Navigation] Skill. I was so certain I had seen it. I almost caught it, even.

And now, it was gone. Its wispy voice vanished, leaving me alone once more. I glowered.

“I spent quite a while training with Lily. Don’t think I’ll give up that easily.”

I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath. This time, I didn’t use [Planar Navigation]. I felt something building up in my core. A great head that was just waiting to erupt, like a volcano. Then it burst out, pouring like lava. White flames. From the [Primordial Spark].

“I’ll just have to force you out!”

I screamed as fire exploded from my mouth— weaker blue flames. But it burned together with the white fire. It scorched everything within the cavern, turning dust to ash and incinerating stone. For a moment, the entirety of the Stonefort Labyrinth shone brighter than even the sun during the day. Then I eased the flames, looking around, and panting.

“How about that?”

There was a crack. I glanced up. Part of the ceiling melted from the intense heat. I scratched the back of my head.

“Oops.”

And the cave collapsed on me.

—--

“That was kind of dumb of me.”

I admitted to myself, dusting my jacket off. I looked around, surrounded by rubble and rock and debris, grimacing.

“Now what? Did I accidentally kill that [Lux Golmi]?”

I didn’t hear any notification resounding off in my head, even as I waited. I wasn’t sure if indirectly killing something like this would’ve given me experience. I knew that partial killings would give some. But I’d never killed something completely indirectly before.

And if I did but didn't gain any experience from it, I would never know.

“It’s Level 100+ though, so… I probably didn’t kill it.”

I was now trapped in what was like a tomb. The ceiling wasn’t very tall— not like the expansive chamber I’d been in earlier. I was still in the Dungeon, considering that I didn’t receive any notification that I’d left.

[Planar Navigation] informed me that I was even further underground than before, buried under a hundred feet of the fallen cave, with an even more complex labyrinth to follow. I groaned, a bit annoyed. I could try and burn my way out, but that’d risk an even worse cave-in. I scowled.

“I hate rocks!”

I kicked a nearby pebble, and it echoed down a tunnel. Suddenly, I felt a flash of mind magic wash over me. Not an attack, but another wave of the [Lux Golmi]’s voice— my voice.

“Leave me alone!”

It sounded angrier. I must’ve hurt it somehow with this accidental cave-in. Or maybe my flames reached it somehow. Either way, I did something to make it respond in this way. I grinned, once again tracking it down by following its residual magic.

“What’s wrong? Are you scared of me, huh?”

I walked forward, ducking under a large piece of rock wedged at the same height as my head. I bared my teeth, spinning my Nebular Scythe behind my back.

“Because, well… you should be.”

“You will not have me!”

The voice was adamant. I turned my head slightly, seeing the new direction it came from. I followed it, walking over obstacles or pushing aside the boulders that were in my way.

“You’re the [Lux Golmi]. I know you are. You have what I want, and I’ll take it from you. It’s something I need.”

I was done playing its games— my patience was running thin, and I was going to catch it now. I had thought that since the [Lux Golmi] was supposedly high level, I’d be getting into a big fight with it at this point. Yet, all it did was run and flee.

“Come on, aren’t you a Golem? Fight me!”

I dashed forward, not flying, not relying on my wings, but instead using my own two legs to carry me forward past the dust permeating the air, leaving a trail in the otherwise smokey background. I readied [Recall Skill], remembering my older Title Skill, [Zealous Call].

I wasn’t exactly close to the [Lux Golmi] right now. I knew that its words were nothing but the effects of mind magic, so I’d only use the Skill later. When I was closer.

“I am not a rock! I am not just a thing for you to trample all over!”

I spun around, seeing the flashes of its residual mana clearer now. I was close. A wide smirk spread across my face as I bounded forward. Its words barely registered in my head.

“I know where you are. You can’t run.”

There was a large cave chamber up ahead. It seemed to be the bottom of a pit, but not the same one I’d been in earlier. This was even deeper underground, at the same level where I’d fallen thanks to the collapse earlier. I leapt up, pushing myself forward with a whip of flames.

I saw the same figure I’d been chasing earlier, a glowing white figure that danced away from me. It wouldn’t escape this time. The room revealed itself as I turned the corner. The figure stopped at the very center, facing away from me.

I took a menacing step forward. The pale figure turned slowly, and I paused. It opened its mouth as my eyes widened, forcing me to take a step back in disbelief.

I didn’t attack it. I just stared at it. Because I was in shock. I’d expect to run into a Golem— that the [Lux Golmi] would just be another pile of rocks for me to fight, like all the other Golems I’d fought so far. But it wasn’t. What I saw wasn’t even the shape of a rock. Nor did it it even have anything on its body that resembled a rock.

I saw… myself.

“Go away! You’re wild!”