Timebound abyss

Kiro stood at the edge of the forest, the weight of his first solo mission heavy on his shoulders.

Kiro was ready for his first solo mission. It had been half a year since he started training under Kevin. Now, it was time to prove himself. Kevin had tasked him with venturing deeper into the Whispering Woods, beyond the areas they had explored together, to retrieve an artifact from the ruins of an old town. Aero, his loyal companion, would accompany him, but this time, Kiro was on his own.

I hope you’re ready for this,” Kevin said, watching as Kiro adjusted the strap of his sword. There was a hint of concern in Kevin’s voice, but also trust. He had seen Kiro grow stronger, faster, more resilient. Yet, there was always a part of him that worried, especially with the strange things happening lately.

As Kiro and Aero ventured deeper into the forest, Kevin watched them disappear into the dense trees, his concern lingering. But he believed in Kiro’s abilities. Still, this mission felt different—there was something about the ruins that unsettled Kevin.

Kiro, glancing at his status window as he moved, noticed something odd. Each time he tried to check his full stats or skills, the window displayed: "System updating…". He could only see his level, which had risen to 11. He gritted his teeth in frustration but shook it off—he had trained hard, and the window would update eventually.

As Kiro ventured deeper into the woods, Aero soaring ahead, the dense forest seemed to close in around him. He moved silently, alert to every sound and movement. The deeper they went, the stranger the environment became. At one point, Kiro noticed footprints. Strange, twisted shapes that seemed like a cross between the paws of a large beast and something more reptilian. He crouched down to examine them, remembering the lessons from Kevin about tracking and identifying creatures. The footprints weren’t fresh, but they were recent enough to raise his guard.

“Kevin would’ve warned me about this if he knew,” Kiro muttered under his breath. He remembered all the survival tactics Kevin had drilled into him: Stay low, stay quiet, and don’t engage unless necessary. He’d learned well, and he would need every bit of that training for what lay ahead.

After what felt like hours of cautious travel, they reached the ruins of the old town. The place was eerily silent, its broken buildings standing like ghostly remnants of a forgotten era. Kiro’s eyes narrowed as he took in the surroundings. This town wasn’t entirely old—it wasn’t made just of stone and wood like ancient towns. There were remnants of advanced technology buried beneath the rubble. Shattered holographic panels, twisted metal frames, and decayed machines lay strewn across the ground. It was as if the town had once been a fusion of the old and the futuristic, but now, only destruction remained.

Before Kiro could inspect further, a sudden movement in the shadows caught his eye. He barely had time to hide as a massive serpent-like creature slithered through the ruins, its scales shimmering with an oily sheen. Aero perched silently on a broken wall, his eyes locked onto the threat.

Just as the serpent disappeared into the distance, Kiro’s status window suddenly flickered to life. This time, a mission appeared: "Explore new area - Hidden Ruins".

Kiro hesitated, remembering Kevin’s warning not to stray too far. But the mission seemed urgent, and his curiosity was piqued. He ventured deeper, slipping past the lurking creatures while carefully avoiding any unnecessary fights. Aero remained alert, signaling danger when needed. Kiro knew he was venturing into dangerous territory, but the mission drove him forward.

As he crept through the crumbling town, Kiro came across a large stone structure. At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than a massive boulder, but as he approached, he noticed faint glowing symbols etched into its surface. This was no ordinary stone—it pulsed with energy, ancient and alien.

Suddenly, the ground beneath him gave way. Kiro barely had time to react as he tumbled into the darkness below, Aero screeching as they were separated. He landed with a hard thud in a deep underground chamber. The fall left him momentarily disoriented, but he quickly regained his senses and scanned his surroundings.

The chamber was vast, filled with strange, advanced technology—long-abandoned machines with blinking lights, metallic walls lined with cryptic symbols, and cables snaking across the floor like roots. The air buzzed with a low hum, as though the room itself was alive with dormant energy. Kiro’s heart raced; this was far beyond anything he had encountered.

As he explored further, he came across a strange door at the end of the chamber. Unlike the decayed technology around him, this door was pristine, untouched by time. He attempted to open it, but it wouldn’t budge. Frustrated, he checked his status window again. This time, it displayed a cryptic message: "Access granted: Solve the sequence."

The status window then flashed a series of symbols—ones that looked eerily similar to the glowing marks on the large stone he had seen earlier. Kiro furrowed his brow. He had to recall the patterns, the details from the stone. It wasn’t going to be as simple as he had hoped.

He carefully matched the symbols, feeling a growing tension as the door finally began to hum and slide open. The sound echoed through the chamber like a warning. The moment the door fully opened, an earthquake-like tremor shook the entire underground structure. Kiro steadied himself against the wall, but before he could react, the lights flickered violently, and a deafening roar erupted from the depths of the ruins.

Everything went black.