Chapter 8 – The Edge of Farewell, A New Journey


    The sound of cracks spreading through the dungeon grew louder, deep and ominous.


    It wouldn’t be long before this place collapsed entirely.


    The ceiling and walls were already splintering, fractures racing across them like veins of impending destruction.


    Dust and debris filled the air, making it hard to see.


    I raised an arm, brushing away the settling dust as I stepped forward.


    Everything had shifted too quickly after forming the contract with Lavi.


    There was no time to process.


    "Hah…"


    Elena let out a deep breath beside me.


    She still looked unsettled, stealing occasional glances in my direction before cutting her gaze toward Lavi, her eyes sharpening with wariness.


    But Lavi?


    She didn’t care in the slightest.


    Her expression remained calm, composed, as if she were strolling through a garden instead of a collapsing abyss.


    Her long, crimson-streaked hair flowed behind her, and a faint, pulsating red energy hovered around her form—an eerie yet graceful presence.


    "So, what now?"


    Elena’s voice came hard and sharp, breaking the silence.


    "You, Lavi… Both of you are cooperating, but what exactly is the plan?"


    She sounded irritated—not just at Lavi, but at me too.


    She wanted answers.


    I hesitated for a moment.


    The first priority was simple—escape the dungeon.


    But even with the Core destroyed, its remnants lingered.


    And according to Lavi, the dungeon itself was twisting the pathways, making our exit uncertain.


    "First, we find the exit."


    I kept my voice steady.


    Lavi’s lips curled into a playful smirk.


    "Hmm. Well, if you want to get out, you’ll have to keep up."


    Her tone was mocking, but her eyes glowed with undeniable purpose.


    "Since I’m what’s left of the Core, I can sense the shifting pathways. I know where the exits will open… and where they won’t."


    Elena’s jaw tightened.


    "So, we have to rely on her now?"


    She spat the words out like they left a bitter taste in her mouth.


    I sighed.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Looks like it."


    We didn’t have a choice.


    For now, Lavi was our best guide.


    Boom.


    A tremor rippled through the ground.


    A low, guttural rumbling followed, as if the dungeon itself was shifting.


    Crimson mist gathered in the distance, condensing—forming into new spectral figures.


    The dungeon wasn’t just breaking.


    It was fighting back.


    "Again?"


    Elena cursed, already drawing her sword.


    The shadows surged forward.


    I moved to cover her flank, while Lavi raised a single hand, her fingers pulsing with blood-red light.


    Crack.


    A jagged bolt of energy split through the air, ripping apart the nearest specter.


    For a moment, I was struck by realization—


    We actually worked well together.


    Our movements were instinctively aligned, reacting in sync.


    Lavi’s long-range attacks, Elena’s precision strikes, and my command over the battlefield—


    We weren’t just fighting.


    We were dominating.


    "These things just keep coming."


    I muttered, catching my breath.


    "We need to get out of here before the whole place collapses."


    "Yeah, no kidding."


    Elena scoffed, flicking her sword to the side, letting the misty remains of the enemy dissolve.


    But something in her expression had changed.


    She was frustrated, yes.


    But there was also a flicker of something else—


    Recognition.


    She was starting to realize that fighting alone wasn’t the only way.


    "Master."


    Lavi suddenly stepped closer, nudging my side with her elbow.


    "Don’t you want to test your power again? See just how strong your ''Domination'' has become?"


    I turned to her, blinking.


    "Here? Now?"


    "What? Are you scared?"


    Her smirk widened, teasing.


    "Afraid of what might happen?"


    I exhaled, shaking my head.


    She was probing me, watching, waiting—


    Seeing if I was afraid of her, or if I could truly control her.


    I knew what she wanted.


    She wanted to push the limits—hers, mine, ours.


    "Not happening."


    I cut her off before she could press further.


    "If we start fighting here, we’ll just bring the dungeon down faster. We can test that later—after we make it out alive."


    "Tch. Boring."


    Lavi pouted, crossing her arms.


    Elena let out an annoyed sigh.


    "Both of you, shut up. Look ahead."


    At the end of the corridor, a massive archway loomed, dark and foreboding.


    The crimson patterns along its surface glowed faintly, shifting like a living entity.


    A portal?


    An exit?


    We had no choice but to find out.


    "Let’s move."


    I stepped forward.


    Lavi stretched lazily, following along.


    Elena kept her distance, but stayed close enough to react if something went wrong.


    The moment we passed through the archway, the air grew heavy.


    Red mist clung to the walls, the stones cracked and fractured, and more shadowy remnants crawled from the ruins.


    But they were weak.


    We cut through them effortlessly as we moved forward.


    And then—


    A sliver of light broke through.


    "There."


    I let out a breath.


    The exit.


    The crimson mist peeled away, revealing a shimmering tear in the air—


    The way out.


    "So that’s it?"


    Lavi kicked at the ground, unimpressed.


    "With the Core gone, the dungeon can''t sustain itself anymore. It’s just falling apart."


    Elena hesitated.


    "So, if we step through, we’re done?"


    Lavi twirled a finger.


    "Basically. Whatever’s left will collapse on its own."


    I inhaled deeply, glancing back one last time.


    We survived this place—


    But that didn’t mean the real battle was over.


    Lavi—a dangerous, unpredictable contractor.


    Elena—an ally, but still not fully mine.


    And me—unsure if I could truly control this power.


    "Stay sharp."


    I warned them.


    "Just because this is the last step out doesn’t mean there’s no trap waiting."


    Carefully, we moved toward the brilliant tear of light.


    The energy pulled at us, like gravity shifting.


    A brief dizziness hit me—


    And then—


    Thump.


    My boots hit solid ground.


    I blinked.


    A wide, open space stretched before us—


    A destroyed lobby-like structure, filled with crumbled walls and the remnants of long-defeated monsters.


    "This is…"


    Elena’s voice was quiet.


    "The entrance?"


    It looked like the very first chamber we had entered in the ‘Abyss of the Dead.’


    "We made it out."


    Lavi yawned, stretching her arms.


    "Well, that was fun."


    I exhaled slowly.


    But the tension wasn’t gone.


    Elena’s shoulders stiffened as she turned away.


    "That’s it. I’m done."


    "Wait—"


    I reached for her, but she shook her head.


    "I was only here to clear the dungeon. What you do with Lavi is your problem."


    Her words were calm, but distant.


    She was putting up a wall.


    "But—"


    She raised a hand, stopping me.


    "I know what you’re planning, but I’m not getting dragged into it."


    And just like that—


    She turned away.


    And walked off.


    "Master."


    Lavi’s voice purred at my ear.


    "So, what’s next?"


    I exhaled.


    The real game was just beginning.


    And I had no intention of losing.


    -End of chapter 8