“Y-you can actually look disappointed, huh? That’s something new.”

  Even if Asher tried to keep a straight face, the continuous bombardment was enough to keep him shaken.

  The raging dark clouds and darkness of the land were constantly at each other's throats, if that was even possible.

  Feeling the tremors in the air and cold gales in the desert. One could hardly not feel a strange and odd sense of dread creeping in their skin.

  The lights kept raging and the shadows at the horizon only deepened with time.

  Asher was not sure what kind of creatures were fighting there. They both could be avengers and both could be calamity as well.

  In any case, Asher knew being here any longer would not go well.

  He raised his head to look at the moving clouds. They were far but not large enough to cover the sun and the place he was standing in. With a strong step Asher walked away.

  The Acosador followed after.

  Another hour passed; by now Asher was sure he had walked hundreds of kilometers. It was pretty much what he spent the majority of his time doing here.

  Suddenly Asher's steps came to a halt as his eyes widened.

  ‘How… How is this possible!?’

  He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

  A shadow long enough flickered on the horizon. It was so far that only a vague figure was seen in his silver pupils. However, it was undeniably present, a tall figure of none other than a tower.

  Asher averted his hopeful gaze away from the tower to look at the darkness following him.

  The Acosador remained silent, his grin as unsightly and dreadful as before.

  But Asher was sure the acosador was not laughing even when he took several steps in the tower direction. His mood lifted uncharacteristically as a thin smile appeared on his lips.

  The direction was not too dangerous.

  ‘Will there be humans?’

  Asher walked forward.

  ‘Is there any settlement?’

  Maybe this place was not so dreadful after all. Humans have made a base in Kalista, where no sun shone and no stars appeared. If they could do it in such a place, why not this? At least the sun and stars appeared here, albeit not in the normal way.

  There was also the fact that an unnatural number of creatures existed in this place. But Asher believed in human resilience. He was sure that someone or somebody would be mad enough to create a place to live here, or at least operate from here.

  For example, one such existence would be the Temple!

  They hold many secrets and powerhouses!

  If someone could have made the impossible happen, it would be them.

  Asher didn’t know of other existences. It was part of his ignorance; a small hope has blinded him.

  Asher's mind rattled the closer he got to the tower.

  By now he was sure the chilly winds meant the night was coming closer. And when it did, several monsters would come out as well. So he hastened his steps. With gritted teeth he suddenly stopped.

  No matter how much he tried to relax, he knew danger lurked everywhere. He couldn't always rely on the Acosador warning; another example of this was visible in his vision.

  The tower loomed larger with each step, its silhouette jagged against the bruised sky. It wasn't stone or steel—more like fused marble and obsidian, glistening wetly in the fading light. Asher's thin smile vanished as he noticed movement near its base: shadows detaching themselves from the structure, slithering across the sand like oil spills. They moved with purpose, converging toward him.

  Another monster was coming his way.

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  This time from the tower itself.

  His hope was crushed as he understood it was not a settlement.

  Asher summoned his crystal blade, and his grip tightened.

  'Did the monster sense me from that far?'

  Asher knew the monster, at least, was a high-rank beast.

  The thing slithered forward on dozens of segmented legs, its carapace shimmering with the same unnatural wetness as the tower. It emitted a low, grinding hum that vibrated through Asher's boots—a sound like stone being pulverized. He braced himself, crystal blade humming faintly in response. The Acosador remained unnervingly still beside him, its grin fixed, offering no warning, no aid. Just observation.

  And then he was thrown back with a strong force.

  Asher let out a gasp as air left his lungs.

  Everything happened so fast that by the time he reacted, it was too late. He rolled on the ground, grains of sand cutting him and rubbing through his exposed skin. By the time he opened his eyes, he saw the carapace beast closer with its jaw open, aiming straight at his neck.

  Asher let out a grunt and pushed himself; the beast stung its jaw on the sand with force enough to tear rocks away.

  Seeing him struggle, the carapace beast intensified its grip on the sand.

  Asher's mouth opened and closed several times as if he were trying to have a conversation with a mindless beast. No, it was more like berating himself for his carelessness.

  Pushing himself off the ground, Asher suddenly moved faster. His body covered in sand and dry blood appeared like a visage from the creature of beyond. Though aware of it himself, he chose to ignore it.

  The creature lunged again, jaws snapping shut where his head had been a heartbeat before. Sand sprayed upward, stinging his eyes. He scrambled backward, blade held out defensively.

  Asher leaped back and made a safe distance to see the situation clearly.

  But it seems the beast was in a hurry as well.

  Asher's heart raced, and his hand felt heavy as he swung his blade down, snapping one of the beast's legs and slowing it down at the same time. Again an invisible force threw Asher off from the ground.

  “Arrrghhh”

  Asher let out a cry as his legs were stung by the strange force. Blood dripped off his legs as he clenched his jaw and kicked the sky to regain his balance. The carapace beast too let out a roar before moving like a centipede and twisting mid-movement to again lunge at him.

  ‘Why is it so fast!?’

  Asher thought as his blade pushed on the beast and dark blood splashed above.

  The beast and he wrestled their way as Asher continued to slow it down till it could do nothing but crawl. With a strong step Asher dragged his body and the blade before the beast, now frozen in place.

  The carapace beast didn’t get the chance to let out a cry as Asher first pushed his blade in its jaw, cutting it with as much force as his hands could muster.

  “Kriiiiiiiii!”

  Even then a painful cry pierced through his ears as the beast shuddered. Before another sound could be heard, Asher again stopped the beast's time as if an hourglass had been tilted to the side, stopping all movements.

  Asher placed one hand on his head, feeling it throb ever so loudly. The other hand pushed the blade on the creature's head, letting its time move forward and then finally come to an end.

  Asher took a step back with a heavy heart.

  He felt his legs couldn’t bear his weight anymore but still needed to stand tall. Finally he let out a breath, letting the wind stuck in his throat escape with a gasping sound.

  ‘Dammit. I feel like I will die any moment now.’

  The battle had ended quickly; the beast was in a hurry and chaotic to fight. Asher frowned, knowing that beasts were cautious creatures even if bloodthirsty.

  Why was the carapace beast running? Or was it escaping from something and only decided to attack Asher on a whim?

  Glancing at the fallen beast one last time Asher sighed and dragged his body toward the tower standing ahead.

  An ancient place stretched before him, its broken walls and crumbled stone surrounding the tower like silent sentinels. Even though Asher had seen many towers and spires before, this one was different. It didn’t feel like a place meant for living—it felt like something built to watch, to observe what lay beyond.

  The tall structure loomed against the dull sky, its surface dark and gleaming like obsidian. Yet, Asher could tell it wasn’t stone of that kind. It was marble—or something close to it—now stained black by time and whatever had happened here long ago.

  “...No one.”

  Asher bit his lips and winced as the pain started to throb in his legs.

  Even if Asher wished to leave this place, night would fall soon. And when that happened, he would surely meet death.

  Asher scanned his surroundings carefully, eyes darting across the ruins for any sign of danger. He turned once, catching sight of the Acosador still watching him with that same unsettling grin—its burning eyes gleaming faintly in the dim air. With nothing left to lose, he moved toward the tower’s entrance and placed his hand on the old gate.

  It resisted at first, but with a firm push and a bit of struggle, it finally gave way. The creaking sound echoed through the hollow structure, scraping against his ears. Inside, darkness swallowed everything. Dust floated lazily in the air, disturbed by his movement.

  There was nothing—no movement, no sign of life, no enemy lurking in wait. Just silence. The only thing that drew his attention was the spiral staircase curling upward into the unseen heights above.

  Finally outside, all the light vanished instantly as the sun set; night had arrived.