The ruin loomed ahead, its ancient stone walls weathered by time yet still emanating a powerful aura. A lingering pulse of Etherion energy could be felt in the air, thrumming like the heartbeat of a slumbering giant.
Evolis took a step forward, his golden eyes gleaming with anticipation. This place called to him—his inheritance, the remnants of a past self he still barely understood. As he reached the grand entrance, the stone doors shuddered, reacting to his presence. Runes flickered to life, illuminating the carvings with a celestial glow.
The door creaked open, revealing a dimly lit corridor stretching deep into the ruin's heart. The path ahead was uncertain, but Evolis stepped forward without hesitation.
[The First Trial: The Shifting Labyrinth]
As soon as he entered, he heard a heavy and voice talk. The entrance behind him sealed shut with a heavy thud. The corridor ahead began to change, as the walls began sliding, shifting, and twisting into an ever-changing maze.
A disembodied voice echoed through the chamber:
[Only those with the wisdom to navigate the unknown may proceed.]
Evolis frowned, his Seer's Gaze activating instinctively. The golden rings in his eyes spun, analyzing the structure of the labyrinth. Runes lined the walls, shifting in rhythmic patterns.
'A pattern… every twenty seconds, the walls reset.'
Using his gravity affinity, he lightened his body and dashed forward, narrowly dodging walls as they slid into place behind him. He leaped, using his powerful body as well as his Novaris energy to propel himself up an unseen ledge, flipping over a collapsing passageway just in time.
Then, as if the ruin itself sensed his progress, the walls twisted violently, changing the pattern.
Evolis clicked his tongue. 'Clever.'
Adjusting mid-air, he twisted his body, extending his hand. A gravitational repulsion field burst outward, pushing him away from a closing wall, allowing him to land just before a glowing sigil at the maze's center.
The instant his foot touched the sigil, the shifting ceased. The labyrinth settled, its walls parting to reveal a grand staircase descending deeper.
---
At the entrance, the elven princess and her group stood before the towering stone doors. She pulled out an ancient elven artifact, a crystalline talisman that pulsed with power.
With a murmur of incantations, the artifact reacted, forcing the doors open.
"Impressive," Elandor said smoothly, stepping forward. His golden eyes gleamed with amusement. "Your father truly left you all the keys to our ancestors' treasures, didn't he?"
The princess ignored him, stepping through the threshold. As her boots hit the stone, the same disembodied voice echoed:
[Only those with the wisdom to navigate the unknown may proceed.]
Immediately, the walls around them shifted, forcing them into the same trial Evolis had faced.
"Stay close!" she commanded, her personal guard, Vaelith, moving at her side.
As the labyrinth rearranged itself, she analyzed the pattern quickly. With a flick of her wrist, a glowing elven inscription manifested above her palm—a magical tracking rune.
"Follow my lead!"
Using the rune to predict the maze's movements, she led them forward, swiftly dodging the collapsing walls. Unlike Evolis, she relied on calculated precision, using her elven agility to maneuver through narrow gaps.
However, unlike Evolis, she was not alone.
Elandor, keeping pace with her, smirked. "Efficient as always, Princess. But do you know where this ruin truly leads?"
She didn't answer.
Elandor continued. "This inheritance—it isn't just an ancient relic. It holds the lost knowledge of the ancients. Knowledge our people should claim."
Her eyes narrowed, but she remained silent, focusing on the trial ahead.
They cleared the labyrinth, stepping into the next chamber.
---
[The Second Trial: The Arena of Wills]
Both Evolis and the elves reached separate arenas, unaware of each other's presence.
In Evolis's chamber, a towering construct of glowing Etherion energy stood before him—a sentinel golem, wielding an enormous battle-axe.
The voice echoed again:
[Strength alone is insufficient. Show the will to endure.]
The golem charged. Evolis barely dodged as the battle-axe cleaved into the stone, sending shockwaves through the chamber.
The fight was brutal. The golem was impervious to normal attacks—every strike Evolis landed barely made a dent. The key to winning wasn't overpowering it but outlasting it.
His Future Sight activated, giving him glimpses of the golem's movements. He dodged precisely, countered efficiently, pushing his endurance to the limit.
Finally, after minutes of battle, he saw it—the golem's core was gradually overloading.
With one final, precise strike, he delivered a crushing blow, shattering the core. The golem crumbled, and the door to the final trial opened.
Wiping the sweat of his forehead, he started progressing to the next stage
---
In the elves' chamber, their battle had ended as well. The princess had led her team to victory by giving them complex commands, which they managed to easily follow, but just as they prepared to move forward—
Elandor struck.
His hidden allies—several of the princess's own guards—turned on her.
The betrayal was swift. Before she could react, a blade sliced across her arm, sending blood splattering across the stone floor.
She staggered back, her emerald eyes burning with fury. "You—"
Elandor smirked, wiping the blood from his blade. "You were always too naive, dear princess."
Her loyal guards moved to defend her, but they were outnumbered. The defectors formed a protective wall around Elandor, shielding him.
One of them, a high-ranking warrior, spoke with conviction. "Elandor told us the truth. You are not fit to rule. The elves need a strong leader, not one who squanders her birthright! I can't believe I followed you when you were trying to betray our kingdom's secrets to our enemies!"
"What?" The princess was confused, but then she began to realize that Elandor might've fed them some shit to believe to get them on his side.
The princess clenched her fists, seething. "You would betray your own bloodline for power?"
Elandor chuckled. "It's nothing personal. Your father was never meant to be king. His reign was a mistake. My house has always been the rightful rulers of our people."
Vaelith, the princess's personal guard, snarled. "You snake."
Elandor stepped forward. "Now, dear princess, do be a good girl and die quietly."
Just as he raised his blade for the final strike—
A shadow moved at the chamber's entrance.
Evolis.
His golden eyes gleamed as he took in the scene. A quick glance told him everything he needed to know. Betrayal. Treachery.
His voice was cold. "Well, this looks interesting."
Elandor's smirk faltered. "Who the hell are you?"
Evolis smirked, stepping forward. "You don't have to worry I'm just someone passing by."
Then he moved.
Before Elandor could react, Evolis was already in front of him, driving his fist into his gut. The sheer force sent Elandor crashing into the stone wall, leaving a spiderweb of cracks behind him.
Silence.
Evolis turned to the princess, arching a brow. "I take it you need help?"
She glaring daggers at him, wiping the blood from her lip. "I didn't ask for your help, human."
Evolis sighed, shaking his head. "You elves are really bad at saying 'thank you'." Then he turned his gaze back to Elandor.
Evolis narrowed his golden eyes as the air thickened with tension. Seer's Gaze activated instinctively, and Elandor's status unraveled before him.
Name: [Elandor Veylith]
Race: Elf
Stage:High Novice Stage
Affinities: Wind (Stage 4), Light (Stage 3)
Abilities:
Gale Step – Enhances speed and agility, leaving afterimages.
Blinding Radiance – Creates a flash of light that disorients enemies.
Lacerating Tempest – Condenses wind into razor-sharp blades capable of cutting through armor.
Then he turned his eyes to Elandors lackeys.
'Two Mid-Novice Stage Elves with Wind Affinities and Three Low-Novice Stage Elves with Earth & Water Affinities'
Evolis exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders. Even with his growth, taking on multiple Novice Stage opponents at once wasn't going to be easy—especially with Elandor leading them.
The noble elf sneered. "I hope you're not naive enough to think you can win, human. You may have bested the golem from the trial, but this?" He gestured to his men, who spread out in a loose formation. "This is a real fight."
Evolis cracked his neck, loosening his stance. "You sure do talk a lot."
Elandor's eyes flashed. "Kill him."
The battle erupted.
The first two elves shot forward, their blades wreathed in elemental energy. Evolis sidestepped effortlessly, his Future Sight showing him their attacks a seconds before they came. He ducked low, pivoting on his heel as a fire-imbued sword slashed where his head had been moments ago.
He retaliated—his gravity element flaring.
A flick of his wrist sent a crushing wave of force downward, and the fire-wielding elf stumbled, his legs buckling under the increased pressure. Evolis wasted no time. In a flash, he closed the gap and slammed his knee into the elf's ribs, sending him sprawling.
Before he could capitalize, a gust of razor-sharp wind blades carved through the air toward him.
'Shit—'
Evolis twisted mid-air, gravity bending around him as he barely avoided the deadly attack. He landed, rolling into a crouch, only for the second Novice Stage elf to come at him from behind.
Evolis reacted instinctively, tapping his finger in the air as he created an attraction slightly to the left of where the elf's foot was going to fall. The elf's foot snapped to the left, jerking him off balance.
Evolis then slashed upwards beheading the elf.
One down.
But Elandor was done watching.
The noble elf's form blurred, a gust of wind propelling him forward faster than the eye could track. Evolis barely had time to raise his sword before a blinding flash exploded in front of him.
Damn it!
His vision whitewashed, but his divine sense managed to capture Elandor coming at him from the right.
Evolis shifted his weight at the last second, gravity negating his momentum just enough for Elandor's sword to miss his throat by mere inches.
Even blinded, Evolis retaliated—his foot snapping outward.
Boom!
Elandor barely blocked in time, his arms shaking from the impact.
"Persistent bastard," Elandor growled, his face darkening.
The remaining elves rushed Evolis, overwhelming him in sheer numbers. Wind, fire, and earth collided with gravity and Novaris, creating a chaotic battlefield of shifting elements.
Evolis gritted his teeth, his mind working in overdrive. He couldn't let this drag out.
If he wanted to win, he had to end this quickly.
He dropped his gravity close to zero, rocketing into the air as a whirlwind of elemental attacks slammed into each other beneath him.
Elandor snarled. "Coward!"
Evolis smirked.
Then pushing down on the air in front of him, he sent a blast of gravity energy downwards above Elandor's men.
The pressure slammed into Elandor's men, forcing them to their knees as their own weight tripled in an instant.
And in that opening—he struck.
He dove downward at breakneck speed, his blade glowing with Etherion. His sword tore through one of the traitorous elves, dropping him instantly.
Two left.
The last two elves tried to scramble back, their wind and earth elements flaring desperately—but Evolis was already upon them. His gravity shattered their balance, and before they could react, he drove his fist into one's gut, sending him crashing into a pillar.
The last elf standing hesitated—eyes flickering between Evolis and Elandor.
Then, he turned and ran.
Evolis straightened, exhaling as he turned his gaze back to Elandor.
The noble elf's once-smug expression had darkened with rage. His men had been utterly defeated, and now it was just the two of them.
Elandor clenched his jaw, his Etherion pulsing wildly, the wind howling around him in a violent tempest. "You think this is over?" His voice was low, seething. "You think you've won?"
Evolis shrugged, rolling his shoulders. "Looks like it to me."
Elandor's fingers tightened around the artifact at his belt.
Evolis' Future Sight flashed, warning him just in time.
Evolis lunged forward, intent on cutting him down before he could flee, but at the last moment, Elandor clenched his fist, and an explosion of blinding white light engulfed the chamber. Evolis cursed, staggering back as his vision turned to searing pain as he tried to use his divine sense to see where Elandor had gone but his sense was rebounded. When the light faded, Elandor was gone. His laugh, venomous and taunting, echoed through the empty ruin.
A teleportation artifact.
Evolis let out a breath, his blade lowering slightly.
"Coward," he muttered.
But then, Elandor's voice echoed from the mist—filled with venomous hatred.
"You ruined everything."
Evolis turned sharply.
"You dare interfere with me? With my family's future?" Elandor's voice wavered between rage and manic fury. "You think this ends here, human?"
The mist began to dissipate, but Elandor was already gone.
"Mark my words." His voice was a whisper on the wind now, but it sent a chill down Evolis' spine. "I will return. And when I do, you'll wish you never set foot in this ruin."
Then, silence.
Evolis exhaled slowly, his adrenaline finally beginning to subside. His muscles ached from the battle, but he was victorious.
At least, for now.
Evolis exhaled, sheathing his sword. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be waiting," he muttered under his breath.
As the tension in the air began to settle, his gaze drifted toward the elven princess, the one who had been at the center of all this chaos. It was only now, in the brief lull after battle, that he truly took in her appearance.
She was breathtaking in a way that was almost unnatural, her beauty refined yet fierce, like a blade honed to perfection. Long, silver hair cascaded down her back, shimmering under the faint glow of the ruins' magic, the strands almost ethereal against the darkened backdrop of stone and flickering runes. Her emerald-green eyes were striking, vivid and sharp, holding the weight of both royalty and defiance, a gaze that seemed to pierce through deception with an almost unnerving clarity.
Her features were delicate yet commanding. High cheekbones, a slender nose, and full lips which seemed to capture anyone's attention looking at her. The regal armor she wore, elegant yet practical, hugged her form, accentuating the lithe, athletic build of a warrior trained for battle yet refined by noble blood. Even the way she carried herself spoke of control, every movement deliberate, every expression measured.
Evolis had met noblewomen before, women draped in wealth and power, but none quite like her. There was something untamed beneath the surface of her disciplined exterior, something wild and dangerous.
'Of course, she has to be ridiculously attractive too,' he mused dryly. 'Because this situation wasn't complicated enough already.'
Silence reigned for a moment before one of the elves, a grizzled warrior with a gash across his arm, turned toward the princess. "What now, Princess?" His tone was cautious, respectful but wary. "Elandor may be gone, but his words hold some truth. What do we do about… him?" He cast a distrustful glance toward Evolis.
The princess hesitated, arms still tense at her sides. Her pride demanded that she reject his help entirely, he was human, an outsider, someone who had no place among them. And yet, he had saved her life. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, he had stepped in when she needed it most.
Her fingers clenched at her sides. She hated this. Hated owing him anything. Hated that, for a moment, she had actually felt relieved when he arrived. A human, of all things, had saved her life. She would not forget that, but neither would she let him believe it made them allies.
She clenched her jaw, eyes narrowing. "We move forward," she finally said, as if the words pained her. "Elandor was a traitor. Whatever agenda he had, it's over now. And like it or not, this human saved our lives."
One of the elves scoffed under his breath, but said nothing. Another simply nodded in reluctant acceptance. Evolis could practically taste the hostility in the air, but he didn't particularly care. He was used to people underestimating him.
"I'm touched," he said, voice laced with sarcasm. "Really, your gratitude overwhelms me."
The princess shot him a sharp glare. "Don't get used to it."
He smirked but didn't press the issue.
With tensions still simmering, the group moved onward, weaving through the remnants of the ancient ruin. The deeper they ventured, the more intricate the architecture became.
Massive pillars etched with long-forgotten runes, eerie statues standing as silent sentinels to a bygone era. The air was thick with the weight of something ancient, something waiting.
Then, they arrived at the final gate.
A colossal door towered before them, its surface adorned with spiraling Etherion inscriptions that pulsed with faint, rhythmic light. The princess stepped forward, reaching into the folds of her cloak and pulling out a small, intricately carved artifact, the very thing they had used to access the ruin in the first place.
She pressed it against the door. Nothing happened.
Her eyes flickered with uncertainty, and she pressed the artifact again, this time with a tinge of urgency.
Still, nothing.
A flicker of frustration crossed her face before she schooled her expression into icy calm. "It worked on the previous doors. Why is this one different?"
Evolis, who had been watching with amusement, stepped forward. "Maybe," he mused, placing a hand on his chin, "it's because this inheritance wasn't meant for you in the first place."
The princess's glare could have frozen fire. "And what makes you think you're any different?"
Evolis simply shrugged. Then, before she could protest, he stepped forward and placed his hand on the door.
The moment his fingertips brushed the ancient stone, the entire ruin trembled.A rush of golden Etherion flooded the chamber, swirling around him like a storm, flickering through the carvings as if the ruin itself had awakened. The elves staggered back as the pressure increased, not violent, but absolute, as if the very essence of this place was pushing them away.
And then, the door groaned open, revealing the path beyond, meant for him and him alone.
A gust of warm, ancient air rushed past them, carrying the scent of old stone and something far more potent, power.
And then, just as Evolis took a step forward, a translucent barrier shimmered into existence, blocking the elves from following.
The princess recoiled slightly as her hand met the invisible force, her brows furrowing. "It's rejecting us?"
Evolis turned back, rubbing his chin. "Seems that way." He flashed an infuriating grin. "Guess it really was meant for me."
The princess cursed, her irritation bubbling just beneath the surface. "You'd better come back in one piece," she muttered, arms crossed. "If only so I can knock that smug look off your face."
Evolis chuckled as he turned back to face the passage beyond. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."
With that, he stepped forward, vanishing past the threshold, into the final trial.
The doors rumbled shut behind him, sealing him within.
And for the elves left behind, all they could do was wait.