Chapter 4: Last Breath, First Code
The ground trembled beneath Ryo's feet as the massive stone door slowly rose, a cold draft creeping through the air as if the Dungeon itself were exhaling. His heart raced in his chest, the feeling of unease tightening around him like an iron grip. He had faced danger before, but there was something about this place—the way the air tasted, the way the shadows seemed to flicker—that set his nerves on edge.
The woman remained unfazed. Her icy gaze never wavered, locked on the door as it groaned to life.
"Why are you doing this?" Ryo asked, his voice hoarse, though he couldn't tell if it was from fear or exhaustion. He wasn't sure what he was asking anymore, but he needed to understand. Why lead him to this point?
The woman glanced at him, her expression unreadable. "Because you need to see it for yourself. You need to understand the power that's inside of you, hunter. The only way to survive here is to acknowledge it."
Ryo's fingers flexed around the hilt of his sword, his grip tightening as the door reached its full height. The chasm before him yawned wide, an abyss that seemed to go on forever, swallowing all light.
"What do you mean?" Ryo asked, though he had a sinking feeling he already knew the answer.
The woman's lips curled into a faint, knowing smile. "I'm not talking about the Dungeon's power. I'm talking about yours."
Before Ryo could respond, a low hum filled the air, and the stone walls around them began to tremble once again. The door had fully opened, revealing an expanse of pitch-blackness beyond, but it wasn't an ordinary darkness—it was thick, almost viscous, as though it could consume him whole if he stepped too close.
Ryo swallowed. He felt a strange pull, a connection to the darkness. But there was also fear. A primal warning that told him to turn back. To leave.
"I don't understand," he muttered, more to himself than to her. "What does this have to do with me? I'm just a Hunter. I'm no different from anyone else. I'm not special."
The woman's eyes narrowed, her expression now colder than ever. "You're more than that. You just don't realize it yet."
A loud, mechanical clicking echoed from deep within the cavern. Suddenly, a strange symbol appeared in the air before Ryo, glowing with an eerie, pulsing light. It was like nothing he had ever seen—a circle with strange runes etched within, some familiar and others beyond comprehension.
He took a step back. "What is that?"
"That," the woman replied, her voice low, "is your awakening."
The symbol began to pulse, growing brighter with each passing second. Ryo's breath caught in his throat as the air around him seemed to crackle with energy. His body stiffened as the symbol slowly descended toward him, and with it, a weight that pressed on his chest. It was as if the very core of the Dungeon itself had focused its attention on him. The air was thick with power. It stung his skin.
A sharp pain lanced through his forehead, and Ryo staggered, his vision blurring. His breath came in shallow gasps as the symbol continued to pulse faster.
"What… what's happening?" Ryo whispered, clutching his head.
The woman stepped forward, her voice now laced with a cold urgency. "You're unlocking it. The Code. The power that was always within you."
Suddenly, the symbol flashed brightly, and in that instant, Ryo felt something shift within him. His body felt light, like a surge of energy was coursing through him, filling every fiber of his being. It was as if a dormant force had been awakened, slumbering deep inside him—something ancient and powerful.
He gasped, staggering to his knees, the pain in his head intensifying. A strange voice whispered in the back of his mind—cryptic, foreign, but undeniably clear.
"Your last breath… is your first code…"
The voice echoed again, clearer this time, and with it, a wave of comprehension hit Ryo like a crashing wave.
"What… what is this?" Ryo gasped, his body shaking uncontrollably.
The woman's gaze was unwavering. "The Code. The Shadow Protocol. You've been chosen. Chosen to break the cycle. Chosen to ascend."
Ryo's mind reeled. His body was trembling, the pain nearly unbearable as images flashed across his vision—visions of battles, of a great war fought in the depths of the Dungeon, of power so vast it threatened to consume everything in its path. And at the center of it all, a figure—a shadow—loomed over everything, watching, waiting.
He gasped for air, feeling as though his soul was being torn in two. But just as quickly as it had come, the vision ended. The pain stopped. The symbol disappeared, leaving only a lingering pulse in the air.
Ryo blinked, still struggling to catch his breath. His body felt different now, more alive than he had ever felt before. The world around him seemed sharper, clearer.
"I… I don't understand," he murmured, struggling to make sense of the flood of information rushing through his mind.
"You will," the woman said, her voice soft but commanding. "But not yet. You have to survive the next trial first. This is only the beginning, Ryo."
Ryo slowly stood, his legs weak, his heart pounding in his chest. He looked down at his hands, almost expecting to see something different. The power—the Code—was there, in his blood, in his very essence. He could feel it.
But how would he control it?
"Will I be able to survive the trial?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.
The woman's lips curled into a smile, but it was a smile that held no warmth. "That, Ryo, is up to you."
She turned toward the chasm again, and Ryo followed her gaze. The abyss stretched out before them, and with it, the unknown—his future, his power, and his destiny.