The Hidden Monster of House Vale

The giant eye in the sky pulsed with an otherworldly light, its pupil contracting as if focusing on something far below. Lucien had barely taken a step toward the exit when Zarah's hand clamped down on his shoulder with surprising force.

"Don't go outside, boy," she said, her voice carrying an edge of warning that cut through the oppressive silence of the hidden realm.

Lucien turned slowly, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his lips despite the gravity of the situation. "Can you not call me that? It sounds weird."

"But I'm thousands of years older than you," Zarah replied, her black wings folding against her back as she regarded him with an expression that hovered somewhere between amusement and exasperation.

"That doesn't matter. Just call me Lucien." He held her gaze, refusing to back down even though he knew—that this ancient demon could erase him from existence with a casual flick of her wrist.

Zarah's eyes narrowed. "You haven't earned it yet. I'll call you just disciple."

Lucien sighed, the sound heavy with resignation. He didn't want to argue with someone who could reduce him to ash before he even registered the attack. "Fine. So what is this place, and what's with the giant eye?"

"This is the hidden area of the true dungeon," Zarah explained, gesturing toward the pulsating orb in the sky. "On top of that, I made that trap to kill peak Spirit Forge realm masters. To get out of here, you need to clear this hidden area of the dungeon."

Lucien's eyes widened slightly. "Clearing a dungeon isn't a problem for me. At least it's better than a World Ender Warden." He paused, a dark thought crossing his mind. "If only I had a way to figure out the location of other realm masters, I would have taken that Abyssal Body Core Physique from Halfred."

"I have a way to locate them," Zarah said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "How do you think I found Halfred and Gwenra with the other realm masters earlier?" She reached into her dimensional pocket, her fingers emerging with several pills that glowed with an ethereal, starlight luminescence. "Here. You'll need this to recover yourself first. So, how are you planning to kill everyone and take the physique?"

Lucien accepted the Astral Marrow Pills, feeling their energy thrum against his palm. He consumed one immediately, and the astral energy exploded through his meridians like a supernova, flooding his mana pool with an almost painful intensity. He activated his healing and regeneration techniques simultaneously, feeling his broken bones knit together, his torn muscles reform, his exhausted spirit core replenish. He consumed another pill before speaking.

"I don't kill when it doesn't benefit me," Lucien said, his voice steady despite the torrent of power coursing through his veins. "And it would be very suspicious if I'm the only one who survived from this dungeon."

Zarah's lips curved into a genuine smile—the first Lucien had ever seen on her face. "You are really smart. You're not a bloodthirsty, greedy bastard. You weigh everything. Good job, my disciple."

"You call me disciple, but you've never taught me anything yet, Masterrrrr," Lucien said, drawing out the title with obvious sarcasm.

Zarah's smile only widened. "Patience, boy—"

"Lucien."

"Disciple," she corrected, enjoying the way his eye twitched. "I have my reasons. For now, I sense you have more questions."

"Just a few," Lucien admitted. "How come Princess Silael is an angel with white wings, and you're a demon with black wings? How did she become your master?"

Zarah's expression softened, the ancient weight of memory settling behind her crimson gaze. "For Silael, every being was important. She didn't believe demons were bad or evil, nor angels were good and kind." She gestured vaguely toward the him. "Look at the human world. There are people who are evil, and then some who are kind. Some do evil out of necessity. Would that still be considered evil? You cannot judge anything by its nature alone." She paused, something flickering in her eyes. "I'll tell you my story some another day. For now, you have things to do."

Lucien nodded, processing her words. "That's true. I'm assuming that eye keeps an eye on other people—no pun intended."

Zarah's stoic expression cracked, a small smile escaping despite herself. "That was a bad joke. But you're right. Seven guardians would come out if you go outside. They will try to eradicate you immediately."

"So any other way, Master?" Lucien asked, and Zarah could hear the mocking lilt in his voice when he said 'master.'

"Yeah, there is." She pointed toward the distant mountain range that seemed to pierce the blood-red sky. "Anyone who enters this place does not get attacked by guardians. But if anyone tries to leave, they will appear and eradicate that person. There is only one way to leave this place: defeat those guardians. This whole land is nothing but an entrance. The true hidden path is that gate behind those mountains. There are seven gates just like that. The chances are those realm masters entered those gates as well."

Lucien's gaze followed her gesture. Now that he was fully recovered, he could feel the dense astral energy emanating from the mountains—a pulsing, rhythmic thrum like the heartbeat of some slumbering titan.

He activated Shadow Predator without hesitation, his form dissolving into the darkness, becoming nothing more than a whisper of shadow against shadow. The journey to the mountains took mere moments, the eye in the sky unable to perceive him or sense his presence.

Zarah unfurled her massive black wings, their feathers seeming to drink the light around them, and ascended with fluid grace. She met him at the gate moments later, landing silently on the ancient stone platform.

The gate was magnificent—a towering arch of what appeared to be polished obsidian and ivory, etched with runes that pulsed with a light that was simultaneously golden and abyssal. It looked like something that had been torn from the heavens themselves and anchored to this wretched place. The surface shimmered like a still lake reflecting a sky that shouldn't exist.

"We can enter here for now," Zarah said, her voice hushed with reverence for the ancient structure. "But to leave, we must come back here and face those guardians."

Lucien paused at the threshold, the astral energy of the gate washing over him like a warm tide. He turned back to face his reluctant master, his expression unreadable.

"Master," he said, and this time there was no mockery in his voice, only a quiet acknowledgment of the power standing beside him. "I might need your help."

Zarah's eyes met his, and something passed between them—an understanding, perhaps, or the first thread of trust. She nodded once, curtly.

And together, they stepped through the gate.

Elsewhere, in the depths of the dungeon...

The realm masters had been divided into groups again. When the abyss had sucked them in, their assignments had been random, chaotic. Now they were scattered across this cursed labyrinth, each group fighting for survival against horrors beyond imagination.

Halfred had been fighting monsters since they arrived. No one had rested after facing Zarah. No one had slept. The constant onslaught had pushed them all to their limits, but Halfred pushed hardest of all.

He was panting now, his chest heaving with ragged breaths as he stood over the corpse of a giant humanoid creature. Its body was still burning, blackened flesh peeling away to reveal charred bone beneath. The stench of cooked meat and sulfur filled the air.

After losing his sister—Halfred had been consumed by a rage that burned hotter than any flame he could conjure. He hadn't been able to take revenge against Morbert. Zarah had killed the bastard before he could. And he still didn't know that it was Lucien who had murdered his sister.

The memory of his helplessness against Zarah. The humiliation of watching the Warden toy with them. The sight of Lucien—that boy, barely eighteen—standing toe-to-toe with an ancient demon while he, Halfred, a realm master in his prime, could only watch from the shadows.

His mind was fraying at the edges.

He had never wasted time. From the moment he learned cultivation, he had pursued power with single-minded devotion. Every day was training. Every night was meditation. Every waking moment was dedicated to growing stronger.

And yet.

The difference between him—a middle-aged man who only looked young—and Lucien, a boy who had barely reached adulthood, was more than a chasm. It was an ocean. A universe. The gap was so vast that Halfred couldn't even comprehend it.

He was jealous.

He hated himself for it. Lucien had saved him. Lucien was on his side. But still, the jealousy festered like a wound that wouldn't heal.

"Are you okay, Halfred?"

The voice cut through his spiral of self-loathing. Kelie stood before him, her blonde hair matted with sweat and monster blood. Her bangs covered her forehead, partially obscuring her deep blue eyes. She wore a long jacket that doubled as a skirt, cinched at her waist with a belt that held a sky-blue stone—an artifact that pulsed with protective energy. Beneath it, she wore practical pants, her fashion more boyish than feminine, a result of growing up among her brother and other male cultivators.

She held out a waterskin, her hand trembling slightly.

Halfred straightened, forcing the weariness from his expression. "Yes, I'm good," he said, accepting the water.

"Don't push yourself too much," Kelie said, a blush creeping across her cheeks. The sight of him—so strong, so determined—always made her feel like a foolish girl despite her own considerable power.

Halfred met her eyes, and for a moment, something softened in his gaze. They both liked each other—everyone in their group knew it. But for Halfred, responsibility came first. Ambition came first. He had never confessed his feelings, never allowed himself to consider the possibility of a life beyond cultivation.

Kelie had loved him for years, even though he never reciprocated. She understood his drive, his obsession with power. She had lost her brother, her friends, everything she'd ever known. She didn't want to lose Halfred too.

But she also didn't understand what he would do with all this power if he could never find happiness.

Sometimes, she thought, people should just stop before they destroyed themselves.

Suddenly, her thoughts drifted to Lucien.

The man who took care of people. Who had come forward to save her and her brother without hesitation. Who had been attacked by Ashdan and still hadn't hurt him because he cared for those around him. Who had fought Zarah and destroyed the tower.

She hated herself for making the comparison. She never wanted to compare them. But the thought was there now, impossible to unthink.

They were in a chasm now, surrounded by towering mountains that seemed to scrape the dark sky. They had been walking for hours, fighting monsters, and still, nothing helped them find a way out.

Kelie spotted something ahead—a slope that led into a massive opening in the mountain face. And inside that opening, something moved.

A giant white serpent, its scales gleaming like polished bone, coiled around itself protectively. Around it, hundreds of glowing eggs pulsed with a sickly light. Through the translucent shells, they could see the shapes of creatures writhing within—creatures that seemed ready to hatch at any moment.

"Halfred," Kelie whispered, her voice tight with fear. "What if we get closer and those things started attacking us simultaneously after coming out?"

Halfred's eyes burned with a cold fire. "Don't worry. I can take care of that." His voice was hard, unyielding. "I'm not going to lose anyone anymore. I'm going to defeat it."

He was screaming before he even finished the sentence.

The serpent heard him. Its massive head turned, its black eyes fixing on him with predatory focus. It screeched—a sound like shattering glass—and the eggs around it began to crack.

Halfred charged, his flames erupting around him in a vortex of destruction. He slaughtered the hatching monsters as they emerged, his fire devouring them whole. The serpent retaliated, spitting venom that sizzled against the ground, forcing him to dodge and weave even as he continued his assault.

More monsters emerged. Giant mantises, three meters tall, their limbs like scythes. Halfred cut through them, his blade singing through the air. He was a whirlwind of death, unstoppable and terrible.

And then he heard the scream.

When he looked back, his heart stopped.

A mantis had Kelie. Its limb was wrapped around her waist, squeezing so hard he could see the bones of her ribs straining. Its other limb was raised, poised to tear her apart.

"Halfred! Help!" Kelie's voice was desperate, her eyes wide with terror.

Halfred was too far away. The distance between them seemed insurmountable. He could see her struggling, see the blood already beginning to trickle from where the creature's claws had pierced her side.

Author Note:

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