From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

"Well, regardless, I will do what I can, but I am here strictly to get what I need and that's it. Pleas—" Sanguina's train of thought stopped as she looked around the dimly lit room and noticed a massive broken tile in the ground.

"What's with the hole in the ground?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Ah, that, don't worry about that," Arien replied, a hint of unease in his voice. "I will go ahead and send you back now. Do your best and don't cross the kingdom." He snapped his fingers before she could respond, and in the blink of an eye, she was back outside the cave.

She blinked, disoriented, as the bright sunlight assaulted her eyes. In front of her, Vick was engaged in a fierce battle, diving and dodging against a monster twice his height. The creature lunged at him, trying to knock him off balance.

Sanguina drew her blade, ready to assist, but paused as she watched Vick catch the creature's hand. He performed a nimble jump over it, slicing along the creature's neck before landing on its head and delivering a downward strike.

As the monster fell, Sanguina smirked. "I see you were busy while I was being kidnapped?"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Vick wiped the sweat from his brow, breathing heavily. "Well, I assumed it was someone from Master Dagon's sect, but I didn't think they would choose such a terrible time to grab you."

"Yeah, he's lucky I didn't kill him, but it's whatever. Let's go ahead and get a move on inside. Something about all of this is a bit worrying; I would rather get this over with quickly," Sanguina stated.

Vick nodded as they both walked towards the cave entrance.

As they entered the cave, a dark mist flowed around them, spiraling ominously. Sanguina felt the chill of the mist seeping into her bones. "Any idea what this is?" she asked, her voice echoing off the stone walls.

When she received no response, she turned around, her heart pounding. "Vick? Where did you go?"

A voice cracked through the darkness, cold and menacing. "There is no one here to help you. You should have never come here seeking to free the Dragoon. You will meet the fate of everyone else before you."

Sanguina furrowed her brow slightly and stated, "I have not come to do this. I am simply seeking Lady Nanako. Hand her over and you can keep your life as some weird cave hermit or whatever you are."

"I am the guardian over the final seal of the Dragoon. You, nor anyone I deem unworthy, are allowed access to the seal to free him!"

"Like I told you, I do not care about the Dragoon. I simply need Lady Nanako so that I might find someone else. Hand her over and you can keep whoever else you have. They are of no concern to me."

The man clad in red armor shook his head. "No can do. She and everyone else, including you, will be condemned to this place until your death. It shouldn't be much longer until—"

The man was cut off as Sanguina closed the distance in the blink of an eye, her fist connecting with his face and sending him crashing into the wall. Her eyes glowed red with fury. "I do not have the patience for this!"

The cave walls seemed to tremble with the force of the impact. The scent of stone dust and the metallic tang of blood filled the air. Sanguina stood over the fallen guardian, her expression fierce and unyielding.

"Now," she said, her voice low and deadly, "where is Lady Nanako?"

The man in red armor groaned, struggling to lift himself from the rubble. "You may be strong, but brute force won't get you everything," he muttered, wiping blood from his lip.

Sanguina's gaze remained unwavering. "Then you better start talking. I don't have time to waste."

Still lodged in the wall slightly, the man put his hand on his side, grabbing a pen from his belt. He wrote an array of characters mid-air, the symbols glowing with a faint blue light. "It will take much more than raw strength to defeat the Dragoon and the other curses. You will have to pass the test like everyone else to get to where Nanako and the others who are still alive are being held."

"I refuse," she stated, her voice icy. "How about I just start destroying everything here until it's nothing but a crumbled mess?"

Her eyes glowed with a fierce intensity. "I am the Daughter of Dracula and one of his strongest, I might add. Do not test my patience any further."

The man's eyes widened a bit, and he stammered, "What is someone from the Vampire Realm doing here? Nonetheless, even more reason I can't simply allow you access to the Dragoon."

Sanguina's face contorted with disbelief. "If you bring up the damn Dragoon one more time, I will dislodge your head from your shoulders. Do you not listen??"

Still lodged in the wall slightly, the man put his hand on his side, grabbing a pen from his belt. He wrote an array of characters mid-air, the symbols glowing with a faint blue light. "It will take much more than raw strength to defeat the Dragoon and the other curses. You will have to pass the test like everyone else to get to where Nanako and the others who are still alive are being held."

"I refuse," Sanguina stated, her voice icy. "How about I just start destroying everything here until it's nothing but a crumbled mess?"

Her eyes glowed with a fierce intensity. "I am the Daughter of Dracula and one of his strongest, I might add. Do not test my patience any further."

The man's eyes widened a bit, and he stammered, "What is someone from the Vampire Realm doing here? Nonetheless, even more reason I can't simply allow you access to the Dragoon."

Sanguina's face contorted with disbelief. "If you bring up the damn Dragoon one more time, I will dislodge your head from your shoulders. Do you not listen??"

The man winced at her words, the threat in her voice palpable. The air around them seemed to crackle with tension, the smell of stone dust and the metallic tang of magic hanging heavy.

"You are not in a simple cave anymore," he continued, his voice steadying. "The cave is simply a beacon door to another smaller realm that houses the prison for the Dragoon. You are technically imprisoned now as well. You can blast and destroy this place as much as you like, but you will never find the exit."

Sanguina's eyes narrowed as she processed the information.

"I have long since condemned myself to this place to ensure no one is allowed access to the Dragoon and his corruptive behavior. Whether that be you or anyone else."

Sanguina rubbed her fingers between her eyes, frustration evident. "This is bigger than the Dragoon or whatever minor squabble your planet has to endure. The threat right now could put entire planets at risk or worse. Besides, if I kill or eliminate this Dragoon, you will let Nanako live, is that right?"

"Technically yes," the man admitted. "If you are able to prove your worth to fight the Dragoon and not fall to his corruption, then you would be granted access to fight him. The problem lies in the fact that no one can leave here; otherwise, his seal will be broken.

Your only option is to die here when the cave closes or go through and try to see if you are worthy, not only physically but mentally, to fight the Dragoon."

"Oh, what did you do with the slightly shorter male, Vick?" Sanguina asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Oh, him?" The man in red armor replied, adjusting his stance. "I simply spoke with him first, then you. I dropped him in the first trial already, though he seems to have already finished it. Remarkable. He will be moving on to the swamps next and likely die there."

"The swamps?" Sanguina raised an eyebrow. "We're in a cave, what is the point of a swamp?" Explore more stories with empire

"It's where one of the Dragoon's creatures was sent and sealed as well," he explained. "Nowhere near as strong, but it tests people to see how they work together. Generally, everyone dies there because they end up drowned or turning on each other."

Sanguina listened intently, the flickering torchlight casting eerie shadows on her face. "The latter ended up happening with the previous group that lady friend of yours came with, I fear. But most of them did survive regardless, all things considered, which was surprising."

"And why was that?" Sanguina asked, her interest deepening.

"Well," the man continued, "the creature, after yanking the boy to his death and taking the arm of the girl, stopped at the old man and almost listened to him before retreating. It was very odd, but who am I to judge monsters and their habits."