Levi's group exchanged glances.
A marker, probably.
But if they could see it, so could everyone else.
The tunnel opened into a vast excavation chamber, its ceiling lost in darkness. Ancient mining equipment lay scattered across the floor like the bones of some massive creature.
And there, pulsing with soft crimson light, sat a crystalline marker the size of a man's fist.
"Too easy," Torres muttered. "Where are the guards?"
As if summoned by his words, a low growl echoed through the chamber. Then another. And another.
"Shadow beasts," Yuki whispered, her knuckles white on her bow. "At least three. Maybe more."
The first creature emerged from behind a collapsed support beam—a wolf-like thing made of living darkness, its eyes burning with malevolent intelligence.
Its form seemed to shift and writhe, never quite solid, never quite there.
"They're pack hunters," Elena called out from across the chamber. "Don't let them separate you!"
The second beast materialized to their left, cutting off their retreat.
The third dropped from the ceiling directly between them and the marker, its impossible anatomy defying comprehension.
"Levi," Marcus stammered, "what do we do?"
Forty-nine failures.
Forty-nine times he'd been in situations like this and found himself wanting.
Forty-nine times he'd proven he wasn't good enough, wasn't strong enough, wasn't worthy of the power he desperately needed.
Maya's last words echoed in his memory: "I'm proud of you, big brother. Even if you never pass, I'm proud of you for trying."
The largest shadow beast—an alpha, judging by its size—fixed its burning gaze on Levi. It could sense weakness, could smell the fear and desperation rolling off him in waves.
"I'm sorry, Maya," Levi whispered. "I'm so sorry."
The alpha lunged.
Levi threw himself sideways, but the creature's claws raked across his chest, tearing through leather and flesh alike. He hit the ground hard, his vision blurring as warm blood soaked his shirt.
"Levi!" Elena's voice seemed to come from very far away.
He rolled desperately as the alpha's jaws snapped shut where his head had been a moment before.
His hand closed around a piece of twisted metal—part of an old mining drill, sharp enough to cut.
The makeshift weapon punched through the shadow beast's neck, but instead of falling, the creature simply reformed around the wound.
Its claws found his shoulder, his leg, his ribs.
Each impact sent fire through his nervous system.
"The marker!" Torres shouted. "I've got it!"
Through the haze of pain, Levi saw his teammate grab the crystalline marker.
The chamber's lighting immediately shifted, emergency systems activating as the marker's removal triggered some kind of security protocol.
"Trap!" Elena's voice cut through the chaos. "It's a trap!"
The floor beneath them began to tilt, ancient mechanisms groaning to life.
The chamber was transforming, walls sliding apart to reveal new passages—passages that led deeper into the ruins, away from the exit.
"Move!" Hendricks' voice crackled over hidden speakers. "All candidates, evacuate immediately! Sector Seven is experiencing a cascading failure!"
But there was nowhere to go.
The tilting floor had become a slide, and they were all falling toward the dark passages below. Levi's injured body tumbled helplessly, his makeshift weapon spinning away into the darkness.
He hit the ground in a narrow tunnel, alone.
The sounds of the other candidates had faded, replaced by the drip of water and the distant groan of settling metal.
Blood pooled beneath him, too much blood.
"Maya," he whispered to the darkness. "I'm sorry. I tried. I really tried."
The tunnel began to blur at the edges. Cold was creeping up his limbs, and his breathing had become shallow and irregular.
This was it.
This was how it ended—not in glorious battle, but bleeding out in a hole in the ground, having failed his sister one final time.
A soft golden light began to emanate from the tunnel walls.
At first, Levi thought it was his dying brain playing tricks on him. But the light grew stronger, more focused, until it seemed to be coming from directly above him.
"Fascinating," a voice said. It was neither male nor female, neither young nor old. It simply was. "Fifty attempts. Fifty failures. And yet you persist."
Levi tried to speak, but only managed a weak cough that brought up blood.
"You are dying," the voice continued, matter-of-fact. "In approximately four minutes, your heart will stop. In six minutes, brain death will occur. By any measure, your story should end here."
The golden light intensified, and Levi could make out a vaguely humanoid shape within it—tall, graceful, with features that seemed to shift between different possibilities.
"But I find myself curious about something," the entity said. "What would you sacrifice for power? What would you give up to save the one person who matters most to you?"
"Everything," Levi managed to whisper. "Anything."
"Everything? Your humanity? Your mortality? Your very soul?"
"Yes."
The entity was silent for a long moment. "You answer without hesitation. Most mortals require time to consider such a trade. They weigh their options, calculate risks, seek guarantees. You simply... accept."
"Maya... is dying. I've failed her... forty-nine times. I won't... fail her again."
"Ah." The entity's form solidified slightly, revealing ancient eyes that held the weight of millennia. "Love. The most powerful force in any universe, and the most dangerous. Very well, Levi Ashworth. I will make you an offer."
The golden light began to pulse in rhythm with Levi's failing heartbeat.
"I am the last echo of a murdered god. My power lies scattered across your world, hidden in fragments that lesser beings use as trinkets and curiosities. I offer you the chance to reclaim what was stolen—to become my successor, my heir, my vengeance."
"What's... the catch?"
"The catch?" The entity almost seemed amused. "The catch is that you will be hunted by forces beyond your comprehension. You will be forced to make choices that will define not just your fate, but the fate of your entire world. You will gain power beyond imagination, but at a cost that may ultimately destroy everything you seek to protect."
Levi's vision was darkening at the edges. He could feel his heartbeat becoming erratic, his breathing shallow.
"Do you accept?"