"The prophecy of the Iruhun speaks of our people facing extinction a second time. Something ancient, something that followed us through the rift… something we did not realize survived the collapse of our world..."

Victor's pulse quickened.

"And where do I come in?"

Rhozan looked directly into Victor's eyes.

"Because the prophecy our old leaders gave us, says that when the threat awakens, an outsider—one touched by shadow, flame, and storm—will descend into our sanctuary. One whose presence disrupts fate itself. One who can walk between spaces and bend mana to his will."

Victor's throat tightened.

"The one who walks through the passage... through the doors..."

Rhozan nodded.

"You are the Iruhun."

Victor exhaled sharply.

"And what exactly… am I supposed to save you from?"

The room darkened as the last vision expanded overhead, swallowing the entire chamber in swirling shadow.

A deep growl echoed through the ice.

Something enormous moved within the projection. It was an outline almost too large to comprehend.

Rhozan's voice trembled.

"You are meant to save us… from the one who should never have survived the crossing."

Victor stared into the shadowy outline and felt it staring back.

...

Victor's expression remained flat, contemplative with pursed lips as he mulled over everything he had been told.

Rhozan stood before him with his four hands behind his back, adopting a noble and solemn posture despite the faint tremble under his voice. "You look unconvinced, Iruhun."

Victor leaned back, exhaling sharply. "It's not that I don't believe anything you said. It's just… none of it adds up."

Rhozan blinked. "Explain."

Victor gestured around them. "Look where we are. Deep underground. Layers upon layers of stone, metal, ice and whatever strange formations you people cultivate down here. You're telling me this 'thing' can still find you down here?"

Rhozan nodded grimly. "Yes. The one from our world can slip down here unnoticed at any time, disguising itself as one of my people."

Victor's frown deepened. "But why? Why bother pretending? Why hide for forty years doing nothing? That's what doesn't make sense to me. If it's as dangerous as you claim, why hasn't it wiped everyone out already? Why wait all this time? Why now? Why after the appearance of a so-called Iruhun?"

Rhozan inhaled deeply through his nose as though he'd expected this question from the start.

"It has acted," he said quietly. "Just not openly. Not with the strength it needed. Not yet."

Victor raised a brow. "You're saying it's been attacking all this time?"

Rhozan nodded. "Since its arrival, forty years ago. But back then it lacked power. It survived by feeding, adapting, evolving. Hiding among us. Manipulating. Gathering strength from the shadows." He stepped closer while lowering his voice. "Every time it strikes, we destroy the body it wears. But it simply… returns. Stronger than before. It is beyond death."

Victor's gaze sharpened. "You said it's 'beyond death.' What does that even mean?"

Rhozan's pupils glowed faintly. "It cannot die... at least not by our hands. Not by blades, nor flames, nor magic. We have tried countless times, Iruhun. It always comes back. It is cursed. Bound to existence in a way that defies reason. Only Iruhun can truly erase it."

Victor's thoughts froze for a moment. Iruhun.

He'd heard it so many times now that he was beginning to feel trapped by the title.

Rhozan continued, "The only reason we still live is because we've foiled its attacks every time it attempted to eradicate us. It always grows stronger… always inches closer to succeeding. We delay it, nothing more. One day—soon—it will become powerful enough that we cannot stop it anymore." His eyes met Victor's, unblinking. "When that day comes, it will devour our species. And then it will move on… to others."

Victor clicked his tongue, leaning forward with elbows resting on his knees. "And you think I'm the puzzle piece in all of this?"

"You are," Rhozan said simply.

Victor ran a hand through his hair with irritation slipping into his expression. "Look, I get it. Sounds tragic. Sounds dramatic. But I came down here by accident. I was investigating the damn lake because it wasn't frozen like everything else. That's it. I still need to get back to the surface. I still want the gem buried in the lakebed."

Rhozan's lips curved into a small, knowing smile. "The gem you want? We created it."

Victor froze.

Rhozan raised a hand, signaling him to follow. "Come. There is something you should see."

Victor hesitated but eventually stood, following the underground chieftain through winding crystalline halls. They passed by silent guards with silver-blue skin and long horns curving backward. They all bowed when they saw Victor.

After several turns, Rhozan brought Victor into a chamber illuminated by a single floating lantern. He reached into a pedestal and withdrew something wrapped in silk.

He extended it toward Victor.

Victor unfolded the cloth.

Inside was a gem identical to the one lodged at the bottom of the lake.

Victor's eyes widened slightly. "You're kidding."

"No," Rhozan said. "We crafted it centuries ago from our previous world. A focus of condensed elemental resonance."

"Then why put one in the lake?" Victor asked skeptically.

"To keep the water from freezing. And to collect ambient mana for our city. It serves many purposes."

Victor held the gem up to the light. It glowed faintly and throbbed like a small heart.

[ Unknown Item Acquired ]

[ Scanning Properties ]

"What's it do?" he asked.

Rhozan's voice deepened with reverence. "It adapts to its wielder. For warriors, it strengthens mana flow. For scholars, it enhances comprehension. For healers, it boosts restorative arts. For those with unique bloodlines…" He let the sentence linger, gaze drifting over Victor. "It becomes something far more powerful."

Victor inhaled sharply. He could feel a subtle warmth beneath his skin just from touching it.

Rhozan added softly, "We have more. If you choose to aid us, the Kahr'uun people will grant you anything within our ability."

Victor looked down at the gem again with his lips parting slightly. "You're basically bribing me."

"We are begging you," Rhozan corrected. "Consider it. Think carefully before making your decision, great Iruhun."

Victor stared at him for a long moment.

"…I'll think about it," he finally muttered.

Rhozan nodded gratefully. "Good. Rest for tonight. In the morning, if you still wish to leave, I will personally guide you to the surface."

With a gesture, he opened the towering doors of a massive dwelling palace-like structure carved from glowing crystal and larger than any mansion Victor had ever seen.

Pillars spiraled toward the ceiling like frozen whirlpools. The doors alone were three stories tall.

Victor stepped inside and blinked. "Damn…"

Luxurious was an understatement. This place looked like it was crafted for royalty.

The floors bore a soft luminescence, floating lantern-globes littered the corridors and within one of the rooms was a bed that could comfortably fit thirty people. It had far more space than any one person needed. The Kahr'uun had clearly gone all out.

Rhozan bowed. "This abode was built for the Iruhun. Only one exists. It is yours for as long as you remain here."

Rhozan stepped back with a solemn look. "Think carefully, great Iruhun. Our fate… lies in your answer."

The doors slid shut behind him.

Victor was left standing alone with the gem still in his hand as its glow reflected faintly in his eyes.

He sat down on the edge of the enormous bed, stared at the ceiling of woven crystal, and exhaled.

"This is way too massive…" he muttered.

But even as he relaxed into the impossibly soft bedding, his mind refused to quiet.

Should he stay and help them?

Or leave tomorrow and pretend none of this mattered?

He would make his decision tomorrow. It's been a very long day.

For the first time since the space-time rift spat him out into the outside world far from the domed cities, Victor slept well.

Unlike the half-sleep of survival filled with paranoia, muscle-tensed, on hard surfaces or in hidden caves with one eye open... this time, he slept comfortably.

The bedding beneath him was unbelievably soft. His body sank into it, and every exhausted joint released months of tension.

Victor's cheek buried itself deeper into the plush surface as a slow smile formed on his lips. The warmth of the room, the soft glow of blue fire crystals embedded in the walls, and the faint scent of sweet resin eased his mind into dreams.

For the first time in too long… he felt safe.

Safe enough to dream.

Safe enough to hope.

Outside his chamber, however, hope was a far more complicated thing.

---

Rhozan made his way through the moonlit corridors of the Kahr'uun ancestral hall.

The stone door before him was cracked open causing faint blue radiance to pour through the gap.

He pushed it wider.

Inside, kneeling before an altar carved entirely from black bonewood, was Priest Akaruun, an elder of rites and voice of their ancestors.

Akaruun's hands made slow gestures, weaving sigils of white vapor into the air.

The smoke twisted into shapes of faces... flickering images of their forgotten dead before dispersing into shimmering dust.

He chanted in their ancient tongue with a low and resonant tone.

When Rhozan's footsteps echoed across the chamber, Akaruun paused, though he did not turn.

"You walk with purpose," the priest murmured. "But purpose does not always equal wisdom."