The trio stumbled upon a clearing near a massive fallen tree, its gnarled roots creating a natural barrier. Vikas looked around, analyzing the terrain with surprising strategic clarity.
"Alright, listen up," Vikas said, pointing at different angles around the clearing. "I've seen enough military movies and documentaries to know what we're doing. We set up camp here, but we do it smart."
Aryan crossed his arms. "Go on."
"So check it," Vikas continued, getting into his element. "We have your shadow soldiers positioned outside, yeah? Some of them buried in the grass and the ditches surrounding us. Then on two sides of us, its already sealed completely. One side gets heavy shadow guard—nobody gets through. The other side stays open, but we position more shadow soldiers at a distance. Anyone tries to creep in? They get handled before they even get close to us."
Ayush raised an eyebrow. "Okay, but like... when did you become a tactical genius?"
"I don't know, bro," Vikas shrugged. "Just makes sense."
Aryan let out a laugh. "Yo, Vikas really pulled strategic genius out of his ass. When did you develop actual brainpower?"
"Shut up," Vikas said, but he was grinning. "Is it a good plan or not?"
Ayush nodded slowly. "Nah, it's actually solid. Let's do it."
Ayush raised his hand and with precise hand movements and verbal commands, Ayush positioned each and every shadow soldier were vikas said.
"Alright, you're positioned here. You're watching that angle. You all? You're backup. If anything moves, you end it before it gets close," Ayush commanded, his voice carrying an authority.
"Aight. Let's sleep," Aryan said, finally relaxing.
The three of them crashed hard, exhausted,
Somewhere in continent-
massive that brain struggled to process the scale. The underground expanse stretched endlessly in all directions—easily large enough to fit an entire city, maybe multiple cities. The ceiling disappeared into darkness above.
The lighting came from rivers of actual lava flowing through carved channels in the ground, casting an orange-red glow across everything. dangerous, and simultaneously breathtaking.
Beautiful waterfalls cascaded from impossible heights, their mist catching the lava-light and creating an ethereal effect that didn't feel real. The water pooled into massive lakes that reflected the chaotic landscape above. Strange creatures flew through the air—monsters that shouldn't exist, their movements fluid despite their grotesque forms. Some had too many wings. Some had none but flew anyway. All of them looked fundamentally wrong.
The architecture was insane and everywhere to look at the lines seemed to shimmer—like reality itself was bending. It was all kind of dream place. The entire landscape was aesthetic.
And then there were the spiders.
Massive arachnids clung to the cavern ceiling, some are like easily the size of the house. Their legs alone could crush boulders. And some are the size of humans. Thousands of them, maybe millions.
A flying creature was making its way deeper into the cavern, but something was off. Its movement looked slow, almost leisurely, like it was gliding through honey.
The sheer size of this place was creating a visual illusion. The monster wasn't moving slowly at all—it was moving at tremendous speed. The cavern was just so incomprehensibly vast that distance became meaningless.
The creature approached a massive gate. The gate was the definition of horrifying. It was easily a hundred feet tall, decorated with grotesque carvings of tortured faces and twisted forms. Just looking at it made something primal inside.
The gate began to open.
The moment it opened, a wind so powerful it felt solid erupted outward. The flying monster was immediately shoved backward, its trajectory reversing against its will. But then—with a visible strain that suggested immense effort—the creature dug in. Its body flattened, becoming aerodynamic, and it pushed against the wind.
Its form began to sharpen, body compressing into a pointed spear shape, trying to pierce through the wind barrier like a needle through cloth. For a moment, the monster and the wind were locked in a stalemate, both forces equally matched.
Then the wind stopped.
The creature surged through the opening,
The chamber beyond was massive and attractive,
Four massive thrones were there. Two were positioned on the left side of a much grander throne—the central seat. Two more were on the right. And seated in those four thrones were creatures so horrifying that they made the flying monster outside look innocent kind puppy.
But there were a throne at between those guys.