Pain.

  It was the first thing Kofi felt as he drifted back to consciousness, a dull ache spreading through every inch of his body. His muscles burned, his head throbbed, and a cold sweat clung to his skin like a second layer.

  He groaned, forcing his eyes open.

  The world around him had changed. He was no longer in that suffocating void, nor was he back in the clearing where the gate had disappeared. Instead, he lay sprawled on a cracked stone floor, dimly lit by flickering torches mounted on ancient walls. The air was thick with dust, and the distant sound of dripping water echoed through the cavernous space.

  A dungeon. But not just any dungeon.

  Kofi pushed himself up, biting back a wince. His sword was still in his grip, but it felt heavier than before, its once-dull blade now humming faintly in his hands. He took a shaky breath and scanned his surroundings.

  The chamber was massive, lined with worn-out carvings on the walls—symbols he didn’t recognize. Some looked like twisted variations of Adinkra symbols, but distorted, as if they had been warped by time or something far more sinister.

  Then, the voice returned.

  "You survived. Interesting."

  Kofi tensed, gripping his sword tighter. "Who are you?"

  "Names mean little to your kind. But if you must call me something... I am the Obsidian Spirit, a remnant of what once was."

  Kofi swallowed hard, his mind racing. He knew about spirits—West African folklore was filled with them. Ancestors, gods, creatures of the unknown. But nothing he had ever heard of spoke like this.

  "You have entered a place that does not exist, a dungeon beyond the grasp of human understanding. Few stumble here, and fewer leave. Yet... you persist."

  Kofi frowned. "I didn’t choose to come here. The gate—"

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  "The gate was never meant for you. And yet, it took you. Perhaps it saw something. Or perhaps it merely wished to watch you struggle."

  The torches flickered as the voice rumbled through the chamber. Kofi clenched his jaw. He didn’t have time for cryptic riddles—he needed to find a way out before something found him.

  "Ah, you are eager to leave. But before you do, you must earn your right."

  A deep rumble shook the room, and Kofi instinctively took a step back. A section of the stone wall crumbled, revealing a passageway leading deeper into the dungeon. The air beyond it was darker, thicker. Something waited in that darkness.

  Kofi exhaled sharply. "Figures. Trial by combat, right?"

  The voice chuckled, a hollow, echoing sound. "Perhaps. Or perhaps it is merely fate."

  Kofi had no other choice. He adjusted his grip on his sword and took a step forward.

  The passage twisted and turned, narrowing in places until he had to squeeze through jagged openings. The deeper he went, the heavier the air became, pressing down on him like an unseen weight.

  Then, he saw it.

  A hulking figure crouched at the center of a circular chamber. It was humanoid but grotesquely deformed, its skin an unnatural shade of obsidian, cracked and glowing with veins of fiery red. Two empty sockets where eyes should have been. Its breathing was ragged, deep, like a beast waiting to be unleashed.

  As soon as Kofi stepped inside, the creature twitched.

  Then, it moved.

  Faster than something its size should be able to, it lunged, its clawed hand sweeping toward Kofi like a scythe. He barely had time to react, ducking under the swing as the force of the attack shattered a section of the stone wall behind him.

  Too fast!

  He scrambled back, raising his sword just in time to block another attack. The impact sent a shockwave up his arms, nearly making him drop his weapon. His legs buckled, but he forced himself to stay upright.

  The creature didn’t wait. It pressed forward, slashing relentlessly, giving Kofi no time to breathe. He dodged as best as he could, but it was clear—he was outmatched.

  "You are weak," the Obsidian Spirit observed. "Pathetic. But not without potential."

  "Not helping!" Kofi gritted his teeth, barely sidestepping a blow that cracked the floor beneath him.

  His mind raced. He couldn’t overpower the creature. He needed to be smarter.

  Then, he noticed something—the cracks along the creature’s obsidian body. Every time it moved, the glowing veins pulsed brighter, like molten lava straining beneath the surface.

  That was it.

  He couldn’t fight it head-on, but he could make it break itself.

  Taking a deep breath, Kofi steadied his stance. He had to bait it.

  "Come on, ugly," he muttered. "Let’s see if you’re as dumb as you look."

  The creature roared and lunged again. This time, instead of dodging outright, Kofi waited until the last possible second—then twisted his body, letting the momentum carry him just past the monster’s claws.

  It stumbled, its own weight dragging it forward.

  Kofi struck.

  He brought his sword down on the largest crack he had seen, putting every ounce of strength he had into the swing. The blade connected with a sickening crunch, and the creature let out an agonized howl.

  The crack spread.

  The glowing veins flickered violently.

  Then, with one final, echoing shriek, the creature shattered—exploding into shards of obsidian that disintegrated before they even hit the ground.

  Silence.

  Kofi stood there, panting, his body screaming in protest. But he had won.

  "Impressive," the voice mused. "You are more than I expected."

  Kofi exhaled. "Yeah, well... I had no intention of dying here."

  The ground beneath him rumbled, and for a moment, he tensed. But instead of another monster, something else happened. A strange, golden glow surrounded his body, seeping into his skin.

  A new sensation flooded him—warmth, strength, something deep and ancient awakening inside of him.

  "Your first step toward Ascension has begun."

  Then, the world around him shifted once more.

  And he knew—this was only the beginning.