Within a vast chamber illuminated by some strange plants growing on the ceiling, a boy and an overgrown lizard sat across each other at a circular stone table.
The lizard looked at Alden bashfully.
Meanwhile, he was doing his best to ignore the absurdity of the situation and silently cursing the universe for putting him in it.
"So," he broke the silence. "What is it you need to chat about?"
Honestly, Alden was a little curious too. What did a spear-wielding lizard yandere even want to talk about?
"Anything," she said, tail swaying lazily. "I just want to chat with someone."
He shifted awkwardly.
He wasn't exactly built for this. Starting conversations wasn't his thing.
He was an introvert, his idea of bonding was mutual silence and maybe shared trauma.
The lizard continued, her tone cheerful. "You can call me Elva. What's your name?"
Alden hesitated. Giving his real name to a woman who had just tried to kill him five minutes ago didn't feel like the smartest move.
"…It's Damien," he said finally. Technically not a lie.
Oh gods, this was going to be a nightmare.
Elva continued with some weirdly normal questions, like what food humans liked these days, how cities smelled and whether people still fought wars over petty reasons.
Alden didn't share anything sensitive. Just enough to keep the conversation going.
He learned a lot through their conversation.
Although Elva avoided saying anything important… he didn't miss the occasional slip.
Eventually, he even found out the truth about those skeleton "husbands" she'd joked about earlier.
They weren't killed by her.
They had killed themselves.
According to Elva, she didn't enjoy killing.
But unless someone could defeat her in combat, they couldn't pass through to the next chamber. That was the law of the temple.
And they couldn't give up either. The trial wouldn't allow it.
She couldn't even go easy on them, no matter how much she wanted to.
So the challengers remained here, trapped and starving with no way forward and no way out
Some tried again and again until their bodies gave out.
Others simply… stopped trying and killed themselves.
From then on, Elva started killing.
Not out of cruelty. But because watching her friends break, starve and die in front of her shattered something inside her.
She couldn't handle the guilt.
The way they looked at her—pleading for help she couldn't give.
Dying to poison was one thing.
But dying to despair?
So instead of letting them die slowly… she began ending things quickly.
She even told Alden… once the battle began, she won't go easy on him.
She won't let him survive and break, in front of her.
She would kill him painlessly.
Alden didn't know what to say to that.
Because how do you comfort someone who kills out of kindness?
It was easy to joke about someone. But harder to look them in the eye and see someone lonely, trapped by a goddamn system.
After an hour… the strange little chat session finally came to an end.
Elva leaned back. "So, Damien. What is your question?"
He looked at her, silent for a long moment.
There were so many things he wanted to ask.
Where was this place, really?
Was it the same place where he had gotten his sword of chaos?
But none of them would really help him survive. So he asked the most important one.
So he asked the one that mattered most.
"What is this temple?" Alden said. "And has anyone ever completed all the trials before?"
Elva wasn't amused by the question. In fact, she looked more like someone who had expected it all along.
Her smile faded. "Even I don't know much about it, Damien. I am just trapped in this first chamber… for centuries."
She exhaled slowly. "All I do is wait and fight. Occasionally guide the ones who pass to the next level. That's all I've ever known."
She paused for a moment.
"But judging from the fact that I'm still here…" Her voice dropped slightly. "No one's ever completed the trials."
"The only hint I can give is… trust your instincts. Trust yourself. And don't hesitate to kill anyone. Including me." Her gaze paused on him for a moment. "That's the only way forward."
With those words, she got up from her seat. The table between them glowed and dissolved into nothing. Just like how it appeared before.
"So," she said, her voice lighter again. "Shall we begin our final match… or do you want to rest a bit longer?"
Alden didn't waste a second. He stood, his eyes cold and steady.
Elva stepped forward, summoning her weapon.
Alden's [Sword of Chaos] was also back in his hands.
He felt pity about her situation but he wasn't going to let his emotions cloud his judgement.
No matter how tragic her story, she stood between him and survival.
And from how she talked about "guiding" the challengers to the next chamber…
It was clear, she wasn't going to die even if he killed her.
Probably some mechanism of this temple… maybe the guardians are revived after death.
… or maybe they are never fully alive in the first place.
He was going to fight with everything he had. Not out of hate.
But because this was the path he had chosen.
Elva smiled faintly seeing his resolve. She didn't know why… but ever since she saw him… she felt he was different.
He didn't treat her like a monster.
He wasn't afraid. And more than that… he wasn't cruel.
Most challengers screamed, cursed or begged. Some trembled before the fight even began.
He simply looked her in the eye and listened.
And he was strong. Far stronger than most who had come before.
But what caught her attention the most… was the sword he carried. She had seen it once before, long ago.
A woman who promised her freedom.
Before she vanished, she left Elva with a single prophecy
"One day… someone wielding the same sword will come.
And when they do… they'll break this cycle.
They'll free all of you from your eternal suffering."
Elva looked at the boy
Are you really the one who will set us free?
Yeah, I know. I know. The pace slowed down a bit here. But hear me out.
I couldn't just leave Elva as some crazy lizard without giving her real depth. She deserved at least one chapter where you understand the weight she carries.
This moment wasn't about stalling, it was about giving the fight meaning.
Appreciate those of you still sticking with the story. You guys are legends.
And as always, if you spot anything off or have thoughts, drop a comment. You know me, I always reply.