The Reluctant Hero.

The morning air in Niriyain carried the bitter chill of uncertainty. Cal stood at the edge of the market square, his pack slung over his shoulder. It was heavier than usual—filled with tools, rations, and scraps of gear he’d bartered for over the years. Behind him, the distant hum of the city’s outer rim faded into the background as he fixed his eyes on the horizon: the unknown region.

The place wasn’t just a part of Niriyain—it was a wound in the dimension, a scar left behind by something ancient and forgotten. Stories spoke of horrors that lurked within its depths, of scavengers and mercenaries who ventured in and never came out.

“Are you sure about this?”

Cal turned to see Kelaar standing a few paces behind him, her arms crossed and her expression tight.

“No,” he admitted.

“Then don’t go.”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he adjusted the strap on his pack and looked past her, toward the bustling market where life went on as usual. It wasn’t much of a life—scavenging, fighting, barely surviving—but it was all they had. And that wasn’t enough anymore.

“They’re offering too much to pass up,” he finally said. “One haul from the unknown region could set us up for months. Maybe longer.”

“Or it could kill you,” Kelaar shot back.

“Maybe,” Cal said. “But I can’t keep scraping by like this. None of us can. This might be our only chance to—”

“To what?” Kelaar interrupted. “Change the world? Save everyone? You’re not a hero, Cal.”

The words stung, but he didn’t let it show.

“I’m not trying to be a hero,” he said quietly. “I’m just trying to survive.”

Kelaar’s eyes softened, but the tension in her shoulders remained. She stepped closer, lowering her voice. “If you don’t come back...”

“I’ll come back,” he promised, though the weight of his words felt hollow even to him.

She sighed, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small, folded blade. “Take this,” she said, pressing it into his hand. “Just in case.”

Cal nodded, tucking the blade into his belt. He didn’t thank her—he didn’t need to. The look in his eyes said enough.

Without another word, he turned and started walking.

The journey to the unknown region was as desolate as it was unsettling. The outskirts of the outer rim gave way to a barren wasteland of jagged rocks and shifting sands, the air heavy with an electric charge that made the hairs on the back of Cal’s neck stand on end.

The deeper he went, the quieter it became. Even the whispers of Niriyain itself seemed to fade, replaced by a deafening silence that pressed against his ears like a physical weight.

He wasn’t alone, though.

A group of six other scavengers had also taken the job, each as desperate as he was. They were a motley crew—grizzled veterans, fresh-faced recruits, and one silent figure who kept their hood pulled low, their face obscured. None of them spoke much, and Cal didn’t bother learning their names.

“Keep moving,” one of the veterans barked as they approached a ridge overlooking the unknown region. “We don’t stop until we find something worth taking.”

Cal didn’t argue. He didn’t trust any of them, but for now, they were his best chance of surviving.

As they crested the ridge, the sight before them took his breath away.

The unknown region stretched out like a massive scar, the ground fractured and glowing faintly with an otherworldly light. Massive spires of black stone jutted upward, twisting into impossible shapes that seemed to defy the laws of reality. The air was thick with an unnatural stillness, broken only by the occasional crackle of energy that arced between the spires.

“This is a bad idea,” one of the recruits muttered, their voice trembling.

“No one asked you,” the veteran snapped.

They descended into the region cautiously, their movements slow and deliberate. Every step felt wrong, as if the ground might crumble beneath them at any moment.

Cal kept to the back of the group, his eyes scanning the area for anything useful—or dangerous. He wasn’t sure what they were supposed to be looking for, but he had a feeling they’d know it when they saw it.

And then they did.

In the center of the region, surrounded by a circle of jagged spires, was something that didn’t belong.

It was a figure, humanoid but impossibly large. Its body was smooth and featureless, its skin a deep, pulsating purple that seemed to shift and shimmer in the light. It lay motionless on the ground, its chest rising and falling slowly as if it were asleep.

The scavengers froze, their breaths caught in their throats.

“What the hell is that?” someone whispered.

No one answered.

Cal’s pulse quickened as he stepped closer, his curiosity battling with his sense of self-preservation. The figure was unlike anything he’d ever seen, its sheer presence radiating power and something else—something ancient and unknowable.

“It’s sleeping,” the hooded figure said, their voice calm but laced with unease.

“Yeah? Let’s keep it that way,” the veteran growled. “Grab what you can and get out.”

But as one of the scavengers moved toward the figure, the ground beneath them began to tremble. The air grew heavy, crackling with energy as the figure stirred.

Its eyes opened.

They were green—brilliant, piercing green—and they seemed to see through everything, through everyone. The figure rose slowly, its towering form casting a shadow over the group.

The scavengers panicked.

Some tried to run, but the moment they turned, they froze, their bodies locked in place by an invisible force. Others fell to their knees, their faces twisted in terror.

Cal didn’t move. He couldn’t.

The figure’s gaze settled on him, and for a moment, everything else faded. The world around him disappeared, replaced by a void of swirling colors and whispers that he couldn’t understand.

“You,” the figure said, its voice echoing in his mind. “You woke me.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Cal managed to say, his voice barely a whisper.

The figure tilted its head, studying him. “And yet you did. Tell me, child of Niriyain, why have you come?”

Cal’s mouth went dry. He didn’t have an answer—or at least, not one that would satisfy a being like this.

“I...” he began, but the words caught in his throat.

The figure raised a hand, and the other scavengers disappeared. Cal didn’t know if they were dead or simply gone, but he was suddenly alone with the towering entity.

“You seek something,” it said. “Power. Purpose. Freedom.”

Cal’s heart pounded in his chest. “I just want to survive.”

The figure’s green eyes seemed to pierce through him, and for a moment, he felt as if his very soul was being laid bare.

“Then prove it,” the figure said.

Before Cal could respond, the void consumed him, and everything went dark.