The forest was empty except for Hump. A red light shone through the trees, casting long shadows. It hung low in the sky, a glimmer on the horizon like the setting sun, but something deep inside told him that wasn’t it. This was something darker. The sensation pierced him to the core. He rubbed the tiredness from his eyes and frowned. He’d been asleep in the inn. Pain flared in his head like piercing ice, and the thought left him.

You must keep going, a voice told him.

Surrounded by the dark, empty forest, Hump saw no choice but to trust his instincts. His breath cast mist in the cold air, yet strangely, he felt warm. He didn’t have his staff, so he used his bare hands to break apart leaves and twigs, or threw his weight into branches, forging a path through the dense undergrowth. Slowly, the red light grew brighter. With it, Hump felt himself warming, like he’d taken a sip of wizardfire.

Gradually, the forest thinned out. The shrubs and bushes died back to reveal dusty grey earth. Hump continued to push forward, catching glimpses of the red light ahead, partially hidden by rocky terrain. He went down onto all fours as earth gave way to jagged, bumpy rocks, forcing him to scramble upward. It was cold and hard to the touch, but he felt strong right now. Strong enough to climb a mountain if he had to. He dragged himself up the formation, coming to stand at its peak. From above, he realised it formed a circle of stone with a pit at its centre.

In the pit Hump saw the source of the light. A dungeon core sat on its stone pedestal. The crystal ball radiated the red essence of life. It radiated power. He stared, unable to look away, enamoured by the light. Hump felt its heat course through him, giving itself to him. Power that could be his. Power that wanted to be wielded, if only he took it.

It wouldn’t be the first time he’d reached for dungeon essence, though he knew it was different to before. Back in Bledsbury Dungeon, he’d required a formation to control it and bend this chaotic power to his will. Now…

His soul soared with desire. He reached out with his hand, stretched his fingers toward the core as if to grab it. To take the power he so craved. Hump breathed deeply, and he lowered his hand, letting it fall limply at his side.

No, he told himself. I have to go. I shouldn’t be here.

With that thought, an avalanche of fear surged through him. He pulled his eyes away from the dungeon core as it threatened to overwhelm him. He whirled around, desperate for escape.

Lucile stood before him, brown hair draped over a perfectly white gown. She watched him with gentle eyes and a soft smile on her lips.

“Is this not what you want?” she asked. “This is your chance for power, Hump. Take it!”

Hump shook his head. “No. This isn’t my power to take. It is evil.”

“Look at it,” she whispered. “Feel it. It is a tool for you to wield. Even now, it feeds you strength.”

“No. I need to go back.” Hump tried to get past her and reach the path beyond, but she blocked his way. He fell back, landing on the ground where he caught himself on his hands.

“Hump…” She gave him a sympathetic look. “You have already come so far. Just one more step.”

“You’re not really here,” Hump growled. “I watched you die. This is a dream. None of this is real.”

The red light grew brighter, and Hump felt its heat building on his back. His blood surged with its power.

Her brow furrowed. “There is no turning back.” Her voice was sharper now. Commanding.

“No.” Pain flared in his head and Hump pressed his hands against it. “This is a dream. You’re dead. I’m asleep at the inn.”

Still the red light grew. Hump’s blood was boiling. He willed himself to wake up, but the forest only grew brighter, the heat stronger. The entire world shook, and a roaring, crumbling sound erupting around him as the trees shattered and fell. The ground gave way beneath him, and he fell, his stomach lurching. The earth was like dust against his skin. Stone rose around him, forming walls on all side, blocking him off from the forest until only the red light and Lucile remained.

“Oh Hump,” she said, her voice echoing. “When it comes to magic, the line between dream and reality is vague.”

Her body shifted, melting like candle wax, morphing into something else. Earth was dragged up her feet, sifting along her body and turning her pale skin to red sand before his eyes. It hardened, appearing like clay, glowing in the red light of the dungeon core. Yellow eyes stared at him; an ivory smile sneered on its face. It laughed in that hollow, terrible way of the gorger.

“No,” Hump said. The transformation was complete. Lucile was gone, and only the gorger remained.

He heard the clink of chains, and before he could blink his wrists were bound. He screamed as he was dragged into the air, until his toes just barely touched the ground. The gorger leaned in closer, its deep, pit-like eyes staring into his. Curious. Hungry.

“There is no escape,” it said. “You will be here with me until I am finished with you. Until you are mine.”

It pressed its hand against Hump’s chest and cold lanced through him. Hump screamed, as its power wormed its way through his channels, burrowing down to the depths of his soul.

The world turned black, and the void descended, his own screams becoming distant, before vanishing entirely. Despair descended upon him. He was in the gorger’s lair, without escape, and without a chance to survive.

A roar shook the darkness, and warmth surged through him, invigorating him. He felt hot breath, saw the shadow of wings through the void, and saw the glint of purple eyes staring back from beyond the fabric of the void. There was a challenge to them. Would he bow down here, or would he fight?

Not again, Hump thought. The gorger will not have me. The dungeon will not take me.

His opponent did not matter. This was his soul. His mind. He would not allow them to dominate his will any longer. He threw his strength back against the gorger’s icy touch. The fabric of the void erupted in white flame, and the curtain was burnt back. It shrivelled and dissipated, revealing the room of stone once more.

The gorger retreated a step, staring at him with fearful eyes. “You cannot escape.”

Hump looked up, his wrists still bound in chains. “I have broken your chains before.” Fire manifested before him, red hot, suspended between himself and the gorger. “I will do so again.”

He infused it with his resolve, fuelled it with the strength of his soul. White wisps flickered in the flame, and then it turned blindingly bright. The gorger recoiled from its heat, screaming as it fell back against the stone walls, unable to escape. Still the flame grew hotter, and Hump directed it to the chains above, melting them as though they were ice. He dropped suddenly, landing lightly on is feet.

He stared at the gorger, relishing in its fear, until the world was engulfed by white fire.

Hump shot upright, surrounded by the dim darkness of a moonlit night. He was back at the inn. For a while, he sat there, gasping for breath, his heart hammering so hard he thought his chest might explode. His head seared with pain. Adrenaline and fear coursed through him as his body caught up with the fact it was just a nightmare. He was safe. The gorger’s lair was long gone. It could never reach him again.

Eventually, he took in the room. He’d kicked off his blankets in his sleep and was lying atop the bed, coated in sweat. Despite that, he was cold to the bone. It took him a moment to realise why.

Essence overuse. Fear rekindled as he realised he’d been drawing upon essence in his sleep. Turning his mind inward, he envisioned the river of his essence, and what he found was turmoil. His channels had turned to ice, and waves upon waves of uncontrolled power broke free of his core.

And then he sensed it. The chaotic power of dungeon essence filled the room. It was faint now, so faint he could only tell because he was searching for it, but there was no doubt in his mind.

It wasn’t entirely a dream after all. Somehow, he’d drawn upon the dungeon essence of Stonebark Forest. Or perhaps, it had sought him out, hitching a ride out of the forest like some parasitic leech.

He shivered as his mind went back to Lucile—back to the gorger. Chills ran down his already cold spine, completely uncontrollable. He’d felt the beast’s icy touch so vividly that for a moment he truly thought he was back in its lair, and that all the time that had passed since had been the dream instead. He’d seen the void. And the dragon had come for him.

Dungeon essence, Lucile, the gorger, and the dragon’s imprint. Gods above, what’s happening to me?

There was a sudden glimmer of light nearby and Hump glanced over at his nightstand, where his spellbook rested. He took it, and the pages opened in a blur of blue essence.

Spellbook

White Flame

Evocation | Soul Magic | Tier 4

Description: Fire empowered with indomitable will and infused with the strength of the soul.

Notes

To you who have uncovered the secret of this power, I pity you, for you have suffered more than any should. The White Flame comes only to those who have known despair. Know this: For every pit of darkness, there is some light to find. Some lesson to learn. And it is only there in the abyss that light can shine brightest. Learn well from the lessons of the past, but do not let the past keep you from moving forward.

Hump stared down at the page. There was no name or date to go with the note. The only explanation he could think of was that this was left behind by the first master. Perhaps the person who created the spellbook. He considered the note, unable to understand how he had uncovered such an ability in his sleep.

Despite his tiredness, he did the only thing he could think of. Closing his eyes, he envisioned a white flame before him. He threw into it all the will and essence he could muster, and whispered, “White Flame.”

The room turned suddenly bright. It was far smaller than in his dream—a mere fingernail compared to the all-burning fire—but he’d done it. Tier 4 magic, and it was easy.

With that thought, he felt the stabbing cold of essence overuse, and his flame flickered from existence. He fell back against the wall, clutching at his chest. He tried to collect himself. To focus on the River and Waves as his master had taught him, and to an extent, he pushed back the cold. But his mind wandered. The horrors of his nightmare snuck up on him, breaking his focus, sending his heart racing once more, as much with frustration as with fear.

In the end, he gave up and instead propped himself up on his blankets and rested his egg in his lap. If sleep would not come, and meditation could not help, there was one other place he could turn to. Just the thought of the act forced a calmness on him. He couldn’t let his emotional state affect the baby dragon inside. He managed to find a little bit of excitement out of the dark. The glimpse of the dragon. The span of her wings, the purple of her eyes, the warmth of her essence and the searing heat of white fire. He shared that with the hatchling and smiled as it jumped with warmth and curiosity.

Its emotions were clearer to Hump now, impressing on his mind as if he were experiencing them himself. There was no mistaking the hint of worry, but Hump had noticed its thoughts maturing. They were sharper, and closer to his own. More and more its mind developed, showing Hump images that he had once shared with the creature.

Lost to his egg bonding, Hump didn’t notice morning’s arrival until the smell of food drifted up from the kitchen. It was already late when he dressed and went downstairs for breakfast, the rest of his party already eating along with Marcela’s. They would be working together to secure the hornbeam farms for the village today—not exactly their quest objective, but there was more than just monsters to protect these people from.

When he sat down, Celaine and Dylan looked at him with concern on their faces.

“Bad night?” Dylan asked.

“You look exhausted,” Celaine said.

“Another bad dream,” Hump said. They already knew he’d had some trouble since returning from the Remnant Realm, but he’d hidden the true extent of it. Only Vivienne knew of his visions of Lucile. He glanced over at Marcela’s party, Bud and Emilia engaged in conversation about the day’s mission.

Celaine chuckled uneasily. “You’re making me nervous, Hump. What is it?”

“I dreamt of Lucile,” Hump whispered. “I was in the forest and came across the dungeon core. She tried to convince me to accept its power. When I refused, the world collapsed, and I was back in the gorger’s lair.”

“It must be horrible,” Dylan said.

“I can get used to the nightmares,” Hump said. “This was different. I woke up cold to the bone and suffering from essence overuse. That doesn’t happen from just a dream. I’m worried this was the dungeon essence trying to corrupt me. Or worse, the gorger has marked my soul and saw this as its moment. And… I seem to have learnt a new spell.”

Celaine gawked at him, opened her mouth, but stopped herself as the innkeeper approached, bringing with him a serving of hornbeam porridge.

Once he left, Celaine glanced over at the other group, who were still talking. “We’ll talk before we leave. Alone. You should eat, otherwise it will look odd.”

Hump looked down at his bowl, realising how much he was starving. “Sure.”

“We’ll figure this out,” she added. “You’re not dealing with this alone.”