Levi had been descending deeper into the dungeon for what felt like days. The further down he ventured, the more oppressive the air became, thick with the scent of sulfur and decay. His torch, enchanted with a flame that never extinguished, cast long shadows on the jagged walls of the corridor. The walls seemed to close in as the tunnel grew narrower, and the heat intensified, causing beads of sweat to roll down his neck. He had felt the dungeon’s change in mood—its malevolent energy pressing against his very being—but this level was different. It felt… alive, as if the dungeon itself was watching his every move.

The distant echo of his hooves on the stone floor was the only sound in the stifling silence, save for the occasional drip of molten rock or the hiss of a nearby geyser. Levi’s senses were heightened, his muscles tense, ready for whatever lay ahead. The dungeon was unpredictable, and he knew better than to relax his guard for even a moment.

Suddenly, a faint glow appeared at the end of the corridor, and Levi stopped in his tracks. His ears flicked forward as he narrowed his eyes, focusing on the light. It wasn’t the usual golden hue of his torchlight—this was different. It flickered erratically, casting an ominous orange-red glow on the walls. Levi felt the temperature rise even further, and a low rumble vibrated beneath his hooves, like the heartbeat of the dungeon itself.

He continued forward cautiously, his torch held low as he approached the source of the glow. The corridor opened into a small chamber, the floor cracked and glowing with veins of molten rock beneath the surface. The heat in the room was suffocating, and Levi had to blink away the stinging sweat that trickled into his eyes.

And then he saw it.

Standing at the center of the chamber was a figure, cloaked in flames. Its body was engulfed in fire, the intense heat warping the air around it. The cloak it wore seemed to be made of pure flame, its edges flickering and dancing with the movement of the inferno. The figure’s face was obscured by a smoldering hood, making it impossible to discern any features. Smoke billowed from beneath the hood, and the faint outline of a face seemed to shift and blur, as if the flames were consuming it.

Levi’s heart skipped a beat, but he forced himself to remain calm. The dungeon was full of strange and dangerous entities, but he had never encountered anything like this before. The figure stood motionless for a moment, its fiery form casting long shadows that stretched across the room. Then, slowly, it raised its blistered hands, palms out, as if it were reaching for him—or asking for something.

Levi tensed, instinctively backing up a step. The figure made no move to follow, but its hands remained outstretched, a silent plea. The air was thick with the sound of crackling flames, but as Levi focused on the figure, he began to hear something else—something buried beneath the roar of the fire. It was faint at first, almost imperceptible, but it gradually grew louder.

It sounded like a voice.

But it wasn’t a voice, not in any conventional sense. It was a series of crackling, guttural sounds, like the distant echoes of words being consumed by flames. The figure was trying to speak, but the fire that engulfed it made it impossible for any coherent words to form. The noise was unsettling, like the dying embers of a long-forgotten language.

Levi’s mind raced. What did this thing want? Why was it here, standing in the middle of the dungeon, reaching out to him? His instincts screamed at him to turn and run, but something about the figure held him in place. There was a sorrow in its movements, a desperation in the way it held its hands out toward him. It wasn’t hostile—not yet, at least. But the figure’s presence was undeniably unnatural, and Levi knew that whatever it was, it didn’t belong here.

He took a slow, steady breath, trying to keep his nerves in check. The temperature in the chamber was unbearable now, and the air felt like it was searing his lungs with each breath. He had to make a decision, and fast.

“What do you want?” Levi asked, his voice steady despite the uncertainty gnawing at him. He wasn’t sure if the figure could understand him, but he had to try. “Why are you here?”

The figure didn’t respond with words—only that same crackling sound, as if it were attempting to communicate but lacked the ability to form the words. The flames around it flared briefly, and its hands extended further, almost as if it were pleading.

Levi’s eyes narrowed as he studied the figure. There was something off about its movements, something deliberate yet strained, like it was trapped within the flames. His gaze shifted to the blistered, charred hands reaching out to him. They weren’t just burned—they were decayed, as though whatever this creature had once been was long dead. The fire wasn’t just engulfing it; it was consuming it, burning it alive over and over again.

His mind raced through the possibilities. Was this some kind of guardian? A curse? Or perhaps a lost soul, trapped in the dungeon’s depths for eternity? The dungeon was ancient, older than any Courser could fathom, and its secrets ran deep. Levi had seen plenty of strange things in his time as an adventurer, but this was something entirely different.

His gaze fell to the creature’s hands once more. It wanted something—there was no doubt about that. But what?

Levi hesitated for only a moment longer before he reached into his pack. He wasn’t sure what to offer—he had no idea what this being might need or want. But he had encountered spirits and entities before that craved something physical to anchor them, to give them a semblance of purpose or release. Carefully, he pulled out a small, ornate vial filled with enchanted water, a rare and valuable item he had acquired on a previous delve. The water shimmered faintly in the dim light, its surface cool and undisturbed by the heat of the chamber.

“Is this what you need?” Levi asked, holding the vial up so the creature could see it.

The figure’s reaction was immediate. The flames around it flared up violently, and the crackling noise grew louder, almost frantic. Its hands trembled as it reached out even further, clearly desperate for the vial. The sudden intensity of its movements startled Levi, and he took a step back, his grip tightening on the vial.

The creature made no move to attack, but the urgency in its actions was unmistakable. Levi’s mind raced—if this was what it needed, then perhaps giving it the vial would set it free. Or… it could be a trap, a way to trick him into lowering his guard.

But there was something about the creature’s desperation, something that stirred a sense of empathy within Levi. He had encountered malevolent spirits and vengeful entities before, but this one didn’t feel the same. There was no malice in its actions, only pain.

Levi took a deep breath, steeling himself. He couldn’t know for sure what would happen, but his instincts told him that this creature wasn’t his enemy—not yet.

Slowly, he extended the vial toward the figure, holding it just out of reach.

The creature’s hands trembled violently as they hovered near the vial, and for a moment, Levi thought it might collapse under the weight of its own desperation. Then, with a sudden, jerky movement, it grasped the vial in its blistered hands.

The moment the figure touched the vial, the flames around it flared up one final time, engulfing the entire chamber in a blinding flash of light and heat. Levi stumbled back, shielding his eyes from the inferno, but the heat didn’t burn him. It was intense, overwhelming, but it passed over him like a wave.

And then, as quickly as it had flared up, the fire died down. The chamber was plunged into silence once more.

When Levi lowered his hoof and opened his eyes, the figure was gone. All that remained was the empty vial, lying on the ground where the creature had stood. The blistered hands, the smoldering cloak—all of it had vanished, as if it had never been there.

Levi stared at the empty vial for a long moment, his mind reeling. Whatever that creature had been, it was gone now, its presence lingering only in the oppressive heat that still filled the chamber.

With a heavy sigh, Levi picked up the empty vial and slipped it back into his pack. There were no answers here, only more questions. But that was the nature of the dungeon—it never gave up its secrets easily.

Levi took one last glance around the chamber before turning to leave, the glow of his torch casting long shadows as he ventured deeper into the dungeon.