The morning wind carried a strange chill as Veer stepped into the Ranthari Canyons. The towering red cliffs, scorched by centuries of sun and sand, cast long shadows across the narrow pathways. Cracks spidered through the rocks like veins, and in the silence, even his own footsteps sounded too loud—like an intruder in a land that had forgotten voices.
The canyon was different from anything he had encountered. Sindhaal was filled with life, however broken it once was. But this place—it felt abandoned. Not ruined. Not destroyed. Simply… left behind.
Veer moved slowly.
His eyes scanned every ledge, every crevice, as he descended into the narrow pass. Strange markings adorned the canyon walls—symbols that shimmered faintly in the sun before vanishing when touched by shadow. They looked ancient, far older than any script he had seen in his travels. Some bore resemblance to Vedic runes, but twisted and reshaped, like they'd been rewritten by something not entirely human.
> [System Notification: Presence of Old Magic Detected – Origin: Pre-Tribal Civilization]
[Warning: Area is unstable – Dimensional energy detected]
That last part made him pause.
"Dimensional energy?"
He reached out and touched one of the glowing marks.
It pulsed beneath his palm—not warm, not cold, but something beyond temperature. A vibration that crawled into his skin and whispered to his bones. And for a second, just a blink of a moment—he wasn't standing in the canyon anymore.
He was falling.
Through air, through darkness, through a crack in reality.
And then he was back.
Veer staggered back, gasping.
The mark was gone.
> [System Alert: Temporary Rift Triggered – Do not interact with unstable glyphs without anchor protection]
"What in Shiva's name is this place?"
But there were no answers. Only echoes.
He pressed on, deeper into the gorge. Time felt strange here. The sun moved slower, or maybe faster—it was hard to tell. At some point, he passed what looked like an abandoned watchtower, carved directly into the canyon wall. Vines had swallowed its entryway, and broken tools littered the ground, long rusted and brittle.
Inside, he found remnants.
Not bodies. But signs of life.
Worn sandals. A child's stone doll. Ashes in a clay pot.
And on the back wall, a message carved deep into the stone.
"We did not flee. We were taken."
Veer stared at the words, the hairs on his neck rising.
That was when he heard it—a whisper, carried not by the wind, but through the stone itself. A low chant, incomprehensible but rhythmic, like a ritual being repeated over and over, echoing between the rocks.
He followed it.
It led him to a narrow crevice in the canyon, almost hidden beneath a collapsed archway. He had to slide sideways to get through, the rock scraping his arms and shoulders.
And then he emerged into a hidden gorge.
This was no ordinary part of the canyon. The sun barely reached the ground, blocked by natural stone pillars and towering cliffs. Strange flowers bloomed in impossible colors, glowing faintly in the dark. And at the center of it all stood a monolith—black stone, taller than three men, humming with unnatural energy.
But what caught his eye wasn't the stone.
It was the figure kneeling before it.
A woman. Draped in dark robes, her hair tied with bones, her forehead marked with black ash. She whispered into the stone, the chant continuing.
She hadn't noticed him.
Veer didn't draw his blade. Not yet.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice echoing slightly.
The woman stopped mid-chant. Slowly, she stood and turned.
Her eyes were completely white. Not blind—but glowing, as if fire burned behind them.
"You've come too far, firebearer," she said, voice layered. Like two people speaking at once. "This land is not yours."
Veer stepped forward cautiously. "I came looking for the tribe of Ranthari. I heard they vanished."
"They did not vanish," she said, touching the monolith gently. "They were… absorbed."
"By what?"
She smiled. Not kindly.
"By the canyon. By the old power that sleeps beneath it."
> [System Warning: Unknown Entity Detected – Title: Whisper-Keeper of the Deep]
Veer's fingers curled toward his blade.
The woman—no, the Whisper-Keeper—raised a hand.
From behind the monolith, shadows shifted.
Figures began to step out.
They looked human, but wrong. Limbs too long. Faces blank. Eyes glowing with that same pale light. They didn't walk—they drifted, like smoke wearing skin.
"The tribe still lives," she said softly. "But they belong to the stone now."
Veer's heart pounded.
"Let them go."
"They are free," she said, tilting her head. "Freer than you. You carry burdens—names, tribes, ideals. But here, in the deep, all are one."
"I carry my burdens because they matter."
> [System Skill Activated: Voice of Unity]
[Effect: Minor disruption to controlled minds within vicinity]
Some of the drifting figures paused.
Their eyes flickered.
One even stepped back, trembling.
The Whisper-Keeper hissed.
"You will not break what I've rebuilt!"
She slammed her hand onto the monolith.
The ground shook.
And from the shadows, something else emerged.
It was not human. Not a ghost. A creature of stone and shadow, with too many arms and no face, rising like a statue torn from a nightmare.
> [System Challenge Initiated: Mini-Boss – Guardian of the Forgotten]
[Weakness: Light-infused weaponry | Resistance: Physical attacks]
Veer drew his blade, heart steady.
"I don't need light."
He stepped forward, fire blooming from his palm, dancing across the steel like a ribbon of sun.
"I am the flame."
The battle exploded into motion.
The creature lunged, arms flailing like clubs. Veer dodged, rolling to the side, striking with precision. Each hit sizzled with fire, but it wasn't enough.
The Whisper-Keeper chanted louder, and the tribe-shades surged toward him.
Veer focused, his system whispering paths, outcomes, weaknesses.
> [Skill Unlocked: Shivāstra – Temporary invocation of divine flame for one minute]
"Now," Veer whispered, "you'll see."
He invoked Shivāstra.
His blade erupted in blue flame—not fire, but divine essence. It hummed like a temple bell, vibrating with truth.
He sliced through the creature's arm. It howled—an unholy sound that shook the very rocks. He moved like lightning, a dance of fire and grit, dodging, countering, striking.
And then—
With a final cry, he drove the blade deep into the monolith.
The Whisper-Keeper screamed.
The monolith cracked.
Light burst out from within—blinding, cleansing.
The shades screamed as the light washed over them, their forms unraveling into dust and wind.
And when it was over…
Silence.
The Whisper-Keeper lay collapsed. Human once more. Her eyes… no longer glowing.
She looked up at Veer.
"They called… from beneath… still calling…"
And then she was gone.
Dust in the wind.
> [System Update: Ranthari Canyons – Purified]
[New Trait Gained: Flame of the Forgotten – Immune to low-level possession and shadow curses]
Veer stood alone among the ruins.
The canyon was quiet.
But not dead.
From deeper in the gorge, survivors began to emerge—confused, blinking. Freed from the control. From the whispers.
Children. Elders. Warriors.
The tribe of Ranthari, reborn.
He sheathed his blade.
And as the sun finally broke over the cliffs, Veer turned to face them—not as a warrior.
But as a guide.