Reincarnated as a Background Character — Boss Fell in Love With Me
Chapter 6: Ashvale or Bust
Ashvale was not merely a town.
It was a gaping wound upon the earth — a charred and desolate valley ensconced between sheer, jagged cliffs that loomed like ancient sentinels. The very air hung heavy, thick with acrid smoke that curled lazily skyward, wrapping around the dilapidated remnants of buildings like a shroud. Twisted ruins jutted out at odd angles, remnants of structures that once might have housed laughter and life, now turned to silent witnesses of despair. The scent of soot permeated everything, a bitter reminder of the past that clung to the senses like a ghostly echo of long-buried secrets. Even the wind dared not to howl; it whispered soft and cautious, as though terrified of disturbing the graveyard hush that enveloped the bleak landscape.
Standing at the edge of a craggy stone ridge, Raze gazed down into the abyss of the path that spiraled downward, leading into the ominous expanse known as the Ashvale Catacombs. Fear seemed to coil within him like a living thing, squirming uncomfortably with each breath he took.
"This was definitely a mistake," he admitted aloud, his voice laced with equal parts dread and resignation.
Beside him, cloaked in shadow, stood Velzeria, her arms crossed defiantly across her chest. The fabric of her cloak billowed softly as though stirred by a breeze that dared not disturb the brooding atmosphere. She appeared utterly unfazed, a true ruler surveying the ravaged remnants of her dominion, reminiscent of a queen inspecting the aftermath of a fierce battle, rather than stepping back into the very place where her own Core Authority had crumbled to dust.
"You're trembling," she remarked nonchalantly, her gaze fixed firmly on the horizon.
"I'm not trembling," Raze protested with mock bravado. "I'm vibrating with existential dread."
With a barely perceptible tilt of her head, she regarded him. "That's worse."
The pathway before them was steep, descending sharply into the depths below. Crumbling statues lined the merciless route — once-majestic guardians now reduced to relics of their former glory, their features twisted and melted by the relentless fury of ashfire. Each step felt like descending into an abyss, the ground crumbling beneath their feet, threatening to swallow them whole. At the end of this treacherous trail, the catacombs awaited them: a monolithic obsidian gate etched with glowing runes that pulsed rhythmically, like a heartbeat echoing in the suffocating silence.
As Raze stood at the threshold, a gnawing hesitation gripped him.
"I should stay out here," he suggested, his voice trembling slightly. "You know, support role. Think of me as your moral encouragement. Distant cheering squad, perhaps?"
Velzeria pivoted to face him fully, piercing him with her intense gaze.
"You possess Null Rewrite," she clarified, the weight of her tone grounding him. "You're not merely here to support me. You are the variable in this equation."
He scowled, frustration flickering in his eyes. "You say that like it holds any significance."
"It means the entire script bends around you, reshaping reality as we traverse it. That is a terrifying prospect for entities far beyond your comprehension."
She paused for a beat, letting the depth of her words hang heavily in the air.
"Specifically, that includes me," she added, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Raze blinked, momentarily stunned. "Wait, you're afraid of me?"
"I'm fearful of the power you might wield, and what that power might mean for both you and me."
With that, she turned resolutely toward the dark maw of the catacombs, briskly striding inside as if she hadn't just ignited a conflagration of uncertainty within his mind.
Once inside, the darkness enveloped them not as an absence of light, but as a malicious entity that thrummed with life.
Shadows twisted and coiled across the floor like ink spilling from an overturned vial, suffocating their surroundings. The air crackled with a tense energy, a low hum vibrating against Raze's skin. He felt a sudden, disorienting glitch in his HUD, errant lines of code flickering sporadically in the corners of his vision.
[Warning: Entered Instanced Zone – "Ashvale Core Ruins"]
[Threat Level: Extremely Lethal]
[Estimated Survival Time (Alone): 00:03:27]
"Great," Raze muttered under his breath, a hint of sarcasm lacing his words. "Three whole minutes of survival, just what I was hoping for."
Raze's discomfort grew, but Velzeria raised a hand, and a brilliant purple light blossomed in her palm, illuminating the oppressive darkness that surrounded them. The ancient symbols engraved upon the stone walls began to crawl to life, glowing faintly like veins pulsing with a muted heartbeat.
They navigated the twisted corridors in silence, the tension between them taut as a drawn bowstring, each step resonating with unspoken worries.
Eventually, they stumbled upon a sprawling chamber, littered with shards of broken glass and the skeletal remains of collapsed columns. At the center of the room hovered a black shard, ominously humming with volatile energy. It pulsed rhythmically, dark and jagged, an aberration from the fabric of reality itself.
[Objective: Retrieve Core Fragment – "Ash Memory: Binding"]
As Raze took a step forward—
—the floor beneath them erupted into a cacophony of screams.
What emerged was not merely a groan, but an anguished scream pitched high enough to pierce through the air. From beneath the stone, a grotesque creature formed, a writhing mass of bone and ash coalescing into a nightmarish visage — it was a creature forged from shattered skulls and smoldering cinders, dragging three shadowy blades in its numerous, contorted limbs.
[Ashborne Warden – Lv. 85 – Guardian of the Core]
"Of course it's a boss fight," Raze whispered incredulously. His heart hammered in his chest, the instinctual urge to flee battling against the adrenaline coursing through him.
"Stay back," Velzeria commanded, her voice firm and unwavering, positioning herself protectively in front of him.
"But—"
"Stay. Back."
She glared at him, her resolve unyielding, and in a blink, she vanished, enveloped in a wash of crimson fire, leaving Raze both awed and terrified.
What followed was a display that felt exquisite in its brutality.
Velzeria danced through the battlefield with a fluidity that resembled a nightmare given form—her movements a blend of elegance and lethal precision, as if choreographed by fate itself. She weaved between the Warden's relentless strikes as if made of smoke, each graceful evasion a testament to her skill. With each gesture, magic sparked to life, red lightning crackling through the air, black flames billowing forth, and invisible waves of pressure resonating in the air, painting a portrait of chaos.
The Ashborne Warden howled in rage, its skeletal form slashing wildly, desperately attempting to land a hit, but Velzeria remained unfazed, an artist in battle, painting victory with each calculated stroke.
Not until the creature landed a direct hit, stabbing her through the side with one of its cruel blades, did the façade crack.
"VEL—!"
Raze's heart dropped as he watched, helpless, his world narrowing to her agonized form. Velzeria gritted her teeth against the pain, summoning every ounce of strength within her to plunge her hand directly into the Warden's core.
[Critical Damage!] [Soul Fragment Severed!]
The creature's mournful shriek filled the chamber as it dissolved into ash, scattering like smoke in the wind. With that, silence fell, thick and heavy.
Yet, the victory was bittersweet.
Velzeria staggered, the glow in her eyes dimming.
Raze rushed to her side, catching her just before she fell.
"You're bleeding again!" he exclaimed, panic flooding his voice.
"I'm… fine," she insisted, though the words felt hollow.
"You're not fine! You have a sword wound the size of a shovel!"
She met his gaze, and in that moment, despite the urgency of the situation, she could see the flicker of desperation lingering in his eyes, the sunlight of hope struggling against encroaching shadows.
In a gentle whisper that barely broke the tranquil silence surrounding them, her voice floated through the air:
"…Did I manage to protect you?"
Raze felt a lump rise in his throat as he swallowed hard, the weight of her question heavy with meaning. "Yeah. You really did," he replied earnestly, his heart swelling with gratitude for her unwavering support.
For an instant, a warm smile graced her lips, a fleeting expression of joy that lit up her face and seemed to dissolve the tension between them.
But just as quickly as that moment of happiness arose, it faded; she leaned into him once more, her body melding against his with the same vulnerable intensity as their first encounter, seeking solace in his embrace as if he were her anchor in a chaotic world.
To be continued...