The Zombie System.

"Thank you."

Leon's voice comes out hoarse, barely above a whisper. He sits up slowly on the moss-covered stone, muscles aching like he's been beaten. Elise kneels beside him, tears still wet on her cheeks.

"I thought you were dying," she says. Her hands shake as she checks his pulse. "Your heart kept stopping and starting. Jake had to help me keep you breathing."

Leon looks around the chamber. Marcus lies unconscious against the far wall, chest rising and falling in steady rhythm. Sarah curls in a fetal position near the entrance, whimpering in her sleep. Jake sits with his back to a pillar, staring at nothing with hollow eyes.

Tommy's body rests near the center of the room, skin pale as marble. His eyes stare at the ceiling, seeing nothing.

"How long was I out?"

"Twenty minutes. Maybe longer." Elise wipes her nose with her sleeve. "Jake woke up ten minutes ago. Said he was trapped in memories of his old squad getting killed in an ambush. Over and over."

Leon's system interface flickers at the edge of his vision. No notifications. No warnings. Just the steady presence of his zombies waiting in reserve.

The chamber feels different now. The air tastes of copper and old bones. Shadows move in corners where shadows shouldn't exist. Something watches them from spaces between stones.

"We need to get out of here," Leon says.

Jake's laugh carries no humor. "Already tried. Door's sealed. Whatever this place is, it's not letting us leave until we finish what we started."

Leon stands on unsteady legs. The world spins for a moment before settling. Elise grabs his arm to steady him.

"Easy. You lost a lot of body heat during the nightmare. Your muscles are still recovering."

A sound echoes from deeper in the dungeon. Faint at first, like wind through broken glass. Then louder. Closer.

A screech that makes their teeth ache.

Marcus jerks awake, hand going instantly to his sword. "What was that?"

"Company," Jake says. He presses his palm to the stone floor, earth magic probing through cracks and crevices. "Something big. Moving fast through the lower tunnels."

The screech comes again, closer this time. Sarah whimpers and curls tighter against the wall. Her staff rolls forgotten beside her, crystal focus dim.

"Sarah." Elise crawls over to their mage, voice gentle but urgent. "We need you. Whatever's coming, we can't face it without your lightning."

Sarah's eyes flutter open. They're bloodshot, pupils dilated with shock. "My family. They were all dead. Rotting in our kitchen. My little brother kept asking why I didn't save them."

"It wasn't real," Elise says firmly. "Focus on my voice. Feel the stone under your hands. Smell the moss. Real things."

The screech grows louder. Stone dust rains from the ceiling as something massive moves through passages below them.

Leon summons his warrior zombie. The spectral figure materializes with its mantis blade drawn, dark armor gleaming in the chamber's dim light. Its presence feels solid, reliable in a place where reality bends.

"Formation," Leon commands. "Whatever comes through that entrance, we meet it together."

Marcus hefts his shield, testing the grip. The leather wrapping is slick with sweat. "My nightmare showed me failing everyone. Watching you all die because I wasn't strong enough."

"Dreams," Jake says. He positions himself near the chamber's center, hands already glowing with earth magic. "This place feeds on guilt and regret. Shows us our worst fears made manifest."

The screeching stops.

Silence fills the chamber like held breath. Even the moss seems to pause its gentle swaying.

Then the wall explodes inward.

Stone blocks the size of coffins tumble across the floor. A creature steps through the wreckage, seven feet of nightmare given form.

The Night Hag bears no resemblance to the beautiful woman from Leon's dream. Black skin stretches tight over corded muscle. Claws drip with venom that hisses where it touches stone. Red eyes burn in the darkness like coals from hell's forge.

Leon's system interface blazes with warning text:

**[DUNGEON FINAL BOSS DETECTED]**

**[NIGHT HAG - LEVEL 35]**

**[WARNING: EXTREME THREAT]**

**[ABILITIES: MENTAL MANIPULATION, POISON ATTACKS, REGENERATION]**

The creature's gaze sweeps across them, lingering on each face with predatory intelligence. When those burning eyes meet Leon's, lips peel back to reveal teeth like black needles.

"You rejected my gift," the hag says. Her voice is silk wrapped around broken glass. "Now you face the consequences."

Sarah finally stirs, grabbing her staff with trembling hands. Lightning crackles around the crystal focus, weak but growing stronger. "What is that thing?"

"Nightmare made flesh," Jake mutters. His earth magic spreads through the floor, creating rough barriers of stone. "The source of those illusions."

Marcus steps forward, shield raised. The metal glows with defensive enchantments his father had paid a fortune to inscribe. "Whatever it is, it bleeds. And if it bleeds, we can kill it."

Elise moves to the chamber's rear, healing spells already forming around her hands. Soft green light pushes back the oppressive darkness.

The Night Hag's claws extend another inch. Venom pools on the stone where she stands, eating through solid rock like acid.

Leon draws Shadowedge. The blade hums with dark mana, eager for battle. His warrior zombie shifts into combat stance beside him.

The creature's laugh sounds like children screaming. "You think weapons will save you? I am your darkest thoughts given form. I am every failure that haunts your sleep."

She moves faster than sight. One moment standing in the ruined doorway, the next slashing at Marcus with claws that trail poison light.

His shield catches the blow. Sparks fly as venom meets enchanted steel. The impact drives him to one knee, boots scraping against stone.

Sarah's lightning bolt lances across the chamber, striking the hag's shoulder. Black blood sprays in an arc, hissing where it lands. The creature staggers but doesn't fall.

Jake's earth magic erupts around the hag's feet, stone hands grasping at her ankles. She tears free with casual strength, leaving claw marks in solid granite.

Leon's warrior zombie attacks from the flank, mantis blade seeking the gap between the creature's ribs. The hag spins with inhuman grace, catching the blade on her claws. Metal rings against keratin like hammer on anvil.

The Night Hag's free hand rakes across the zombie's chest. Spectral armor cracks under the assault. Dark ichor sprays from deep gouges.

Leon circles behind her, Shadowedge trailing dark energy. The blade finds flesh between her shoulder blades. The hag screams, spinning to face him with murder in her burning eyes.

Her claws rake across his chest, parting leather and skin. Pain explodes through his ribs as venom enters his bloodstream. The world tilts sideways.

Elise's healing magic washes over him, neutralizing the poison before it can reach his heart. But the damage is done. Blood soaks his shirt, and his breathing comes in ragged gasps.

The Night Hag looms over him, claws raised for the killing blow.