“Over here, Keri!” Airen waved from off the side of the road. The path leading to the Petrified Dragons Crypt, was littered by all manner of merchandise stalls and kiosks, catering to both would be dungeon delvers and returning adventurers. Unable to find a spot to stand without being pestered by hawkers, Airen had brought out the human spine spear and adorned a sand encrusted cloak. His visage, coupled with the sight of the spear, caused people to give him a wide berth and provided a reprieve from the ceaseless annoyances.

Keri made no comment about his weapon as she moved closer; instead, she stared at his face until he started to feel uncomfortable.

“Is there something on my face?” Airen asked as he rubbed his face with the ragged sleeves of his robe.

“No… I was just checking something.” Keri replied as she shook her head.

“Were you afraid I was a Doppleganger or a Reanimated?” Airen laughed awkwardly.

“If you were, then your blood or heart would be worth a fair amount.” Keri shrugged. “It seems you have been diligent with your training. Your body is much sturdier than before.”

“I had a rather… overly enthusiastic mentors on both sides of the coin.” Airen grumbled. “Physical training by day… mental training by night. It would be so much easier if I could use magic like Fiel does, to do everything.”

“Perish that thought. Many great magicians destroyed themselves because of that very line of reasoning.”

“...Should I be worried about her then?”

“Don’t be. Her magic already defies imagination.” Keri chuckled grimly. “Let us change the avenue, there are curious eyes among the crowd.”

Airen casted his eyes around him, and caught several kiosk owners quickly looking away. Several groups of adventurers that slowed to a walk started to walk more briskly, with one group moving towards them.

“A fine day to be dungeon delving!” An armored robust man held up a hand in greeting. “It’s not often we see such a strange pair of two dark-arts users. Are you two looking for a party?” Behind the man trailed three others, a female archer clad in treated leather armor, a skinny female clad in light, tight-fitting clothing, and a male in a weathered robe, presumably a mage.

“No, we’re fine.” Keri replied curtly.

“Is that so?” The man shrugged, clearly used to being turning down. “We’ll still be around for the next few hours at The Fledgling Heroes’ Pub while we finish gathering up supplies if you changed your mind. Just call for Menda.” Clearly reading the mood, he quickly left with his group after leaving those parting words behind.

“We’ll have to keep an eye out for those lurking by the shadows when we return.” Keri leaned down and whispered into Airen’s ear, gently turning his head off the road towards several ‘adventurer’ parties. Beneath their unsuspicious apparel came the glint of bloodied steel, and it was not the blood of beasts.. “Have you made your preparations?”

“As well as I could… I’m still a bit nervous.” Airen admitted.

“That is good.” Keri nodded. “Fear of mortality keeps you alive on all manner of battlefields, as long as you can muster the courage to walk them.”

“...I'd prefer to stay far away from a battlefield. Thank you.” Fieluri had not only showed him the glory of a victorious war, but also the devestating aftermath. The putrid stench of rotting flesh, the buzz of bloatflies and maggots, and above all, the mounds and mounds of ravaged bodies was more than enough to deter him from ever stepping foot onto a battlefield.

“All paths lead to conflict, Airen.” Keri shrugged as they made their way onto the packed road and towards the dungeon’s entrance. “-whether or not you wish for it.”

Airen decided not to answer, neither agreeing or disagreeing with Keri’s cryptic words. Instead, he stared ahead as the towering mausoleum, the entrance to the Petrified Dragon's Crypt, grew larger. Several pairs of eyes, mainly those of the adventurer parties loitering outside, stared at them as they descended into the darkness.

“Here, I'll bring out a source of illumination…” Airen murmured as he prepared to open a rift into his vault.

“No need.” Keri stopped him before he could light the lantern. She removed Silverlight from her back and laid a hand on the invisible spearpoint. After murmuring a few words, a dim silvery glow poured from the weapon. To the naked eye, it appeared like moonlight, bathing their surroundings in shades of gray and white.

“That’s… pretty useful.” Airen murmured. Keri’s weapon never ceased to amaze him, being on par with some of the fabled weapons in the Archive. “How did you ever stop Fiel from getting her hands on it?”

“It is nothing so special, and only has a few small tricks.” Keri replied. “Still, you should keep that lantern ready at a moments’ notice.”

Airen nodded and lit the lantern before returning it to his vault. This way, if he was in need of light, he could simply open a rift and grab the lantern. For now, however, he pulled out one of Ittai’s many maps.

“These first 10 floors are rather straightforward.” Airen pointed to a direction to their east where the path to the lower levels were. “Judging by how the map is so detailed, I'm afraid it would be hard to find anything of value…”

“And the magical beasts? I don't feel any presences… “ Keri gestured around them.

“Nothing of note. I doubt mole skins or bat fangs are worth much.” Airen sighed, remembering the measly bronze coins he got for them the last time. “Still, there's a chest that crosses our path…”

Under the guidance of the map, it merely took fifteen minutes of traversing the many dust-filled room until they came across a rusted iron chest.

“...Well, it’s not like I had high hopes.” Airen shrugged as he propped it open using the tip of his spear. The insides revealed nothing, save cobwebs and creature feces. “The stairs should be right over there…”

“Airen. Has it occurred to you that you can use the ability the History Eater gave you to… take the chest itself?” Keri’s insightful words stopped Airen and he was struck with a moment of clarity.

“Right. Right! Why didn't I think if that? If I can find a way to remove the rust and melt it down… then surely I can do something with it from the metal alone!” With glee, Airen opened a rift, and after much heaving and grunting, finally pushed the heavy chest into it. However, as he was about to close the rift, he hesitated and turned to Keri.

“...But isn't this bad? If I remove the chests then magical beasts won't use them as storage, and later adventurers would not find any loot…”

“It matters not, the adventurers will simply have to search the monster’s dens instead.” Keri shrugged. “Plus, only unopened chests have anything of value. You can consider it as doing them a favor.”

“I suppose so.” Airen grinned guiltily as he closed the rift. “Seems like these first few floors might have something of value after all. Keri, do you mind if-”

“By all means, take a detour to loot the looted chests.” Keri smiled. “I doubt anyone will be missing them.”

“Don’t mind if I do. Then maybe I can finally get some decent weapons.” Airen laughed and pointed at his weapon. “Honestly the sensation from just gripping it gives me goosebumps. But beggars can’t be choosers.”

“Finally learning to be independent from the History Eater, are we Airen? A good initiative.” Keri mumbled as she peeked through a door before entering. “And in the past, bones made especially valuable weapons, especially those of magical beasts.”

“Can we not discuss about bones in this dismal place?” Airen complained as they carefully descended the dungeon steps to the next level. ”Fiel has already shown me more than enough scenes involving the walking dead.”

“I am curious, Airen. What exactly does the History Eater have in store for you?”

“Blasted if I know. Each time I ask, she gives me a different answer. ‘I wish to birth an illusory legend like none other.’ ‘I seek to consume those that have spat upon history.’ ‘For mine and your own redemption.’ ‘So I can amuse myself among a kingdom of deception.’ ‘To watch you die, cold and alone in the abyss.’ Trying to get a straight answer out of her is like trying to count the grains of sand in the Tel’dora Desert.”

“...According to the stories surrounding her in my time, she may speak in riddles but she is no liar. Think of her words as half truths.”

“Wow. That just makes it sound worse” Airen rolled his eyes. “I thought she was just messing with me, but she actually wants to watch me die!?”

“You were the one that claimed that you have died over a thousand times in her realm.” Keri pointed out. “And each time you improved from it, even if victory eluded you.”

Airen decided not to reply, instead profusely studying the map he held in front of him. Despite the fact that for all intents and purposes, the Petrified Dragon’s Crypt was considered to be an advanced dungeon, they had casually waltzed past several floors without encountering anything. This peacefulness in an otherwise dangerous area was making Airen uneasy.

It was not long until they passed the first camp set up by the League of Adventurers on the fifth floor. Instead of calling it a camp, it would be better to call it a supply depot, with several rooms from the ruins stocked with all manner of packages. Other than the staff from the League of Adventurers, the majority of the hundred or so individuals at the checkpoint were explorers and adventurers.

Other than a few curious and cautionary glances thrown their way, they passed the checkpoint unhindered. Airen reasoned that despite the time they took to secure empty chests for his own use, they could still manage to make it to the next checkpoint before needing a rest. As they left the torch-lit area behind them, they continued to advance without any deterrents, save the occasional chest.

“Today was… uneventful.” Airen sighed as he handed Keri a plate of hot food, one of the perks at resting at one of League of Adventurer camps instead of barricading themselves in a room out in ruined rooms of the dungeon. This camp on the 10th floor was similar to the one on the 5th, except somehow there were even more adventurers here than the prior one and therefore much larger. It was likely due to the fact that after this floor, there will be more dangerous encounters, and adventurers would use these camps to meet up, exchange information, or descend as a group. However, for the same reason, it actually had several dungeon rooms set up as an ‘inn’ of sorts.

“This is normal.” Keri replied as she accepted the plate. Other than a few greens and potatoes on the bottom, it was piled to the top with monster meat. Depending on who you ask, monster meat was either a seldom-seen delicacy or a disgusting substitute to meat, but it was the bread and butter for dungeon-delving adventurers. “The floors closest to civilization are often plundered and magical beast nests destroyed. This is what’s left.”

After giving the food a tentative bite, Keri grimaced and reached into her robes, pulling out a small shaker filled with a dark yellow powder. After noticing Airen eyeing it, she sprinkled a bit of the spice onto her own plate before passing the shaker to Airen. Curious and intrigued, Airen sprinkled a bit onto the top of his hand before giving it a cautious lick.

“It’s probably too strong for you.” Keri’s mouth curled into a rare smile as Airen sputtered and spat. The powder set his tongue on fire akin to crushed red pepper flakes, but also assaulted his senses with an overbearing pungent stench.

“What is this nasty stuff!?” Airen quickly handed back the shaker, declining to sprinkle any atop his own meal.

“A combination of cheese, spices and herbs.” Keri replied as she added more onto her own plate. “The smell would also go away if it was allowed to sit for a few years, and it practically keeps forever as long as you keep it away from liquids. I’m afraid it is a bit of an acquired taste.”

Airen did not respond but instead dug into his own plate. The food wasn’t particularly bland, but it wasn’t tasty either. It was something that Fieluri would refuse to eat and reduce to ashes after the first bite, Airen thought to himself.

As they ate in silence amidst the rowdy adventurers, a familiar man entered and glanced around the tables, before finally spotting them and making his way over.

“I knew I saw some familiar faces!” The man called Menda smiled and took the seat next to Airen with great familiarity, as if they had been friends for a while. “And right before the ‘true’ dungeon as well!”

At his words, Keri glanced over with meaningful eyes. Clearly she would let him deal with the situation as he see fit.

“Menda, was it?” Airen returned the smile while taking off his hood, thinking it would be better to make friends insteads of brushing him off.

“Why, you’re even younger than I thought!” Menda whistled, causing nearby adventurers to send them a curious glance. “Based on the atmosphere around you two, I thought you two were veteran adventurers!”

“I do not see your companions.” Airen smiled as he replied, neither affirming or disapproving Menda’s words. It would be better to let him draw his own conclusions.

“Sadia went to the guild table to acquire some arrows, and I’m afraid Nina and Ester had already turned in for the night.” Menda gave Airen a wink. “I almost regret playing matchmaker for the two of them, I hope when we encounter some kobolds, they wouldn’t be too busy being distracted by the sight of the other.” He laughed good-naturedly, happy to have someone to unload his complaints onto.

“May I ask where the two of you heading? The four of us are planning to raid a kobold nest or two and try our luck before proceeding to the floors with undead.”

“We’ll be proceeding as deep as we can.” Airen replied. Based on the information Ittai had given him, Airen that he could easily reach up to the 30th floor before he had to struggle against undead creatures that he was not capable of dealing with due to his lack of magic. However, with Keri accompanying him, it was a different matter.

“Is that so?” Menda replied as a female entered the inn. “Then by all means, I wish you luck.” Menda stood up and patted Airen on the shoulder before going to meet his comrade. Before they left the room, he gave Airen and Keri a light wave before leaving.

“Quite the charismatic leader.” Keri commented after Menda left, having not spoken a single word during the exchange.

That night, Airen was unable to sleep. He tossed around in one of the cots that the League of Adventurers provided, but in the end he simply sighed and sat up. He did not trust going to the Archive while sleeping in the midst of strangers, nor could be opened a rift to his vault without attracting attention.

He stepped outside the dungeon room that was designated as the sleeping quarters and wandered around the camp, searching for a hidden area where he could enter the Archive.

“Airen.” The voice called out to him quietly, yet still caused him to jump. He glanced around him, unable to discern where the source came from. A few moments later, Keri’s voice called out to him again.

“Over here.” Airen followed the voice and found Keri seated in the shadows of a corner, behind several large boxes of supplies. She tapped the ground next to her, and Airen hesitated for a moment before taking a seat. The secluded area was by no means spacious so they were in close proximity when seated side by side. In his eyes, their relationship was a convoluted one, especially with what Fiel had done.

“I couldn’t sleep in there.” Airen murmured hesitantly.

Keri acknowledged his words in silence. The entire time, she had not opened her eyes, giving the feeling as if she was meditating or sleeping.

“Do you want to see something, Airen?” Keri asked him, finally breaking the silence.

She moved a hand to Silverlight that was leaning against her shoulder. Like how a child may draw pictures in sand with a stick, she started to sketch in the air with Silverlight. The tip of the staff left behind thin trails of white light like a pen, letting Keri use the space in front of them as a canvas.

Airen looked in amazement as soon a picture of a tree branch adorned with blooming white flowers are wrought into existence. However, it seemed that Keri was dissatisfied, waving her staff and dispersing the trails of light. This repeated itself for several more times until Keri sighed and simply dispersed all of her work with a wave of Silverlight. The atmosphere declined back down into silence.

“I actually can’t sleep either, only pretending to do so.” Keri finally spoke up answering Airen’s first comment. “When night comes and the stars come out, it feels as if my body is invigorated and replenished of energy. Even as a child, I often passed the nights drawing and doodling, that or sneaking about out at night.”

Airen kept quiet and pondered her words. He could simply not imagine Keri- no, Lizabel being the mischievous one out of the memories of the children he once saw.

“It was one of the reasons that allowed me to escape Osperica. Whether it was by fate or fortune, I happened to be outside the city walls during the attack.” Keri’s voice turned grim. “I watched as all that I have ever loved, all that I ever known, was brought to ruin.”

“The History Eater told me that you refused to look into my past.” Keri answered Airen’s unspoken question. “For that small gift of kindness, I believe you deserve to know how I came to encounter the monster called the History Eater.”

“During that time, there were two known places where one was said to be able to obtain answers and power unknown to man. One was Aotapia, a twisting nether portal that was rumored to lead to a world of forbidden knowledge. The stories of those that enter, very few returned, and those that did went on to do terrible, but great things. It is said from the stories of those that returned, they would scream in their sleep about a purple-clothed girl with white eyes, toting around a giant black book. The emperor’s son from the nation that attacked Osperica, was said to have returned from that place. He slaughtered his family and kin to forcibly seized the throne to his empire.”

“The other place was a dungeon where existed an unfathomable trial at the very bottom. When I descended with a party, I saw impossible things from forests, waterfalls, and even mountains in the depths of that dungeon called The Abyss. None of those that entered ever returned, and only was whispered among elite adventurers that a bizarre existence dwelled at the bottom, carrying a golden scale. If you were male, you would see a seductive female half-beast. If you were female, you would encounter a handsome prince. As the story goes, to acquire the being’s favor, you could either defeat it in combat or to pass its test. Only those that returned were those that refused to do either.”

“Do you understand my warning, Airen?” Keri whispered quietly.

“...Fiel has purple eyes though.” Airen murmured.

“I cannot confirm who or what she is. Whether she was the apparition from that accursed land of forbidden knowledge, or the shapeshifting being hidden deep beneath the ground, this tidbit of information, I leave it to you.” Keri replied. “You can think of it as a bit of petty revenge against the History Eater for toying with me.”

“...That girl really needs to stop creating enmity with people.” Airen sighed, recalling her ruthless actions at the Irona Auction House. However, Keri did not respond and simply closed her eyes, leaning back against the wall in the secluded wall. A moment later, Airen also leaned against the wall and nodded off.

Contrary to Airen’s expectations, the next leg of the descent into the dungeon was also rather disappointing. When they first encountered a small band of four kobolds, Keri had nudged him forward to deal with them. Airen was inwardly skeptical, but after engaging the kobolds in battle, he was befuddled at how ridiculous the furred, overgrown lizards fought.

The cowardly bunch pushed one of their own forward, who stumbled as he thrusted forward with an old rusty spear. The attack was then promptly dodged by Airen, and the kobold tripped and fell the ground right afterward. Airen’s mouth gaped as he witnessed the other three screech and ran away, abandoning their former comrade.

“As you can see, quite the cowardly bunch.” Keri casually leaned against the wall as Airen hesitantly finished off the one on the ground. “Any group without a Greater, Shaman, or Mutant Kobold can be considered as easy prey.”

“I doubt there is anything of value.” Keri warned as Airen sifted through the kobold’s body. Other then some rags that covered the creature’s one meter tall body, it also had bag that seemed to be made out of skin from who knows what. True to Keri’s word, there were only sharp rocks, a bundles of moss, and some rotting meat inside, Airen wrinkled his nose at the putrid smell as he tossed away.

“The organs are useless, and the flesh is something many would starve before eating.” Keri added before Airen could pull out a butchering knife. “You can take the weapon I suppose.”

“...It’ll take twenty of these to even match up to half a chest.” Airen eyed the rusty iron spear before he sighed and transferred it to his vault. He was not being picky, but if he accumulate lots of junk, it would only more create work for him to sort it out in his Vault. For a split moment he considered obtaining the entire corpse for Fieluri to study, but he could imagine her berating him for bringing such a smelly thing into the Archive, so he reconsidered.

“Let’s move on.” Keri gestured after Airen stood up, and they moved towards the next chest on the map.

Progression through the next ten floors went smoothly. They ignored the League of Adventurer’s camp on the 15th floor and proceeded ahead to a known kobold camp. There Airen encountered his first Kobold Shaman, as well as several Greater Kobolds. The Greater Kobolds were larger and bolder compared to their cowardly kinsman, but seemed to be much more cruel to boot. As Airen drew his weapon, they would aggressively push and bully the smaller ones to move towards him.

The fate of the small fry were to be cannon fodder. After a few casual attacks from Keri, the nauseating smell of blood and guts broke the small kobold band’s morale. The minor Kobolds quickly routed, their fear of Keri and her scythe greater than any sort of punishment threatened upon them by the Greater Kobolds.

Airen watched on as the band fled with reckless abandon, save for two Greater Kobolds and the Shaman that Keri had bounded with magical black ropes. Within a minute of entering the camp, victory had been seized single-handedly by Keri.

“Those three are yours.” Keri withdrew the invisible blades on her weapon, returning it to a simple staff once more. She pointed towards the three bound Kobolds, and their restraints fell off and writhed on the ground, before they dissipated into thin black smog.

One of the more intelligent Greater Kobolds instantly bolted towards the room’s entrance, clearly knowing that it was not a match for Keri. It disregarded Airen, who’s small frame was in his path to the one and only exit as it stomped over the corpses of its fallen kinsman. However, it soon realized that it had underestimated the human child in front of him.

As the Greater Kobold approached, a battering ram of noxious-smelling flesh and grease, Airen took steps to intercept it. As it sped by Airen, he lashed out with the bone spear.

The Greater Kobold’s charge did not falter the slightest, and it let out a shout of triumph as it neared the exit. However just before it reached the doorway, it felt the strength in its legs rapidly ebbing away and it toppled to the ground as the adrenaline wore off. Behind it trailed a line of blood and intestines, leaked from the hole in the Greater Kobold’s side.

The remaining two enemies fared no better. The Greater Kobold’s brutish attacks were without finessee and were easily dodged by Airen. The Shaman that wielded an improvised tiki torch would occasionally shoot Firebolts at Airen, but those were casually avoided. Airen had a feeling that even if he stood still, the creature’s horrendous aim would still cause it to miss. Within a few breath’s worth of time, Airen had executed the Greater Kobold with the bone greatsword and then pulled out the bone longbow to snipe the fleeing Shaman Kobold.

“Well done.” Keri nodded at Airen’s handiwork.

“They weren’t exactly worthy opponents.” Airen shrugged as he rummaged through the dead shaman’s things. There were bags full of strange plants and shiny rocks that Airen did not recognize, but he stored it all away anyway. The shaft of the tiki torch was covered with a vicious slime, so Airen decided not to take it.

“But at the very least, you should encounter them once.” Keri replied. She leaned against the doorway casually, unwilling to enter the kobold ‘camp’.

“There’s really nothing here…” Airen grumbled as he shifted through the makeshift beds on the ground. He quickly found the source of the disgusting smell that accompanied the kobolds. Wrapped in some rags was a combination of rotting moss, mushrooms, and meat that the Kobolds used for their meals.

“...Eww.” Airen wrinkled his nose as glanced at all the other bundles littered all over the camp. Even the prospect of treasure was not enough tempt him into opening another one of those sacks. “...Suddenly the whole concept of being an adventurer is not as appealing.”

“To be an adventurer is never by choice.” Keri shrugged. “It’s a way of life. Mercenaries, explorers, minstrels, merchants, wanderers… there are many of those that originally began as adventurers.”

“So you’re saying that I should just grit my teeth and deal with it, then?” Airen grumbled as he rummaged through the other parcels of cloth.

After a few fruitless minutes, he finally managed to scavenge a few tidbits. A few copper coins, a couple of rusty spear points, and several wooden clubs and shields that were not entirely rotting provided a bit of consolation to Airen that taking the camp was not meaningless.

“And to let you experience fighting new creatures first hand.” Keri added once Airen finished transporting everything through a rift. “Let’s get moving.”

Airen nodded, and they proceeded deeper into the dungeon, making stops only to acquire a few empty chests. The floors seemed to be smaller compared to first ten floors, and it wasn’t long until they passed by the checkpoint on the fifteenth floor.

...

“These are… Gnome Shrooms? It’s too dim for me to tell...” Airen pointed out a few strange patches of vegetation embedded in the walls.

Keri did not reply, instead kneeling by the patch of brown and white cespitose mushrooms that grew from the cracks in the wall. She plucked one off and studied it for a moment before popping it into her mouth, to Airen’s surprise.

“Yeah, they’re Gnome Shrooms.” Keri nodded as she chewed. “There’s various types but there’s no mistaking the taste.”

“You’re… pretty fearless, Keri.” Airen shook his head as he pulled out a knife and knelt down by the troop of mushrooms. “Aren’t you afraid they could have been poisoned?”

“I was relatively confident.” She shrugged and popped another one into her mouth. “Gnome Shrooms were considered to be rare delicacies, but it seems that in the present, they’re rather commonplace…”

“You’ve sound like you’ve eaten a lot of them.”

“One of the former perks of being a Bell-keeper. Most of our meals often contained various magical herbs and plants. The stories at the time were if one’s diet was rich in magical energy, that person’s lifespan also increases.”

“Is that the reason you managed to survive in Fiel’s… False World?” Airen asked apprehensively, not sure if he should bring up the subject.

“...Let’s keep moving.” Keri replied after a moment of silence.

...

“Keri, how can you be so… at ease?” Airen quietly asked after they dispatched a small group of Shambling Bones. Compared to Valrock Ruin’s skeletal bats and rats, the animated bones were those of kobolds. Still they lacked any intelligence or strength, and it felt to Airen as if he was swinging a sword at hollow pots.Even so, during the entire trip, Keri had not broken stride or even bothered to check the area for dangers.

“...All of this is trifling when compared to The Abyss.” At Airen’s words, Keri finally halted and covered her face with one hand. It was good that Airen was too busy storing away the Bone Ash, or he would have seen the crooked smile and brief trace of madness in Keri’s eyes.

“There are no hellish rules or curses, haunts created from one’s fears, or never-seen before creatures that defy all reasoning. Compared to The Abyss, this dungeon may as well be a quiet walk.” Keri continued to mutter quietly to herself.

...

“It says that there’s a trap here, but I don’t see anything…” Airen glanced at his map again before looking up at the empty hallway ahead of them.

“It wouldn’t be called a trap if it was out in the open now, would it?” Keri slowly inched forward, tapping her staff against the wall and ground ahead of her. After she moved a few meters while testing the ground, she suddenly stopped moving as the tip of her weapon pushed into the ground. As she withdrew her weapon, several spears jutted out from the ground in front of her.

“A basic mechanical trap, huh?” Keri brushed it off and continued to proceed forward. “Just proceed in my steps.”

...

“A duel is nothing compared to a battle.” Keri gestured for Airen to pick up his weapon again. “In a duel, after each side displays all their skills and techniques, the victor is instantly decided and the superior emerges triumph.”

“But in places like this, the battles between humans cannot be called a duel, or even a battle.” Keri easily deflected Airen’s attack and then tossed a handful of sand towards his eyes. “There will be scum that use underhanded tactics, but as long as you keep an eye on the battle, any underhanded method is defeated by magic.”

“Ald!” Airen sent the sand splashing back at Keri, who swept it aside with a single sweep of her weapon.

“The most dangerous are those that have never been trained properly.” Keri continued as they continued to spar. “They let their adrenaline, pain, and rage take over, and abandon any sense of self-perseverance.”

“This is most common in melee fighters, but it is known to happen to mages too. There are tales of magi that used themselves as living bombs to annihilate their foes.”

“And that is why you should never underestimate your opponent.” Keri finished the lesson by flicking her weapon upwards and causing Airen’s spear to bounce off the ceiling.

...

“...A corpse? Even though this place was a bit far off, the map said that it was a safe place to camp.” Airen gingerly knelt by the skeletal remain next to Keri, who was whispering a prayer for the departed. “Should we move on?”

“No need. She died due to a bleeding wound.” Keri pointed at the yellowed bandages wrapped around the skeleton’s waist. “...It was likely she died trying to ascend to the surface after venturing too far.”

“What about the rest of her party?”

“Either dead or they were forced to split up to escape whatever injured her. Ah, here it is.” Keri dug around the dusty pockets and pulled out a piece of parchment, the dark-brown words barely visible under the faint luminescence from Silverlight.

“What’s that supposed to be?” Airen asked as he forced his eyes away from the skull’s pitch black eye sockets that reminded him of his own mortality.

“An adventurer’s last will.” Keri handed the parchment to Airen, but stopped him from opening it. “Save it until we leave this place, only then can the words on it have meaning.”

Airen nodded before placing a hand on a nearby wall. A rift appeared a few seconds later, and Airen gestured for Keri to enter first. Since she was someone that was aware of his relationship to Fieluri, there should not be any problems allowing her take refuge inside his Vault. And provided that they entered the Vault in a ‘safe’ location, there was no need to make camp either.

Before Keri entered she whispered a few words in a language Airen did not understand, and tossed a ball of black flames at the remains. As the deceased adventurers items went up in sparkling black flames, Airen felt a bit rueful as it seemed to be a waste.

The old him would have left such a solitary scene untarnished, but now, he was no longer sure where to draw the line.

“This place seems to have changed.” Keri murmured as they stood at the shore of the lake within the painted world. Three one-story cottages stood together, a testament to Airen’s countless hours of night toiling. Beside it was a large sown field with budding plants starting to creep above the soil.

“That’s good.” Keri added before Airen could apologize. “The layout of the land is the same but it’s as if time has finally returned to this world.”

“I…”

“Why don’t you go do what you need to do? I would like to paint a picture.”

She dismissed him without another word.

...

“I heard you’ve been gossiping about me.” Fieluri nonchalantly said as Airen approached from behind her. It seems that today she was studying a pair of large crystals. When he came closer, he saw that glossy ruby-colored liquid was trickling down where Fieluri had cut into it.

“Nothing gets by you, does it?” Airen rolled his eyes sighed as he took a seat across from her. “What are you going to have me do today?”

“Nothing.” Airen found that it was his own voice that responded. He shot an irritated glare at Fieluri but she didn't even glance at him.

“Human minds are fragile. Overstimulating them will cause them to slowly form cracks until they finally break. Since you’ve been busily exploring a dungeon, it’ll be unwise to push your limits at the Archive as well.” Fieluri finally explained once she put down the tools in her hands.

“Wait. Are you actually Fiel? The sadistic know-it-all that sends me to my doom and calls it training?” Airen gasped. “You’re actually being considerate?!”

“Be awed.” Fieluri smirked, but her mouth eventually turned into a frown.

“That’s not right…” Airen crossed his arms and tilted his head, deep in thought. “Usually when this happens it means that you want something from me…”

“Why, don’t you catch on quickly.” Fieluri resumed carving the jewel.

“Don’t just admit it!” Airen scowled. “And here I thought you were actually trying to be nice for once!”

“A relationship like ours is one where both parties benefits. Right now, you’re racking up a huge debt.” Fieluri bluntly pointed out. “Of course, you’re still a child so I haven’t pushed you too much, but that’s why I created Neäir.”

“Who’s a child! I should have taken the Coming of Age ceremony-” Airen’s voice faltered. “...Has it really been two years?”

Fieluri’s hands stopped and her head lifted to meet Airen’s eyes. “You may fool others, but I know very well how you throw yourself at challenges both day and night to distract yourself.”

“You can’t sleep at night, so you come here. You don’t want to feel like you’re at a standstill, so you go delving into dungeons. You’re like a puppet right now, Airen Casteya.”

“Are you fine with this. Airen?” Fieluri mocked him. “Are you satisfied with simply dancing to my every whim, going where I send you?”

“I… I…” Airen tried to form words, but none would come.

“This is merely a warning, my one and only disciple. Ours is a relationship of mutual benefit. Although you do not have power to call your own now, you must remember this.” Fieluri flicked a finger at Airen, and a purple glow emanated from his body.

“Now sleep, Airen. It’s been nearly two months since you last slept. Even the soul grows weary.” At Fieluri’s words, Airen toppled over. However, instead of slamming into the ground, a bedroll had appeared beneath him. Almost as an afterthought, Fieluri snapped her fingers lightly, and a blanket covered his sleeping frame.

“I’m afraid you will have a trial ahead you, Airen...” Fieluri murmured as she put down her tools. The hunk of crystal in front of her had been transformed and carved into a tetrahedron.

“Now then… attempt number two thousand and ninety-eight…” Fieluri placed both hands on the crystal and closed her eyes. Her silver-lavender hair was dyed with the colors of the rainbow as her magic took form, and ribbon-like trails of rainbows trailed off her hair and merged into the crystal.

“Geinlit!” Fieluri chanted, causing the crystal to sparkle and float into the air. The magical lights of the Archive seemed to dim as the crystal flashed in a dazzling prism of colors. Beneath the surface of crystal, the liquid within started to form kaleidoscope-like patterns.

Then the sound of thunder could be heard, which caused Fieluri to frown. When she opened her eyes, a large crack had formed on the tetrahedron crystal, from which a white liquid leaked.

“A failure again...it seems that the magic of the spirits still eludes me...”

When Airen awaken, he was greeted with the smell of sizzling fat. Even though he wasn’t hungry, the appetizing smell still made his mouth water. He sat up and realized that he was in one of the homes that he had constructed.

“Good morning.” Airen greeted Keri as he stepped out. She glanced over at the sound of his voice, but did not reply. Instead she gestured for him to sit at the carved stone table. A few minutes after he did, she wordlessly placed a plate of skewered monster meat and roasted veggies in front of him.

“Is something the matter?” Airen asked. He was used to Keri being gloomy and brooding, but she would at the very least respond to him.

“The History Eater played a prank when she send you here last night. Since you don’t have any idea of what you did, and it wasn’t your fault, I’ll let it slide.” Keri said quietly. Her tone made it clear that Airen was not to ask about what happened. When he tried to meet her eyes, she turned away.

“But to possess this sort of pocket dimension…what were you planning when you decided to build these houses and the fields?” Keri changed the subject abruptly. “If it was just for comfort, there was no need to have three…”

“I…” Airen hesitated, knowing fully well how naive he sounded. “I want to build a place of refuge here, a haven for those in search of a home. ”

To Airen’s surprise, Keri’s made no expression at his words- neither mocking him or berating him.

“You're not going to ask me, why?”

“...Do you need a reason to want to help others?”

“No. I guess not.” Airen replied happily. Keri was the second one to hear of his plan, and unlike Fieluri, she didn’t make fun of him for it..

“Finish your food so we can get moving.”

“Someone’s been here recently.” The instant they stepped out of the return rift, Keri had pointed out the remains of a campfire in the ‘safe’ room.

“They’re still warm.” Airen let the ashes trail between his fingers. “There’s a pile of wooden skewers here too. It seems like it was quite a large party.”

“Over there.” Keri’s voice called Airen over, and he turned to the corner of the room, the same corner where they had found the skeletal remains of the female adventurer. The scent of blood lingered in the area, no doubt from the pile of dirty bandages on the ground.

“It seems our mystery party was overconfident in their combat abilities, and didn’t bring a healer. ”

“We’re not much different either.” Airen pointed out. “Neither of us can use healing magic.”

“For you, staying in the History Eater’s realm reverts all injuries to nothingness. For me, a dungeon of this level is child’s play.”

“If there is anything to worry about, it’s other people... It is always other people.” She echoed, almost as an afterthought. “Let’s move.”

…

On the next floor, they had encountered a group of Shambling Bones.

“I really hate fighting the undead.” Airen groaned as he stamped on a lizard skull, shattering it into pieces. Airen pulled out a flask of cooking oil and poured it over the pile of bones as it tried to reanimate itself.

“If everything was as strong as the Etna Duelist or Reanimated, then I will probably have no choice but to run away.” Airen grumbled as he set the creature ablaze.

“If you encountered an Etna Duelist, you will likely not survive.” Keri replied. She had leaned against the wall as Airen fought, only occasionally moving to funnel the group of nine undead towards Airen. This was her form of training, but it was much easier compared to the things Fieluri did. Their movements were dull and slow, and it was easy for Airen to dispatch them despite their ceaseless tenacity.

“...Probably not.” Airen agreed.

“Ittai said that the floors were large and straightforward, but he didn’t say it was one gigantic room!” Airen complained quietly. Ahead of them, he could spot movement in the darkness, as well as the familiar sound of skeletal footsteps.

Keri’s reply was to clamp a hand over his mouth as several pairs of red and white eyes glanced over in their direction before starting move towards them. As they came closer, Airen could make out pale, half shattered human skulls among the kobold and lizard skeletons.

Sounds of clacking jaws and chittering teeth as the skeletons sprinted and crawled forward like moths to flame, or more accurately in this case, ravenous beasts to flesh. The noise seemed to attracted the attention of others, and Airen could spot more floating eyes in the darkness growing larger.

“I guess I’ll have to handle it.” Keri gently pushed Airen back towards the stairs, before casually walking forward whilst gracefully spinning Silverlight.

Before Airen could say anything, the first skeleton, an aggregation of a human and kobold bones, had blocked off the stairwell. It lunged at him with a rusty short sword as more skeletons tried and failed, to force their way into the narrow stairwell.

Airen hesitated for a split second before pulling out Dir Sayf and willing it to be a shield. A dull clang rang out as Airen parried away the strike, and he quickly struck back with his spear.

It was a beginner’s mistake. Airen cursed his own foolishness as the spearpoint slipped through the skeleton’s ribs unharmed. The monster seemed to cackle at him as it grabbed the shaft of the spear and pulled.

“Ald!” Airen did not hesitate this time as he let himself be dragged forward by the momentum, letting go at the last moment to release a close range kinetic blast.

To his pleasant shock, the creature was blown to pieces and the shards of bone flew down the stairs towards its compatriots. Despite their undying strength, their bodies were still fairly brittle, and they had very little balance.

When the next skeleton arrived, Airen was ready with a kobold’s club in his hands.

~

“It’s done.” Keri’s voice called out and Airen slipped out from the stairwell. Airen could barely make out lightless black flames lingering on the ground atop piles of white ashes.

“Sorry.” Airen bowed his head sheepishly. “I didn’t think there would be so many of them, or that they would all attack at once like that.”

“Just because you don’t see them, doesn’t mean they aren’t there.” Keri admonished. “How many of them went your way?”

“Twelve. They weren’t hard to deal with.” Airen knelt by the black flames that emitted no heat, and rummaged through the pile of ashes. Most of the Skeletons wielded weapons as they did in life, and even a few of them had pieces of rusty armor. However, it seemed that Keri’s strange black flame had even reduced those to dust.

“You won’t find anything. Don’t bother and let’s keep moving.” Keri’s voice answered his thoughts. “A large group of undead banding together like this is uncommon. Someone or something ticked them off.”

“Give me just a moment.” Airen was trying to stuff the bone ash into a bag. He had heard from Rowan that bone ash could be used as fertilizer, and he wasn’t inclined to let anything go to waste. “But there’s really nothing left other than ashes… what exactly are those black flames of yours, Keri?”

“Who knows. That’s the same question I posed to the History Eater, and she never answered.” Keri held out a hand and a starry-black flame flickered to life on her palm.

In Airen’s eyes, it seemed to momentarily absorb the light as it flickered out of existence.

“What is it? More undead?” Airen whispered quietly as Keri held up a hand. The stairwell to the twenty-fourth floor was right in front of them, and they had fought numerous skeletons, ghouls, and even a few specters to get here- although it was mostly Keri’s magic that defeated them.

“Yes and no. There’s sounds of a battle below. Adventurers.”

Airen strained his ears, but he could not hear anything.

“Sounds like a pretty large group.” Keri added after seeing Airen’s expression. “If the adventurers fall, we can likely loot their bodies.”

“That’s- shouldn’t we help them?” Airen was shocked by Keri’s ruthlessness and fumbled over his words.

“It’s not that simple.” Keri shook her head. “Once you help them once, you’ve assumed responsibility, and there are many that would take advantage of your goodwill. If they’re injured, they might ask you for more help, and even if you refuse, they might simply follow you around.“

“But we can’t simply leave them.” Airen protested.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Airen. Sacrifice is common, and sometimes the one burdening the party must be-” Keri made a slicing motion. “-left behind.”

“That’s… terrible.” Airen’s words seemed to trigger something in Keri, and she grasped him by the shoulders, squeezing hard enough for his arm to start going numb.

“Terrible?” Keri’s eyes stared into Airen’s. “You should tell those words to that monster.”

“Keri, it hurts.” Airen started to say, but Keri’s grip only grew stronger along with the madness in her eyes. He felt a searing pain where his shoulders was grasped, and when he turned to look, he was shocked to see black flames tingling along his shoulders.

“Keri, what are you-?!” A sense of danger from the unnatural heat caused adrenaline to surge through his body. He tried to push her away, but his numbed arms lacked the strength to do so. “Why are you doing this!?”

“She can’t hear you.” Fieluri’s voice answered his question and he turned to see her standing behind him, with a rift slowly shrinking next to her. “It seems she didn’t heed my warning and went to Aotapia.”

Fieluri patted Airen on the shoulder and a purple glow started to glow out from his skin as the transparent tattoo became visible and absorbed the black flames. The searing pain lessened, but Keri’s grip still pinned Airen against the wall.

“Well, I suppose this is my fault.” Fieluri crossed her arms and nodded to herself in contemplation. She paced back and forth as she murmured quietly to herself, the words unhead by Airen.

“What’s wrong with her?” At the moment, Keri was like a statue and seemed as if she was unaware of what was happening around her.

“Hallucinations.” Fieluri answered nonchalantly. “Imagine an overflowing cup. That’s the state of her self-destructing mind right now. If she wasn’t a descendant of that person, she would have likely killed you already. Well, the fact that she was allowed to leave Aotapia means…”

Having come to a decision, Fieluri nodded once more before placing a hand against Keri’s forehead.

“What are you doing?” Airen realized that Keri’s vice like grip had lost its strength, and he ducked and slipped away from her. With him gone, Keri’s posture eerily reminded Airen of the undead shamblers that he had fought not too long ago.

“Removing the corruption and decay. She’s fortunate that I am probably the only one capable of removing Aotapia’s influence.” Fieluri pushed a finger against Airen’s lips with her spare hand. “Hush now. It has been a long time since I’ve done this. You wouldn’t want your dear mentor to be turned into a vegetable now, do you?”

Airen instantly clammed up against her words. Standing off to the side, he watched in awe as thin ribbons of light trailed out from Fieluri’s hand and caressed Keri’s face. However in the next second, the ribbons jerked as if startled, and split into pieces, quickly losing light.

“Did something happen?” Airen whispered as Fieluri scowled.

“There’s someone nearby that can detect my presence if I used magic of this caliber.” Fieluri shrugged. “Well, I suppose I’ll just let you decide. It seems you’ll have to act as my assistant for once. Here.”

She tossed two familiar items at Airen, the Night Sculptor’s Mask and the Mantle of Age. A split second later, almost as an afterthought, she opened a rift and pulled out a golden-orange staff.

“Go downstairs and put an end to the petty squabble. I don’t care which side you wipe out, or all of them, but make it flashy.” Fieluri carefully handed over the staff, which felt strangely warm to his touch.

“This is Noxla, Light of Century's End.” Fieluri traced a finger along the nestled orb atop the staff, causing traces of yellow spots to flicker to life inside. “I’ve tinkered with it so even you can use it. Just point it at what you want gone and shout ‘Spark.’ ”

“Off with you now. Go be a distraction.” Fieluri waved her hand and a force pushed Airen from behind towards the stairs. “Every second you tarry, more of her mind will be consumed.”

“Just give me some staff and sent me off.” Airen grumbled as he donned the disguise while slowly descending the stairs. “ ‘Just point at what you want gone.’ Like it’s going to be so easy.”

Even now, Airen was able to hear the sounds of of the battle happening on the floor below. Every second there was the sound of ringing steel, or hum of vibrations from casted magical spells. As he neared the bottom, he was greeted with occasional flashes of light traveling up the corridor, as well as the unmistakable stench of blood.

“Righto. Here we go…” Airen slid against the doorway before slowly peeking out. Half of the room was lit up by magical light, and where the light met the darkness, adventurers clashed with the undying. A caravan of wagons and trolleys was abandoned in the corner of the room, loaded with rations and supplies the League of Adventurers were supposed to deliver to the next checkpoint.

Barely illuminated on the other side of the large room that made up the 25th floor was a huge hole in dungeon walls from which the undead poured out. What truly shocked Airen was that they were not the same low level undead on the floors prior but Reanimated- the freshly deceased with all limbs and fleshed still attached.

“Shields up! Their archers are about to release!” A familiar voice caused Airen’s line of sight to turn towards the right, where Menda was rallying a group of adventure-turned caravan guards. Some of them were too slow in hearing the call, and cries of pain rose up from those that were struck.

Behind the line of defense, several exhausted mages were running back and forth between the wounded. Archers and mages stood in the far back, fruitlessly raining down spells and arrows into the masses of undead. Every few seconds, the line of warriors would faltar and threaten to fall part; these people were adventurers used to small skirmishes, not a large battle such as this. It seemed to Airen that a few of the more powerful veteran adventurers were barely managing to hold things together.

And their opponents were the creatures of children’s tales, the undead that still looked human and even retained the abilities from when they were alive. Decapitation would not even slow their advance, and the only way to truly finish one off was to reduce it to ashes.

“There’s at least fifty of them…” Airen’s hands were sweaty as he gripped Noxla. His instincts screamed at him that he should get away. It was a large open room with no choke points, and even more Reanimated were slowly climbing out of the gap in the dungeon wall.

However as soon as he took a step backward, three pairs of red eyes turned to his direction. With a wordless howl, three of the monsters dashed madly towards him, one of them on all fours like a rabid dog. Instinct won over fear, and Airen half shouted, half screamed the activation word for Noxla as he waved around the staff trying to ward away the Reanimated.

For a split second nothing happened, causing Airen’s stomach to plummet. Feeling a rising heat in his hands, he glanced down to see several magical circles forming around the shaft of the staff. The pieces of metal in which the orb nestled had peeled off the staff and rotated around the orb.

“What is-” Airen’s words was cut short by a low hum, followed by the sound of electric sparks. The next moment, a high pitched note screeched into the air as the magical circles expanded in succession, and a giant beam of yellow light, like that of a laser, shot out from the top of the staff.

The gigantic beam of light did not stop after incinerating the charging Reanimated, instead continuing on towards the group of combatants. Nothing caught in the blast remained, and even the floor was torn asunder, and even a few hapless adventurers were caught in the blast. The beam only finally stopped after slamming in the wall on the other side of the room, but not without leaving a ten meter wide and five meter deep hole.

The Century’s End Spark had momentarily lit up the entire room, and other than a few close combatants locked in battle, all living eyes were on Airen. All they had seen was a trail of white light, and then a line of Reanimated had vanished. Hands still trembling, Airen was glad that he was currently disguised as Neäir. Although unintentional, he had killed at least three adventurers with that spell.

What are you hesitating for? Go fire off a few more! Fieluri’s voice jerked him to his senses. Now was not the time to worry about what happened and he pointed the staff at another group of Reanimated, this one a bit further away from the engaged melee combatants.

“Spark!” Airen shouted, making sure his voice carried over to the others.

Instead of a gigantic beam, this second attack seemed to have split off into multiple smaller ones. These smaller beams of light seemed to dance around in the air before homing into the bodies of the Reanimated, bouncing from body to body like an array of deadly fireworks.

The staff seemed to alternate between the two types of attacks as Airen sent eight more Century’s End Spark at the Reanimated, single handedly wiping them out. Airen’s hands shook as he stared at the weapon in his hands.

This was nothing compared to the weapons in the various Codexes Fiel gave me access to If… if I had this sort of power, then I shouldn't need to worry about returning to the Kingdom of Macha…

Wandering among his thoughts, Airen didn’t realize a group of adventurers were heading towards him. Almost instinctively, he pointed the staff toward their direction, causing them to flinch.

“Ah.” Airen quickly caught himself and lifted Noxla so the bottom of the staff touched the ground. He pretended to ignore and look away from the approaching group, choosing to glance around the now dimly-lit room. By the other side of the room, several earth mages were attempting to seal the holes in the dungeon walls from which the undead had poured out of.

“Thanks for your timely assistance. I was afraid that that the caravan wouldn’t have held out much longer…” Airen did not look up to meet their faces, instead using the hood from the Mantle of Age to partially hide his own. Still he was surprised to find the six that approached him to sport not only the same clothing, but the same pair of swords at their hips.

“I was simply passing through.” Airen coughed. He was unsure of how to act, since usually when he donned the mask as Neäir, Fieluri would do the talking. He wanted to turn around and go back up the stairs to check on Keri, but there was no way for him to make such a quiet disappearance.

“Eh, you’re so pretty!” Lost in his thoughts, Airen hadn’t realize one of them, a short, red-haired girl, had crouched down next to him and got a good look at his face.

“Stop that, Klaris! Don’t be rude!” A male voice admonished her and pulled her up. “It’s not everyday you run into a master mage!”

Master mage? Me? Airen repeated the words to himself, bemused at their impression of him. A few seconds later, he decided there was no point in hiding his face anymore and reached up to pull off his hood. Various emotions seemed to flash in the group of six, composed of three male and three females.

They were pretty capable… Airen could recall that they were the ones that flitted about the battlefield, reinforcing any weak points in the defensive line. He had a good opinion of them, since with their strength, they could have easily escaped on their own.

“My name is Paden.” The oldest of the group, a tall, scarred man in his mid thirties stepped forward introduced himself.

“This is Curtis and Sime.” He introduced the two younger males, one in his twenties and one that was in his early teens. Curtis gave him a respectful nod while Sime bashfully bowed before hiding behind Paden.

“And I am Jaela, and these two brats are Minerva and Klaris.” The eldest of the females, a mature and elegant lady, introduced her younger acquaintances as well. Klaris was the outspoken and curious lass that had peeked at Airen’s face, while Minerva was a delicate and pristine young lady. Both of them greeted him with a courtesy, although Klara seemed to find the gesture annoying.

Airen was taken aback at the differences in ages. There were two in their mid-thirties, another two in their early twenties, and two whose ages barely reached the double digits.

“We’re the students of the Sword Emperor.” Curtis added, dusting off his uniform. At his words, Paden shot him an exasperated and annoyed look.

“Is that so? Do let him know that I would like to have a duel with him in the future. A challenge for the title, if you will.” Airen’s answer came unbidden from his throat. His eyes darted to his right shoulder, and as he expected, Fieluri was seated there in her miniature form.

I have good news and bad news. Let’s save it for later. She leaned into his ear and whispered.

Airen could not reply if he wanted to. After the words of challenge had left his mouth, it had invoked a variety of responses. Curtis snorted with a cold, arrogant glint in his eyes, while Jaela and Paden smiled welcomingly. The youngest two, Klaris and Sime, both had stunned expressions on their faces while Minerva was expressionless.

“We’ll be more than happy to pass on the message.” Paden grinned. “Lately he has been complaining there were no worthy people to cross blades with. I’m sure he would happy to fight against someone of your level, sire. May I ask for your name?”

“Brother! We can’t just let a random person duel Lord Dumeis just because he feels like it!” Curtis interjected. “There’s rules in place to maintain the peace! If you want to duel teacher, then you have to manage to best all of us, as well as win a tournament!”

“Neäir is my name.” Airen’s voice, controlled by Fieluri, answered after a few moments. Fieluri flicked a finger, and Airen’s arm moved against his will, pointing Noxla at the six of them.

“Do you surrender?” Airen couldn’t help but smile cheekily at Fieluri’s action. “I make no promises on your livelihood if you were to refuse.”

“We surrender. We surrender!” Paden laughed at the absurdity of Neäir’s actions. “Please excuse my younger brother, senior. There’s no need for you to challenge us.”

“But that’s a staff! How can you be a Sword Emperor if you don’t even use a sword!?” Minerva spoke up this time, her voice a source of reason and logic.

“Not a problem.” Neäir picked up Noxla and pushed against the bottom of the weapon. To both Airen and the Sword Emperor’s apprentice’s surprise, as the shaft slowly reduced down to the size of a sword hilt, a yellow-orange magical blade the size of a longsword appeared above the nestled orb.

Under Fieluri’s instructions, Airen gently flicked the staff-turned-sword, and ripples of light left deep incisions in the ground, not unlike Flashes of Divine Steel.

“That’s… who are you?” Jaela gapped.

“Must I repeat myself?” Fieluri told Airen to smirk, but the best he could do was a lopsided smile.

“I am Neäir.”

“So what happened to Keri?” Airen whispered to Fieluri as they trailed behind a caravan. Several people from the League of Adventurers had requested for him to guard the supplies train until it managed to reach the 30th floor where the next checkpoint was. Fieluri had not refused them, and as a result, he was now acting as the rearguard. It was a slow processes as the wagons were slowly progressing down the stairs into the next floor.

“The good news first then.” Fieluri clapped her hands. “I managed to suppress Aotapia’s influence, but only momentarily. When she awakened, I sent her to someone that can fully purge the corruption.”

“Wait, are you telling me the all-knowing, all-might, Fieluri Archive, doesn’t know how to fix something?” Airen’s face, or rather Neäir’s, twisted into a mocking grin.

“It’s complicated.” Fieluri sidestepped his question with a vague answer. “Moving onto the bad news, you will likely never see her again, and even if you do, she will be your enemy.”

“Wha- How- What did you do?!” Airen shouted.

“I told her part of the answer she was looking for.” Fieluri rolled her eyes. “Her face was quite something. But yes, as of this moment, I am your only teacher, and daresay, master.”

“It’s not like our relationship has changed.” Airen grumbled. “Oh great and benevolent master, why don’t give your loyal disciple with a gift? Perhaps this ancient-looking and dusty staff in my hands?”

“Are you asking to be punished?” Fieluri held up a hand and a rainbow-colored aura started to surround it. “I just saved that girl because it was what you wished for, and you try to be coy with me?”

“I never said-”

“Then were you willing to let her die? Last time I recall, you even went as far as to go into Osperica…” Fieluri smirked and cackled. “Too naive, Airen!”

Airen refused to reply, instead fumed and kicked at the stones at his feet.

“That Menda’s an interesting fellow.” Fieluri commented out of the blue. “Two of his comrades fell in that fight, and yet he’s going around trying to recruit new members.”

“How do you even know- Wait, why are you telling me this?” Airen couldn’t help himself, but still managed to stop himself in time. Rather, he would be more surprised if there was something Fieluri didn’t know.

“Because I’m warning you, Airen. Since Keri can no longer accompany you on this expedition, I will instead. Speaking of which, I’ll take that staff back now.” Fieluri clapped her hands and Noxla flew into the air, before spinning and vanishing inside a rift.

“...Can’t you just, you know. Lend it me for a bit?” Airen complained.

“You’re an idiot, Airen. If it wasn’t for that magical tattoo I imprinted on you, you would be dead. Burned to smithereens like the others. Do you think you are capable of using such a weapon?” Fieluri mocked him.

“Sir. Neäir, Sir!” A voice called out from the front of the caravan. Airen recognized the man that came running as one of those that asked for his help. Out of breath, he stood in front of Airen and heaved and coughed a few times before he could actually speak.

“We’re right in front of the checkpoint, but there’s nobody there to greet us. The guards are gone, and half of the lamps aren’t lit. Would you mind taking a look first?”

“Sure.” Neäir replied, to Airen’s dismay. He was feeling much less confident without Noxla in his hands and he was rather afraid of whatever Fieluri might make him do and call ‘training’.

“There’s nothing around. Don’t be so tense.” Fieluri scolded Airen as he ducked from shadow to shadow in the barely illuminated League of Adventurer’s camp.

“There’s blood on the ground everywhere, but there’s no bodies, and you’re telling me that’s not creepy at all?” Airen tensed up he peeked into dungeon room, only to find nothing amiss inside except the lack of people. The lines of cots were in disarray, with blankets and pillows all over the ground.

“If you’re looking for the living, then they’re holed up in that storage room over there.” Fieluri yawned and tossed away a bloodied sword she had picked up.

Airen glanced at where she pointed, and started to make his way over, his bone spear at the ready and Dir Sayf ready to spring at a moments notice. Breathing in, he peeked around the corner only to drop his weapon in shock.

“...I did say you had trials ahead.” Fieluri murmured quietly as Airen stared at a wooden sign with words of blood written upon it.

I await you on the floors below.

-Jourmind