We were moving through the woods, racing towards that mysterious-looking giant gate. We were late. All the last-minute instructions, the brief "training," and the orders given to The Knights had eaten up so much time.
I sat in the back seat, leaning against the window, my hand supporting my cheek as I watched trees blur past. The sun had already set. It was around 7pm. The sky was darkening fast.
Please be safe, brother.
I hoped Kane was safe and sound. But... then I remembered how Xiao held Kane mid-air. I was annoyed by it. I wanted to beat Xiao to a pulp. I glanced at my watch, it was 7:10pm. I instinctively sucked my teeth.
Time is running out.
"Sucking your teeth won't help," Maarij said, gripping the wheel as the jeep darted between trees. He was pushing the max speed possible without crashing into a trunk.
I glanced at the rear-view mirror. "I am just worried."
It was a lie. I wasn't just worried. I was terrified. I just didn't want to say it out loud.
"Doesn't look like that to me," said Aariz, his eyes on the passings blur outside. "The breeze is nice, though. Don't you think, Maarij?"
"Not really."
"I'm just worried about brother, that's all," I muttered.
Another lie. They both knew it, and so did I.
"You haven't changed in the slightest," said Maarij, catching my eyes in the mirror. "Don't worry about Kane. Knowing him, he probably either beat Xiao to a pulp or toyed with him."
I narrowed my eyes. "How can you be so sure? And why are you acting like we've met before?"
Maarij didn't answer. His focus returned to the road. Instead, Aariz turned slightly in his seat.
"You probably don't remember us," he said. "We vanished from the previous world without a trace."
"I see..." I leaned forward, my arms resting on the seat in front. "Any chance of getting those memories back?"
"No idea."
So, they are the same as us, huh? I thought. I sighed. "This is getting a pain in ass."
Just as I completed my words, the wheels of the jeep rolled to a halt. "We're here."
We got out of the jeep, and saw that mysterious-looking giant gate which was just few steps away. Maarij had parked the jeep right in the middle of what could be considered as entrance. There were others here as well, dressed like The Knights. Perhaps they were patrolling, or guarding this area. I had no clue.
There was one woman who stood out among them. Her attire was completely different than those of The Knights, so it was natural that she would stood out. She looked like she was giving orders to them. As she continued, her gaze fell on us.
"Handle the rest as planned. Don't let your guard down," she instructed one of The Knights, then began walking towards us.
"Understood, Your Majesty!"
Your Majesty? What is she, a queen?
We began walking towards her as well, even though I didn't know who she was or why we were heading towards her. I guessed that she was either a queen or someone important.
"You are late, Aariz, Maarij," she said in a clam, polite tone.
"Sorry, I had to give instructions to The Knights," Maarij replied. Then glancing at me, he added, "And Aariz had to somewhat 'train' him."
"This guy? He's the 'Chosen One'...?" she said, staring at me with eyes full of doubt.
"I don't know anything about this 'Chosen One" thing," I replied, calmly. Staring right into her eyes, I said, "But can you stop staring at me? It's unpleasant."
She sighed, turning her face to the massive gate. "I've cleared up the area. The Knights are patrolling all around."
"So, to sum up, we're good to go in, yeah?" Aariz asked, arms crossed.
"Yeah, let's go and rescue... uh..." She glanced between Aariz and Maarij, confused.
She doesn't have a clue on who we are rescuing. Who is she even?
I just hoped she wouldn't slow us down or get killed. But deep inside, I knew she was far more capable than me. And that I wasn't the "Chosen One". I was just a person... A normal person.
"My brother," I said flatly.
"Ah, yeah. Him."
"Aren't you going to ask who she is? Her name is, or anything?"
"I don't care. As long as my brother is safe and sound, that's all that matters."
I gave Maarij a clear reply. I couldn't care less who that woman was. I only wanted one thing: Rescue Kane safe and sound.
"You know, you can be a little more gentle—" Aariz started, but he was cut off by a sudden pressure, like presence of something otherworldly, descended upon us.
It felt like a scene in those Fantasy novels where a powerful character suddenly arrives on the scene and everyone collapses from their sheer presence.
But unlike those scenes, we were still standing. No collapse. Just a chill that ran down my spine like ice. It felt a warning.
"What the...?" I looked around and saw everyone, except us, collapsed on the ground. "Hey, Aariz, Maarij, what the hell is this?"
"We must hurry and enter the Dungeon Complex." Aariz was shaken. I could tell just by seeing his face. Same with the others. They all seemed to be taken a back. They probably hadn't expected this.
"Something's probably happening at [Floor: Disaster]." The woman muttered, looking at the gate. "It's probably bad news."
She rushed towrads the gate and we followed her lead. As we got near it, the entrance opened on its own like it had been waiting for us. It looked like a portal leading to another dimension. Upon entering, we didn't stop to "admire" it, rather we kept running.
If my guess is correct, we're on 1st Floor now. The deeper we go, the harder the monster become to defeat. That's how dungeons usually work. As for its labyrinth part, I think it gets more complex in structure.
The first floor looked... normal. A classic dark, damp dungeon with mysterious lights glowing faintly, illuminating the path. I figured that the deeper we go, the less light we would get. I didn't know where we were heading, but I hoped we would reach [Floor: Disaster] without any encounters.
I was praying for smooth rescue, but as always, things didn't go as I wish. A chilling shriek echoed through the floor as a horde of humanoid beasts emerged before us.
Their tall, sinewy bodies looked like warped silhouettes of human. Their skin was as dark as coal, glowing crimson eyes, and long claws twiching like blades thirsty for blood.
"Demonic Wolves," the woman muttered, sucking her teeth, "Tch."
"Hey," Aariz quipped, "Bad habit for a lady."
She ignored him, pretending not to hear. With a flick of her wrist, a sword appeared in her hand. Blackish crimson sword with golden hues.
The same sword as Aariz and Maarij?
I'd thought they would all wield unique weapons having different designs and styles. But it turned out to be the same. I won't lie: I was a bit disappointed.
Unlike Maarij and Aariz's swords, hers erupted with crimson flames the moment she gripped it. The blade roared, not hissed, but roared like it had a beast living inside it.
Without a single word, she vanished. In a blur, she carved through the horde. One swing—screams; another—heads flew.
Wherever her blade struck, flames burst from the wounds, devouring the beasts in a wave of searing heat. They didn't have time to fight back. Within seconds, nothing remained except for the ashes drifting through the air of Dungeon Complex.
So, no cores or magic stones... That works too, I suppose.
We were descending through the floors, one by one, without stopping, even for a second. Each level brought more monster, more heat, and less light. Maarij, Aariz, and that woman dealt with them swiftly within seconds, as soon as they appeared before us, like it was a routine for them.
I didn't do anything. There was nothing I could do. So, I did my best to not drag them down. I stayed close, forcing myself to keep up with their pace. I was glad that I had a decent stamina. This place was confusing and dangerous as hell.
Dungeon Complex kept shifting. Its layout changed every minute or two. And naturally, the deeper we went, the stronger the monster got, and the more complex the structure became.
Currently, we were at 11th Floor, and were this close to enter the 12th Floor. However, a wall of Venomous Serpents coiled around the entrance of 12th Floor. They blocked our entrance. Their scales shimmered green in the dim light. Each one was as thick as a tree, and had eyes narrowed with hunger.
Aariz's sword lit with golden lightning. "Time to clear the road," he muttered, vanishing in the flash of thunder. A second later, he was slicing through the serpents like a bolt of heaven and lightning dancing in every strike, yet more of them kept coming.
From above, Demonic Beast Bats swarmed out of the holes in the ceiling. At the same time, a pack of Demonic Wolves rushed in from behind. We were surrounded. Demonic Wolves were rushing at us, Demonic Beast Bats were glaring at us from above, and Aariz was dealing with Venomous Serpents already.
"Well," I said, my heart racing. "What do we do now?"
In a blink, Aariz reappeared beside me, facing Venomous Serpents, smirked. "Scared?"
"As if."
Maarij's blade shimmered as he stepped forward, raising his sword toward the ceiling. Water pooled around the sword, soaking it until it glistened like a river, and yet not a single drop fell. "I'll handle the bats."
He shifted his stance, then unsheathed his sword from an invisible sheath. With a single swing, a massive, fast, and cutting wave of water tore through air. It struck bats mid-flight, and upon contact, their bodies sizzled, and their bodies evaporated into hissing streams.
"Acid...?" I whispered.
The remaining bats dove. Maarij didn't flinch, he took a step forward. Three slashes and they all were evaporated. Meanwhile, Aariz and that woman were cutting through their targets with deadly precision. They were dealing with them skillfully without getting a single blow from their targets like their blades had danced this dance a thousand times.
I, on the other hand, hadn't moved an inch. I was just hoping and trying my best to not get caught up in a mess, making more trouble for them. Just as I let out a breath of relief—
"Leo! Behind you!"
I felt it.
A presence behind me. Cold. Wet. Foul.
I turned. A massive serpent loomed inches away from my face, its mouth wide open, fangs dripping venom.
I froze.
That was it.
My death.
The world slowed to a crawl.