Chapter 23: 268-280
"What is up with that health? And on top of that, I can't even hurt it!" I cried out as I quickly used my tether to pull me back to the entrance of the hallway. I held my shoulder, which was now bleeding quite badly. "High heal!"
As I reached the entrance of the hallway, I quickly ran back to the entrance of the dungeon and passed through the door. Only when I got outside did I sit on the ground and try to attend to my wound.
"Young miss!" The young man who I sent out earlier cried out. He looked at my shoulder in horror.
"I'm fine. I just got careless. And to be honest, it was good you stayed out here after I sent you out. You might have died." I said as I took some bandages out of my inventory and wrapped up my shoulder. Healing magic was not working, so I had to figure out why. "I am heading back to the village. You can head back as well because I am setting up a barrier around the entrance. The only one who will be able to pass through it is my father." '
"Yes, ma'am!" I have no idea why this young man is suddenly being so polite to me but whatever.
After I sent him off, I set up the barrier and then flew up to the village. Blood was still pouring out of my wound at a steady pace which was really worrying.
[HP] 76500/101500
My health was also steadily dropping as well. I guess bleeding this badly would cause such a thing. To be honest, I think this is the first time I have been hurt so badly without being able to quickly take care of the wound. "I will need Diablo to take a look at it. There seems to be something wrong with where I got stabbed."
"Diablo!" I yelled out as I entered the house. Diablo quickly appeared in front of me. 𝘪n𝐧𝓻eа𝒅. 𝘤o𝘮
"Master! This!?" Diablo's look of concern was a bit unexpected. I knew he wanted to stay in his world for my mana, but he had genuine concern in his eyes.
"I need you to take a look at it, come to my room," I said as I did my best to keep the blood from dripping onto the floor. I was trying to make it to my room before my mother saw me, but I guess I was a bit too late for that.
"Faith, what happened!?" My mother cried out.
"It's nothing. There is something wrong with the wound where healing magic doesn't work. Diablo will look at it for me." I explained and quickly made my way to my room. I wasn't going to stop my mother from following me, though. She would cause a fuss if I did.
When I entered my room, I removed my chest plate and, with red cheeks, pulled up my undershirt so that Diablo could get a better look at my shoulder. It was embarrassing since a man would be seeing me with my shirt off, but I had no choice in this matter. My armor and undershirt obstructed the view of the wound. I, of course, made sure to cover my chest with my arm as I turned around and faced him. Trying to hide my embarrassment, I asked: "Can you look at the wound and see if there is anything strange about it?"
"Yes, one second." Diablo did not seem phased at all to see me topless, which was kind of a dig at my womanly pride but well, whatever. This made things less embarrassing. But one thing was for sure it hurt like hell when he touched the wound. "Master, this will probably hurt a lot, but there seems to be something in the wound that is causing it to bleed more than it should and is probably what is keeping healing magic from healing the wound."
"Alright…" I took a metal rod from my inventory and used it to bite down on, as I said in a muffled tone. "Do it."
Diablo nodded and, with his slender fingers, reached into my wound that was the size of a fist and dug deep into it. "Argh!" It hurt. It hurt a lot. I could see my mother tearing up, but she still stayed quiet. Although it was only a few seconds that went by before Diablo pulled his fingers out of my wound, but it felt like an eternity. The pain of having someone dig through your wound like that was really bad.
"Got it…." Diablo held a strange black worm looking thing between his fingers. "This is?"
"A wraith worm. Where did you run into a wraith?" Diablo asked as he looked at me in shock.
"Inside the dungeon. I ran into it while trying to see what kind of monsters were there." I explained as I began healing my wound. This time it was finally healing. "Diablo, can you turn around for a second?" I asked. It was hard to heal and cover myself up with only one arm.
"Ah yes…." Diablo did as I asked as I also turned around and continued to heal myself. With high heal, it only took a few seconds. Only then did I grab a shirt and put it on.
"Thanks. Now explain to me why this thing can block healing magic. And how can a wraith that I can't hit with weapons or magic stab me in the arm and even implant such a thing inside me?" I was bombarding him with questions, but I needed to know as much as I could. I had never run into a monster like this wraith before. It would be different if I could attack it, but all my attempts failed, and at the same time, I was attacked in return without being able to even guard myself. It stabbed through my armor and even my natural dragon defenses. I would not be able to find my father if I could not kill these things. But for all I know, he might have fallen to such a monster himself. And this thought scared me.
"Wraiths are even feared by us demons. They are a strange form of undead and are almost impossible to kill except by way of soul magic. Wraiths are able to make any part of their body corporeal at any given time. This means even the fingertips can be corporeal while the rest of the body is untouchable. They are a more evolved form of ghosts that can not physically harm you, but they can drain your energy. If you get into a group with both and do not know how to kill them, then you are basically asking to die." Diablo explained.
"I see…." I frowned slightly, hearing this. If my team and I were to dive into this dungeon and we got surrounded, we would quickly be defeated. "Then what are these worm things?"
"They are part of the wraith's body that embeds into you. It will allow them to control your soul once you die. They are vicious because if you are in battle, they can make you attack your own comrades." Diablo's answer made my heart sink. If this happened to my father…. Would I even be able to attack? Would I be able to destroy his soul?
"Umm…." My mother's voice came from behind me. I turned to see her standing there with a pale face. I suddenly realized the conversation between Diablo and me was not something she should be listening to.
I quickly walked over to her and hugged her. "It will be fine. Father is a fighter. He will not give up easily. I was just careless, is all."
"Mmm…" My mother hugged me tightly, her body shivering. I knew she was very scared right now. I rubbed her back. I wanted to say comforting words but nothing was coming to mind. There was nothing I could really say that could comfort her at this time.
"Diablo, can you teach me soul magic?" I asked.
"I can, but the magic is not easy. Since you need to channel your mana through your soul and write the magic circles with your soul to cast any of the spells." Diablo answered. Whether it was hard or not, I had no choice but to learn it as quickly as possible. So did everyone else in my team.
"Then please teach me. I will need to learn it in order to search for my father. Everyone who is about to arrive here will also need to be taught this magic." I wanted to get this training over and done with quickly. If even a few of them can learn it then it would be worth it.
"Ahem…." Diablo scratched his head. "You know, by exposing your soul to me, it is the same as a person standing there naked. Souls do not have clothes after all."
I blushed at Diablo's words, but it was a necessity. I had to learn it no matter what. I took a deep breath and nodded my head. "You teach me, and then I will teach the other girls while you teach the boys. The two of us are connected anyway, so I will deal with it."
Embarrassing as it was, I had no choice. Diablo sighed before asking: "We can summon a female demon. Iena is one of my top generals and knows how to use soul magic as well. She can teach you how to do it, so you do not need to expose your soul to me."
I was not sure, but I think I saw a tinge of red on Diablo's cheek, but I did like his suggestion better. It would be hard to concentrate on casting magic with Diablo there if my soul was, as he said, in the nude. "Then let's do that."
"Then I will mix my mana with yours, so she will know I am calling her. This will allow you to form a contract with her. I will then do a full submission contract between you and her. This way, if things like earlier happen, it won't be as uncomfortable for you." Diablo explained. So he is worried about me.
I smiled and nodded my head. "Let's do that then. Thank you, Diablo."
"It's nothing…." Diablo replied before continuing: "I will need you to use the same summoning spell you used before. I will add my magic to it to make sure we call Iena. You can begin when you are ready." i𝑛𝓷𝙧𝘦𝚊d. 𝚌o𝓶
"Alright." I closed my eyes and stretched out my hand. "Enslave Demon!"
A large magic circle formed in front of me on the floor. Diablo began pouring his magic into the magic circle. At the same time a black fog began to appear and slowly began to take shape. Seconds later, a young woman wearing a half metal chest plate that exposed her midriff and a pair of short leather shorts that only covered up to her mid thigh appeared. On her back was a bow and a quiver full of arrows. Her long purple hair fluttered in the air due to the energy the magic circle was giving off.
She slowly opened her eyes to expose two purple eyes that glittered like gems. She looked around the room until she spotted Diablo. Her lips curled up into a big smile, but before she could say a word, she looked down at the new magic circle that was forming under her feet. Her eyes grew big as she looked up at me and the magic circle that had formed under my own feet. "What are you doing!?"
"Iena, calm down, Master is not doing the forced contract, I am. I can't risk you harming her." Diablo's voice cut in before I could even speak up. Iena turned and looked at Diablo in shock and confusion.
"Why!? Why are you forcing me to become a servant of a lower being!?" Iena had tears in her eyes as if she had been completely betrayed. But Diablo's expression did not change in the slightest as the contract formed between the two of us. By her reaction, I do believe Iena is in love with Diablo.
"This lower being, as you called her, is also my Master! So watch your tongue!" Diablo yelled. He was actually legitimately angry.
"I…." Iena looked as if she was going to cry. I sighed and stepped forward. Iena, at this time, couldn't harm me even if she wanted to. So I was not worried about her lashing out at me.
I reached out and grabbed her hands, causing her to look at me. I leaned close to her and whispered: "By staying here with me, you can be closer to him. I think this works out well for you, does it not?" 𝒊𝒏nr𝐞𝘢𝐝. 𝒄𝒐𝗺
I watched as Iena's eyes went wide, and she nodded her head. And suddenly wrapped her arms around me. "Master is smart!"
Okay, I understand you are happy, but please let me go. Your boobs are crushing my face! Damn demon! I'm not jealous! "Okay, please calm down. The reason Diablo helped me call you here is because I need to learn soul magic. There will also be more girls coming as well. Since Diablo is a man, it is not best for him to teach girls this, so he will be teaching the boys."
Hearing my explanation, Iena nodded her head. "I understand." She then turned to Diablo and said: "Please leave the room. Girls only!"
Diablo nodded and went to leave before pausing: "Make sure you teach her well. Our lives are also connected to hers. I will know if you try anything funny."
"I would never harm her!" Iena snorted as she took my hand. "I already know we will be the best of friends!"
"Humph! Just don't overdo it." Diablo replied before leaving the room. This left me, Iena, and my mother standing in my room.
"So…." My mother spoke up. "Diablo is not son in law?"
"I have been saying that since the start!" I yelled out. Why was she still concerned about this!?
"Then you need to work harder!" My mother yelled back. "Hmph! I will go see what he thinks!" And with that, my mother was off like lightning following after Diablo.
"That is your mother?" Iena asked. She didn't seem to mind what we talked about just now, which was good. It seemed she was not the possessive type that would go crazy over every girl who talked about the man she liked.
"Yeah, sorry. Let's get this over with." I answered.
"I see. Her heart is in turmoil. I guess why you need to learn soul magic is due to this?" Iena seemed to be someone who was sensitive to other people's emotions, or it could just be an innate skill she has.
"Yeah, my father disappeared in the dungeon that popped up, and it has wraiths in it," I explained. I then told her what happened in the dungeon.
"Yes, then soul magic is the way to go. Surprisingly, his highness is being so gentle. If it was any of those under him, he would have just invaded our souls and told us what to do without a care for our privacy." Iena gave a wry smile. I guess she experienced this firsthand. "And the worst part is he never even reacted!"
"Well, now you have plenty of time to try to make him notice you," I said with a smile, trying to make her feel better. She seemed to have gone into a gloomy mood after remembering that.
"Hehe, that is thanks to you, my new Master!" Iena smiled and hugged me tightly, pushing my face into the two meat bags that hung off her chest. I swear I am not jealous!
"Okay, on a more serious note, let's get down to business. Master, you will need to open your body and soul to me in order for me to enter your sea of consciousness. Only there can I begin teaching you how to use soul magic." Iena's words were a bit confusing. I had no idea what my sea of consciousness even was.
"Ummm… I am not sure…." I began, but Iena stopped me.
"Don't worry. You will feel it once I try to enter it. Normally no one in these mortal plans would ever attempt to enter their sea of consciousness as it is a domain most do not even know exists within them." Iena explained.
"I see. Then I am ready whenever you are." I said.
"Then sit on the bed. We will need to press our foreheads together. From there, just enter a state of meditation and try to feel the inner workings of your body. Once you feel a slight pain, focus on it. I will then begin teaching you how to open your sea to me." With Iena's instructions, I sat on the bed cross legged, Iena did the same. Then we leaned forward and pressed our foreheads together. Once we were in position, I closed my eyes and began trying to do as I was told.
I had never really meditated before, so this was new to me. I tried to focus on things inside my body, mainly my heartbeat. I allowed the sound to get louder and louder, draining out any sounds around me. It was only when I felt a sharp pinch in my forehead did I change my focus. But as I did, the darkness that I was experiencing with my eyes closed turned bright as I entered a white room like area. I looked down and could see my body which was semi-transparent in nature. But as I was told, I had no clothes on.
"Not bad." A voice entered my mind. "Now, picture a door. A door that will allow me to enter where you are."
I closed my eyes and pictured a door. I pictured a door that Iena and only Iena could enter. When I opened my eyes again, a door appeared before me. Just an ordinary door. Wood planked with a metal handle.
"This might be easier than we thought." Iena's voice entered my mind once more as the door began to open, but as it did, the white area around me began to turn from white to dark, blood red. An ominous feeling began to take over me, causing me to cry out: 'Wait! Iena don't enter!"
It was already too late. As soon as Iena entered, a figure rushed towards her. I flashed and stood in front of her blocking the figure from harming Iena. "You! Why did you stop me!? If you consume her here and now, you will gain all her strength!"
"And? What then? I consumed a friend to gain power? How does that make sense?" I was calm, a little too calm. While I was white and transparent, the me in front of me was blood red and full of malevolence. I even answered the other me back as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"What is the point of a tool if you can not use it!? You want to grow stronger. I am just trying to help you out. Shed the blood of the few to get the highest gains. Is this thought not right? It's the same as if you were on the battlefield. Sometimes you must sacrifice a small number of people to save the majority. Although I would just kill them all to save the hassle, hehe…." The other me replied.
I shook my head. "Iena is not some tool to be used to gain power. She is a friend who is here to help. Why would I go through the trouble of summoning her to use her to gain strength that is not my own? Your way of thinking is wrong. Not to mention that in this situation, it would not even help."
"You are weak! How can someone like you be the one in control? If it were me, I would have just killed all my enemies, burned them all, and taken what I needed to grow stronger. This whole kingdom would have already been fully under my control. And from there….. I would expand until this whole world is mine. And I know you want the same!" The other me yelled out.
"What you want to become is nothing more than a tyrant. No one would follow a tyrant willingly. But let me ask. Why do you act as if you know me and what I want? I am not you. You are nothing more than a will that was implanted into me when I evolved." I did not understand why this ancient will thought I would want the same as it. I don't even want power. I just want to accomplish the dreams I have had since young. What is wrong with that?
"Implanted into you? Hahahaha! I never heard such a funny joke. Let me make this clear so you can get it into your stupid head of yours. I am you. I am the real you. The one you have been suppressing for so very long. The true you that wishes for bloodshed and wants to bathe in the blood of our enemies. We are the same. You just wish to suppress your true nature. The true nature that you have been trying to reject for so, so long. It was thanks to you deciding to evolve that allowed me to slip out.
"That allowed me to break off part of the shackles you placed on me. Do you know what it is like to want to come out and play and not be able to? Do you know what it is like to be stuck in a dark abyss with nothing to do but my own thoughts to keep me company? The me in front of you is the true genuine you, but you will not allow me to raise my head. Until lately, when things get too exciting for your feeble mind to handle, I am able to come out and play.
"Do you remember when I beat that group of kids up in the dungeon? Do you remember the thrill of their bones crushing under your fists? The excitement that came with the blood that splattered on your face? The smile and laughter you let out as you allowed your true self to come out? What about the war? When you could cut a man's head off without a care. The spray of blood that fell onto our body, making us quiver in excitement. That is the true you! The true you that you have suppressed for so long. So let me destroy this woman's soul, and we can consume it together and grow even more powerful than before. Hahaha!" The other me's eyes were feverish as if the thought of blood was like pure ecstasy to her.
"Are you stupid?" I asked. I still remained calm. None of her words affected my mindset at all. 𝙞𝙣𝗻𝒓𝗲𝓪d. c𝘰m
"What?" The other me seemed shocked at my sudden comment.
"Do you think that just by saying some words like this that I would change my mind? Even if you are originally a part of me, the me of now is the true me. You are just an artifact of a bygone time. But from how I see it, you are nothing more than a part of the new bloodline I gained. You are just trying to get me to submit to your way of thinking so you can take over my body." I spoke slowly as I answered, making sure the other me heard each word.
"You still do not understand! Since you do not want to listen to what I am saying, let's just deal with this in another way. I will consume you now and take over. This way, you can return to who you truly are!" The other me suddenly charged at me. But I did not flinch in the slightest. I waved my hand, and a ghostly flame sword appeared in my hand, causing the other me to suddenly stop in her tracks.
"You! How do you know how to use soul magic!?" The other me yelled. But even I thought her question was rather on point. I did not know soul magic at all, so why was I able to use it so easily?
This was something I would have to figure out later. For now, I had to deal with the matter at hand. "Sorry to say, but I can not tell you since even I do not know. So let's just end things here. I will get rid of you once and for all!" I replied before charging towards the other me. But as my sword swung down, the other me disappeared. The room I was in returned to its white state leaving only me and Iena here.
"You will one day return to who you are truly meant to be! Don't think you can escape your true origins!"
Occasionally missing content, please report errors in time.
With those last words, the other me went silent once again. I turned to look at Iena, who was staring at me with a bit of fear in her eyes. "Iena? Are you okay?"
"Huh? Wait…. What the hell are you keeping in your body!? What was that!?" Iena looked frightened beyond belief. I do not know what scared her, but I do know I did not have much time to waste as I had already wasted enough of it on the other me. 𝑖𝓷n𝘳ℯ𝐚𝐝. 𝒄om
"It's just an ancient will that tries to come out every so often. Anyway, is this true soul magic?" I asked, raising the flame sword in my hand.
"Yes…. yes it is…. It seems you already knew it or more like instinctively knew it." Iena answered. To be honest, I was quite surprised by this myself. I just knew how to use soul magic. I didn't even think when I saw the other me charging at me, I just waved my hand, creating this ghostly flame sword.
"I guess this is a good thing. We just need you to be able to use it outside your body now. I really do not wish to stay here any longer if that ancient will, as you called it, shows up again." Iena seemed to have calmed down a bit but was still scared of the ancient will. To be honest, a lot of the other me's words seemed cryptic in nature and seemed to have another meaning. Like what did she mean by she was always there even before the system? Was this part of my bloodline of this world my original one? Or was this something I have had since my previous life? I really do not know. Maybe I am the reincarnation of some demon lord or something. Actually, this thought kinda makes me wonder if it is true or not.
I mean, the way she talked was very demonlordish. All the talk about taking over the world and whatnot. Killing as I saw fit just because it was pleasurable. But what really shook me was the realization that came to me that some of her words were correct, and now I can not tell if it was the ancient will that made me feel satisfied after I killed or beat someone or if it was myself that truly enjoyed it.
I shook my head and slapped my cheeks. "Don't let her words get to you, Faith. You are you!"
"Huh?" Iena seemed confused at my sudden outburst, but I needed to do that to straighten my mind out.
When I exited my sea of consciousness, Iena sat back and wiped the sweat from her brow. I was kind of shocked to see that her entire body was soaked in sweat. I guess she was truly frightened more than I thought. "Are you okay?"
"Yes… I just… Master, tell me, what was that? That thing that is in you is scarier than any of the demon kings I have ever met. The blood lust, the killing intent, and the power that resided in it that seemed to be suppressed was enough to make my entire core shake with fear. That thing inside you is not something I would even dare go near but you…. How are you fine!? How are you able to keep that thing inside you!?" Iena was bombarding me with many questions, but even I could not answer her.
"Ummm… I don't know?" I answered while tilting my head. I felt none of what she felt. Is this because it was part of me? Or for another reason…. Like I was used to it in the first place. I shook my head. Such a thought of being used what Iena described just did not match up because I was never subjected to anything she had talked about before. Or maybe there was a part of me that I did not know about?
I had many questions and no way to answer them. But for now, I had more important matters at hand. "So, how do I go about casting soul magic outside the body?"
Iena took a deep breath and wiped the sweat on her forehead. "Basically, you just need to imagine that you are casting it but project that casting to the real world from your sea of consciousness. It may be hard to imagine, but if you keep trying, you will….. Never mind…."
Iena looked at the ghostly flaming sword in my hand that I quickly waved away and then made a ghostly fireball. A ghostly spear of ice and many more different elements. "I must ask. Is it possible to harm people with these spells?"
"Soul magic is magic that is nasty in its own way. While it does not leave visible marks as normal magic would, it can damage a person's soul to the point that they will die, leaving a soulless corpse. It is also impossible to use any magic residue to figure out who the culprit is. Although this world might not know how to use magic residue to track a person." Iena's words caught my interest because it was a fact that this world had no way of using magic to tell who did what.
"I will have you explain this magic residue thing to me later as it will help with criminal investigations in this world. But for now, I can cast soul magic with ease. With this, I can teach the others with your guidance if you do not mind." I was not sure about teaching the others myself, but I figured it would be best if they had someone they knew well entering the sea of consciousness.
"I do not think you should be entering anyone's sea of consciousness. Master, you might not realize it, but that other you inside you is like a ticking time bomb. If you ever lost control over it. And to be honest, I have no idea how you are able to suppress it, but if you do lose control over it, it will spell doom for this world. You should be mindful of your actions from this time forward. I will do what I can to assist, but we should also talk to his highness about this as well."
Occasionally missing content, please report errors in time.
I held my tongue. I was going to say it would be fine, but I could not be sure. So I could only nod and agree with what she said. "Then I will leave it to you. Do your best to teach them well. I need at least four people who can use this kind of magic. Concentrate on Adel, Sophie, Sally, Grace, and Sei. And is there a way to heal one's soul?"
I was hoping that if Grace learned how to use healing magic in soul form, it would actually heal the soul as well. "Yes, but it is a lot harder than just normal healing. Soul healing, while it uses the same concept as normal healing magic, requires one to use more mana, so if they have low mana, they could easily fall from mana exhaustion."
"It's fine. Grace can handle it. I can link my mana to hers and everyone else who can cast soul magic. I had planned to link up with everyone in the first place because dungeons are not a place most can easily deal with without lots of mana reserves or ways to replenish it." I explained. I am very much relieved that healing magic can heal souls if cast as soul magic. It makes me feel much more hopeful that our mission will succeed.
"Don't worry, Master. I will also be going with you." Iena suddenly said, causing me to look up at her. Seeing my expression, Iena smiled as she continued: "My guess is that you planned to go in with a team without His Highness because you wanted someone here to defend your home. But now I am here. Although I am weaker than His Highness, I can still hold my own against powerful enemies."
I smiled and nodded. "Then I will be in your care."
I spent the next few days keeping my mother company. I figured I would talk to Diablo about my ancient will when we got back to the capital. I had to mentally prepare myself as well since he might have to enter my sea of consciousness. But after talking with Iena about it, it seems Diablo doesn't react to much of anything.
On the third day, a group of people walked up the side of the mountain while I watched them from above. I was very happy with how quickly they arrived. I guess all the training they had been going through was not for nothing.
"Faith!" Adel was not the first to yell out. It was surprisingly Sophie.
"Wait, Sophie! Don't get ahead of yourself!" Adel yelled out and was chasing behind her.
I was confused as to what was going on when I was suddenly tackled by a fluffy fox girl. "Sophie? What's wrong?"
Sophie nuzzled her nose into my chest, her tail wagging back and forth. I looked up at Adel, who had a defeated smile on her face scratching her head. "This is my fault. Faith, I know how you do not like too many people fawning over you. I mean, you already got me confessing my love to you all the time, but I couldn't sit around and watch Sophie as she was anymore."
"What do you mean? What happened?" I asked as I rubbed the fluffy ears in front of me.
"You know how Sophie likes sleeping with you? Since you have been sharing the same bed for so long?" Adel asked. I nodded. It was not as much as it was before, but she does go on streaks where she can't sleep in her own room and will ask if she can spend the night with me.
"Well, it's because she never realized that she imprinted on you as a mate. Well, to make it make more sense, she is like me." Adel explained.
Only then did I understand. Sophie had been a bit more clingy the past few months, but I never thought much of it. I figured she was just lonely because I had been so busy as of late. But now, this left me feeling a bit awkward. I mean, first, it is Adel and now Sophie. What am I supposed to do? I sighed as I scratched the fluff. It was really addicting.
"Anyway!" Adel suddenly jumped in and joined Sophie, and hugged me. "I missed you, my love!"
"Oh my…. My my! My daughter not only has a handsome son in law but two beauties as my daughter in laws!" I heard my mother cry out from behind me, making my face go black. Why was she always jumping to these kinds of conclusions? No, wait, why would she even jump to this conclusion when it was two girls hugging me!?
"Mother, it is not what you think!" I cried out for the umpteenth time since coming here. I could see Diablo, who was probably dragged here by my mother, slowly making a retreat. I smirked as I called out: "Mother, it seems Diablo wants more of your homemade pastries."
Humph! Trying to escape to leave me with my mother's wild thoughts. You can join me! I only saw Diablo freeze before running as fast as he could. My mother just looked at me strangely before grabbing both Sophie and Adel and dragging them away. "We must talk!"
And with that, the two girls who were latching on to me were now gone, and I could feel Diablo cursing me from wherever he ran off to. Free from my bindings, I looked at Sei and Sally and smiled. "How was your trip?"
"Much quicker than I had expected. Who knew that running three days straight at full speed could get us here so quickly? Leveling up and your training really helped." Sei replied. She was not even sweating.
"Yeah, I was surprised as well. Young Miss, what are we up against? I saw the strange graveyard down below. Is that the dungeon?" Sally asked.
"Yes, and before we enter you all need a bit more training."𝑖𝗻𝙣𝐫e𝙖𝗱. 𝚌𝗼𝓂
We were all currently in my front yard since my house was not big enough for so many people. I stood in front of everyone in my team and began my run down. "So this dungeon is more troublesome than you would think. The monsters, at least the one I saw, was level 300. The problem is, is that this monster was a wraith, and from the wound, it gave me, it is not an easy monster to deal with. They can not be harmed by normal means. You need to use what is called soul magic to kill them.
"The dungeon we will be diving into is an undead dungeon. It is not a place we can take lightly. I only know of the wraiths. There could also be ghosts who will suck up your energy if they touch you, making it hard to fight. If you mix a wraith into this, we will be at a big disadvantage. Whether there is any other kind of undead, I do not know. But as you have experienced in the last dungeon, what we run into can change at any time. So be extra careful in this dungeon." I explained.
"So this soul magic, will we be learning it?" Grace asked. She seemed quite interested in soul magic.
"Yes. But it is not easy to learn. As an example." I created a soul fire sword, as I like to call it, and showed everyone. "This is soul magic. It is the same as normal magic, but it uses your soul to cast the spell. It will not leave marks on the body and can and will damage other people's souls, so do not use it on your teammates unless it is soul healing magic."
"Now. Boys and girls will be taught separately. The girls will be heading to my room while the boys will follow Diablo. To learn soul magic, Iena will be helping you, but it requires her to enter your sea of consciousness. This means she will see your everything. So to make it comfortable for everyone, we are splitting it all up." I saw many cheeks flush red when I said this and a few disappointed faces on both girls and boys.
With this, I had everyone split up. While Iena was teaching the girls, I spent more time with my mother, who was raving about the three prospects. "So how far have you…."
"Stop!" I quickly stopped my mother, who suddenly seemed like gossiping was her new pastime. "Mother, why are you even thinking along the lines of me even marrying anyone? You know I will outlive most people. I might not even age much either…." I felt like my aging process was slowly slowing down. I had no proof since there was no real way to tell in this world, but it did feel like it was slowing down. And if my dream is right, it will probably stop when I look around eighteen to twenty years old.
"So what!? Isn't Diablo a demon? You can just marry him and have the girls on the side." My mother's words caused me to shake my head as I asked: "So father can have girls on the side?"
"If he wants to die, he can." My mother's answer came swiftly and full of killing intent.
"Then why are you telling me to do the same?" I asked. It was a huge contradiction, but she seemed to be using this situation to get over what was going on. I can understand her wanting to lose herself in her surroundings, so she did not need to think or dwell on my father's well being, but this was also not good for her. It's like she is losing focus on reality.
"I…." My mother's words got caught in her throat. It took her a minute to finally say what she had to say. "I just want you to be happy. I worry about you every day while you are out on your own. I worry that you will be alone forever."
I smiled and hugged her. "I will be fine. Even if I do end up alone, it will be by choice. But as you can see right now that I have many friends at my side. I have people who care about me and wish for me to be happy as well. So as long as I have people next to me, even if I do not end up in a relationship, it will be fine."
"I guess you are right…. But you should still try at least to fall in love once." My mother still would not give up on this, but I guess she is right. Maybe one day I will. I am just not ready yet. Maybe when I am older and out of the academy. But for now, I like how things are.
"Mmm, as long as you are willing to try." My mother smiled as she suddenly stood up. "Now then. I should prepare for when your father comes home."
"Mother?" I looked up at her in confusion. It was as if something had snapped inside her. I was starting to really be worried about her current mental state.
"Don't look at me as if I am crazy. You have made a bunch of plans, right? You plan to find your father and bring him home, right? Even if all you find is his bones, he should still be welcomed home. I just want to be ready for every possibility…." I quickly got up and hugged my mother. She ended up bursting into tears as she felt my arms wrap around her. She was really not holding up well at all.
Eric came in when he heard her crying and joined us in a family hug. Life was not easy. Loved ones will be lost over time. But if I can at least bring my father back alive and allow my mother's heart to finally settle, I am sure she will be able to return to her old self. If he is dead…. Then I will bring her back to the capital with me even if I must put her to sleep.
—
Two days later, about half of my team was able to learn soul magic. Some were close but not there yet. Adel, Sophie, Sally, Sei, and Grace all learned it with ease. Some of the boys were also successful. In total, ten people were able to learn it. The rest would be staying back to continue training. So with me and Iena added to the group, twelve people would be diving into the dungeon.
Occasionally missing content, please report errors in time.𝙞𝓃𝙣r𝘦а𝘥. Co𝙢
I did not wish to take so long but to dive deep into a dungeon with so many unknowns. I had to make sure we had a way to fight any monsters. Diving in without proper readiness would just kill us. Even with Iena at my side, there is nothing saying we wouldn't get overwhelmed with just the two of us. Diablo had to stay behind to keep my mother from doing anything stupid. She seemed quite attached to Diablo, which made him the best choice even though Diablo was giving her the eyes of an abandoned puppy as I left.
We stood inside the dungeon, where I had everyone do a last check on their supplies. "Is everyone ready?"
"Yes, Boss!" Everyone shouted at the same time. I nodded, and with me in the lead, I once again set up a multi layered barrier on the tunnel leading to the exit to ensure our escape route.
When we got to the end of the tunnel, I did not exit right away. I turned around and looked at everyone before nodding to Iena. Iena stepped forward and waved her hand. A rope made of magic wrapped around everyone, tethering us all together but with enough flexibility to allow us to move around freely. "This rope will allow us to find you at any time in case we get split up. According to Master, the fog is quite thick, and one could easily get lost. So we will need to ensure we are able to find one another without issue. Also, since this place is probably an undead realm, you need to watch out for a certain kind of flower. It's called a Dream Flower. It is a flower that has an intoxicating scent. The smell alone will draw you towards it and put you into a hypnotic dream. So if anyone goes missing, report it immediately. Do not follow their tether! We do not all want to be caught under the flower's influence. Even we demons must be careful of this flower."
"Alright, you heard her. Let's get going." I yelled before taking a step out into the wet, muddy graveyard looking area ahead of me.
I have no idea if I was even going in the same direction as I was before. But I still moved forward. "Yell if you see any signs of someone passing through the area." This was the most important thing. I knew I had already mentioned it to them many times on the way down to the dungeon from the cliff, but I had to make sure they all understood that this was the most important part of our trip in this dungeon. We were not here to clear this dungeon, just here to find my father.
We made our way past the wooden and stone grave markers to where many broken-down homes were. It looked similar to the place I was at before but slightly different. The first house did not have a broken down door unless it repaired itself, which could be a possibility.
"We will search each house one by one. I will go in first to see if it is clear on the first floor. Any signs of anything, yell out immediately." I gave out one final order before heading to the closest house to us.
When we arrived, the old wooden porch creaked under my weight as I created a flame sword in my hand and walked to the front door. This one was slightly ajar and made a grinding sound as I pushed it open. I did not have to worry about knocking it off its hinges this time. Because Adel and Sophie were behind me to make sure nothing strange happened as I entered. They were not going to enter the house, and I was only checking to see if the front room was clear or not.
When I entered, I was met with a dusty, musty smelling room. I wrinkled my nose as I looked around. Once I saw that it was clear, I waved my hand at the others. Everyone quickly filed in and stood before me. "Work in groups of two. Do not split up for anything. If one of you is in danger, yell out at the top of your lungs. We can not risk anything here. We must be extra careful. I do not want to lose any of you."
"Don't worry, Boss. We will be safe." Steven replied.
"Alright then, Adel and Iena will form a two person group. I will go with Hailey. Sally with…." I made up the teams with the best possible combination. The reason I had Hailey with me was because she was still the weakest in the team, and I did not want to leave her alone. Iena was with Adel due to her status. I basically split up teams to have one strong and one weak person in the team in order to ensure everyone was covered.
With teams set, everyone split up. I had Hailey walking behind me, holding her staff, looking this way and that way. I could tell she was slightly nervous or maybe even scared. Maybe she isn't good with ghost stuff. "Umm…. Boss…." Hailey suddenly spoke up.
"Yeah?" I asked as I looked around the staircase for any signs of anything strange.
"Why did you have to choose the basement of all places!?" Hearing her voice quiver, I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Oh? Where is the valiant girl who was waving spells this way and that way during the last dungeon dive?" I asked in a teasing manner.
"This and that are different! We are talking about ghosts here!" Hailey whined. It seems that she really was not good with ghosts! This was quite interesting. I should tell Amanda.
"While they may be ghosts, they are still monsters, and you already know how to cast soul fireballs, so why are you scared?" I asked.
"Still ghos…. Gh…. Gh…. GHOST!!!!!!!!!!!" Haily suddenly screamed out, causing me to look in the direction he was pointing. When I turned my head, I was met face to face with not a ghost but what looked like a wraith!
Occasionally missing content, please report errors in time.𝘪n𝐧𝓻eа𝒅. 𝘤o𝘮
This one was different and had a face, but its face was half rotted away with an eye falling out of its socket. It was less than an inch from my face. My nose was almost touching the spot where its nose should have been. It looked at me with both eyes, even the one that was dangling down and was just standing there. Even I did not move. I was finding this situation strange.
Hailey, who was behind me, seemed to not even be breathing, but I did not have time to turn to look at her. At such close proximity, it was either me or the wraith. One of us was going to get hurt at this time, and it seemed to be whoever was the quickest, that is, if it even planned to attack.
Luckily I had my sword already in my hand. I did not plan to let it strike first, so I quickly and swiftly swung my sword up in an arc, slicing it diagonally. It didn't even flinch or move as the sword sliced through it. It just began to disappear into particles of light. Once it had completely disappeared, I let out a sigh of relief and turned to Hailey, who seemed frozen stiff. "Hailey!"
"Ah! Huh!? Where is the ghost!?" Hailey came back to her senses and began quickly looking left and right, front and back. I am starting to think I should have brought someone else.
"It's dead. I killed it. Or at least I think I did. It seemed too easy. That may have actually been a ghost…" I was unsure since I did not take the time to use Appraisal on it. It could have been a wraith, a weak one, or it could have been just a ghost. I am unsure.
"Of course, it was a ghost. It was scary and transparent looking and disgusting and…." Hailey kept mumbling her thoughts out loud, but I ignored her. I was thinking about how my sword easily cut through it, and it turned into balls of light. Makes me wonder if it was even really dead.
When we reached the basement, I soon found out my answer. Because just as I was about to take a step off the last step the same thing happened again and it was the same entity as before. As for Hailey, I think she fainted.
This time I did not try to kill it but used Appraisal.
[Apparition: Henry Tolbell]
No other information, but I guess an apparition was different from a normal ghost? "You are Henry TolBell?" I asked.
The apparition suddenly floated backward and turned around, and pointed towards the darkness of the room. "Is there something there?" I asked. But the apparition did nothing. It just stood there and continued pointing towards the darkness. 𝗶𝗻𝙣r𝑒𝑎𝚍. 𝘤𝑜𝘮
I sighed and turned towards Hailey, who seemed to have truly fainted. Her eyes were rolled up into the back of her head. I raised my hand and let a bit of lightning fly through the air. <strong>"AZabaabaganababa!" </strong>
Hailey's whole body twitched from the shock I had just given her, and stood there looking all over the place in confusion. When she spotted the apparition again, she almost fainted once more, but this time I slapped her. "Will you cut it out!? How am I supposed to take you into dungeons if you can not keep your act together!?"
If she continued like this, she was just asking to die. I know people had fears, but ghosts and the like were just a different kind of monster. Hailey lowered her head and slapped her cheeks before raising it again. She looked at me with eyes filled with determination which were the same eyes she had back in the other dungeon. Seeing this made me feel relieved. "I am okay," she said.
I nodded and waved for her to follow. I made a few balls of light to light up the room. As I did, the apparition disappeared, and what was revealed with an empty room. Nothing here except dust and cobwebs. I looked around and walked towards the spot the apparition had been pointing. But it was nothing but a solid stone wall.
"Hmmm… is it because of the light?" I was unsure, but since the apparition disappeared after I used a light spell, maybe the thing it was pointing at also disappeared. With a wave of my hand, I got rid of all light sources except one but dimmed it enough to only give the room minimal light. When I did this, a scene filled my eyes. It was this house we were in, from what I could tell. But what shocked me the most about what I was seeing was the image of the man that had just walked into the house. It was none other than my father!
I did not dare to look away. I watched as my father walked through the upper floors of the house, finding nothing. He then climbed down the stairs and completely ignored the apparition that appeared. He looked around the basement for a few minutes before scratching his head and leaving. But what I did not get was that it seemed more like he was searching for something specific. Not like he was searching for any old treasure. But what was he searching for and why?
The scene only began repeating itself after my father walked out of the house. I watched it quite a few times, but the more I watched it, the fishier things seemed. I turned and looked at the apparition and smiled. "Henry Tolbell, thank you."
At these words, the apparition gave a slight nod before disappearing. It was as if he had only stayed to give me this clue. But it was at least a clue. My father did come through this way, but now things seemed more confusing than ever. I guess I can only progress further into the dungeon in hopes of figuring it out. What the truth may be, I do not know. For all, I know, he could really have been looking for treasure, but for me, it seemed like that was not it.
Occasionally missing content, please report errors in time.
<strong>–AN) Running late. Another chapter will be up soon!–</strong>
When I went back upstairs, everyone else was already gathered. "Any clues?"
"Nothing. Just dust and cobwebs." Adel answered.
"I got one downstairs in the basement. Iena, have you heard of apparitions?" I wanted to confirm everything before I explained anything. I could not be sure if what I saw was real or not.
"An apparition? Those are rare. They are known as guides. They will help those who are seeking things. If you saw one and it was what gave you a clue, then it should be trustworthy." Iena answered. I let out a relieved sigh because this meant I was at least able to find a single clue.
"If that is the case, then my father did come to this house. He seemed to be searching for something. I am not sure what, but he searched the entire house. But what I do not get is the dust factor. The dungeon should not have been reset if someone was inside it. At least, I think…. I could be completely wrong, as dungeons are not really understood yet. But it's a gut feeling. But I wonder if there might be some kind of time dilation going on because this dust is too thick. And you can clearly see our own footprints on the floors, so if my father was here, there should be some kind of sign." I had been wondering this since I saw the images of my father walking around. If he had truly been walking around, then the dust should have been disturbed, but there was no sign of it. Everything looked untouched, as if no one had entered this place for many, many years. i𝑛n𝓻ℯ𝘢𝒅. Coｍ
"Boss, don't worry. This is at least a sign. We will figure something out. We just need to head to the next house and hope we find another clue." I smiled, knowing that Amanda was trying to make me feel better. I nodded my head and took a deep breath before slowly letting it out.
"Let's search the next house." I could only hope to find more clues. Maybe a kind of path that would eventually lead me to my father.
But even after searching house after house, no more clues appeared. I even searched each floor myself just in case but still nothing. "The trail ended on the first house…."
"Faith, don't give up hope yet," Sophie said as she came over and hugged me. I was not sure if she was just trying to take advantage of the situation or what, but her fluff was definitely warm.
"Mm… Let's keep searching." I never planned to give up. I promised my mother that I would find him. But I found it strange. We had not run into even a single wraith since coming here, which was making me feel a bit confused. Part of me was yelling at me to test out a theory that was forming in my mind.
"Everyone, we are going back to the entrance." I suddenly started causing everyone to look at me in surprise. "Don't get me wrong, I am not giving up, but I want to test a theory out about this place. I find it strange. Not a single speck of dust or footprint can be found in this place, even though my father should have been here. But no proof can be found. If we leave something as a means of a marker and then leave and come back, I want to see if it is still here. I can't be sure, but I think if we return to this place, the whole area may just change again."
"Alright, let's do that. Your theory might just be sound. Undead realms can be tricky and such things are also possible." Iena seems to think that I might be onto something.
We ended up taking a bunch of broken wood and piling it just at the entrance of the village area. It was right on the main path, so it should be easily seen. We then walked back to the entrance of the dungeon and into the safe room. "Should we exit first?" Steven asked.
"We will exit if we go back out there and find the pile. If we don't then we can just continue as is and try to find more clues. Otherwise, we will exit and try again." The thing that I worried about was the idea that maybe things were timed, like the dungeon changed every twenty four hours or more.
If this was the case, then we would have to split up and have people attempting to enter and exit until the dungeon changed while the other half kept investigating. And the only one powerful enough to lead a second team was Iena.
The situation was not very favorable. We could only hope that things would work out and that we would unlock the mystery of this dungeon and how it works. "Let's go back in," I said. We only waited a few minutes, but I was being impatient. I couldn't wait hours to test this out. I already delayed long enough to make sure we wouldn't die right away. Now that we could make our way through the dungeon, I did not want to wait any longer. I may have seemed calm this entire time, but in truth, I was very worried. Worried to the point that my stomach felt sick, but I had to keep it together for those around me. If I began panicking, what would they do? I had to keep myself stable.
We went back into the dungeon, and sadly the pile we made was standing tall as we left it. This meant that we needed to exit completely and then enter again. I stared at the large pile of wood, unsure of what to do. I already had a clue in this dungeon as it was. Should I leave and test my theory or not?
"Everyone but myself will exit the dungeon and try for a new one." I should just have Iena do this on her own, but I can not guarantee that I myself will be able to protect everyone on my own without her help. She was much more powerful than I and could easily wipe out a group of monsters on her own. This meant she was the best fit to protect the others.
"Sorry, but I can not follow that order."
Occasionally missing content, please report errors in time.
"I can't either."
"Neither can I."
"If Faith is staying here, so am I."
"Mmm… Meto."
I looked at the five girls who had opposed my decision and sighed. I did originally plan to split the group up anyway, so I guess this is okay as well. "Okay, you five can stay then. The rest of you will go with Iena. Iena, test the theory out by doing thirty minute intervals. It might take a while, but I will wait outside for you if I do not see you if I leave the dungeon. And…. if you run into an issue or find my father, send me a message through our contract." 𝒾𝗻𝓃𝐫eα𝚍. 𝒄𝐨m
"Don't worry, Master, I will keep everyone safe. You should stay safe as well." Iena's expression showed a bit of worry.
"I will stay safe," I replied before turning to the others. "You all should stay safe as well. If something happens, just stick together and leave the dungeon as quickly as you can."
After giving a few more instructions, the others left the dungeon while Adel and the others stood there waiting for me to make my next move.
"Let's backtrack over every place we have already searched just so we can be sure we did not miss anything." After everyone agreed, we headed back off, searching every house until we reached the area we had yet to investigate yet.
"Ummm?" Adel looked around in confusion. It was not just her but me and everyone else as well. The reason for this confusion was the fact that we were staring at the pile of wood we had set up. We had walked no more than maybe ten feet from the last house we investigated to find ourselves back at the start of the dungeon.
"How is this possible!? We didn't even walk far enough to get lost!" Sei yelled out. She was not panicking but more in such a confused state that her brain seemed to be hurting. She stood there holding her head with her mouth open, staring at the pile of wood in shock.
"For now, let's leave one thing here in case this is some kind of copy. We can't be too careful. We need to figure out how this dungeon truly works." I say this, but I was starting to get worried. This dungeon seemed too strange. Like it was not a dungeon at all but more of a maze…..
I froze in place when this idea came to mind. "I think I might know why my father was searching for something."
"What do you mean?" Sally asked.
"Well. Let's say this place is not a normal dungeon but more like a huge maze with many starting points. If that were the case, then we would be all starting from different areas, and we just happened to reach the starting point my father got when he first entered the dungeon. Some have monsters in them, like the house I checked when I first entered the dungeon before you all arrived had a wraith. So that was just one of the starting points. In order to progress deeper into the dungeon, we will probably need to find out how to pass through the maze.
"And to do this, I think my father had already figured out that we need to find a certain item of some kind, so we need to do a deeper investigation on what that certain item is or if it is an item at all."
"Faith?" I heard my name called, causing me to turn around to see Iena standing there. "How many times have you entered?"
"It's been a day…. And we have come in and out many times but only ended up here."Iena replied, causing me to frown.
"It's been a day?" I sighed as I realized that there seemed to be some kind of time difference between outside and inside.
"Yes, it has already been a day, and we keep ending up here," Iena replied.
"Alright, then you can stay here with me. We will need to work together because we found something else out." I said and then explained what we had figured out.
"I see… I guess a maze is not a bad way to phrase it. That would explain why you ended back at the start as if the dungeon was saying you went the wrong way or made the wrong choice. So what do you plan to do?" Iena asked.
"We will keep the same groups. But this time, one team will go left, and the other will go right. I already know straightforward does not work. We will enter the village and check what happens if we go off track. If you find anything or get reset, meet at the dungeon entrance, and we will go over our findings." This was the only way to really figure this place out. If we can pool our findings together, we may just find more clues. But now that I think about it, what if the clue my father found was the same? But depicted someone else besides himself? I guess I won't know until we find another clue like that.
"Alright, we will take the left side of the village." With things decided, we split up once more.
My group took the right side of the village. We still rechecked the houses here, but there was nothing new. We then made our way between the houses and began checking the backyards and the other surrounding areas. But what we found were more graves and a very eerie feeling. When we reached the backyard of the house that was the furthest on the right, we came upon a large wheat field. "This is?"
"Should we enter it?" Grace asked. As she went to reach out and touch a stalk of wheat, but as her finger touched it, it was like some kind of barrier was blocking her and a liquidy ripple spread out from where she touched the barrier.
"It seems we found something…. We should return and see if anyone else has found anything as well."
A few hours later, Iena and her group arrived with crestfallen faces. "What's wrong?"
"Master! You have no idea! We walked and walked and walked for hours on end, and then suddenly, we found ourselves at the entrance of the dungeon again! I hate this place!" Iena whined and stomped her feet, causing me to chuckle.
"Thank you for the hard work," I said with a smile as I walked up to her and patted her head. "But everything was not in vain. We have found something interesting." I said with a smile. My words caught everyone's interest.
"There is what looks to be a wheatfield in the back of one of the houses. But when Grace went to touch the wheat, we found it seemed more like a barrier of some kind. Let's go investigate what it is." I was hoping this was the key that the dungeon had gimmicks like these that you had to find in order to progress.
With everyone a little more excited now, we made our way back to the wheatfield. We now stood right in front of the barrier. "How should we cross?"
"Hand in hand. Everyone will hold each other's hand to pass through the barrier. If, for some reason, we get split up, try to backtrack if you can. If you can not take a single step backward and return to this point, then do not move. Do not move from where you are unless you are under attack." I had no idea what would happen once we crossed the barrier. I just did not want everyone to get split up.
When I checked to make sure everyone was ready, we locked hands. "On the count of three!"
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three!"
Everyone stepped forward as one and into the barrier. And I must say that the feeling that I was feeling at this time was stomach turning. I never felt so much motion sickness in my life as I reappeared on what looked to be an open field of some kind. The wheat was no longer visible.
"Blergh!" A sound came from my side. Adel was hunched over. It was not just her either. Many of us were doing the same. I reached over and rubbed her back. "Let's hope we do not need to do this more than once."
"Gah! That was horrible! Who the hell made this thing!" Sei yelled out as she held her stomach. She kept dry heaving as well. Luckily I was able to keep my lunch. But I was just as close as the rest of them to puking as well.
We took a small break to allow us time to recuperate. Only when everyone had their wits about them again did we begin looking around. "Looks like a farm, maybe?"
"It does, but there is nothing here but grass and the house off in the distance." Steven and Amanda were chatting with one another while I was sending out my detection magic to see if I could pick up on anything. I tried with both regular magic and soul magic and got nothing, which left me feeling a bit disappointed.
"Let's go to the house. Watch your surroundings." I said as I took the lead once more.
The trip to the only house we could see took almost five hours, give or take. It was hard to tell with a sun that did not seem to move. Not that I should expect a sun like object in a dungeon to move. The house we arrived at was not as run down as the houses on the previous floor, I guess you could call it. There was an old broken down wagon outside with overgrown grass and large dirt patches all over the place. 𝐢𝚗𝚗re𝐚𝚍 𝘤𝘰𝒎
There were even a few wooden barrels with holes in them that looked very worn, showing that they must have been here a long time. There was no wind, no birds. It was like the whole area was a void where time did not move. But everyone in her team was here, walking around stirring up the dust that had long settled.
We decided to split up into two teams. Iena and her group would search more around the area while I went into the house with my group. The inside of the house was not empty at all. There was a table with a cloth over it with wilted flowers that had dried up a long time ago. Old trinkets covered in dust lay in the cabinets that were against the wall. The old wooden rocking chairs, although dusty, had a rustic feel to them. And this was just the first room of the house as we passed through the entry.
"This place looks much more lived in than the last place," Sophie said as she walked over to the cabinet. She opened it up and pulled out what looked to be an old picture. "A family of four. Two girls and a husband and wife. The girls look around eight and fourteen, maybe?"
"Anything peculiar in the pictures?" I asked.
"Ummm… not really. The husband is hugging his wife's waist with one arm while his other is resting on his oldest daughter's shoulder. The young girl is leaving against her mother with the back of her head. But what I do find strange is the clothing." Sophie said as she brought the picture over to me. What I saw was something more akin to a North American farmer from Earth clothing wise. Something you would have seen back in the 1920s. "Hmmm…."
This was very interesting indeed. I took the picture and put it into my inventory. It was something to think about for the time being after I found my father. Maybe a clue to how these dungeons came to be. If these dungeons have something to do with Earth, then I want to know exactly why they do and what is their true reasoning for being here. But I can not assume much of anything just from a photograph.
"Before we do a full investigation, let's just check for any enemies." I decided this would make things not only faster but safer as well.
We checked the whole house from the second floor to the basement. This time there was no apparition or any clues like that left behind that were easy to find. "The house is empty, so let's split up. If you find anything that looks off, grab it if you can pick it up. Otherwise, call for us to come take a look."
"On it!" Adel said while saluting me for some strange reason, but she had a big smile on her face. The group ran off, all except for Sophie, who lagged behind. "Sophie?"
"Faith…. Can I ask for you to honestly tell me how you feel for Adel and I?" Sophie walked up to me and took my hands. "We have both decided to dedicate our lives to you and only you."
This was coming out of left field, so I felt like I had just been truck kun'd once more. But when I looked into Sophie's upturned eyes that seemed to be full of hope, I could only sigh and pull her into a hug. "I will give it serious thought. But I can not give you a full answer at this time. Can this wait until after I find my father?"
Sophie nodded and hugged me back. "Mmm… Sorry. I know this was not the time for this, but my mind has been a mess since I found out my true feelings for you. I will wait for your answer. But remember, no matter what the answer may be, Adel and I will always be at your side."
Her words made me smile, and a warm feeling began to fill my heart. I now had to give this more thought and really decide what I should be doing with myself. Even my mother is worried about me. I know this world's age to become an adult is only one year away for me, but I still have some misgivings. But…. Maybe… Just maybe I can figure out a way to allow everyone I love and care for to live longer lives like my own.
When I went to let Sophie go, she looked up into my eyes. I could tell her feelings for me were genuine as the gaze she was looking at me with was filled with pure love. And without even a warning, she stood on her tiptoes and pushed her lips against mine before running off, leaving me standing there frozen in place. I am starting to think that I am a bit too defenseless when it comes to these two girls! They both stole kisses from me! Adel stole my first kiss, and Sophie stole my second one!
But…. I touched my lips, which were still slightly warm, and couldn't help but smile. It did not feel bad… To be honest, I am wondering how it would feel to kiss a boy now… Wait! Why am I stuck on kissing now!!? "These girls!" I cried out before slapping my cheeks and going back to investigating.
After getting my mind out of the gutter, I went back to searching the room I was in. Since everyone else ran upstairs, I stayed in the basement and began going through the items here. There was everything from old dolls and old clothes, all very old looking. Dust and cobwebs were covering everything, so I had to use a bit of wind magic to keep myself from gagging.
"Still nothing, but many things do not look like anything that could be found in this world. Earth maybe, but not here…." I sighed as I looked around the room. It was slightly dim in the room, so to make sure I wasn't missing anything, I waved my hand, sending balls of light to every corner of the room.
As the light filled the room, I spotted something shiny out of the corner of my eyes. My shiny senses instantly activated, and I somehow found myself standing in front of it. I knelt down to find a small rock. I lifted it up and used appraisal on it. 𝚒𝓷𝚗𝚛𝚎𝙖𝐝. 𝒄૦𝓂
[Norite]
[A stone with no actual use other than its shiny surface that can be used as a stone in jewel crafting. The words: "I am safe." Is carved on the bottom of the stone.]
My eyes instantly went wide when I saw the last part of the description. I turned it over, and my eyes began to tear up. It was his handwriting. I would know it even if it was only carved into the stone. "Father…" I couldn't stop my tears as I held the stone to my chest. He was so weird. Why a shiny stone!? I wiped my tears and smiled. He knew my habits well. But why only this?
I was a bit confused as to why he only wrote I am safe. Why not more? Why did he leave this stone in the basement? So many questions and no way to answer them, I do not know what I should do.
"Faith, you okay down here?" Sally's voice came from the first floor. "Yeah…. Get everyone down here. I found a clue!"
I wanted to make sure I checked every inch of this room with everyone's help. I couldn't trust myself not to have skipped anything. So It was best to have all of us check each room together because there might have been something more we might have missed.
"What did you find!?" Adel asked as she walked over to me. I handed out a stone and showed her the back of it. When she saw it, she started laughing. "Hahaha! Definitely your father! Only he would leave a note on a shiny rock!"
"Hey! I am not that bad…." I yelled. But my voice started to grow quieter at the end of my sentence.
"At least we know he has been here, so we are still on the right track," Grace said as she came to stand at my side. "Now we just need to figure out how to get to the next area."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone