"Those are the last?"
"Yes. I don't have anymore coin after that."
Ilya and Ezera were once again together, in the darkness of the latter's quarters, hunched up over a coin that was being carved and tattooed with blood. This, with the one they had just finished, was the last of the thirteen coins Alan had given him.
Ezera was anxious. He had also not yet told Ilya about the anomaly he had found the night before. Which was why he had invited the man to his quarters in the middle of this night, to finish off the scrying lenses.
"Will you create anything else, after that?" Ilya asked with a deep but low-tuned voice, so as not to wake Ming.
"I'm not sure, to be honest," it entirely depended what they would be doing about the anomaly in the near future. "Perhaps, if I have a new idea? I don't see myself creating something from scratch yet. This is the best I can do for now."
He straightened a bit, with a realization, at the words.
This was the best he could do.
What now?
Ezera was just a mere teacher, trying to protect his students without any leverage of any kind to make this work. And now that he had found out... Something pulsing so malevolently right under the depths of the inner palace? Something like that would be impossible to ignore for the people living there.
Especially when it was noticeably placed, right in front of the chapel's organ, through walls and lengths and lengths and lengths of tunnels. As though it was directly connected to it. Ezera's mental map could not be wrong, nor the one he had stretched together with Ilya.
So. Obviously, that was connected to the hidden plot of... Who? The Queen? The high priest? Whoever! And now that they had discovered this plot. Now what?
"Now," Ezera says out loud, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. "This is all I can do."
Ilya perked up, confused.
"What is it?"
"I've almost given you every piece of intel that I've got. There's not much else I've left to give. What will you do?"
Ilya remained silent for a minute, while Ezera ended his arrayal design. But once Ezera sighed by the end of the process, and started cleaning delicately the platinum needle in his hands, he spoke confidently.
"I think Professor has much more left to give. We have agreed on a partnership for this case, and your help has been precious."
Ezera frowned, surprised. As he looked at the other. Ilya was also looking at him, his gaze glowing over the gleam of his blue fire as it did the first night the man appeared in the room.
"Not only that, but Professor is also entitled to this case. Those are, after all, his students who are sleeping in this palace, ignorant of all of this."
That was right. Ezera wouldn't stand being left out when the safety of his kids was in the balance. Still, he couldn't help but have a mitigated reaction to this.
Ezera was loving and protective, that was a fact. Another fact, that he deplored, was that he was righteous, too.
"So. Ilya. Say we find out a decisive element in our investigation. What would you do about it?"
Ilya hummed, humoring Ezera.
"It depends. If it were conclusive, I shall report. If it demanded a stronger resolve, I would investigate more deeply into the matter."
"No matter how long, or how far it takes you?"
"No matter. Would the Professor accompany me in that case?"
Ezera felt no hesitation when he answered.
"I would," he replied with a hint of resignation. "Yet I fear what we will find."
"That is understandable."
Ezera chuckled darkly. He didn't understand how this man could sound like this, so reasonable, even in the situation they found themselves in.
Fair enough, Ezera hadn't yet informed Ilya of the full circumstances of said situation. He would, soon.
"You said..."
He didn't get to complete that sentence. Another voice, soft with sleep, surprised them both.
"Who is it?"
Ilya and Ezera both turned, taken aback by the sudden awakening of Ming, who, while still down, had his eyes wide awake and fixated on Ilya, warily.
"Ming? What, when did you wake up?"
"Just now. I felt something weird. Professor, who is that person?"
Ezera grimaced internally. This was less than ideal, but at least there was no panic. What had Ming felt that he hadn't waken over before?
Ezera reminded himself that he shouldn't lie to his students- he shouldn't lie to Ming. He had promised himself not to betray their trusts, after all. He told the truth, however so vaguely.
"That is a friend," he said to the boy. "I do not know his real name, but he is trustworthy."
Ming squinted, cold and fragile, as his voice was when he whispered:
"I don't know that."
Ezera's heart broke upon hearing it. He found himself looking to the side, and by pure coincidence at Ilya. The man's features had somewhat softened. His voice seemed soft too, in the silence of the night, as he greeted.
"Hello, Ming."
When Ming turned to Ilya, Ezera feared the worst. But it was Ming's turn ti be taken aback, as he stared into Ilya's straight eyes. Oh, Ezera realized, with a surge of feeling. This was why Ilya had always seemed more reliably that all others from the beginning.
When Ilya spoke to people, he made sure to look at people in the eyes. Openly. Almost honestly, were it not for his natural neutrality.
Out of all the adults in Ming's life, Ezera had probably been the first to look at him in the eyes, and without any contempt, open or hidden. And Ilya might well be the second.
Good. Hopefully.
Ming still didn't answer Ilya. Instead, he turned to Ezera, gently frantic.
"Professor said... He said he would go far and long? With the other man?"
Oh. Ezera cursed at himself. He should have been more careful with what he had been saying.
"I would not," he reassured the boy, refraining to reach out. "At least not without telling you all. You know I wouldn't leave you like that."
He wasn't lying. But at the same time, it was exactly the matter that preoccupied him. Neither of them knew how this investigation would end, and Ezera was afraid to ask. This could be separation, or literally anything else.
He didn't want to be responsible for deepening these kids' abandon issues. And... He didn't want to leave them alone.
"Really?" Ming sounded unsure.
"Of course. Ming, when have I ever lied to you?"
"Mh... But Professor and the other man are looking for something?"
He would not lie.
"That's right," he confirmed. "Something important. For both you and I."
Ming looked at him, pensive. And Ezera felt his blood pump in his veins in nervosity, an anxious agitation he had felt a lot of times before. Did they trust him? Did they not? That was always the concern in these moments. The anticipation was painful.
"Professor is not telling what."
"No. I'm sorry."
"But Professor will not leave."
"Never long, Ming."
"Then... The other man," and Ming had been pronouncing the words with a mix of distrust and curiosity, "will not try make you leave?"
"I won't," Ilya said, recognizing he had to speak, and Ezera confirmed, because he was The Adult that Didn't Lie.
"He will not."
Ming nodded.
"I see. Then... Professor can tell me when he thinks it is right. He knows more than us, and he knows what is right."
Ezera smiled, feeling the urge to cry as he had a few days before over his charge. No, he thought, your professor doesn't always know what is right. He didn't deserve this trust. When ever Ming had learned to trust him like that? What had Ezera done to earn it now, when he was so often preoccupied by other things instead of being there for them?
He said none of that.
"Thank you, Ming. Go back to sleep, now, please. You'll need the rest tomorrow."
Ming hummed and lied down. His eyes didn't leave Ilya, still wary but more curious, until he closed them again, engulfing himself under the covers.
Ezera sighed once he could hear the gentle sound of even breaths. And he turned to face Ilya.
"There's something I need to show you," he said. "And then... You'll be telling us what to do."
This was for the sake of the children, he reminded himself. Even if that meant he had to stay 'far and long', away from them... Right?
Right.
Ezera guided Ilya through the tunnels. They were both silent, this time. Ezera remained quiet in apprehension. And he knew Ilya could already feel the dark matter rolling in waves around them.
Ilya could recognize they were close to the chapel. He only threw a glance at Ezera, who bobbed his head, a gesture of acknowledging and tension.
It wasn't long before their heavy walk came to an end. As they stepped closer and closer to the anomaly, Ilya tensed, he went to stand in front of Ezera, his jaw set and his gaze focused.
"Be careful," he warned, to Ezera who remained impassive.
They came into the sight of the impossible breach in space, drawing air and flowing it out as it turned visible, a breach the color of... What shouldn't be seen. Was it magic, or the universe? At any rate, it oozing with darkness, a breach like a katana hit that remained frozen there. There was something very bright, yet very dark, that Ezera could only call black light.
He felt a pull.
"That's it," Ezera announced soberly. "What do you think?"
Ilya spared him a single look, before frowning, taking a step forward. His sword wasn't drawn, and Ezera deduced from that that there should be no immediate danger, but he still found himself ready to grab his daggers.
"You. Don't move from here. Do not get any closer," Ilya stressed insistently.
Ezera nodded grimly while Ilya walked around the anomaly, his eyes analytical in their appraisal. He observed, felt, almost touched all the while Ezera remained, vibrating with an electric energy. The pull felt stronger the instant Ilya's fingertip almost connected with the break in space, but Ilya immediately retreated to a safe distance.
"So?" Ezera asked once Ilya came back to him, looking grim as well now.
Ilya confirmed his fears.
"This is a dungeon."
As expected. Ezera sighed heavily.
"Of course, this couldn't be as simple as a teleportation vortex, just go in it to see where it goes then come back... Of course not."
"My apologies."
"Why are you sorry, it's not your fault. Any idea why Luversten has a dungeon hidden under their castle?"
Ilya shook his head.
"In the first place," he said, "it is simply not possible to create or summon a dungeon. If it is intentionnal, then it is unprecedented."
Ezera frowned, feeling that it was time for some clarification.
"What even is a dungeon? How is it supposed to behave?"
"A dungeon... This is what we call a space where a certain set of species live and co-exist. There have been very little to be known about dungeons for centuries, therefore my intel may not be very informative. Its appearance is generally precedented by a progressively rising flux of dark matter in the air and space around its location. As for the reason of its existence..."
Ilya's voice faded for a minute, as he lost himself to his thoughts. His answer was categoric.
" We theorized it was due to an excess of dark matter, but it remains unproved. In other words, we don't know."
Ezera hummed.
"What about the space inside? Did anyone figure out where it is situated? Perhaps somewhere between the space of our reality?"
Ilya once again shook his head.
"That is also unknown. What is known, however, is that dungeons are notorious to be a major source of monster income in a country, especially in Kyur."
Ezera narrowed his eyes.
"I see. Then, the giant snake we encountered in the forest..."
"It is likely to have escaped from here. I think it is because their kind of life feels the call of the firelight that inhabits our bodies. It might be attracted to it."
"That is not good news."
"As for why it is here and it hasn't been taken care of in one way or another..."
They both fell in a thoughtful silence.
Ilya had been clear that a dungeon could not be summoned. And the amount of dark matter that predicted his appearance somewhere was only a fore consequence of its opening. Yet, it was obvious that Hortensius had had something to do with it, especially as he was able to manipulate the flows of dark matter with his organ.
"The organ is on a direct line to this place," Ezera informed Ilya absently.
"This doesn't make sense..."
Then Ezera remembered something.
"Did you say that Luversten had been overcome by a crisis a few years back? Monsters invasion?"
Ilya immediately caught on to his line of thoughts.
"You think the dungeon might have been this crisis."
"Dereck told me the kingdom was lacking in men at this period," Ezera recalled. "They might not have had enough military strength to deal with it. Which reminds me, how is a dungeon usually taken care of?"
"The army endeavors to exterminate the dungeon's population and regulate it afterward. Sometimes, it disappears after some time."
"But now that they have the power, Luversten does not take care of it. Rather, the crisis they were facing was overcome when the new Church came to be!"
Ilya agreed that this could be connected.
"If this is in link to their manigances... Who is to say that they are not hiding more inside the dungeon?"
Ezera and Ilya exchanged a glance at the thought.
Ezera had known this was the most likely possibility.
"Since no one is taking care of it, whether or not it is part of a bigger plot..."
Ilya nodded.
"It must be dealt with."
"And if no one will do it. We will have to. Is that it?"
Ilya didn't answer; it wasn't necessary. Of course, this dungeon was also their biggest lead on what was going on in the kingdom, it was naturally an obvious step in their investigation.
Ezera was only moderately afraid of facing new powerful species of creatures that would be after his life. He was doing this to protect his children, and that was motivation enough. However...
"Tell me, how long does a dungeon takes to be cleaned?"
"Generally from ten day to six months. Unless this squad sent in is exterminated instead."
Ezera chuckled.
"How reassuring."
It was all the confirmation Ezera needed to know he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. To leave the students so long might be paramount to abandoning them to Luversten's hands.
He trusted Dereck... But would it be enough?
"Can we... Wait a few days?"
Between protecting his students from the enemy in their own ranks, leaving a catastrophe in the making to become a greater threat, and taking care of it while he could but abandoning the ones who needed him. He didn't think he'd ever have to think of such a choice.
But Ezera had to choose.
Ilya regarded him with an underlying softness and understanding, even if his features were neutral as he stared upon him.
"Of course."
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