"M-Mom?"
A woman stained with the blood of her husband approached the boy, half her body consumed in a mist of darkness. She could only stare at her child with regret. The thing pushing her forward, the only thing containing her sanity, was her love for her son.
But even an emotional force such as love comes to an end. While it is beautiful to believe that the souls of people, the hearts that love others, are the strongest force in this world, that is nothing but an illusion.
One day, you have to wake up.
"Kill… me… Ash…."
She could barely utter words as the dark energy spread upwards, covering her throat.
The small knife that had been placed in the child's hands shook uncontrollably. The kindhearted adventurer he called Mom was gone, and all that was left was a monster that he was forced to slay.
Her face was drenched from her tears. All she could see was her defenseless child trembling in horror - his eyes locked onto hers. How could he possibly kill his mother? How would he live with the consequences of his actions? Would the guilt push him towards an unfortunate end?
The room was suddenly thrust into silence. Ash looked into the quivering eyes of his mother one final time, realizing that they would soon be consumed by the dark plague. The boy choked on his words before letting out a chilling scream.
"Aaahhhhh!!!" he cried painfully, thrusting the knife forward with both his arms. Ash didn't dare look up. He kept his eyes shut, tears running down his eyes as he heard his mother's final words.
"I'm... so... sorry..."
"Noah! Olivia! Ash!"
The door to the warm little house that Ash had lived in for his entire life was blasted to pieces as Zane burst through. The man immediately felt the lack of life in the flat. He could sense only one presence: the fragile life of a twelve-year-old kid.
"…"
Ash opened his eyes slowly, thanking the gods that he was finally awake. He instinctively reached towards his face, wiping away the small droplets of water that had dampened his long black eyelashes. The boy let out a sigh as the first amber rays of sunlight lit up a city ravaged by death.
[New Daily Quest]
[Reach the target destination]
[Reward: 20 Exp]
"You want me to go somewhere? Seriously?" muttered Ash. He lazily got out of bed, opening the window of his room and gazing at the streets of Elyon. It had been nearly five full days since the cataclysm, meaning that Ash had slept for a full day at least.
He brought up the bottom of his shirt briefly, looking at his abdominal area. Ash wasn't built like any of the bruisers out there, but the extra attribute point he had placed into strength had clearly affected him.
It was a minor improvement, but to the owner of the body, it was apparent. The boy could also feel a minuscule improvement in his steps. It was as if he was lighter: as if he had a deeper connection with the air around him.
"Yeah right. You might've gotten faster, but you're no wind mage moron. There's no connection with the air," he grumbled, turning back and preparing to head out for the first time in over twenty-four hours.
Ash took out the small map of the Dungeon from a pouch underneath his light armor, watching as a small cyan mark appeared on the first floor. Draegan wanted him to visit a specific location within the Dungeon.
He knew there was an ulterior reason for this visit, but he was in no place to question the system.
"Ash! You're finally awake!"
A red-haired boy approached Ash from atop the stairway he had just descended.
"Julius? So you decided to stay here?" asked Ash, pleasantly surprised at the revelation.
"Yeah, I'm really grateful for the opportunity. Thank you."
"No worries. Did you not have a place to stay before?"
"Uhm-"
Ash immediately noticed Julius's shift in attitude. Talking about his origins was a matter of discomfort for him.
"Forget I asked. It's not my place to pry," added Ash, concluding the conversation before switching subjects. "What do you plan on doing? Should we head to the Dungeon?"
"A-Are you sure that's a good idea? I've heard from adventurers that were investigating the cataclysm that the Dungeon has become extremely dangerous now…"
Ash smiled a bit. Even if it amounted to almost nothing, he still felt stronger. This was progress, and the confidence he felt gave him the courage to face anything.
"So long as they don't close off the Dungeon, I'll be going in. The government needs as many adventurers to investigate the irregularities as possible. We'd be helping others by entering."
Julius's eyes lit up momentarily at the idea of helping others, something that Ash had previously noticed. It was not a desire to protect others that pushed him forward, but a more selfish goal, one that was still unknown to Ash.
Julius sighed in defeat.
"Very well. Let's go into the Dungeon and report our findings to the Guild."
"That's what I like to hear, partner."
The two adventurers made their way down the silent streets. Only a few wandering souls could be seen throughout the city. The rest of the citizens of Elyon were closed up within the fake safety of their houses as if their wooden walls could protect them if an outbreak of monsters were to occur.
"What do you think is going to happen now?" asked Julius, his words filling the hollow silence of the city.
"I don't think the Guild can do much. If anything, they need adventurers now more than ever. The only restriction I can foresee is making the rank test mandatory before entering the Dungeon. They might make it illegal to venture into floors not suited for your rank to minimize losses," responded Ash.
"You gave that answer so casually… but it felt like you were prepared for my question," said Julius in amazement.
"It never hurts to look ahead sometimes."
"So that means we'll be confined to the earlier floors…" whispered Julius, "we're both easily F-ranks after all."
"The only thing we can do is train. Train our asses off inside this hellish Dungeon so that one day we can venture deeper than anyone ever has."
"Do you think we can surpass the Three?" asked Julius timidly.
"Are you kidding me? I'm not going to let Zane babysit me forever. One day I'll pay him back for all the times I got slammed to the ground while we sparred!" shouted Ash as he shot his fist into the air.
A majestic white bird landed on a rooftop calmly as it observed the energetic duo.
"He's growing up," said Remo, "who would've thought that boy could have so much energy after the horror he experienced?"
"I did," announced Zane's voice that rang inside the Divine Beast's head, "he'll change this world, for better or worse. "
"Come on, Julius, it looks like some adventurers are already entering the Dungeon. It would be a good idea to travel in big groups!" called out Ash as he rushed ahead. Julius followed his partner's enthusiastic sprint, panting desperately.
"Once that boy learns the truth about the Dungeon, I wonder which side he'll pick…" muttered Zane calmly, "who will he deem the real enemy?"