>BOOOOOOMMMM!!!<
A loud shockwave ricocheted in the air.
The surrounding area appeared devastated, and several potholes—along with tons of debris—littered the landscape. Smoke ascended into the air, and several explosions and vibrations surged through the damaged ruins.
That's right, ruins.
A good look around the environment made it incredibly obvious that it was far from ordinary. What appeared to be several pillars, inscribed with runic alphabets, stood erect, supporting the massive ceiling that seemed to go on forever.
Pitchers of flames hung by the walls. The runic inscriptions, as well as illustrations, made it seem like a temple. A damaged, ruined temple, but a temple nonetheless.
>BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!<
A much larger explosion shook the entire vicinity, and three distinct characters could be seen standing amid the smoke and debris.
Several entities were already down—killed, most likely—and their bodies were fading away, disintegrating into dust. These creatures appeared to be monsters. They had large horns and grotesque forms—with grayish black skin and muscular, powerful bodies.
Incidentally, these fallen monsters were slowly turning to ash, leaving crystal-like gems behind.
One would consider this to be a fantastical sight, as well as horrific, but the three motionless figures paid no heed to the calamity happening around them. To them, it must have been nothing out of the ordinary.
Two of the figures—a human-looking female and her rather 'unique' companion—faced one very horrific creature.
"Haa…" The girl sighed exhaustedly.
Her amber eyes glowed with a passion behind her glasses, but her pale countenance was a clear indicator of how exhausted she was. Her light brown hair was tangled and matted with sweat, while her clothes appeared tattered and worn-out.
Dirt and grime stuck to her face and clothes, and her arm was in a brace, as though she was injured somewhere, but she still stood undaunted and unyielding—even when confronted with a monster that stood over ten feet tall.
Why wouldn't she stand down? It didn't appear like she was anything special. No, far from it. She seemed so frail and weak that it was almost pitiful that such a cute girl had found her way to such a dangerous place.
Despite the despondent situation, she didn't back down.
Why?
Perhaps it had something to do with her companion—the other inhuman entity standing in the room.
This being was in simple terms, a teddy bear.
It was quite literally a giant stuffed animal with pink fur, cute, cuddly and plush—if you didn't count the fact that it stood three meters tall. An actual, giant teddy bear.
"Are you alright, Violet?" The bear spoke, glancing at the wheezing girl for a second.
Its voice sounded cartoonish, but the concern in its glassy eyes was very real.
"I'm fine, Tee. Don't take your eyes off the target!"
"Roger that!"
The giant teddy bear, just like the girl, looked disheveled. Its fur had been ripped in several places and its beautiful pink color was ruined by the several stains that covered it. It too was out of breath, which was why it had paused combat and merely kept strict watch on the opponent.
Judging from the appearance of these two, as well as the massive carnage and destruction, one could easily deduce that there had been a very fierce battle here. The dead creatures were proof of that fact.
Unfortunately, even though the scars of battle were evident on everything within sight, one being in particular seemed untouched by the violence. Its body glistened like metal, and it imposingly stood ten meters tall.
Its thick horns and muscular form stood majestic and unperturbed, in stark contrast to the shabby monsters who had already fallen. As its crimson eyes glowed, it snorted loudly.
As it moved its hooved foot, the ground trembled.
A single swoop of its tail caused a strong gust of wind to blow through the area.
Its mere presence inspired fear, and its indomitable spirit indicated its invincibility.
Clearly, this was a being of absolute terror and it was also the opponent of the challengers—Violet and Tee.
Both were well aware of their odds against such an entity.
None at all!
*
*
*
"Keuk!" Violet coughed violently, spurting rivulets of blood from her mouth.
At this point, she lay on the ground, breathing heavily. Her face was barely visible with all the hair and blood matted around it.
As she struggled to get back up, her weak body plopped back to the ground. As she fell to the ground, she grunted, tremors rattling her bones. The ground was trembling and vibrating, as the cause of the carnage got closer by the second.
"Ack!" More bloody coughs were emitted from her mouth as she slowly raised her head to gaze at the one who put her in such a wretched state.
It was the massive cow-like monster, slowly making its way to her in a haughty manner. Not a scratch was on its body, and it was grinning in delight—almost as though it enjoyed watching the girl suffer.
"I never expected to see a Minotaur here." Violet said, whimpering in fear.
Her eyes traveled to her far right where a massive dent was made on the wall. Plastered to the wall was her teddy bear—now completely unconscious.
Tee never stood a chance against something as powerful as a C Class Monster, so it was inevitable that it ended up in such a pathetic state.
'It's my fault. If only I had more Magia…' Violet thought to herself, nearly in tears.
She knew of the resultant dangers from venturing into the Link alone, yet she knowingly took such a risk. Sure, she was justified in her actions. If she hadn't done that, the Link would have morphed into a two-way entry point—thus allowing the monsters within to break loose.
'I managed to stop all the others, but…' Her tired gaze rested on the beast in front of her.
If things continued like this, her sacrifice was going to be in vain.
'At this point, there should be less than an hour left.' Violet did not know how long she had spent in this place, but she could hazard a rough estimate.
If this monster ventured out into the outside world, it would cause untold havoc—an occurrence she had tried so hard to prevent.
"I-I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry…" Helpless and weakened, she broke down as she contemplated the failure of her mission.
All alone, in the dark and scary dungeon, Violet gave way to tears.
Her battered body was frozen in place as the monster drew nearer.
"I'm scared. I'm so scared."
Violet had only recently learned about Links and the Veil. It hadn't even been a year since the incident that changed her life forever. She knew she was less than qualified to venture into such a danger zone—not knowing the exact rank or type of Link it was.
Still… still…
"I'm sorry… big sis." More tears fell from her eyes as they started drooping.
The rumbling of the ground seemed to be getting louder by the second .
The monster was already in front of her. A few more steps and it would crush her—or perhaps devour her instead.
That thought alone sent a shiver down her spine.
'I don't want to die.' She cried sadly, but what was the use?
Violet tried to convince herself that it was better for only her to die, than the likely thousands that would fall victim to the Minotaur's wrath, but she still couldn't eliminate her fear of death.
How could she? It was simply human nature.
In her last moments, she kept hearing a voice talking to her. The voice kept calling her name—over and over, unceasingly.
She recognized the voice.
Yes, it belonged to a certain boy.
She had thought he was an ally—someone she could rely on in such a dire moment.
Turns out, she was wrong.
Shivering and trembling in the deathly silence of her grave, Violet sadly shut her eyes and awaited her end.
Right then—
"VIOLET!!!"
—A loud voice called out for her.
Her eyes instantly popped wide open—both in shock, and some other tingling emotion that she couldn't quite explain.
>WHOOOOSSSHHHH!!!<
Someone rushed past her in a blur, and he swiftly stood in front of her.
His hoodie jacket flowed behind him, and his dirty shoes indicated that he had been running through dirt and grime in order to arrive right there and then. Also, his entire cloth was soaking wet for some reason.
However, despite his disheveled appearance and her delirious state, Violet recognized this person.
"Y-you…?" She could only croak out as she watched in utter shock.
The young man seemed out of breath, this was evident by the way he wheezed in exhaustion. However, he still had enough strength to look behind him.
He parted his wet, dark hair away from his eyes, and his blue eyes met her amber one. For a second, they stared at each other in silence—letting their eyes do the talking.
It was almost as though time had stood still. The monster approaching them, surprisingly did them the courtesy of stopping in its tracks—most likely just curious about the newcomer.
After staring passionately at each other, each feeling a range of indescribable emotions, Violet finally spoke up.
"M-Martin, what are you—?!"
"VIOLET…" The young boy screamed out her name, causing the girl to wince in both shock and pain.
His gaze seemed distracted, as his eyes traveled around, taking in his surroundings. Suddenly, his focus was right in front of him.
The boy—Martin, or whatever his new name was—raised his hand slowly, pointing at everything around him, and finally settling on the imposing Minotaur. His face was pale, and his body appeared petrified in fear.
If one didn't know any better, they would think…
"U-um, VIOLET… W-W-W-WHAT…"
He was scared.
"... W-W-W-W-WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON HEREEEEE?!!"