A slow, but invisible tension spread throughout the Augustus Empire overnight. As the sun rose, heralding the light of dawn, that feeling only strengthened.
And for a good reason…
…after all, today would be the day when the next generation of aspirants would embark upon their own treacherous journey, seeking to create a Mana Core.
Their reward: a well of supernatural power up for the taking.
Near the second capital, Airedale, in a secluded village away from the public eye, a brown-haired boy snored quietly. The sun behind the drawn curtains steadily brightened, until eventually, the fuchsia drapery turned into a bulwark shielding against a solar flare.
Nico groaned in his sleep and turned on his side. A few moments later, his eyes groggily opened.
Then, as if he had just been pinched, the boy shot up, his eyes searching for the time.
A sigh of relief escaped Nico's mouth. The Ceremony would not start for another couple of hours.
He had plenty of time to get ready and prepare himself, both mentally… and physically.
Nico grinned, a twinge of nervousness mixed with anticipation racking his body. He yawned before casting his gaze towards the floor. There, the buried form of a stocky youth slept without a care for the world.
Nico's eyes lit up with mischievous glee. He snickered to himself internally, carefully getting out of bed to stand beside the half-blood's sleeping mattress.
He paused for a moment collecting his breath. Then, an alarmed expression full of distress and panic manifested on his face.
"Leon! Leon! Wake up! The Ceremony starts in ten minutes!" He shook his friend awake.
The half-blood groaned sleepily. A second later, his hazel eyes opened, reflecting Nico's worried face. Moments later, his companion's words finally registered in his mind.
A mortified look crossed the muscular youth's face.
Nico's lips trembled, before he erupted in a roar of laughter, clutching his belly. Confused, Leon just silently watched the brown-haired boy continue to giggle to himself.
A minute later, after some huge effort, Nico finally stopped laughing. "Relax. It's just a prank. We still have around an hour before we have to get going."
He wiped the tears at the corner of his eyes, still chuckling to himself.
The half-blood gritted his teeth, shooting Nico an irritated glare.
The brown-haired boy held up his hands. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry for waking you, Princess…"
Leon heaved an exasperated sigh and shook his head to clear away any lingering grogginess.
Nico displayed a sheepish smile. He walked to the door, twisting the doorknob. "Come on, let's get ready. We have ourselves some fighting to do!"
Staring at his friend's receding back, the half-blood internally groaned and plopped back down on the mattress.
He stared at the ceiling idly for a moment. His past full of hardship flashed through his eyes.
As his gaze lingered on the roof, the corner of Leon's lips curled slightly.
It was time for him and Nico to prove their mettle.
***
Within the confines of a circular city with high-backed walls, the streets were more populated than ever. A palpable tension filled the air, as many youths left their homes in droves to attend the Awakening Ceremony. As well as any family who came to see them off.
One such group, composed of a red-robed priestess, a lady with enchanting silver hair, her miniature carbon copy, and the two forms of a half-blood and his brown-haired friend walked within the writhing crowd.
Cynthia and Beverly strode at the front, with Charlotte sandwiched protectively between them. The little girl had insisted on coming along, until eventually, her mother had other choice but to relent.
A happy grin graced Charlotte's face, diametrically opposite to the vigilant expressions plastered on the faces of the Descender Duo.
Behind them, were the two main stars of the day. One appeared to be inscrutable, the other anxious.
Nico chewed his lip nervously. He was dressed in a tight compression shirt and pants, with the leather armour he purchased from the Merchant Association, fastened on top. On his back, a grey knapsack bulged out.
To his side, Leon was clad in armour. Vambraces, pauldrons, a cuirass, cuisses, and a couple of greaves covered his burly figure. Strapped to his left arm was a golden aegis. It glinted in the morning light.
As they travelled through the crowds towards the Inner Circle, Nico spied a few people giving Leon weird glances.
He gritted his teeth, always bothered seeing such a sight. The half-blood beside him, however, paid them no heed, no doubt accustomed to such looks all throughout his life.
Nico then sighed and shook his head. He turned his attention towards making sure he didn't get separated from his family.
Since it was the fateful day of the Awakening Ceremony, the streets were extremely packed. So much so that the brown-haired boy estimated the crowd to be almost four times larger than what he had experienced a couple of days before.
It was to such a degree that the usual occurrence of people parting for his mother and Aunt did not arise. The ethereal presences currently on display multiplied, adding a subtle, mystical undertone to the crackling tension in the air.
Nico saw a portion of the Local Guard scattered across the place, ensuring order amongst the ensuing chaos. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for a thief to make this bustling area their hunting ground.
Decked out with armour, weapons, and an assortment of other goods, the youths currently travelling through the sidewalks were definitely a sight for sore eyes.
The boy exhaled a turbid breath. He gripped the straps of his pack tight and continued his forward march. The nerves in his stomach slowly started to conduct their incessant wriggling as they neared the gate.
Nico focused on the Ancestor's blessing stored within his soul. His anxiety soothed somewhat.
Beverly's decision for them to attend the morning ritual had been a wise one.
'I can do this. Just stay calm.'
Around a few minutes later, the procession of five slowed to a halt. Erected in front of them, a vast wall loomed, sharp spikes covering the top of the metallic barrier. A few paces away, a sizable number of guards manned the gate, with an orderly queue set up for those seeking to take part in the Ceremony.
Nico closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He turned around and faced his mother, her best friend, and his little sister.
A strained smile graced his face.
"Oh, honey! Don't worry, you can do it!" Cynthia swept her child in for a hug.
"Brother will come back stronger! I know it!" Charlotte joined the embrace.
Nico basked in the warmth for a moment before he parted and locked eyes with the priestess.
"Do your best kid, we'll be waiting for you when you come back." Beverly grinned, giving the brown-haired boy a small measure of reassurance.
"Good luck, brother's scary-looking friend!" Charlotte then addressed the half-blood, lifting her dainty palm towards Leon.
Leon grinned and reciprocated the gesture, earning an adorable giggle from Charlotte.
Cynthia went up to encourage him next, giving the muscular boy a hug, much to the half-blood's surprise.
Nico's lips curled in amusement seeing his friend get so flustered.
After that, the ginger-haired priestess whispered some parting words, causing a determined expression to form on Leon's face.
With one final wave, the duo then turned and joined the ever-increasing line.
Unaware of just how hellish the next few days would be.
***
After roughly waiting for around ten minutes, the two youth's turns finally came.
They strode forward, stopping before a Guard holding a clipboard.
"Names?" The Guard monotonically asked, not bothering to look up.
"Nico Knox."
"Leon SteelForger."
The sentry scribbled a few things down. Strangely, the sound of pen against paper didn't ring out from that mundane action.
'Is it a holographic clipboard?' The brown-haired boy mused to himself.
"Are you participating together? Or individually?" The sentinel kept his gaze fixed on the writing board.
Nico and Leon shared a silent glance.
"Together," they responded in unison.
"Very well," a few more strokes later, the Guard finally raised their head, fixing the duo with an expressionless stare. "These are your bracelets, make sure not to lose them. They will provide you with a map of the Dungeon, and a dimensional space to store your belongings. If you head over here, a colleague of mine will take you over to the person responsible for transporting you to the entrance of the Dungeon. May the Fates be forever in your favour."
The plate-armoured sentinel simultaneously handed over two metallic bands, whilst nodding their head in the direction where the two youths were supposed to go.
Nico and Leon accepted the items after a moment of hesitation, before following another Guard as they entered the Inner Circle.
Along the way, the brown-haired boy fiddled with the new bracelet, inspecting it carefully. Its appearance was slightly similar to the famed communication device the Dwarves had just recently created.
However, it seemed dim, as if lacking a certain luster.
Engraved on the metallic surface, two inverted swords crossed each other. A numeral was expertly carved beneath the point where these two weapons met.
As he continued to play with the band, his brows creased.
No matter how much he prodded or poked the device, nothing seemed to happen.
Nico frowned. Surely the Descender Association and the Academy it had partnered with, wouldn't have given him a faulty item. Especially one of such vital importance.
The boy resisted the urge to raise the matter with the Guard, and instead shifted his gaze, discovering that Leon had the same issue.
'Strange.'
Deciding to ponder on the matter once they had arrived at the entrance to the Dungeon, Nico watched as the sentry took a few right and left turns through some sidestreets, before coming to a halt in front of a wide plaza.
A fountain murmured softly in its centre. Nearby was a large queue of youths, idly standing in front of it, waiting for their turn to be transported.
Without another word, the Guard nodded, turned around and strode back the way they came from. No doubt about to repeat the process for the next group, and the next, and the one after that… in a relentless cycle of guidance.
Nico and Leon glanced at each other, before wordlessly joining the back of the queue. As the line moved forward, the brown-haired boy found the restlessness in his stomach increase, almost to where he felt he would be sick.
Taking a few shallow breaths, Nico tried to distract his mind. He studied the other youths of his generation to help with that.
Some appeared like him, fidgeting, unable to stay still for a single moment. Others had their eyes closed, their demeanour full of grave resolve.
Finally, after some more waiting, the half-blood and brown-haired boy neared the front of the queue. He also gleaned how they were to be transported. Or at least partially so.
In truth, all Nico saw was a dark blur, before the foremost individuals in the line were rapidly whisked away.
The sight only furthered increased the anxiety bubbling within his very core. Half a minute later, he and Leon led the line.
Not a second after they had taken the step forward, did a figure abruptly appear before them. The man had sunken cheeks, prominent bags under his eyes, and an unnaturally pale face.
As if… he had been straining himself to teleport continuously.
He wore a black uniform, with the emblem of two inverted swords stitched on the breast.
Nico had no time to react before he felt the man clamp a hand on his shoulder. Then, the surrounding space distorted. The brown-haired boy's senses were overloaded in an instant. It was as if he was being pulled by a vacuum in every single direction.
Luckily, a second later the sensation subsided.
An explosion of murmurs streamed into Nico's ears. He blinked, shaking his head to get rid of the disorientation. Idly, the back of his mind registered the presence of the Space Element wielder chugging down a potion, before disappearing off to retrieve the next lot.
Patting himself to make sure he had lost nothing, Nico turned his head to make sure Leon was still with him. The duo locked eyes, nodding to each other silently.
Shifting once more, Nico carried his gaze across their new surroundings.
They were in what he thought was a massive cavern, with an innumerable number of other youths standing in the space. The lighting was dim… as Nico raised his head; he realised the source of illumination came from several flying orbs scattered across the ceiling, shining murkily.
The boy guessed the reason they appeared to be so dim had to do with the distance between him and the rocky roof. Above the murmuring of his peers, he noticed another sound. It was a familiar one.
Nico snapped his eyes towards the other end of the cavern. There, situated under the heavy presence of armoured guards, a writhing chaotic portal swirled ominously. It changed hues constantly, shifting from red, to green, blue and even purple.
Mesmerised by the sight, it took him a few moments to gather himself.
Then, he slapped both of his cheeks and steeled his mind, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to experience.