Earlier before the rescue...
"Hey, isn't it odd that Shizuoka hasn't come back yet?"
I asked Zack who's standing beside me with crossed hands as I sat on the couch.
It's been two hour's since my argument with Shizuoka. So, I'm worried that something might have happened to her since she's taking so long on her on her scouting. Like... it's the upper floors we're talking? It's just weak Monsters right?
"Yeah, it's a bit odd now that you've mentioned it."
"Should we dispatch a rescue team?"
"Yes, we should."
After cleaning up the mess we had made we then took the route back to the lower floors.
Along the way we had encountered hordes of monsters fleeing from their respective habitat. We found it odd that something like this could happen in the lower floors so we hurried to try and find out what's happening.
We have defeated various monsters like mud spiders, shadow mantis, creepy crawlers, slop toad, and dungeon slimes. However, soldier ants and cannibal ants are not in the area.
"Something feels off about the dungeon. Stay on guard everyone!"
As we stumbled upon the fourth floor, we witnessed a horrific scene that widened our eyes.
"Wh-what happened here..."
I gasped.
The air hung thick with the metallic tang of blood, the stench of death clinging to the damp walls of the dungeon. The scene before me was a tapestry of horror: blood-soaked walls, ceiling, and floor, the remnants of a battle fought with desperate fury. The bodies of fallen knights, monsters, and a monstrous, mutated ant lay scattered like discarded toys, a stark reminder of the carnage that had unfolded.
My heart hammered in my chest, my breath coming in ragged gasps. My eyes, however, were drawn to the two figures lying amidst the carnage. Shizuoka, my comrade, the woman who stood by my side through countless battles, lay in a pool of crimson, her Kimono has rips on the sleeves and stained a ghastly shade of red. Her Katana lying on the ground and her abdomen was a gaping wound, her breaths shallow and ragged. Her eyes were closed, her face pale and drawn.
And then, I saw him. The white-haired boy, the one I'd seen at the school, the one who had shown such promise on blacksmithing. Fenri, he lay near Shizuoka, his youthful features marred by the brutality of the battle. He was badly wounded, his body bearing the marks of a fight still gripping his dagger on the hand, he was never truly meant to be a part of.
My fists clenched, the feeling of rage and sorrow a burning ember within me. I was too late. The battle was over. But we were here now, the thirteen legendary weapon wielders, and the knights who stood with us. Our arrival was a beacon of hope in this sea of despair.
"Get to work!" I roared, my voice echoing through the chamber. "Shizuoka needs immediate medical attention. And the boy... we need to stabilize him."
The knights, trained in the art of healing, moved with swift efficiency, their hands a blur of movement as they worked to stanch the bleeding, to ease the pain. They used the medical equipments we had on hand and healing magic to restore minor damages from their bodies.
The thirteen weapon wielders, their faces grim, stood guard, their eyes scanning the shadows, prepared to meet any threat.
I knelt beside Shizuoka, my hands hovering over her wounds. My heart ached with the sight of her, her strength sapped by the injury, her life force waning. If only I knew that something like this could happen in the upper floors... I should've came along side you... fight along side you.
I was a warrior, I had faced death countless times. But the sight of Shizuoka, my comrade, my friend, lying so vulnerable, so close to death, was a blow to my soul.
"Hold on, Shizuoka," I whispered, my voice choked with emotion. "Hold on, we're here now. You're going to be alright."
My eyes swept over the scene, taking in the carnage. The monster, the knights, the boy... they had all been victims of this dungeon, this place of darkness and death. I knew the stories, the legends of this place, the whispers of the ancients. This place was cursed, a place where even the bravest souls could be broken, where even the strongest warriors could fall.
I felt a wave of anger, a raw, unbridled fury. We had come to this dungeon to face the darkness, to fight against the forces that threatened to engulf the world. And we had been successful, we had defeated countless monsters. But at what cost?
I looked at the boy, his pale face, his eyes closed, his breaths shallow. He was thrown into the heart of a battle he was never prepared for. And he had fought with courage, with bravery, with the heart of a true hero.
"Fenri was it? I will pay you back someday... For keeping Shizuoka alive in our behalf."
But it was not enough. The dungeon had taken its toll. It had taken Shizuoka, it had taken the boy, and it had taken a part of me.
I felt a deep sorrow, a feeling of loss, a sense of guilt. We had come to this dungeon to save the world. But in doing so, we had lost a part of ourselves.
We had fallen.
But we would rise again. For that was the way of heroes, to fight, to fall, and to rise again. To fight for the world, to fight for those who could not fight for themselves.
I closed my eyes, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I would not give in to despair. I would not surrender to grief. We would heal. We would rise. We would fight again.
"Well be heading outside! Carry all the evidence in the scene! Specially the mutated ant. We will uncover the truth behind this mess."
"Roger!"
They respond in unity.
"Take the both of them in the hospital. We can't let them die understood!"
We will solve this mystery!
***
Wait... Am I... Dreaming?
The air is alive with the scent of blooming cherry blossoms, their delicate petals swirling in the gentle spring breeze.
The sun, a warm hand on my face, melts away the chill of winter, and the world feels like it's waking up from a long sleep.
I walk through the meadow, the grass soft beneath my feet, the sound of birdsong a symphony in the air. Butterflies flutter around me, their wings a kaleidoscope of colors.
The world is filled with a vibrant energy, a sense of renewal. I see the children playing in the fields, their laughter echoing through the air, their faces filled with joy. And I feel it too, this sense of joy, this sense of hope. It's a feeling that I haven't felt in a long time. I was dreaming about nostalgic memories about the past, back when we we're still living in Eashten.
"Dad?"
I saw a familiar figures standing in front of me.
"Mom?"
It was the images of my parents.
The parents whom I've lost years ago.
"Fenri..." dad spoke. "Don't focus on something that has already done and gone. Instead, accept it and take responsibility to your actions. Focus on the present and apply the lessons you have learned from that mistakes. That way you will be able to avoid making those mistakes again."
"You're father is right son," mom spoke. "there's no point on groveling over that matter."
Those re the words that I really wanted to hear.
"Thank you... Mom, Dad..."
"Protect Eris for us okay?"
"Yes I will...count on me!"
"We're both proud of the two of you."
It's a feeling that reminds me of a time before the world was filled with darkness, a time before the battles, a time before the scars. It's a spring dream, a dream of hope, a dream of renewal.
"Uhhh..."
The rhythmic beep of a heart monitor were the first things to break through the dream.
The warmth of the sun, the laughter of children, the scent of cherry blossoms – all vanished, replaced by the sterile white of hospital walls. My eyes fluttered open, and I saw the ceiling, a stark white canvas, with a single, flickering light.
Disoriented, I tried to sit up, but a sharp, searing pain shot through my body, a reminder of the reality of my situation. I was bound by bandages, my limbs heavy and stiff, a maze of tubes snaking around me. My head throbbed, a dull ache that pulsed with each beat of my heart. Where was I? What had happened?
The pieces slowly started to fall into place. The dungeon. The fight. The monsters. The mutated ant. The girl. Shizuoka.
A cold dread washed over me. I remembered the darkness, the pain, the struggle, the feeling of utter defeat. But then, I also remembered the girl, her desperate plea for me to run, the flicker of light in the darkness. The last thing I recalled was the searing pain in my side, the monster's claws tearing through my flesh.
My gaze shifted to the figure sitting by my bedside. It was the Shizuoka, the one who had fought alongside me. She looked pale and weary, his eyes filled with a mix of relief and concern.
"You're awake," she said, her voice barely a whisper.
I tried to speak, but my throat felt dry and raw.
"Where… where are we?"
"The Hospital," she answered. "The Hero and his party brought us here after… after the fight."
My mind raced, trying to piece together the fragments of my memory. "Shizuoka?" I asked, my voice cracking with concern.
The she looked at me, the gaze on her sparkling purple eyes filled with with relief and concern.
"Yes... I am... And I'm still alive and kicking. The healers are truly magnificent by treating us doing everything they can despite our critical injuries. How about you?"
My heart filled with ease and awe as I saw her still alive and healthy. Although she's covered in bandage. I'm really proud of my self for being able to help this girl. Because it's my responsibility...and I have brought the monsters with me so it's totally my responsibility.
"I'm good all my wounds are patched up and some of my broken bones are fixed up so I can keep the pace back again. Anyways, how long was I out?" I rasped.
"A few days," she replied. "They thought you might… not make it."
My breath hitched in my throat. I had survived. I had lived. But at what cost?
"You had it much worse than I do. Thank you... For protecting me and saving me."
I was alive. I was here. But the dungeon, the fight, the loss – it all felt so real. I was a ghost, a shadow of my former self, haunted by the echoes of a battle that had changed me forever.
I looked at Shizuoka, her beautiful youthful face etched with concern. She was alive too, and I had failed her, failed Shizuoka. Failed to keep them safe.
I had failed to protect the others the knights who have been caught up by the problem I've cause suffer greatly. That wound will never disappear leaving a scar in my heart. And as long as I'm alive, I will carry that burden in me, I will carry that grief in me, I will swallow it all to take responsibility on my actions. There was still a lot of battle to be fought and fight to be won. I would heal. I would recover. And I would fight again.
Even if it meant facing the darkness that haunted me.
Even if it means facing the world around me.
Even if it meant facing the ghosts of my past.
I will never yield.
For my dream.
"Uhh... Fenri?"
I was spacing for a while glaring seriously at Shizuoka without even noticing. Then I snapped out of it.
"Ah-! Huh? Umm... What is it?"
"N-nothing as all... Y-you're making j-just me anxious by looking at me like that though."
She said in bashful way.
"Sorry about that."
I said with an awkward smile.
Something's odd about her demeanor... Did I do something wrong? She was cold and distant person back when we first met in the dungeon. What caused her change? I wonder why?
I thought.
She was blushing over and was curling the tips of her hair while looking away at me. I wonder why? Did she got a fever or something? Or was it the effects of her wound? I can't really tell. She was still wearing the hospital gown which means it'll take a while for us to be discharged. On second thought...
"Huh...wh-what are you..."
She flustered as I slowly approached her.
I spread my palm and reached her forehead to check if she was indeed having a fever. I took my other hand to my forehead as well to check the temperature.
"..."
I took the matter seriously.
"Uwawawawawawa..."
She started squeaking in a cute tone, her face started to become bright red, flustered to my approach as if releasing steam off her head.
Her temperature was higher than mine and maybe she did catch one. But, looking at her this close makes me think...
"She really is quite a beautiful sight to behold."
"What!?"
Wait, did I just said that out loud?
Our face had grown closer and closer every second. It was an odd feeling similar to how a magnet attracts to metal. It was as if it can't be helped...
Then the door suddenly slide opened.
"Huh!?"
We both said in unison as we looked to whom it might be.
"Guk!"
Shouted the man standing outside the room.
He stiffed and froze the exact moment he shouted that line. It was the hero... Akihiko Masada checking on us.
He then closed the door slowly and politely while saying.
"Sorry for the intrusion, please continue."
He then slide the door back closing it and ran off through the corridor shouting.
"GUYSSSS!!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!!! SHIZUOKA WAS NOW IN THAT AGE!!!"
"HAAAAAAA!?"
Shizuoka and I said in unison as we dashed outside and came rushing over to capture Akihiko.
"Huh?"
We grabbed him in the shoulder while wearing a twisted smile. Then we dragged him over the hospital room. He was scared to the bone after seeing dark ominous aura releasing out of our bodies due to irritation. We dragged him inside the hospital room and made him kneel before us as if pleading.
"Uhh, what's happening."
He asked hesitantly.
Akihiko was a bit anxious about the intense atmosphere though he made up his mind.
"Nothing... But I feel like cutting your head off."
Shizuoka again with that cold gaze. What a spine chilling scene!
"There's a bit of misunderstanding in our par-"
But before I could finish up my sentence. He suddenly insisted his way in saying.
" Don't worry both of you there's nothing to fear... it's not like I have romantic interest on Little Shizu here or anyone else?"
While being awful full of himself.
"wha-!"
Shizuoka twitched her eyebrows.
"Sorry for being out of the topic but actually, there's something I want to discuss to you two."
The atmosphere became heavy and serious all of the sudden as he continued.
"What exactly... happened in the lower floor...mind explaining?"
Shizuoka and I froze after hearing those words.