We opened the big boss's door. But...

"It's empty...?" Selena breathed.

Indeed... Where everyone expected to meet a boss, and right after, a room with treasure... There was absolutely nothing. Just a rounded and wide, golden-white room. Nothing else...

"No, it's... weird," Ceruleo stammered, slowly stepping forward.

"There's something there," Melissa called out, drawing our attention to a nearby stone carving resembling some sort of skeletal figure. Hesitantly, we all followed behind her. As soon as the last of us crossed the threshold, the door behind us slammed shut.

"Huh?!"

Some members rushed back, trying to open it.

"It's stuck..."

Melissa appeared deeply lost in thoughts. The Prince noticed it and approached her. "What's on your mind?"

She slowly shifted her attention to him, blinking. "There's something written at the base of the stone."

He stepped closer. "Can you read what it says?"

Nodding, she squinted at the script. "It's ancient alphabet. It says... 'Luxfer, the Ash Warrior' or something like that."

The Prince glanced around the area. "So... it was supposed to be the boss?"

"Why isn't it here, though?" I murmured.

Many shrugged in response.

"Do you have any idea, Melissa?" Ceruleo asked her. Before she could even respond, the ground shook, and to everyone's surprise... it moved.

"We're... descending?" a man asked. Definitely, we were going down.

Shortly after, a loud noise boomed from above and we all turned our heads upward.

"Watch out!"

A massive waterfall was about to fall over our heads.

"Iroshield!" Jerald cast, shielding us from the imminent cascade.

Two more followed Jerald summoning their protective spells. As the water struck, a purple light flashed and a sphere plummeted down. The shields shattered, and their fragments fell to the ground followed by an armored creature with spikes all over its armor. Blood splattered, viscera stained the floor, and Selena screamed.

"Increased Healing!" the Golden Lucenti's healer cast, quickly regenerating the torso of the two unfortunate men who had been hit by the blast. Luckily, the worst had rapidly passed, but more was about to follow.

"Vectors," Melissa went right after, letting blue arrows of light surround the spiked creature. "Y-axis: Inversus."

The boss's feet left the ground, and it flew away.

"Regroup, now!" Ceruleo shouted.

Everyone organized and took position. I glanced back at the boss floating above. It screeched, and set itself free from Melissa's spell.

"Water-Wave!" Laura cast, pointing her staff at the creature. From it, a powerful water current surged forward, going straight towards the boss.

The boss, however, with simple movements of its arms, took complete control of her spell, making it flow around its body as if it were its own before throwing it down back at us.

Mereoleona grinned, casting an enchantment spell over herself that enshrouded her body in a burning orange aura. "So we're fighting water with fire?" Her knees bent, and she launched, reaching for the water mid-air and intercepting it with a punch. The spell exploded; steam and droplets rained down. Mereleona and the boss clashed afterward. The result: Mereoleona crashing down on the ground beside us with her knuckles dripping blood.

"Idiot..." Melissa scolded. "Can't you see the spines all over its body? You can't just solve everything with punches. You have a sword. Use it."

"Lux Remedy," I chanted, healing her.

Mereleona scoffed at her. "I beg to differ. Don't you agree with me, fighter?" she said, glancing at Dorothy, whose attention was focused on the boss.

"Hmph," Dorothy emitted, glancing back at Mereoleona. "Don't compare me to yourself," she curtly replied, turning back to the boss. "Engine: On." Her arms were now surrounded by purple sparkles spiraling around; she was also ready to fight.

A sassy laugh rang out. "Now, now, girls. If we want fairness in this fight, I propose a little race among ourselves!" Carolina quipped, twirling her cane between her fingers.

"That's not fair..." Mereoleona protested. "You have a cane! You're not a fighter!"

"Sounds like excuses!" She chirped before dashing away, towards the boss. After exchanging a glance, the other two fighters followed behind.

Melissa sighed at the scene. "I guess I'll provide support, then," she murmured, throwing her metallic ball into the air. "Disco Aureo."

Her ball stopped mid-air, slowly spinning at the center of the room; from it, colorful cones of light radiated across the whole arena.

"I feel... lighter?" Such a unique enchantment spell! Every time the light passed over me, I could feel much stronger and lighter! Surely, the others felt the same.

Yes, definitely. Everyone's movement had gotten visibly more energetic.

Carolina, as usual, was the most reckless; her moves alone could've made more than one heart skip a beat with how dangerous and daring they were; each time her cane met the boss, she basically went through a near-death experience. I sighed just witnessing such a scene. What a girl...

The others coordinated, deflecting the boss's magic attacks. In the meantime, our descent continued... Where was this platform even taking us?

Following more of the same, what appeared to be narrow open windows ascended; through them, monsters approached.

Everyone tensed, their attention being triggered by entirely new stimuli. Carolina decided to step back from the boss as she glanced around at the incoming monsters. Leonard also retreated; they were now back-to-back, ready to cover each other.

"Caligo, watch out!"

"Huh?!"

I was distracted... a monster was jumping straight at me. In a moment of panic, I hurled my bag filled with candles at it. Simultaneously, our descent finally came to an end, and at the sudden jolt of the ground, I stumbled backward.

"Kindle!"

I made my bag explode. Several candles purposely crafted to attack burst into flames, scattering their effects all around. Many monsters were hit by their wax; many were slowed in response, while many others were hurt in the process, enveloped in flames.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Good plan, Caligo!" Melissa complimented, quickly glancing at me.

Huh, well. It wasn't really a plan, but... thanks. I was still alive, and so were the others; that was what mattered most.

Jerald cast protective spells for everyone while they attacked. Laura also focused on the monsters, probably trying to avoid her spells to become the enemy's once again. Carolina was enjoying herself alongside Leonard.

There were so many things to look at I didn't know where to direct my eyes! I wasn't used to such action!

Still, without ever stopping, the fight continued; members worked in perfect synchrony to ensure the monsters wouldn't get in the way of those dealing with the boss while a smaller group carefully handled the main problem.

Carolina, obviously... wanted to be the star, and decided it was a good plan to deal with both. Reckless to the point of seeming careless... She was beaming just as much as she was sweating. The smile that graced her face was brilliant, without a doubt, and the way she could do so much without ever intruding else's way was far beyond my understanding. She was worthy of being considered a strong Guild Leader, indeed. My eyes were only for her, exactly as she clearly demanded them to be, but the others were doing great as well. Perhaps not as great as the star, claiming all the reflective lights she could; in fact, not once did she step out from Melissa's radiant spell. Carolina basked in it. Melissa was aware of it. She smiled.

Everything was going fairly smoothly, until the boss screamed. A red flash swallowed the whole area, and right above the boss, a new figure manifested. It was a puppeteer; thin threads connected it to the boss, whose armor was now red, shaking.

Melissa let out a hollow laugh. "Second phase."

"Not bad, not bad, girls!" Carolina quipped, her tone as enthusiastic as ever. "Just another push, alright?"

"Don't overwork yourself, Carolina," Leonard told her, adjusting his glasses. He was also visibly fatigued, and both were back-to-back once more.

Carolina's chest swelled, clearly pleased by his words. "Don't worry, honey, don't worry! I have lots of energy left!"

The last push began; more enchantment spells were activated, and with the boss enraged, more healing spells were adopted. Hands of water erupted from magic spheres around the boss, accompanied by powerful jets of water that lashed out, targeting whoever dared to attack. Had the shielder's reflexes been less than perfect, many would've had their chests pierced.

With Laura on top of her broom trying to take over the enemy's water from above, interjecting wherever she could, pushing members and enemies out of the way with her own water pillars, Carolina gently tapped her cane onto the ground. "Master Genie." Clouds wrapped around her body, making her slide away from the water as she continued her reckless fight.

Alright. Seriously... what the heck was that spell? I had the chance to see many, but I just couldn't understand that one! It was different each time!

Anyway... she was notably getting exhausted; she barely dodged some of the boss attacks, and parts of her clothing were torn as a result, revealing small wounds oozing blood. Regardless... she pressed on, without a care.

Everyone was doing their best; Carolina with her inhuman agility, the Prince with his authority, Leonard with his calm, Melissa with her wit, Dorothy with her jolts, Mereoleona with her fire, Laura and Elizabeth with their water... The fighters with their strength, the shielders with their protection, the mages with their control.

Despite the situation, the space, the numbers, and the fatigue, everyone balanced their spells, ensuring everything went smoothly. Laura especially was holding back, definitely. Elizabeth, too, actually; she mostly used bubbles to protect the others.

One by one, even though the members' positions were somewhat scattered and unorganized compared to moments earlier, the puppeteer's threads diminished. Finally, after a long fight, the last one snapped, and with a punch coming from Dorothy, the boss collapsed to the ground.

"We did it?" Carolina's coordinator asked, panting.

Alas, it was not the end. The boss twitched uncontrollably, and the puppeteer above recalled its fallen corpse back to itself, along with the monsters, which turned into water and streamed after it.

"What's... happening now?" someone else asked.

The puppeteer strangled the boss as water enclosed them. It trembled, it pulsed and, as if burning, it shone crimson red.

"Something is coming!" Melissa shouted.

With strong vibrations, it was now emitting a white light.

"Everyone, repair!"

"Carolina!"

"Ceruleo, here!"

"Dear!"

"Melissa!"

Voices overlapped to the point I had trouble distinguishing them one from another. And, with a final blinding flash, an explosion came. I squeezed my eyes shut, but I could hear it all: spikes flying, whistling toward the shields and the arena at full speed. The sound of the wall crumbling down around us, along with the shields slowly forming cracks; loud and clear.

Eventually, it stopped...

"Is... everyone alright?" Carolina's coordinator asked.

I slowly fluttered my eyes open. Most of the arena was destroyed, but...

"We did it!" Mereoleona shouted.

"We did it?" some incredulous voices followed.

Afterward, laughter followed. Carolina released a sigh of relief, and... wobbled.

"Carolina!" Leonard held her steady.

"Carolina, are you alright?" her coordinator asked her.

She nodded with a chuckle. "Yes, yes... Just tired."

I found myself releasing a sigh as well. It was a relaxing one; one that cleansed my whole body from the tension, like blowing out a candle to let it rest, enjoying the little trail of smoke it leaves behind.

The soft voice that came into my ear just a moment later, however, fully shattered the moment.

"Mom...?"

It left me shuddering.

It's not that I had forgotten about my teammates; I had just gotten distracted by the moment. I had lowered my guard, just like everyone else.

I turned toward the voice.

So did many others.

The air caught in my throat.

A reaction equally shared by many others.

The damage was already done, and even if I wanted to, now I couldn't look back. The irreparable damage was already done, too.

Brain...

It dripped. It was nauseating. It was beyond repair.

The book turned to magic dust, now destined to be carried away by the wind. The voice called again, lest she fail to hear it the first time. This time, it was even softer; I almost couldn't catch it.

It called again; lips moved, but no sound came out, perhaps afraid of disturbing her well-earned rest.

Her water dripped, mingling with her blood as one.

The dungeon was concluded.

The dungeon had been effectively cleared.

But no one was cheering.