Aria rushed to the bridge walls, hoping that the chasm wasn't as deep as everyone thought it would be. She waited patiently, but so far there was no noise, no sound to indicate the depth of the chasm. Her body froze, and her breathing increased as if her heart was about to burst. Aria felt like she was suffocating, losing all the oxygen that her body desperately tried to take in. Her heartbeat was beating rapidly.

The ground collided with her knees, and Aria lost control of her body. The spear that was used to assist Ace felt heavy. She picked up his dagger, feeling the rush of memories flowing into her mind before shattering and hanging on to the smiling Ace before letting out a fall of tears.

"The injured... they're okay... Ancel and Dave are fine too." Lucia came to give Aria a report of the situation.

There were six fatally wounded, consisting of four frontliners and two of the backline, and 15 injured. With Lucia and Vella the only healers of the class unscathed but mentally stressed by their situation, Ace was the only one who was considered deceased. With a never-ending chasm, one who falls into such a hole will reach the unknown end. Those who were still standing reluctantly agreed that Ace was truly gone.

"I... have to check... Ace-" Aria started to say.

"Aria... it's too late! You saw what happened, he's gone!" Freya shouted. It was the first time anyone had seen Freya frustrated. She looked distressed, trying her best to hold it in. Freya knew that the enemy had to be stopped at a cost, but she was still angry and stressed by what had just happened.

"I... can... still... save him...! Are we just going to give up?! Don't you dare say that!" Aria shouted angrily glaring at Freya. Her body lifelessly tried to move on its own, but was stopped by Vella, who hugged her from behind, trying to calm her down. "VELLA LET GO!! Ace was my- Ace... if he was never there for me, I...!"

"I know... I know...! Please... accept what you saw! I know it's tough, but-!" Vella tried to hold back her tears.

Warren and Alan were still injured, but they still couldn't believe their eyes. Watching their friend make the sacrifice play, they stared lifelessly. Ace, who they'd known throughout their schooling years, was now gone from their lives. Finally, Warren spoke.

"This is just a dream, right...? No way I'm using all these cool sword abilities and watching Vella use magic. No one would get stabbed by a random enemy either in real life... but this pain... it's not waking me up." Warren continued to pinch himself with a delusional expression.

"Warren...?" Alan turned over to Warren's direction hearing his muttering.

"Haha... I mean... usually, I'll just go to school and practice for the baseball tournament, show off in front of Vella and hang out with the others. I mean being summoned to a new world I mean... that's all just stories-"

Alan's veins began to pop as he continued to hear Warren's ramblings. He took a step to his direction raising his voice for the first time.

"SHUT UP! IT'S NOT A DREAM! I WISH IT FUCKING WAS!" Alan voice bursted throughout his surroundings. He always knew Ace was working hard to make Dungeon progression easier. He knew that Ace was the star player in the class. He knew that there was a chance that someone might die, but he didn't know how everyone would cope if such a situation arose.

"Tch!" Alan's anger and frantic movement had caused his stab wound to reopen. Lucia came over and used the little remaining Mana she had to heal him. She didn't say anything, she lifelessly looked around and seeing all the unconscious bodies and blood that was spilled. She then turned to everyone's faces attempting to keep a straight face.

"I'm sorry..." Warren's agitated tone had slowly shifted back to normal. "It's just that Ace always seemed unbeatable. No one at school could ever beat him in a fist fight. Ever since he stepped in, the bullying incidents were solved, he wanted everyone to feel safe. I'm sure in this world as well, he wanted to do that for us too..."

"...He always had that small smile when he looked at group photos of us." Alan added in a melancholic tone.

"So the last time we saw him smile will be about his death?!" Warren snapped.

After hearing Warren, Vella began to cry and hugged Aria tightly. But Aria looked lifeless and tears fell from her eyes as she stared off into the distance, only recalling the memories she had with Ace.

Freya, on the other hand, was still shocked by Ace's sacrifice. Although she had tried to harden her feelings when she came to this world, the death of her cousin, someone with whom she shared a sibling-like bond, was devastating. She took deep breathes trying to keep her composure but in the end she fell to her knees, giving a punch towards the ground.

'In the end, you were the one who looked out for everyone. If it weren't for you, several others could have died... If I made another shot... would Ace still be here? No... Ace knew that there was no other way.'

Freya couldn't help but agree that this was the best outcome for the survival of their class. If no one had stopped that mysterious enemy, everyone might have been killed in that skirmish alone.

Ace's sacrifice would take a toll on everyone. He had taken charge in the first battle and was the reason behind their formations. Without someone like him, they might not be able to adapt these formations in war as he had.

'Why did something like this have to happen now...?'

Freya looked at the sight of a broken Aria. She understood that Ace was Aria's whole world, knowing her feelings of attraction. But in such a situation, no one could be blamed for the outcome. Ancel and Dave had tried their best to hold off the unknown enemy, but they had been overwhelmed. The whole class had cooperated, but it hadn't been enough, and everyone was reflecting on their own weaknesses.

-A few days later-

the mood in the dorm was heavy and no one wanted to talk about anything fun or exciting. Everyone had made a significant recovery from their injuries, but some students still required bandages. Despite this, their mentality was weakened and the morale they had once had from exploring the dungeon had plummeted.

"Ace...? Wake up. Haha... You must have overslept again... I'm coming in..." Aria became delusional, believing that Ace would somehow miraculously return from the dead. It was the third time that Aria had knocked on his door, fully aware that Ace was gone.

"It's hard to watch her like this." Mia said.

"Aria said she wanted to give herself false hope to keep herself sane. I think the effect will backfire soon." Soren replied.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"She's a bit hard to approach in her current mental state..." Hilda added.

Aria hesitated to open the door. She knew Ace wouldn't be in there and she dropped to the ground on her knees. Both her mental state and physical condition hadn't been great either. She had been eating less and her hair was a mess. The once beautiful image of Aria was broken down to a depressed, shattered girl.

"I'm surprised you're taking this well, Freya." Glenn pointed out.

"I'm not. I never did." Freya replied in a dejected tone.

"Oh... my bad..."

"It's hard to return home like this... and we have to fight for this damned Kingdom too!" Alan slammed the table. Everyone was taken aback by the sudden action which Alan immediately bowed his head and apologised.

"What's the plan now? Are we risking another exploration plan? Because of the situation now... I don't think we'll be in the best mood." Caspar said.

"Ace... made our formations... and always discussed the 'what-ifs', giving instructions in the heat of battle when he had to. I didn't realize that our formation would have holes thanks to our inability. Looking back, Ace always covered for me." Alan looked down with regret.

"It's not anyone's fault." Warren addressed the statement to everyone.

"Well technically the king's... he brought us here." Alan added.

"Right... he is to blame..."

"Look at Aria, she took it far worse." Hilda had her eyes on the kneeling Aria. Everyone knew it was best to give her space. Whenever anyone tried to approach her, she would snap, but her condition was far worse in the first night. As the days went by, she made slow progress in overcoming her grief.

"Huh... she just opened Ace's room..." Bridget pointed out.

"Leave her be," Freya said.

This was the first time Aria had entered his room in four days. She looked around and noticed that some of Ace's belongings were still there on his table - his phone, wallet, and uniform, all neatly placed. The scent of Ace still lingered on his shirt as Aria touched many of his other belongings. Ace's phone turned on the moment Aria pressed the power button. It was charged to 86%, so Aria knew he must have turned it off when they came to this world.

Aria peeked through his wallet, even though there was nothing of use for her there. It was the very wallet that always bought her bakery goods. She found three photographs. One with Ace and their friends, all smiling. The second photo was of a slightly younger Ace and a girl, and Aria knew that it was Luna, the girl Ace had told her about.

Once she turned to the third photo, she noticed it was a photo of both Ace and herself, capturing the memory of a school trip where they had gotten lost together. They had taken a photo to remember their time together.

'It looks like there's writing behind each photo...'

'A surprise birthday from everyone. I forgot Freya has access to the spare key to my house. I did not expect such a surprise but It was a welcome one. I'll truly cherish this memory.' - Ace Luther's Era: 20XX September 3

'Luna gifted me a camera. I'm not much for capturing memories, but after her disappearance, I understand why now. It's just nice to look back at those moments.' - Einstein's Era: 20XX September 3 - Ace

'Time with Aria both of us were separated from our group in the school trip and worst of all our phones had run out of battery. After today, I never expected to be even more fond of her, I can feel myself rekindle from the past. Her presence alone makes me happy. ' Luther's Era: 20XX August 28 - Ace

Aria finally understood some of Ace's vague replies. If they had never been teleported, perhaps they would have continued their routine of seeing each other every day, talking to each other, and walking home together. But now her situation was different. Her desire to be stronger, fueled by the motivation to ease Ace's worries, was gone. Aria's world was shattered.

Vella entered the room and saw Aria holding Ace's photos. She held a sad expression the moment she saw the two of them in the same photo. Aria knew that Vella wasn't there to comfort her, but for something else. She turned her attention to her.

"The king wants to see us."

"I see... I'll be there soon," Aria replied in an empty tone.

Everyone began making their way to the castle. Aria followed her classmates from behind, with Vella at her side. Vella felt hopeless as she looked at Aria's new state. Both Hilda and Vella worried about Aria's mentality knowing unsure how she will react to the upcoming future.

"What do you think the king wants?" Hilda asked.

"I wouldn't know..."

"He's going to make us continue right after what happened,"

"Tch...! Training us for a stupid war! More of us are going to die at this rate!" Everyone paused the moment Alan snapped.

"Calm down, I don't want anyone to anger the king with their frustration." Freya pointed out. "The king threatened to kill us if we don't help. In other words, we're disposable to him."

"Fucking asshole!" Warren shouted.

"Warren...! We're close to the castle already!" Vella scolded him.

"How am I supposed to stay calm?! Our friend just died! And you expect me to try to be calm in front of the king?!"

"I don't like the idea of being executed if we don't help... I know losing Ace is a big deal, but I don't want to waste his sacrifice for us." Mia said.

"Ace would have wanted us to go home. That's what he prioritized when we came to this world." Aria spoke up.

Everyone knew they had to return to the Dungeon to train, as it was the quickest way to level up and gain experience in fighting. However, their morale was at an all-time low and it seemed impossible for their class to return to normal.

"So, we're going back... just after someone died?! Ace died! And you're telling us to go back?!" Aria shouted at the king in anger. She had emitted such bloodlust, that the king's eyes had shot up in response.

'This girl... is dangerous.'

"Another hero questioning me in anger... you do want to go back home, right? You should help us so we can bring you back. I believe I am taking measures to ensure your survivability," the king fired back at Aria's frustration.

"Someone we know died, and you expect us to just help you with no problem?!" Aria's eyes began to glow blue in response to her anger.

"Aria, calm down! Please stop... don't make it harder for yourself..." Vella grabbed Aria's arm.

"She's made the King angry...!" Ancel noticed that Regis's blade was starting to build up energy, trying to prevent any bloodshed.

"Aria, stop! Just apologize for your anger right now!" Ancel shouted.

Ancel helped Aria realize that the king's blade was starting to light up. The moment it began to shine, it brought forth a wave of intimidation that froze everyone in the room, including Regis's fellow guards. Each of them sensed death and submitted to their fear if they tried to move. Despite this intimidation affecting everyone, Aria was the only one who wasn't affected.

Aria summoned her spear and poured aura into her weapon, her eye colour had gradually glowed to a bright red before lunging at the king.

'Her eyes?!'

Just before Aria was about to pierce through the king's body, a force field around the king appeared, blocking her attack. He let out a strong wave of aura that pushed Aria back, causing her to collide with the wall. It wasn't enough to knock her out, but it was enough for her to spit out blood and not care about her condition. She stood up again, but her focus was gone. Her eyes reverted back to their natural eye colour before anyone else can notice.

Tensions began to rise as everyone looked at Aria with concern. She pointed her spear at the king, but Ancel went to stop her, using his [Holy Bind] to bind her with magical ropes.

"STOP IT ARIA! YOU'RE GOING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED!" Vella cried out.

"No, forgive me, it's my fault in the first place for not considering everyone's feelings." Regis lowered his blade. "You are free to take time off today, but next week, I will allow everyone to take further training with their trainers. However, it's back to training in the Sacred Dungeons soon after, unless you want to entertain me with your anger again." He stared at Aria as he let her off with a threatening sentence.

"You are dismissed. Tend to the girl's wounds."

Everyone started to rush towards Aria, who needed medical attention immediately. Both Vella and Lucia chanted their spells together to heal Aria much more quickly.

Everyone left the throne room, realizing their lack of choice in serving the king. They all learned that they couldn't rebel against the king, as they saw how capable he was in battle. Their only choice was to obey and fight for this kingdom.

"Ancel... that girl's name was Aria, wasn't it?" Regis asked.

"Y-yes, your majesty."

"She will prove valuable in the war if we use her well. Everyone in this group is much more promising than the previous ones. We will win this war thanks to them. Make sure you and Dave protect them well."

"Understood."

'She managed to crack my shield like that mage. And those eyes of hers... an ability? Or something else? Nevertheless, she's just a high calibre stockpile'