Chapter 40 : End Of The Dungeon Raid

At my words, Elvaria slightly averts her gaze, visibly embarrassed, before attempting to justify herself:

“We’ve been together for quite a while now, so don’t make a fuss!” she exclaims, trying to gather her courage.

I glance over at Alfira, still peacefully asleep on the wooden chair. Then, I look at the door, behind which Valentin waits outside. My gaze then settles on the window, admiring one last time those magnificent blue flowers scattered across the valley.

Yes, I’m avoiding her gaze, but it’s time to face her.

“Are you sure, Elvaria?” I ask, a bit disarmed. I really don’t know how to react in this situation.

“Stop arguing and just do it!” she exclaims, her voice trembling but full of determination.

“Will it really create a bond?” I ask, my heart racing faster under the pressure.

“Yes, Elvaristria told me so! Now, put your lips on mine and hurry up!” she insists, suddenly closing her eyes and slightly tilting her head forward, pushing her lips out.

She’s obviously waiting for me to kiss her…

So, my first kiss is going to happen here, deep in a dungeon, in a house that feels strangely familiar, surrounded by a valley of blue flowers... It’s almost romantic. If you forget the fact that Valentin is waiting outside and Alfira is sleeping right in front of us.

Well, let’s ignore that.

“Keep your eyes closed, Elvie…” I murmur, my voice slightly trembling as my cheeks take on a rosy hue. At my words, she seems to relax, her long lashes staying gently shut. The soft light of the dungeon’s fake sun streams through the window, illuminating the scene with rare beauty.

I approach slowly and, hesitantly, place my lips on hers.

I close my eyes too. This moment seems to last an eternity, a gentle warmth spreading through my body. Slowly, I pull back, standing up to admire Elvaria’s face at that precise moment.

Her green eyes shine intensely, her cheeks have turned scarlet, and her lips tremble slightly. She has an innocent look, almost lost in another world.

“Elvie?” I say softly, trying to bring her back to reality.

“Aley…” she murmurs as she opens her eyes, her gaze full of tenderness as it falls on me. Suddenly…

—Aleystria, Elvaristria, access point authorized.

A voice echoes in the room, breaking the atmosphere. And a strange feeling of fullness emerges within me.

“I feel like I’m even more... me than before,” I say, looking at my body, even though it doesn’t seem to have changed outwardly.

“I feel the same,” replies Elvaria, visibly as surprised as I am.

I gather myself and say:

“Take care of Alfira, go upstairs to see if there are any beds. Make sure she sleeps on something soft.” Then I add: “I’m going to see Valentin.”

“No problem!” she responds cheerfully, giving me a thumbs-up. Honestly, she really does that gesture a lot… and so do I. Even Valentin? Could this be a… thumbs-apocalypse?!

Regaining my composure, I head toward the front door and push it open gently. Outside, the blue flowers continue to dance under the light breeze, and Valentin is leaning against the wall of the house, waiting for me.

“So, are you done?” he asks in a curious tone, an impish smile on his lips.

“We’ve created a bond. By infusing a bit of magic and visualizing this place, we should be able to teleport here at will, us and those close to us,” I explain to him.

Valentin approaches and places his hand firmly on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

“Thank you for everything, Aley. We can return the key for the second level of the dungeon: the ruined city to Pienat, and we’ll keep the last key for ourselves. This house will be... ours.”

Ours? Wait a minute…

“Valentin, what do you mean by ‘ours’?” I ask, with a forced smile on my face.

He chuckles lightly before answering:

“While you were inside with Elvaria, I took a walk around the house. Judging by the number of windows upstairs, there must be seven rooms up there. So, I’m going to settle here too.”

“No way—”

—Access authorized: Valentin has been added to the access point.

WHAT?!

“Oh, Aley, you just added me! The voice just told me. Thank you so much!” he says, delighted. But I did NOT add him!

“Does everyone hear this voice?” I ask, trying to change the subject.

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“Of course, you thought you were the only one?” he retorts, laughing.

No, seriously, I’m going to get this Valentin.

Suddenly, the front door of the house opens behind me. It’s Elvaria coming out, visibly in high spirits.

“Guys, there are plenty of rooms upstairs!” she exclaims as she walks toward us. Valentin turns to me, a mischievous smile on his face. He was right, the rascal...

“Show us around our new home…” I say to Elvaria, in a nonchalant tone, still a bit frustrated by Valentin’s arbitrary decision. I had really hoped to live here alone with Elvie.

After chatting for a while outside, Valentin and I finally decide to follow Elvaria to the front door. She pushes it open slowly, letting us in before closing it behind us. We’re back in the wooden living room.

The chair where Alfira was sleeping is now empty.

“Elvaria, where’s Alfira?” asks Valentin, looking around, his face showing concern.

“She’s sleeping upstairs,” Elvaria replies, glancing toward the stairs.

Only one thought crosses my mind:

“Can we go pick our rooms?” I ask, my voice trembling with excitement.

“YES!” Valentin exclaims, sharing my enthusiasm. Maybe it’s different for people from this world, but for me, who has moved several times, choosing my room in a new house has become an important ritual.

Since time is stopped in my other world, will I not age much when I return? Well, I’m also Aleystria, so maybe I’m already very, very old… What could my real age be?

“If our guild reaches eight members, Aley and I will have to share a room, mhh,” Elvie thinks aloud, before joyfully adding: “It’s decided! In our quest for the God Prism, we’ll meet lots of people and try to recruit them!” she declares enthusiastically.

Valentin then intervenes:

“Can I be the third member of your guild? To be honest, the king of Verdesable mostly sees me as a ‘political hero,’ it’s a bit boring,” he says, feigning innocence.

Oh no, the sneaky move.

“In your dreams—” I begin, before being cut off.

“Yes! The great Elvaria grants you the honor of joining Novus Obris! I’ll ask Alfira when she wakes up, and we’ll recruit the strongest people in this world!” Elvie exclaims, brimming with happiness.

I approach her and grab her by the cheeks.

“You’re getting a little too comfortable. If you’re the leader, then I’m co-leader, and you stop making decisions for me,” I say in a tone I try to make serious, but in reality, seeing her cute face in my hands makes my heart beat faster.

“Got it, Aley!” she exclaims, her face still caught between my hands as I gently tug at her cheeks, visibly upset but adorable.

“Well, let’s go upstairs and pick our rooms…” I say, releasing her cheeks, before climbing the stairs.

The house only has two floors. The second floor is a long hallway with several doors: seven lead to bedrooms, and two serve as bathrooms. Everything is rustic, and we’ll need to renovate if we really want to live here with eight people.

I open the second door I come across, discovering a large room intended to be a bedroom. It contains a big bed, a wardrobe, several pieces of furniture and drawers, but nothing inside, as if this house has been waiting for new residents for a long time.

“I’m taking this one!” I exclaim, turning to Elvie and Valentin, before drawing my sword, Kuroiua, and engraving the following words on the door:

‘Aley Vrodwil.’

“Write your names on your doors,” I say as I look at them.

“Okay!” Elvaria replies enthusiastically. She stands in front of my room’s door, draws her sword, and in a split second, engraves on the door:

‘Elvaria Ofcroft.’

“Isn’t this supposed to be Aley’s room?” asks Valentin, chuckling behind us.

“When we have eight members, I’ll sleep with him, so I might as well settle here directly. The bed is big,” Elvaria proudly replies.

Valentin then walks over to the door opposite ours, the seventh one, draws his sword, and carves his name:

‘Valentin Mossé.’

And with that, the members of Novus Obris now have a base for their guild.

Time passes, and we spend a few hours resting. Valentin went out to explore the rest of the floor, looking for the dungeon’s treasure to report our achievement to the guild. I’m outside, alone in the field of blue flowers.

I left Elvie sleeping in my room upstairs, and Alfira is sleeping up there too. But I can’t rest. The paradise… that word makes every fiber of my being vibrate. Just the thought of going there… no, not just going, but returning. I’m convinced I’ve been there before.

Will the Prism allow me to return to paradise? Who are those people who were watching me in my vision?

"It’s interesting..." I murmur, crossing my arms. The sun of the false sky is starting to set. Valentin is right, there’s definitely a day-night cycle here.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in this world:

At the top of the solitary hill, where the heroes of humanity rest, an old man is kneeling, his gaze filled with madness. In front of the graves of those who defeated the gods, he speaks to himself, consumed by rage.

"I’ll kill those impostors…" he mutters, convinced that those who defeated the gods are the reason why Aleystria and Elvaristria’s souls never returned. He doesn’t realize that he himself is responsible for this mess.

"How could you die… my friends… my dearest companions…" he murmurs, tears in his eyes as he contemplates the graves. "You had become the most powerful of the gods. How could you have been defeated? What kind of existence could be responsible?"

His voice trembles as he falls to his knees, his long beard touching the ground. "If such a thing exists, it can only be the Will of the World... but it shouldn’t interfere..." he growls, before a sudden thought crosses his mind.

"Could it be... no, that’s impossible. Your love was real... But then, why are Veron and Oscar’s graves missing? Why do you have graves while they don’t?"

He rises, determined to track down those he perceives as impostors and to reclaim the Prism of God, to restore the reign of his friends.

"Long live the humans who became gods! Long live the protectors!" he shouts as he sets off.

Back in the depths of the Blue Flowers Dungeon:

"Yaaaawn..." It’s been over an hour since I’ve been waiting for Valentin. I eventually returned to bed with Elvie, who is sleeping peacefully. The sun has completely set, and night has fallen. The blue flowers emit a soft glow, like something out of a dream.

Suddenly, I hear the front door open downstairs. Valentin must have come back. I get up, being careful not to wake Elvie, and go down the stairs.

"Aley, I found the treasure," says Valentin as soon as I reach him. He’s holding a magnificent, flaming spear, whose reddish color strangely reminds me of Elvie’s hair.

"I don’t know how to wield a spear, so we might as well give it to Elvaria," he adds. It’s obvious. I’m certain Elvaria used a spear in her past life as Elvaristria.

"Yes! Let’s give it to her right away and head back to the surface!" I’m excited, but Valentin stops me.

"No, let’s sleep here. We’ll head out tomorrow. We’re way too exhausted to continue, and it’s dangerous to traverse a dungeon in this state. There are no monsters here, so let’s rest," he says calmly.

I nod. He’s probably right. Valentin smiles at me and, once again, gives me a thumbs-up. This gesture is really becoming a habit.

We spend some time talking about random things in the living room, each of us sitting on a wooden chair. We laugh a little, enjoying this calm after our adventures, then head upstairs, each returning to our room.

"Good night," I tell him before closing my door.

"Good night to you too, Aley," he replies, a smile on his face.

I enter my room. Elvie is still sleeping deeply. I gently push her to make room for myself in the bed, and I lie down. My eyelids are heavy. I realize I was much more tired than I thought. Fortunately, I can finally rest...

And so, the night passes peacefully deep within the dungeon, under the soft glow of the blue flowers.