“Father!”

I rushed forward, passing over the stupefied Jiwa. However, father didn’t welcome me, hit me or do anything of the sort I had imagined he would. No, he just stood there, looking confused.

(... Confused? -!! Ah, of course!)

“Many things have happened, father. I managed to survive and, although I’ve grown since you left me in that cave, it’s me, Arz!” I reintroduced myself.

“... Arz…?” father responded, still looked confused as ever.

At the time, Jiwa came and grabbed my shoulder. “Here I wonder who gives me a visit, and it turns out to be mah own nephew,” he said with a smile on his face. “Mahza, yer son goes this far to meet ya, why’re ya so cold?”

“Sorry. I’m glad you’re safe, son,” father said, smiling and opening his arms.

“Forgive him, he just tired,” Jiwa said and gave me a light push on back.

I moved ahead and hugged the big bearded man who gave me the second life in this world. The feeling was so nostalgic, like it had been a very long time, even though it wasn’t even two weeks in reality. Of course I meant two weeks of this world, which was twenty days.

After a short break, Jiwa said, “Now, why don’t we come in? Ya can continue yer reunion inside the house.”

I released father and looked at Jiwa, who was picking up the bags he had put down on the ground earlier.

“Ah, I’ll help,” I said and took some of the bags from both father and Jiwa.

“... By the way, Master Jiwa. You said I’m your nephew?” I asked curiously, as we walked to the door.

“Yea. Mahza and I were learning together from the same master. In that sense, we’re brother,” he answered, while channeling his mana to undo the barrier around the house and unlocked the door with a key. “Come in,” he invited, after the door was wide open.

I and father followed Jiwa to the back room. “Put ‘em there,” he told and we put the bags at the corner he pointed to.

“Make yerself at home. Do ya wanna cup of tea?”

“Sure.” I answered. Wondering with what inside the bags, I took a peek into one and asked, “What’re these?”

“Materials for a joint-project of me and Mahza,” Jiwa answered while preparing the tea.

“Did you just bought them? in [Lontra]?”

“Yea, where else?”

“What project?”

“...”

Because I didn’t receive any answer, I turned my head towards Jiwa. He looked doubtful, therefore I said, “You don’t need to answer if you don’t want to, you know. Sorry for asking.”

“Nah, it’s okay. We’re going to make a new . Because yer father said it didn’t work, I offered mah help. Just now I was thinking if we really need to make one. Ya being here means it’s already working. However, since we’ve bought all these stuffs, it would be a waste if we just stop.”

“I see. In that case I think you should just continue.”

“Yea,” Jiwa replied as he brought a tray with three cups and a teapot to the only table in the room. “Here, have some while it’s still hot,” he poured for himself.

I followed him. While pouring for my own and father’s share, I asked, “Then, would it mean you’re going to stay here for a while, father?”

“Yes,” father nodded, receiving his cup from me.

Taking a sip of my own cup, I observed father who somehow only had few words today.

“Why don’t ya tell us about yer long journey to come here, Arz?” Jiwa asked from where he had taken a seat.

“Hmm. Ah, that’s right. How can I forget my main reason coming here. Father, I don’t know if you know, but you’ve been poisoned. Here’s the antidote, please drink it,” I said, taking out the antidote vial and giving it to him.

Father hesitated and stole a glance to where Jiwa sat before taking it, which I found rather strange. Yet, when I saw father gulping the antidote, I felt nothing but relieved. With this, my long journey had been paid off and father would be no longer in constant danger from the poison.

Remembered that I hadn’t answered Jiwa’s question, I turned to him. “Nothing much uncle, it was rather uneventful journey,” I said while taking a seat. “Oh yeah, I also met Aunt Ehrisya on my way here, father,” I told as I received the now empty vial father handed and pocketed it back.

“I see,” was all of father’s reply when he took the seat next to me.

I raised my eyebrows. “She helped you, didn’t she?”

“Yes.”

Scratching my head, I wondered why father was so less energetic than his usual self and hoped it wasn’t because the poison had attacked his nerve system.

“Who’s this Ehrisya?” Jiwa asked.

“Oh. A bar owner, father’s old acquaintance from whom I know father is coming here.”

“Really?” his eyes sparked with curiosity. “I wanna know, but, it can wait. For now, I’m more curious with how ya revived and gained a new body. Mind to tell us, Arz? I’m sure yer father also want to hear yer story. Right, brother?”

“Yes,” father nodded.

“Hmm. To put it short, the cave father left me was a dungeon. After taking over the dungeon consciousness, I became the new dungeon master. It also came with the ability to create a dungeon lord, this new body.”

“Oh, interesting. But how did ya take over the consciousness? How could ya sense it in the first place?”

I took a glance towards father, who was enjoying his cup of tea, not interested a bit with my story. “... Before that, uncle, do you know what’s wrong with father?” I asked instead answering, because father condition was obviously very weird and it started to bug me.

“He just tired, don’t worry. Why don’t ya take some rest while I’ve a chat with mah nephew, Mahza,” he told.

“Alright,” father replied, putting his cup down and standing up. His action surprised me, and even more after I realized how father obediently followed whatever Jiwa told him all this time.

“Wait!” I asked, but he ignored me and walked away. In the spur of moment, I used the mind attack and once again got surprised, this time at how fragile father’s mind was. He limped down and groaned weakly on the floor, unable to even lift a finger.

“What’re ya do--!”

Jiwa tried to approach father but halted at an emerging earth spike pointed to his throat. It was I who came near to father first, before Jiwa could recover from his shock. I squatted down and checked father’s condition. As far as the uneducated me could tell, he had no physical injury but his mind was abnormally weak.

Even after I released my mind attack, the once prideful mage just lying helplessly there. My mind began to wander wildly at what might have happened to father.

“No conceited laugh, no arrogant speech, and no mind resistance,” I said and turned towards Jiwa. Trying my best to suppress the urging rage, I asked, “What’ve you done to father, uncle?”

“Are ya perhaps misunderstanding something, mah boy?” Jiwa replied calmly and straightened his tall posture.

“About what?”

“Yer father. I told ya he’s tired. Very tired. His guilty feeling in addition to the poison and the long journey to come here have exhausted him both mentally and physically. He need some rest, that’s all.”

“... And you expect me to believe that?”

“No. But it never hurt to try.”

*CRASH!!*

“Wha--”

*ROOAAAAAARRRRRR!!*

*Pssssssssssssttttt*

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

In that instant, tig had broken through the windows and spidey had shot its thread to tie the bald mage, covering from his chest, hands and legs in cocoon-like manner. Now lying on the floor, he couldn’t make much movement as tig had been pressing his chest using its gigantic heavy paw, with the claws ready, and spidey had been locking his neck with its poisonous fang and both scythe-like front-legs.

Jiwa snorted, “As expected of a dungeon master.”

“Why? Aren’t you two brothers?” I asked and stood up.

“Yea, what do ya know? My hatred towards that guy is as deep as ocean,” Jiwa said, his resentment reflected in his voice and eyes.

“... It’s not just hatred, isn’t it? You would have killed father if so. Why’re you keeping him alive? What’s your plan?”

He smiled and replied, “Smart lad. But what make ya think I’ll answer that?”

I took out my gun and aimed for the floor next to his head.

*BANG!*

“Don’t test my patience, Jiwa,” I warned.

“Oh, interesting toy ya’ve there,” he smirked. “Did ya get that from yer dungeon as well?”

Seeing how calm he was, even with all the disadvantages, I couldn’t help thinking he still had something in his sleeves. Thus, I used mind attack on him, only to find no single flaw in his defense. It was then I realized the caliber of the mage in front of me.

(... He’s probably as strong as father. No, considering father’s current state, he may even stronger. Then, wouldn’t prolong this conversation only put me at disadvantage? Should I end it now before he could do anything?

(No, wait, don’t rush. First, let’s calm down and think it through.)

…

“... What’s wrong? Aren’t ya going to make me talk? Oh, I know, why don’t ya kneel down and beg me to spare yer father, o great dungeon master?” Jiwa mocked, still with his smirk with sharp-looking eyes. Like a hunter prying his preys.

(This guy, he’s a cruel man who turns his own brother into a mindless slave.

(Although, I can easily imagine it was probably father’s fault in the first place.

(He could just drove me out from the start. Or killed me. Yet he decided to pretend to be a good family. Why?

(Because I’m his nephew?

(Hmm, it’s possible. After all, every farmers I met on my way here said he’s an honorable mage, didn’t they?

(In that case, we should be able to settle his peacefully.

(No, no, I’m being too optimistic here. He already admitted he has a hidden agenda.

(So, keeping me was probably not because of a goodwill. Then what? Gathering information? Of what?

(Ah! He said he and father are making a new , and he somewhat very interested with me being a dungeon master, doesn’t he?

(No way! He want to repeat my process taking over a dungeon?

(...

(It’s just a hypothesis, but…

(Either way, I don’t see how I can bring father out of here without violence, either his hatred is very deep or it'll ruin his plan.

(Should I kill him?

(I already killed before, with my own hand, people who hurted father.

(That’s right, I can’t be weak. This man too, is a menace for father.)

Deciding on what to do, I whispered, “.”

A pointed ground emerged from behind Jiwa’s head and pierced to his face, splattering blood around and making a gruesome scene.

“You can feast on him,” I told both tig and spidey and turned my attention from the unrecognizable body to father who still lying on the floor all this time. “Let’s go home, father,” I said as I tried to shoulder him.

“Grr…”

I looked up at tig’s growl and once again got surprised, Jiwa’s corpse had gone!

“Wha- Where did he go?”

Both tig and spidey looked confused and clueless just like me. I took a look to my surroundings. Even though we couldn’t spot him, his voice was clear when he talked.

“Funny. Mahza’s always boasting as the greatest soul-mage, but his son can only do a pathetic mind attack and even falls to this level of mind trick,” Jiwa’s voice said. “Too bad, I was hoping I could dig some more from ya. Now it has come to this, should I teach ya why soul-mages are the most feared in a fight?”

Hearing the speech, my adrenaline rushed and my breath became faster. The master mage was about to come at me, thus I put down father who was on my shoulder. “You’re welcome to try!” I said, releasing a barrage of earth spikes, starting from around my feet and waving further, except on where father and my two monsters stayed.

And appeared he did, at near the wall on the other side of the room, in a small area where my spikes couldn’t break through an invisible barrier.

“Not bad,” Jiwa said, along with a strong wave of mind attack. I lost my balance and fell forward. Through our link, I sensed spidey had lost consciousness while tig, although managed to stay awake, had suffered greatly.

*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*

“.”

I shot my gun repeatedly towards Jiwa. However, with the disorientation feeling his attack had caused, all my aim missed by afar. Then I resorted to , but Jiwa didn’t even need to evade. Like the earth spikes barrage from before, the three simultaneous emerging earth spikes that surrounded him were also destroyed the moment they entered his barrier sphere.

“Tig!” I called and the sky king immediately leapt forward.

Yet, this too was proven futile. All Jiwa did was raising one of his hand and my great tiger stopped in the mid-air.

“-!! Gravity!?” I exclaimed in surprise.

Tig flapped its robust wings again and again in an attempt to escape but to no avail. Slowly but steady, it approached Jiwa’s hand like being sucked.

“

Jiwa waved his free hand on my way and I flew backwards, hitting a number of furnitures before stopping on a wall.

“Argh!”

(Uh. Not gravity, is this... telekinesis?)

*GRRrrrrr……*

I, who was on my four, looked up and horrified at what I saw. The mighty sky king was decaying, starting from the nose where it directly touched Jiwa’s hand, and quickly spread to cover the whole big body. One after another the eyes fell down from their sockets, followed by the feathers when the decay reached the wing parts, until tig completely withered, lifeless. Its core fell to ground with a clanking sound.

“NOOO!” I tried to stand up but once again I flew to hit the wall behind me. And once again, head first.

“U...ughh… *Bleagh!*”

My head hurt so much and the world felt like it was spinning to every direction. I could no longer control my body parts and before I knew, I had been throwing up. To not make it any worse, I used my mana to recover the Dungeon Lord. Jiwa had stood in front of me when I finally felt better.

“Any last word?” he asked.

“

He squatted down and pulled my hair. “Don’t worry. I still have many uses of Mahza, so I won’t kill him. Yet.”

Then I felt a sudden, intense pain from behind my head and it became blank. The next time I awoke, my consciousness was already back in my heart chamber, within my dungeon.

‘DAMN YOU JIWAAAAAAAA!’

My voiceless scream echoed through our link.