29
The First Twist of Fate
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Vibrations broke the silent night sky, like a storm that was engulfing the earth. Standing outside on the town square, in front of church doors that had narrowly opened, a young girl observed the changing heavens with a shining glint in her eyes.
Like a snowstorm, the red mist that dominated the sky drifted down, as if it had announced the changing of the seasons.
The sky seemed to be burning as the network of roots was completely intertwined. This visibility allowed them to see far over the forested mountain, at places where large streaks of light had descended toward the ground. Yet around this village, everything was quiet, almost unaffected by what was happening.
The heavens had changed once more, the roots faded until they were streaks of starlight in the sky. For the first time in more than two weeks, the young girl could bask in the light of the moon. A sight that all survivors wished to see.
“Veleda!” Dahlia, Veleda’s mother, panicked. The young girl fainted with a smile on her face. The gentle glow was blocked by her closing eyes.
***
The same moon was visible from the entrance of the dungeon. The last survivors who had exited the cave now stood in a world they had longed for.
“The moon,” Alduin murmured, “I can’t believe it.”
They were battered and exhausted, the reality was just settling in for them. Yet now they stood in silence as a certain homesickness washed over them.
“I- I wished to see it again,” Bob said, his voice shivered with emotion. “I never thought I would see it again.”
“It’s like it has all been a dream,” Lucas spoke.
“Let’s go home,” Edward said, “We’ll come back later, we have what we need and they’re in dire need of treatment. Let’s get going.”
Out of the 20 survivors that challenged the dungeon, seven returned alive. A single person with a fractured leg had survived the ordeal of the first cave, and together they now made their way down the winding path.
Silence washed over the group as each was lost in their thoughts, but all of them couldn’t help but stare at the clear night sky.
‘How many people?’ Alduin’s numb arms held on tightly to a stretcher. 'How many people survived?’
The world was thrown into a nightmare on the day humanity reached its crescendo, the milestone which was deemed impossible to reach had been passed twice in a single day. It was unknown how many people had survived the coming of the apocalypse, but every survivor knew this was only the beginning, and just like the skies had changed, so did their future.
The spear.
Alduin had arrived at the center of the ruined village. Waves of uncertainty were settled by their return. But while they succeeded, they couldn’t be called successful. The dungeon had taken its price, husbands, loved ones, and friends had died. However, the sacrifice these people made, had consequences they couldn’t fathom.
“Alduin! Lucas!” Lydia shouted as the church door opened wide. Alduin’s mother ran into their arms with a ghastly expression. “I- I was…” She couldn’t find her words as she broke down crying.
A hug that every person who waited on their loved one wished to make. Yet from the small group that returned only a few could carry this out.
“Lydia,” Lucas said as he hugged his family. “I’m sorry, I- I’m sorry.”
His father broke down in tears. Even Alduin hid in the embrace of his mother. He wanted to block his ears from hearing the surrounding chaos. His eyes were closed as the vision of the dead overlapped with their family waiting for them.
“Where’s my husband?” One voice shouted.
“Where’s-“ Another yelled louder.
A crowd had gathered, and more people started questioning, but everything told them enough, from the silence of their arrival to the expression on their faces.
“All survivors have arrived. We’re-“ Edward wanted to announce what happened. But panic overwhelmed the group that returned, with thirteen people missing and two in a fainted state, the realization started setting in.
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“LEON! ALFRED! What happened?!” The woman cried out in fear. Her voice quivered in shock as she watched two unmoving people being carried over. Her hands shivering as she stood petrified. “Edward, please, please don’t tell me-“
She wanted to caress her family but didn’t dare walk closer.
“No. No! Please!” Frieda who was hopeful had started crying. Her arrival brought even more chaos to the surrounding crowd. Much like Veleda and Alduin, Frieda was waiting for the safe return of Leon.
“They’re fine, they’re alive,” Edward said while holding them back. “Be careful, they need to be moved to the sick bay.”
Alduin tried to push away what he had seen. Yet his shivering grew as the crying and sorrow of the surrounding people increased. The chaos overwhelmed him, it wasn’t long since he woke up, and he hadn’t faced this side of reality yet. His mind, his conviction, everything that pushed him forward started shaking.
The Shield.
It didn’t take long for Leon and his father to be transported to the infirmary.
From the world that had once again changed, to the chaos of their arrival. Alduin felt the limits of his resilience being challenged again and again.
But he had a purpose, something that he needed to confirm by coming here.
“Leon.” Alduin stood by the bed his friend lay in. The infirmary he occupied only a day ago now had several people in it. Their voices broke the silence he wished could return.
“Seems like you’re healing up fine,” Alduin said, “Don’t tap out just yet.” His soft voice betrayed his exhaustion, but his eyes were completely focused on the palm he had cut with the sword.
“I can’t believe it,” Edward said with a heavy voice. “How is that possible, Alduin?”
“I don’t know Gramps, it’s just... we’ve made the right choice.” Alduin stared back at the old man. “I don’t know what’s going on, but those things are the answer to everything. What happened in there-“
“I understand,” Edward replied, “I understand, Alduin.”
Their eyes locked with complexity, yet both felt a sense of conviction from the other.
“Thanks,” Alduin said, “I’m sorry for-“
“Ha, kid, I’m right handed, you know that don’t you.” Edward patted the young man on his shoulder. “Besides, I’ve still got my thumb.” An unusual dynamic flowed between them, but right now, both only felt relief that the other survived.
“Go on ahead, no matter how strong I am, I still need to get a check-up.” Edward pointed towards Lydia, she had been waiting for the two to finish talking. His wounds still needed to be adressed.
“Right, we’ll talk later Gramps.” Alduin nodded to the old man but still, his heart felt unsettled.
‘Leon, get better soon.’
As he looked at the young man lying unconscious, a final thought passed through his mind. Leon wouldn’t have survived without the core of the Goblin Captain. In the entire dungeon, besides the Ruler’s core, that was the only one that hadn’t been devoured.
The dagger.
“Ise,” Alduin said.
Inside the church were two more rooms, one infirmary room for women and another meant for surgery. Of the two, Alduin entered the surgery room for the second time since he woke up from his coma.
The 26-year-old lay unconscious in her bed. Her condition was much worse than they could heal, even the repurposed equipment from his mother’s hospital could only keep her alive.
Alduin walked closer with a small knife in his hand.
“I haven’t yet had the chance to thank you,” Alduin said, “...Thank you for saving my life. It’s time for me to return you the favor.”
Blood trickled down as the tip of the knife left a red trail behind on the palm of her hand. Even this wound didn’t get a reaction from Ise besides the twitching of her fingers.
“This one should be more than enough for you to pull through.” Alduin’s voice was the only sound in this silent room. “You still have to beat me up, remember?”
Alduin fell silent as he tried to calm himself down.
“You’ll be fine,” Alduin said not knowing if it was meant for Ise or himself.
With another cloth, Alduin bound the Ruler’s core to Ise’s palm. The Sky-blue core, the size of a pebble, shook softly as it reacted to the blood. The void of darkness inside this small core now seemed to be shaking.
Alduin left while reassuring himself that what he was doing was correct. Silence returned to this emergency room as the door finally closed again.
But this time, the remaining light in this room dimmed ever so slightly.
The Crucifix.
The final room in the church was the woman’s infirmary room. Neither of these rooms was large, but still, several beds could fit inside. And just like the surgery room, only a single person lay sleeping. A blond-haired young girl, with only the serene moonlight of a small church window lighting the room.
“Veleda.” Alduin sat on a chair next to her bed. His eyes stared gently as her sleeping face but still, his body continued to shiver.
“I-“ His voice quivered. “I-“ He didn’t know what to say but he felt like he needed to say something.
He had reached the limit of what he was capable of enduring. Moments kept flashing through his mind. The blood he had washed off still felt like it was stuck to his body. The sensation of piercing something lingered in his palms.
“I’m...” His expression started crumpling.
The moment he tried changing his thoughts, the sight of Alphons’ eyes was recalled. Eyes that had lost everything they cared for, eyes that no longer wished to live. The lives that were lost, and the fact that he was too slow.
“I could have done something,” Alduin whispered, “I could have saved them. If only… If only I realized quicker… If only I could…”
With every confession he made his face broke down more and more.
“I-“ Alduin tried to hold back, but he couldn’t any longer. “I’m sorry… It’s my fault…”
Soft sobbing rang through the silent room. The people he cared for had died, Alphons and Theo, the family that waited for others to return. Yet there he stood, alive and well. Guilt washed over him in waves.
“I’m so sorry.”
His shoulders moved as Alduin’s resilience completely broke down. He shouldn’t have forced them to enter, he should have worked harder, he should have been the one to get injured.
His thoughts assaulted his mind as the tears kept flowing. He could no longer see what was in front of him. But here he felt at peace, just knowing she was nearby.
A small hand gently held his and the arms of a young girl wrapped around him. In the silence of this room, a boy who had become a man cried his heart out into the arms of a girl who held him close.