As darkness descended upon the dungeon, the lights within the buildings illuminated the night just as they had before. The soldiers, their bodies weary from battle, each chose a building and a floor. They collapsed on the ground in a display of sheer exhaustion, their eyes closing as sleep claimed them.

Ariadne was now wearing thicker new clothes, just like the one she had used before, but at least this one was not wholly destroyed. She was in the command room with Alon and others. Another thing she noticed was that fewer people were there before, but it was functioning just like before; the only difference was that everyone now had white hair and fur.

‘Your Highness, the total lost was 20% of the total number of troops that entered the dungeon; excluding those in crucial support roles, everyone was on the frontlines by the end.’ He looked at his tablet while speaking.

‘Get the names of those that have fallen so we can build a memorial for them in the city.’ She sighs out of frustration.

‘As you wish, using every soldier left, we still have a strong company, using those in support roles to replace the ranks. When we return, maybe more would want joy to replace those we lost.’ He looked at her.

‘I hope they can forgive me for killing their husbands, brothers, and sons for the good of everyone.’ She put her hand on her cheek.

Ariadne felt a heavy burden weighing on her heart, a mix of responsibility for the lives lost and something more profound. The tears that fell were not just a sign of her grief but a connection to those who had fallen, a silent acknowledgment of their sacrifice. It was as if they were watching her, their spirits guiding her every move.

‘They will understand more after they watch the recordings of the battle and Your Highness and Edmund fighting against that thing.’ Sorth walked towards Ariadne, holding a tablet.

Ariadne looked at the Chatzi, and the look alone made all her confidence disappear. It was not because Ariadne had an angry look, but now that she was looking at her, it made her instantly feel nervous.

‘This is the raw recording, but see for yourself, Your Highness. But it was terrifying to watch, even though I was there for some of it.’ She extended her hand with the tablet to Ariadne.

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Ariadne took the tablet and gave a gentle smile to Sorth, and she noticed the nervousness instantly going out of her. Looking at the images passing on the table, it was like she was there looking at herself; it wasn’t perfect; she and Edmund were moving too fast for them to follow them throughout the whole battle.

She saw herself fall to the ground, and Edmund began to fight the guardian, first inside the temple and later on in the streets of the dungeon. She was impressed by how he fought with his bare hands for a long time. Again, the recording couldn’t always follow the fight, so there were cuts. The fight finally ended with the guardian receiving a devastating blow, making it fly away, and Edmund was in the middle of the street like she saw him.

The recordings of the battle on the frontlines against the demons revealed a surprising sight. The soldiers, faced with the horrors of war, showed not fear but unwavering determination in their eyes, voices, and actions. They pushed forward, even after their comrades fell. She thought that this wasn’t courage alone.

‘Now I understand why the peasant wanted to record this battle; words couldn’t pass what transpired here.’ She gave the tablet back to Sorth.

‘It will inspire some and terrify others, but the result will be the same; it will gather them around your highness as you are the only beacon in the darkness.’ Alya offered Ariadne a cup of tea.

Ariadne took the cup and sipped it before walking forward and putting it on the table with the dungeon map. She turned around, her gaze watching everyone in the room; it was as if they all felt it, even those who had their backs to her.

‘Alon, tomorrow we will see what we came here for: the resources. I will go there myself, too, to give the soldiers more time to heal and send word outside that we conquered the dungeon.’ She spoke, her voice now more punchy.

‘As you wish.’ Alon bowed.

Ariadne walked out of the room, going straight to hers, followed by her maid. As she made herself comfortable sitting on the side of her bed that now was too small for her, Edmund came to her mind; she did the same as him the first time, but knew it was a possibility, a weapon to be used; his objective was above everything if that was on the table, and that made her sad.

Part of her thought was that Edmund only bonded with her the first time around to use her as a weapon, but that thought vanished as she remembered that there was no point in deceiving a slave; only giving in to a command was enough. As Alya covered Ariadne with a blanket too short for her and quickly left the room, bowing before closing the door, Edmund didn’t leave her thoughts even for a moment before finally sleeping.

As the light appeared inside the dungeon, Ariadne woke up. Alya prepared her clothes and knocked on her door. As Ariadne was changing behind a curtain, Alya opened the door. It was Alon.

‘Your Highness, I have something important to say.’ Alon spoke from the door.

‘You may enter, Captain.’ She spoke in a soft and gentle tone.

‘Your Highness, something strange happened; the dungeon city is healing itself.’ Alon entered the room and stood in its middle.

‘What?’ Ariadne shouted.

‘The buildings are healing; these are reports from scouts, but no creatures are in sight.’ Alon looked at the curtain while talking.

‘Just in case, let's be alert, but we're still going to the other side of the city.’ Ariadne opened the curtain and walked out.

‘As you wish.’ Alon bowed to her.