The dust flying around the room slowly settled as the mystical glyphs that surrounded the barrier started to dissipate. The sphere slowly lost its glow, and the water that had once given form to the earlier brilliance fell to the ground with a resounding splash. The group observed the knight in awe, having witnessed what most people would consider a miracle.

It was an enrapturing view. The towering Ascalon stood still as light slowly drifted down around him, sparkling as it cascaded down. The water beneath him shimmered slightly, and reflected his pensive expression as he gazed upon his emblem. The rest were so focused on him that none of them noticed their level up notifications.

Escarlata peered at Ascalon with a perplexed expression, though she quickly regained her composure and chastised herself for faltering. But how could she not waver at the sight of such a powerful being? She let out a deep breath, trying to calm down her bubbling veneration. Ah, if only she could be like the rest and show her admiration freely.

As if to mock her conflict, Selorien skipped ahead from the group and stopped at Ascalon’s side, whistling as he took in the aftermath of the event. The elf wondered if he would ever get accustomed to seeing such a raw display of power, though he also knew Ascalon wasn’t one to exert himself often.

“How’s the thingie?” Selorien asked with a smile, and Ascalon peeked at him. Following the elf’s intrigued gaze, Ascalon realized that the emblem was most likely the ‘thingie’. “Hmmm… I am not sure.” He replied, sighing softly as he raised the amulet. It was quiet and unmoving, as if it were dormant, nothing like what Ascalon had felt earlier.

Lilithra, on the other hand, was smiling with an elated look on her face, her eyes sparkling with admiration and her hands tightly gripping her banner. If her armament were alive, it would probably protest at the treatment. But she couldn’t help but be amazed! The monster they had been fighting for so long, and that had even evolved mid-fight, was vanquished in an instant by the mighty knight.

She shyly approached, and peeked from Ascalon’s side. “Nice job, master!” She exclaimed with enthusiasm, her smile beaming like the sun. Meanwhile Selorien inspected the remains and grabbed some loot—materials from the chimera, which were probably quite rare. He wondered just how these had endured Ascalon’s onslaught.

Still, the elf had felt the omnipotent power of the network firsthand, as time had seemingly stopped around him when they were fighting earlier—and items not being damaged after obliterating a monster didn’t sound that weird, after that. Selorien smirked as he wondered if Lyra could appraise these for them later.

Just then, the sound of hurried steps could be heard. “Master?” A voice brimming with curiosity sounded from behind Lilithra, and looking over her shoulder she saw Lyra trotting to them.

“Oh… right, yeah… uhm… Ascalon helped me train a while ago and I, uh… decided to call him that… sometimes.” Lilithra stammered as she explained herself with an embarrassed expression, her cheeks slightly flushed and her eyes darting around nervously. Lyra opened her eyes wide, clapping once as she arrived by them.

“Ohh~! No wonder you pulled off that cool move back there!” The cat girl declared, her voice full of admiration. Her huge smile made Lilithra feel even more bashful. It was clear that Lilithra’s nimble attack against the lion head had been worthy of praise!

“Oh yeah!” Selorien suddenly chimed in, turning toward Lilithra and grabbing her by the shoulders. “That attack was crazy!” The elf exclaimed with energy, startling Lilithra as he shook her slightly. “You really went all out!” He added with clear happiness in his tone, and Lilithra blushed even more.

“Y-yeah… b-but! You also have a new cool skill!” Lilithra remarked, her cheerfulness almost palpable as she turned the praise around. Lyra nodded a few times in agreement, while Selorien puffed out his chest with pride.

“He! Say that again when I show you the other one~!” Selorien’s lips curled into a smug smile, and both girls exchanged surprised glances. “Another one?!” Lyra asked, her ears twitching in excitement.

At that moment, Ascalon turned to them as he put the emblem in his pocket, intrigued about their conversation. Escarlata watched from a distance, while Lilithra gasped as she remembered something quite important.

“Ah! Advanced class! Tell me more, now!” She demanded as she stepped forward, invading the elf’s personal space and causing him to backstep in annoyance. “Chill!” He replied with a smirk as he traced the air with his fingers, looking up the details about his quest—though he abruptly stopped as he realized that, perhaps, it was not the best time.

“Maybe later…” He said with a smile, but Ascalon waved at him as if to reassure him. “Go on, I am interested too.” He stated, nodding at the elf. “You all should take the chance to rest for a moment, after all.” Ascalon mentioned, smiling gently.

Both Lilithra and Lyra let out a relieved sigh, as they both felt quite strained. The cat girl was feeling a bit guilty for stopping once again, but she really needed some rest after manipulating her spells for so long… even if she wasn’t that helpful against the chimera. She groaned as Lilithra patted her head, seemingly in tune with her thoughts.

“Alright…” Selorien said with a content expression. “Well, I got a quest… but it tells me to deal the ‘finishing blow to the Shaded Grove boss’.” He explained as Lilithra and Lyra let out curious sounds, and Ascalon watched him with interest.

“The thing is!” Selorien added, his face contorting into a grimace. “It doesn’t even tell me where that is!” He exclaimed in frustration, frowning as he read the text over and over. They weren’t even giving him a single hint!

His friends exchanged suspicious glances, wondering why the network needed to be so cryptic about it. But, thinking about it more deeply, it kind of made sense that the advanced classes had weird requirements, otherwise they wouldn’t be as rare. Maybe.

Surprisingly, Escarlata stepped closer to them, and cleared her throat before speaking. “Yes, that is how they usually are.” She explained, drawing everyone’s attention. “How do you know?” Selorien asked in return with a curious stare, knowing that Escarlata wasn’t one for small talk, so there had to be some meaning to her joining the conversation.

“Because I have met a few that unlocked their own requirements for advancing their classes. And…” She paused for a moment, as if unsure to continue. “I also have a quest of my own.” Escarlata finally added, taking the rest by surprise.

“Huh!?” Selorien blurted out, while Lilithra and Lyra peeked at the maid with admiration, clearly fascinated by her words. Ascalon stared at her with clear anticipation, urging her to continue. Under his gaze, Escarlata couldn’t help but squirm and comply.

“Ehem. I do not want to make you feel bad, young master, but… I have had this quest for over a year now.” She declared, shocking everyone with the revelation. Selorien most of all, as he clutched his head with both hands and groaned.

“I knew it was too good to be true! Damn it!” He complained and started to grumble to himself. Seeing him like that, Lilithra patted his back softly. “But hey, at least you got some new skills!” She tried to reassure him. “And we’ll help you with your quest too!” Lilithra added, her voice brimming with enthusiasm at the prospect of adventure.

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Escarlata nodded and chimed in. “There is no issue with receiving aid for the quests, as far as I know.” She said, her red eyes appraising the group. “And just because mine has been eluding me so far, it does not mean yours will too, young master.” She continued, trying to ease him a bit. It was rare of her to be so considerate, so Selorien smiled slightly.

“What kind of quest do you have?” Lyra shyly asked all of a sudden, her brown eyes gleaming with intrigue. Escarlata hesitated again, but slowly opened up. “My quest demands I ‘rekindle the light in the darkness’.” She read the quest for them, and the group gasped in amazement.

Then, silence followed, and after a few moments, Selorien replied. “And…?” He asked, urging her to continue. “That is all.” Escarlata replied, and Selorien stomped the ground with clear irritation.

“That’s even worse than mine, what the hell?!” The elf reproached as he groaned, while Lilithra and Lyra exchanged dumbfounded glances. “That’s just mean! Stupid network!” Lilithra blurted out, feeling annoyed at the cryptic quests. How were they supposed to complete them with barely any information?

Ascalon pondered, deep in thought, wondering if Escarlata’s quest was some kind of riddle. He gave up shortly after, though, and exhaled in frustration before speaking up. “Well, no use dwelling on these matters now.” He declared as he pointed with his spear toward one of the many doors in the room.

“That should be the right path. Shall we proceed?” Ascalon asked with a gentle voice, letting the rest know it was a mere suggestion. He planned to wait until they were all rested and ready, since he didn’t know how much longer they would have to explore or what kind of dangers awaited.

Selorien stretched his arms above his head, letting out a satisfied sigh as he nodded. Lilithra gave a thumbs up and a smile, and looked over at Lyra, knowing that she was probably the most tired. Despite that, Lyra nodded frantically, her soft fists clenched tightly.

“I’m ready to go!” She voiced her resolution aloud, and the rest smiled with tenderness. She truly was a creature they needed to protect! Escarlata, for the most part, remained serene and exuded an air of being always ready.

With everyone’s approval, Ascalon set out, the group following close behind. They advanced through the labyrinthine tunnels once more, though this time the journey felt easier. Many of the traps had been dealt with, probably by Ian’s hand, and the few creatures they encountered posed no threat after having vanquished the chimera.

It didn’t take long until Ascalon felt a presence, one that didn’t belong to a monster, and stopped to let the group know. “There is someone ahead.” He declared, drawing everyone’s attention. Lyra started to fidget in place, her nervousness and anticipation permeating the air.

Lilithra put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, while Selorien nodded to Escarlata. Both he and the maid stepped into the shadows, which was a smart decision, the knight thought. Without further ado, Ascalon navigated toward the presences, the two girls and the shadows accompanying him.

They arrived at a similar room to where they had fought the chimera, but this time the scene before them was one of grotesque horror. Right in the middle stood a pile of corpses, so high it almost reached the ceiling, and, above it, resided the presence Ascalon had felt.

Looking at them from above, as if seated atop a throne, was Ian. He looked at them with curiosity, his intense gaze making Lyra shiver. “Ian!” She screamed suddenly, her expression a mix of pain and anger.

The man chuckled, a grin spreading across his face. “Hey, Lyra! How have you been?” He asked with a gentle tone, reminiscent of the day they had met him outside the Howling Chasm dungeon. If it weren’t for the scene before them, they would have thought it was a genuine display of friendliness. Lilithra shuddered at the thought, realizing that he was accustomed to putting on that act.

“Where’s my brother?!” Lyra asked in a desperate tone, her composure long gone. After seeing Ian act so nonchalantly, she couldn’t help but feel agitated, and scared. At her words, Ian’s smile faded, his face contorting into one of disgust.

“Always the same; brother this, brother that.” He complained as he mocked her. “You’re so useless without your brother that you even came to look for him all the way to Starugnia!” Ian smirked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“I was surprised to see you, honestly! But, yeah… you do seem to have some strong teammates, to make it this far…” Ian pondered as he inspected them one by one, since he hadn’t taken a good look at them yet. Then, as his eyes crossed Lilithra, he suddenly leaned forward.

“Huh…? Could you be…?” Ian muttered, bringing a hand to his chin as he scrutinized Lilithra. Lilithra herself felt a mix of confusion and wariness, and even took a step back after seeing how the man’s expression transformed into one of pure elation.

“It’s you! The one we need!” He blurted out as he stood up, his boots making an unpleasant sound over the corpse’s flesh. “I’m truly the chosen one, just like he said!” He cackled in ecstasy, sending shivers down Lilithra’s back. Ascalon frowned, feeling a hideous aura around the man.

“What do you mean?” The knight’s commanding voice resounded, and Ian slowly stopped laughing. “Ah… and you are?” He asked, tilting his head. “Hmmm… you feel familiar… but who cares!” Ian turned around and crouched slightly, fiddling with something atop the corpse pile.

“First things first!” He exclaimed as he brought something up. “Here’s your brother, Lyra!” Ian’s voice was seeping with mockery and malice, as he presented to them a child-like person in his arms.

Levi looked frail and tattered, his small body bruised, swollen, and full of visible, dried up wounds. His almost dead eyes peered from above as he dangled on Ian’s arms, and a single word escaped his lips. “Run…” He muttered as his gaze fell on Lyra, who cried out in desperation.

“Levi!!!” Her anguished shout echoed in the room, as a stream of tears began to roll down her face. Ascalon frowned with palpable anger, while Lilithra tightened the grasp on her banner, her fury bubbling up at the sight. That man was clearly evil.

“Why Ian?! Why… how did it come to this?! What happened to you?!” Lyra started to scream at him, her voice shaking with heart wrenching emotion. But Ian rolled his eyes as he clicked his tongue, his expression brimming with annoyance.

“Why…? How? Pfft.” He mocked her once more. “I’ve always been like this! But I’ll answer you… it’s very simple, after all.“ He began, grabbing Levi’s face to peer at it. “It’s because you’re disgusting!” Ian exploded in anger, slapping Levi across the cheek. Ascalon did his best to remain in place, suppressing the urge to lunge at him out of concern for Levi, while Lilithra trembled in anger at his side.

Lyra, on the other hand, looked at Ian with a mix of pain and confusion in her face, her tears still showing no sign of stopping. Seeing her like that, Ian’s face contorted again into one of repulsion, his nose scrunching up as if he were smelling refuse.

“You still don’t get it? Look at you!” He complained, forcefully grabbing one of Levi’s cat ears and provoking a feeble whimper out of him. “Look at this shit! You’re a fucking aberration!” Ian continued, his tone carrying a deep anger.

Lyra fell to her knees, as memories from the day Ian had betrayed them flooded into her mind. He had told her something similar at the time, and the unpleasant, painful feeling stung like a knife to her heart.

“Stop it!” Lilithra abruptly cut in, her yellow eyes glowing with fierce determination. “Are you really one of those racist weirdos? In this day and age?!” She reproached, her cheeks puffed with irritation. Ascalon tilted his head in confusion, but quickly pieced together what was going on.

“So there are people like that here too, huh?” Ascalon pondered aloud, his tone filled with disappointment. He had seen his fair share of racism back in Excadia, especially between certain races like dwarves and elves… though it had gotten better after the threat of demons forced them to fight together.

Ian shook his head, looking at them from above as if they were mere ants. “‘People like me’? If you mean pure and unpolluted, yes!” He scoffed, his grin widening. “These mixed races are an eyesore, they’re tainting our world!” Ian continued, his expression turning serious and desperate.

“But I will change that!” He added, an ominous air flowing into the room. “I was chosen, after all! Look, this is the proof!” Ian cackled as a red mask appeared in the air, floating in front of him, its features resembling those of a rat.

image [https://i.imgur.com/wzcSOPF.png]

Ascalon felt an alarm ring in his mind, and his amulet stirred uncontrollably.