The trip down to the pier was a relatively short one, ten minutes at most. However, Aurum’s incessant need to stop and ask about everything extended their trip by a good twenty minutes. And who could blame him? After being sealed for god knows how long, Aurum was naturally curious about everything that he’d encountered. Simple luxuries like lamp posts and paved roads were foreign to the ancient man, and Aria was feeling the full brunt of his curiosity.

“What are those metal things on the stairs?!”

“Those are railings, Aurum… They help support those walking down.”

“Cool! What about that metal container at the side?”

“That’s a lift… It’s the same thing that we used to come down from the apartment.”

“That moving thing?!” Aurum’s eyes sparkled with pure bliss. “Can we ride it? Can we ride it?”

“It’s for handicapped people to… You know what, sure.” Aria lost all will to fight back against Aurum’s vigour and relented to his pleas.

Yvette tried to assist the fatigued Aria, who seemed like a parent who had lost all control over her child, but Aurum hardly paid any attention to the blonde elf. Each time Yvette spoke up, Aurum only acknowledged her one in three times, and even then, he would simply give a nod. In a game sense, Yvette was akin to that of a Non-Playable Character in Aurum’s eyes. All of his attention was focused on the black-haired girl that led the way to his favoured place.

And once they reached there…

“Wow...”

Aurum, the man who couldn’t seem to stop talking, finally closed his mouth with serenity. He took two steps closer to the pier and paused just inches away from the gushing currents. The massive waves slammed onto the breakwater, creating an addicting melody that soothed one’s ears and permeated the soul. Sweet scents filled the lungs of Aurum and Aria, slowly bringing their high tension down. Aurum became less hyper while Aria felt less high-strung.

It wasn’t just the pair that were affected by the ocean’s melodic sounds. Yvette and the bodyguards who followed them down all became relaxed. The soft breeze tickled their faces, and the winds cooled down their ears. Amid the chaos, the ocean truly gave them some semblance of normalcy… A fragment of pure happiness.

“It’s even better in person,” Aurum marvelled.

“Yeah,” Aria noted. “You’re lucky. You’ll rarely get a full view of the North Sea.”

“Rare?”

“Yeah, normally the place would be filled with cargo ships. See the horizon? In all the years I’ve been living here, I’ve rarely got an unobstructed view.”

Yudonia Bay. To the mostly landlocked country, Yudonia Bay was one of the two places where the ocean could be seen. Commonly, the bay would be littered with titanic boats which carried tonnes upon tonnes of cargo. However, due to the global rise in montgen levels and poor communications between the members of the World Congress, trade has been mostly halted for now. So it was one of the rare moments in history where Yudonia Bay would be completely barren and void of any man-made structures.

“I see… That makes it all the more romantic!”

“Y-you… Where did you learn how to speak like that?”

“While I was held by that old man, I requested access to some books to understand you better! He gave me something called ‘River to the Dawn’ and ‘My Heavy Heart’? They were weird books, and I couldn’t understand half of it but...”

“Aren’t those the two most popular romance books of the past five years?! Hehe, the President really has good taste!” Yvette chuckled from the side, drawing in a stern growl from Aria.

“Hah… Just forget all of those books… No, forget about everything that the old bastard taught you!”

“Ah, if that’s what you wish...” Aurum looked at his toes silently. As much as he wanted to talk about the things he’d learnt to impress Aria, it would go against all of his desires if Aria got angry. Fortunately, the man wasn’t one to remain pessimistic forever.

“That’s alright! From here on out, you’ll teach me everything! Hehe, I can’t wait!”

“Y-you… Tsk, whatever… Just enjoy your bloody ocean.”

Learning from past mistakes, Aria knew better than to argue with Aurum and to get pulled into his pace. Instead, she leaned quietly on the metal fence with her back turned towards the ocean. The soft and refreshing breeze caressed her back, bringing some semblance of comfort to the awkward situation. Aria’s heartbeat slowed down, and her hot-headed nature subsided rapidly. In this state, Aria could see things clearly as emotions wouldn’t cloud her judgement.

And thus, Aria reflected.

She thought about the current situation with Aurum. For the next year, Aria would be the guardian and caretaker of the relatively unknown figure. She would be responsible for his education and safety, all while integrating the ancient man into the modern age.

But… How was Aria going to accomplish that?

Spend an entire year sightseeing? Teaching Aurum how to use the Internet so that he could explore all sorts of knowledge? That could all be done quite easily. However, Aria didn’t want to just do that… She had entered the S-Class Dungeon for a reason. A reason that was dear to her heart and a reason that she wasn’t ready to conveniently give up.

Aria wanted to know… The true nature of magic.

And Aurum’s existence may be a stepping stone in the right direction. If they could at least unravel what Aurum really was… Why did his unsealing cause the seal on the world to be lifted and for magic to return to its original form… Aria would be one step closer to accomplishing her dreams.

“Hey, Aurum...”

“Yes?”

“I know that I’ve asked you this many times before… But what in the world are you?”

“Huh?”

Aurum was dumbfounded by Aria’s question. He stood frozen to the ground, one eyebrow raised with his hands as still as statues. For a few slow seconds, Aria could see the gears grinding within the man’s head. Aurum was trying to process the question that Aria had thrown out from left field and he was unable to fathom why the woman would ask such a thing.

So, Aria elaborated: “We’ve known each other for about a month now… It isn’t long, but it’s enough to at least learn something about you. If you were a normal person that is. But till this day, I don’t know a single thing about you, Aurum!”

“...”

“I know that you claim to have amnesia, but honestly… I’m not satisfied. Since you’ve read my memories, I’ve been having these weird dreams! Dreams about your past! I know that you claim to remember none of those things, but I can clearly see them! Even when I don’t want to! You… You know everything about me, but I know nothing about you!” Aria gasped.

It was unfair. Aria was laid bare in front of Aurum, but she’d got nothing in return. At least, if she’d learnt about the age in which Aurum came from, Aria wouldn’t be so rattled. But at this point, there was a power imbalance in their relationship.

“You should know this since you’ve seen everything that I have… The reason why I’m obsessed with the true nature of magic...”

“...” Aurum didn’t breathe a word, but his silence said everything that Aria wanted to know. Aurum had claimed to forget everything that Aria knew, but how was that remotely possible? The fact that he could speak the human tongue was because he’d read Aria’s memories. Otherwise, how was he capable of expressing himself so fluently?

Understanding that, Aria’s shoulders shivered silently. “So you should know… How much it means to me.”

“Aria, I...” Aurum reached his right hand out, ready to hold Aria firmly. Aria didn’t pull away like usual and was prepared to enter into the man’s arms. However, just as he was about to touch her, Aurum abruptly pulled back his hands.

“I’m sorry… But I truly do not remember anything. I have never lied to you, not once since I’ve awoken.” Crestfallen, Aurum hung his head down and turned his face away. “I know that you want to learn about my identity and how it could perhaps help in your research… But I really don’t remember anything! Not my name, not my race… Nothing!!! I’m sorry that I’m useless...”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Aria watched silently as the man continued to berate himself.

“Aria, this...” Yvette raised her hand to interrupt, only to be stopped by the ancient man himself.

“Aria… I’m sorry. I know that I’ve done you wrong by reading your memories, I really understand that now after reading the books that the old man gave me… So I really want to make things right. So, I have a suggestion...”

“Suggestion?”

“I was found in an S-Class Dungeon, right? One that appeared out of nowhere?”

“That’s right.”

“And other S-Class Dungeons are popping out right now, right?”

“Y-yeah?”

“And weren’t you formerly a dungeon diver before?”

“Wait… Are you saying...”

“Yeah!” Aurum delightedly blinked at Aria’s assumption. “Why don’t you lead me into one of those dungeons?”

Aria choked, flared even. She didn’t quite comprehend what Aurum was trying to make her do. Bringing Aurum, a being that shouldn’t even exist in the modern world into a Dungeon that was most likely in another country?! That was absurd!

“Do you even understand what you’re asking for?!”

“Of course!” Aurum replied without a single shred of hesitation. “Look, I won’t be able to remember anything about my past if I’m bottled up here. I’ve read in ‘My Heavy Heart’! If someone with amnesia visits the places that they’ve been to before, their memory might be jolted, and they could have a high chance of recovery!”

“Again with that book...”

In ‘My Heavy Heart,’ the male protagonist was a young man who had lost his memories in a car crash, forgetting all about the female protagonist and their entire relationship. So, in hopes of healing her boyfriend, the main character brought him to places where they shared their most precious moments.

Hearing that exclamation, Yvette quickly nodded with eyes brimming in tears. “Yeah! Yeah! It was such a touching book!”

“Yvette...”

“Ah hahaha… Sorry! But you know, there is some truth to his words!” Facing Aria’s scorn, the blonde elf quickly reverted back to her Healing Saint mode. “Amnesiac patients tend to fend better in places of their past. Or when given items that they once had. Smells, sights, good-tasting foods, familiar sounds and even touch! Many of them recover their memories much faster after being given things from their past!”

“That’s right!” Aurum smiled. “I may not remember anything about my past right now, but who knows? After one or two visits to the dungeons, I’ll start to remember something! What do you think, Aria?”

“...” Aria fell into thought.

At first blush, it did seem to be a crazy idea. Aurum was an unknown, a variable that could change the tides of the world once his identity was revealed. Bringing such a valuable person like him into an S-Class Dungeon… That seemed ludicrous. But if one stopped to think about it...

The logic was sound. Ever since they had extracted Aurum from the S-Class Dungeon, the man was unable to recall anything about the time period that he was from. They couldn’t even find out what species he was. With no clues to start, the only logical method forward was for Aurum to visit places that could potentially link him to his past. Also, it didn’t hurt to explore the newly-emerged S-Class Dungeons that were relics from an ancient age.

There was one issue that Aria couldn’t wrap her head around though…

“... Is it worth it?” The young woman bit her bottom lip and cautiously met the gorgeous golden eyes of Aurum’s. “You know that it’ll be dangerous, right? We won’t be able to guarantee your safety if you enter the dungeons. Is it really worth it? To endanger the life that you had just received?”

Aria’s words brought a delicate silence to the atmosphere. Aurum was taken aback while Yvette had long retreated, giving time for the two to sort out their problems. Without words, the resonant sounds of waves and the cawing of seagulls became the dominant noise.

The silence continued for a good twenty seconds, with neither Aria nor Aurum willing to speak up. They stared at each other, each one seemingly trying to read the other’s emotions. But ultimately, it was Aurum who broke the deadlock.

“Aria… Look...” Aurum smiled and pivoted his head to the vast horizon.

“What?”

“This scenery… Isn’t it beautiful?” Aurum asked.

“...”

It was still in the middle of noon, so it was still rather bright out. Because of the overcast clouds, however, there was a lack of vision to distant objects, but that didn’t stop the beauty of the ocean from being transmitted. Aria followed Aurum’s line of sight, finding nothing but endless water. Waves gushed towards them while the saltiness of the seas was whiffed into their noses. Though there was nothing for kilometres, the beauty of the ocean couldn’t be denied. Even Aria, who was an inside cat, couldn’t help but sigh.

“Yes… Yes, it is...” She replied hesitantly.

“It is beautiful, isn’t it? I know, it may be something that you’ll take for granted, but for me… This moment is something that I could have never dreamed of… I was enclosed in darkness for far… far too long. I can’t remember what happened before I was sealed and honestly… I don’t really care to remember. All I felt was… a sense of eternal loneliness.”

Aurum continued to stare emptily into the horizon. His mind wasn’t with the young woman anymore, but with his own pitiful self.

“I was all alone in the darkness. I was asleep most of the time, but I could tell. I was all alone.” Crestfallen, Aurum continued his story. “I know I have repeated myself many times before, but I don’t think you understand how important your actions a month ago mean to me, Aria. You were the one that brought back light into my life and gave me hope. This scenery… This beauty that could never be compared to darkness… You were the one that gifted this to me, Aria!”

“I… really didn’t do much...”

“Oh, but you did.” Aurum shook his head disapprovingly. “I have been on the receiving end ever since I’ve woke up. So, it’s only natural that I do something for you. No, I want to do something for you, Aria.”

“I-I… I see...”

Aria’s cheeks started to swell as a hint of a red blush crept up from her neck. It was the first time that someone had been that forward to her, that earnest with their feelings for her. So, the woman didn’t know how best to respond.

“Trust me, Aria. I really wish to do something for you. For you were the one that gave me this beautiful sight. I want to do something equivalent for you! Going into one or two dungeons means nothing!”

“Sheesh! I got it already! Just stop with the shameless declarations!” The woman pushed her left palm onto Aurum’s mouth. “Tsk, I’m going to add language classes to your curriculum! You shouldn’t be saying those kinds of words to anyone!”

“You’re not just anyone, Aria! You’re the light of my world!”

“THAT’S PRECISELY WHAT I MEAN!!!”

Aria cursed Aurum for failing to understand her words while Yvette watched on with a mischievous, yet warm smile.

“Hey, idiot couple! As much as I would hate to break up your flirting, it looks like it’s about to rain. So why don’t we lay off the hanky-panky business for now? You can continue with it back home.”

“We’re not a couple!” Aria screamed at the elf.

“Yeah, yeah…” Yvette shrugged her shoulders and made an about-face turn. Though she was messing with Aria about the first half, she wasn’t joking about the rain. The moment they reached the beach, the sky had turned from an azure-smooth carpet, into a thorny grey one. Barring thunder and lightning, it was the tell-tale sign that it was about to pour.

Aria looked at the sky and shared Yvette’s sentiment. “Let’s continue this discussion at home.”

“Rain? Does it really look like tha-...”

PPPPPPPFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!

Before Aurum and Aria could return back to shelter, a giant wave crashed into the pier sending gallons of water flying into the air. Shocked by the sudden event, Aria closed her eyes while raising her right arm over her head. Heavy water droplets fell onto her petite body, and Aria felt as if she had been hit by a typhoon. One strong enough to push her down onto her rear and wet her entire body.

“What the hell just...”

The Archmagus wiped her face clean, bringing some vision back. She had expected that Aurum would be in the same state as her, falling onto his back, shocked that a wave that big had hit them. However, the man was still on his feet. Tensed up, Aurum’s posture looked like he was going into battle. One arm was raised with the other dangling near Aria. No, he wasn’t going into battle… He looked like… He was trying to protect Aria.

“Aurum? What’s going on-?”

Aria followed Aurum’s gaze, confused about why the docile man had suddenly become so attentive. No matter how strong the wave, it wasn’t to the extent that he needed to protect her… right?

And that’s when… she saw it.

A tall humanoid, donned in pitch-black armour stood at the edge of the bank. Dark mist permeated out from the cracks, creating an aura of death and suffocation. On its right hand, there laid a giant greatsword. It possessed the same deathly aura, but it was amplified a hundred-fold. Combined… The Black Knight and the greatsword created a pressure that could subdue any known S-Ranker in the world.

Aria wasn’t even directly at its sights, but she could feel her inner self submitting under the overwhelming pressure. It was as if… the Black Knight was an elephant that had control over the entire world while Aria was a mere ant that lived in that created world. Just from that one glance alone, Aria knew that she was outclassed.

She had only felt this feeling once in her entire life…

The Angel and Demon Bosses.

‘RUN!!!’

Aria was unable to form words and could only give herself a mental command. The Angel and Demon Bosses were the two most formidable foes that Aria had ever faced, and that was with Yudonia’s greatest S-Rankers by her side.

As she was now… Aria stood no chance.

Alas, no matter how much Aria willed her legs to move, they remained anchored to the ground. How could Aria muster up the strength against such an overwhelming existence? She was like a deer staring into headlights, petrified.

Her partner, on the other hand…

“Who the hell are you?” Aurum growled at the Black Knight.

Unlike Aria, Aurum didn’t feel fear. He wasn’t paralysed from the waist down, and neither was he affected by the intense deathly aura that the Black Knight was emitting. He did, however, feel caution, as that unknown being was the cause of Aria’s trepidation. Being the overprotective person that he was, Aurum barked at the Black Knight one more time.

“Hey! Are you trying to harm Aria? Like that other asshole I beat up? Let me warn you, if you harm even a single hair on Aria, I’ll turn you into a paste just like that other guy!”

‘Aurum! You moron! Just take me and run!!!’

Aria screamed internally, but unfortunately, her vocal cords weren’t abiding by her will. Even her signature telepathy spell seemed to be malfunctioning. Such was the fear of being overpowered by something far superior to herself. So… all that Aria could do was watch as Aurum spewed words at the Black Knight.

“Are you deaf?! I asked you a question!” Aurum repeated his words, this time more heated than before.

But the Black Knight didn’t listen. It looked at Aurum and then Aria. Its gaze seemingly switching between the two. It continued on this pattern for a good five seconds before finally settling in on Aurum’s body. The massive greatsword in its hands started to tremble, quaking in a mixture of emotions that Aria could feel just by being in its vicinity. There was joy, fear, anger and more shockingly… There was longing.

At this point, the Black Knight had wholly ignored Aria, and all of its attention was on Aurum. Like a moth drawn to light, the Black Knight felt an attraction to Aurum unlike any other.

One step… Two steps… Three…

The Black Knight gradually walked towards Aurum, as if only he and it existed in the entire world. The greatsword in the Black Knight’s hands continued to tremble. It was born for this moment, for this precise reason.

‘SHIT!!! AURUM, RUN AWAY!!!’

Aria wanted to scream, but she simply couldn’t. The pressure that the Black Knight was radiating was no mere breeze. She was only one step away from losing all of her five senses and could only watch in horror as the Black Knight accelerated its steps.

PLOP!!! PLOP!!! PLOP!!!

At this point, Aria had lost all of her vision and could only rely on her hearing to comprehend the world around her. The heavy metallic boots of the Black Knight slammed onto the wet ground as it took multiple steps closer towards the pair and it was only a matter of time before it reached them.

A matter of time? No, that was an understatement. In a mere millisecond, Aria was unable to hear those resonant steps anymore. However, at the same time, Aria could feel that the pressure that the Black Knight was emitting had been alleviated and the fear for her life had dissipated entirely.

‘Did it go away?’

Aria thought optimistically. Thinking that the worst was over, the woman hurriedly opened her eyes, hoping to see the best possible outcome. Perhaps the Black Knight was just a hallucination of hers, and she was about to wake up from the terrible nightmare!

Alas…

Drip… Drip... Drip…

What Aria saw when she opened her eyes, wasn’t the smiling face of Aurum as he gazed into the horizon. It wasn’t the cheesy and romantic expression of Aurum, who bore childlike innocence even for his age. What she saw… was the unthinkable.

“A-Au-Aurum?”

The man that was slated to be invincible, the man that had a body that could break diamonds… that man’s unbreakable body… now had a long greatsword plunged through its chest.

Crimson liquid dripped down from the tip, staining the already wet floor with the rich dye of life. His golden eyes were opened wide with shock, almost disbelief at what had just transpired. Although there was life within his motionless body, one could tell that it was quickly disappearing.

There were a million questions that Aria could have asked herself at that moment. A million answers that she could give herself. But ultimately… the first thing that came to her mind as she watched Aurum fall onto his knees with a blade stuck through his chest was...

‘Ah… So he does bleed red after all.’

~~~ End of Book 2 ~~~