He looked at me like I'd lost my mind. He didn't say a word-but in his thoughts, a storm raged. "Protect me? Fight the big guy? This guy... does he think he's some kind of hero?" Still, he followed, one hesitant step at a time-his fear heavy, yet his trust not entirely broken.
What Ike didn't know... was that I needed his ability. But risking his life? That was never part of the plan. I turned to Ike, gaze steady. "You're right. I don't know which dungeon the big boss is in. But they all have a boss and probably the minions, too."
I kept walking, the woods getting darker around us. A wind rustled the trees overhead, casting eerie shadows. "So we'll do it the old way, pick one dungeon. Doesn't matter how many are inside, we give them three options, leave peacefully... fight and be driven out... or die. It's their call."
Ike blinked, stunned. "You're serious?" he asked. "And if they don't agree?" I didn't stop walking. "Then we'll do it the hard way."
Ike's thoughts spiraled. "This guy... he's insane. Totally nuts, he's walking around like some kind of anime protagonist. No hesitation. Just straight up confidence, like he's untouchable."
But still... he followed, not because he had to. Not because I asked, but because deep down he wanted to. Something about the way I moved forward, unwavering... lit a fire in him, his fear remained, but so did his trust and that was enough for now. One thing Ike couldn't see was that even I was scared,
I can barely express emotions, not that I don't want but I don't know how? But if going to the dungeons that day meant I would get a chance of becoming a hunter then I was ready for the risk. But for why I had brought Ike along, really... I myself didn't know, maybe just out of curiosity.
We stopped, before us stood five dungeons, clustered unnaturally close together. Vines snaked up their cracked stone mouths. I narrowed my eyes. "This is strange... You don't normally see five in one place." Ike raised an eyebrow. "Have you even been in the woods before?"
"No," that was a clear lie. "But I've seen them in the city." He scoffed. "Then how do you know what's normal out here?"
I stared at the dungeons, feeling the weight in the air press against my chest. "Because no king shares a throne with four others. Not unless..." Ike paused, then nodded slowly. "Unless they're all ruled by one king."
"Exactly. This means... this is one empire." I turned to him, serious. "Pick one." Ike blinked. "What?"
"Choose a dungeon. We go in." Ike sighed, muttering under his breath. "This guy's completely nuts..." Still, he pointed at the one directly ahead. I asked if he could make me a weapon from his sand, he said it would be weak, he hadn't learned how to forge weapons yet.
So I asked, "Isn't sand just crushed rock? Why not make it as hard and firm as one?" "Really?" he replied, and then forged something. I expected at least a sword, but no, he just shaped a long rod, barely big enough to grip. Hmm, not that I was impressed with it, but I didn't have a choice.
So I told him, "Stay outside. Keep watch. I'm going in." I rested a hand on his shoulder, the wind shifted, the woods grew quiet, and without waiting for a reply, I stepped into the shadows.
---
Nageya left, immediately after he entered the dungeon, I started to feel uneasy, of course, I wasn't going to stay outside. Not a chance, so quietly, I followed him in thinking I'd catch up to him and go in together. But the deeper I went, the darker it got. Only firesticks lit along the dungeon walls.
I kept walking, but I didn't see him anywhere. Turn after turn, hall after hall, it was like he vanished. Then I saw the Vyraks. Dead, brutally, most didn't even have their heads anymore. Others had theirs smashed in, and others, their inside organs were out. At first, I thought some hunters had already passed through, but... their blood was still warm, aome were still twitching.
And then I saw Nageya, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The big guy, the dungeon king sat on his throne. Gigantic. Still with a sad expression. His right hand propped his cheek, his left gripped a long staff but Nageya didn't hesitate. He walked right up and said, "Hey, big guy, wanna talk?" The dungeon king looked down as if wondering what the baby creature was doing there. He didn't see Nageya as a threat as he's skinny.
"I want to make a deal," Nageya said. "Take your minions and leave, disappear from these dungeons. Or... fight me." The king just stared at him like he was insane. As if he didn't even understand what Nageya was offering. Then he challenged, "I challenge you for your throne. If I win, I take it."
The king stood up, didn't say much, but I clearly heard him. "I accept the challenge." When he stood up, I realized how gigantic he was, where he stepped, dust cleared. "I will make this fast," he said.
Is Nageya crazy facing this guy? They clashed, I swear, I've never seen anything like it, Nageya's speed? Even faster than Kaito's. There were times he vanished from my sight, but the king? For his size, he moved almost just as fast. They predicted each other's moves. Countered everything. It was like watching two versions of the same person fight, like one was a mirror of the other.
The giant blinked, unimpressed. Then he charged again, he was fast, the floor cracked as he slammed the staff toward Nageya but Nageya was already gone. Time froze for a heartbeat. Nageya stepped around the blow, jumped on the staff and reappeared behind him, dragging the tip of his rod across the king's back. The strike barely grazed, but it was enough to make the giant grunt.
"You're strong," Nageya muttered, spinning his rod once, "but I'm faster than time." The king roared and swung again, going for Nageya's ribs, Nageya dodged with a side flip, flipping over the king's staff and then slowing the moment just enough to slide under the staff, then landed a kick on the king's arm.
"Let's speed this up." He banged the tip of his rod on the ground. Time Shift, everything blurred, he king was frozen mid-lunge. Nageya took his chance, three clean strikes with his rod to the chest, arm, and leg. Then time snapped back, and the giant stumbled, confused by wounds that had just appeared. But he wasn't done, the king dropped his staff and charged with raw fists. He landed a grazing punch that knocked Nageya back hard. The floor cracked under him.
Nageya spat out blood. "Heh. You're not slow." He stood, eyes glowing faintly bluer. His sand weapon had started to lose the sand. "Let me show you something slower than death, "Nageya said. Time reversed just slightly. Nageya avoided the hit this time, then countered with a clean blow to the king's ribs. A loud crack followed. The king grunted and dropped to a knee.
Nageya walked up, calm and unbothered. "I don't need your throne. I just need your silence." Then, he pointed his sand rod at the king's face. "Leave. Now," Nageya commanded. "I won't kill you," voice low and final. "But in two days, I'll return, and when I do... you better be gone, leave this dungeon-and take your minions with you." The giant's eyes widened slightly not at the words, but at the tone. Calm, cold, and certain.
Then Nageya turned to walk away, and that's when it hit me, the air shifted, my breath froze halfway in my throat. I had seen something terrifying about Nageya at that moment. He looked... different. This wasn't the calm, laid-back Nageya I knew, his aura was heavy, thick like time itself bent around him, his smile when it flickered wasn't warm.
It was twisted, and when he wasn't smiling, his face was something you'd expect to see in a nightmare, emotionless, unreadable, inhuman. I felt my legs step back on their own. I needed to hide, I had to hide, but I was too slow.
He stopped and tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing. Then he murmured to himself, almost lazily, "...I thought I felt someone's presence." And in the blink of an eye, I was outside. Thrown, pushed, pulled, I don't even know what happened. But I was out and then... Nageya walked out behind me, calm again, like nothing had happened.
I acted like I saw nothing, not the fight, not the power. Not the monster he'd just become. I stayed quiet, because something deep inside me whispered, that wasn't all he had shown. "You're done with what you wanted?"
"Yeah... it's done," Nageya replied. "You okay?" he asked me.
"Yeah." I quickly responded. "...Hmm." Of course, Nageya noticed the difference in me, from when we came, and now.
There was something off about Ike. I couldn't quite place it. He seemed differently calmer yet oddly distant. And the way he didn't even ask if I confronted the dungeon boss... I noticed that. But I didn't want to overthink it. "So, Ike," I said, brushing it off, "let's go."
We set off again, he was quiet, but I could tell he felt safer now. More confident walking beside me than when we first came. His shoulders weren't as tense, his steps were steadier. By the time we reached the edge of the city, night had already stretched far. "...Hey," he said, almost shyly, "can I crash at your place tonight? It's late, and I'm not sure what's out on the streets."
I gave him a nod. "Sure." We ended up sharing my room for the night, and of course, as always, my nosy little brother, Nasuke, just had to join us, he insisted on it like it was his birthright. Ike didn't seem to mind, in fact, the moment Nasuke bounced into the room, Ike lit up like a kid seeing fireworks for the first time. You'd think Nasuke was a kitten, and Ike had just discovered how soft kittens are.
They talked. Laughed. They played with some old cards I had lying around, that night... Ike didn't mention anything about what he saw or ask further questions about the dungeon.
As I lay in bed, the shadows of the night pressed against my mind, and I couldn't help but wonder what exactly had Nageya become? And what was waiting for us in the darkness ahead.