After witnessing the death of Tartarus at the hands of Benjamine, Freyja stands up and slowly walks towards him. When she is within arm's reach, she places a soft, gentle hand on his cheek which brings life back into his piercing eyes. The sensation proves too much for Benjamine as he relives the time when his most trusted ally always brought him back from the pit of darkness through her gentle touch. Tears well up in his eyes as he starts sobbing softly from the memories. He grabs her hand gently and pulls it away from his face as he composes himself before speaking.
"Thank you, Freyja. You stopped me from falling into a bottomless pit that I would never return from."
A smile appears on her face as she responds.
"It's not a problem, Benjamine. My mom told me all about how she had to put up with your antics and bring you back after a deadly fight. So please, don't worry."
His eyes widen at her words before he begins laughing.
"Hahaha. You really are Anthresias' daughter. I'm pleased to have met this party."
After their exchange, they start attending to the others who are injured, Freyja tends to Wilter and Henry while Benjamine focuses on Greigore.
"Eden of Healing."
"Gentle Healing."
They each cast their healing spells on the unconscious members. Freyja asks Benjamine.
"When are you going to tell them who you really are?"
He remains silent for a moment before replying.
"I was planning on telling all of you after we got out of here. Those two over there still don't know."
"What about Greigore?"
"He witnessed my battle with the Hydras."
Her eyes widen with an answered question.
"So, you were the one who saved us back there as well."
Benjamine doesn't respond as he continues to focus on healing Greigore making her smile. Greigore slowly opens his eyes, blood covers his face as he tries to focus, Benjamine cleans the blood off his face and Greigore smiles.
"If you alive, evil one defeated, no?"
Benjamine chuckles at his question before nodding, He helps Greigore sit up straight and continues healing him.
"You were very brave fighting that god Greigore. It made me feel like the hope I have in all of you was not wasted. You will all become stronger, I promise you."
He feels a big, firm hand grab his shoulder before hearing Greigore's words.
"I'm counting on you, friend."
Benjamine shakes his head with a smile before standing up and heading over to Freyja and the others. He crosses his arms and leans against the wall.
"How are they doing?"
"Their vitals are stable, no need to worry. They should start waking up soon."
He looks towards the doors that Tartarus was protecting.
"Good. Wait here. I need to see what's behind that door that he was guarding."
She nods as he leaves. When he arrives at the door, Shadow speaks up. His tone is serious and has no sign of being sarcastic.
"Benjamine! What lies beyond this door is an item that was used during the creation of this world. It is one of six primordial weapons, the only weapons forged with our magic and essence. They can destroy worlds a hundred times over if not mastered properly."
"Is that so? Then, wouldn't that make my staff?'
"Yes, another of the primordial weapons. The staff of Ratio, the primordial of light who ordains the paladins."
"I always thought the church and monarchy appointed a paladin, like what happened to me."
"No. They can only appoint a candidate. Raito makes the final judgement and allows them to bestow the title of paladin."
Benjamine thinks over what Shadow said as he opens the door, revealing a chamber devoid of light and life. Benjamine whispers.
"Null Dark."
His eyes light up making it easy for him to see in the dark chamber. His gaze lands on a sword lodged into the wall., Its spiralled handle ends at a diamond shaped pommel with a dark blue crystal embedded inside. He moves closer and sees the beautifully carved guard with an elegant yet intricate design in the shape of a crescent moon.
"Is this the right sword, Shadow?"
"It is indeed Benjamine. My personal sword and now yours as well. Its name in our language is Sairentoreisu. To put it in words humans can understand, Silent Wraith. Take good care of it and be wary of its destructive power. If you ever want to unleash its full potential, speak its origin name."
"I promise, Shadow."
He places both hands on the handle and starts pulling with all his might. The dark mist surrounding the sword begins to envelope him, threating to end his life. Through gritted teeth and unshakable determination, he overcomes the mist and pulls the sword out. He holds it in front of him examining the slight curve in the blade. Its edge gives off a beautiful, yet deadly warning with a shimmer like that of the moon.
"This is truly a weapon from an entirely different realm to the ones we know of. I will treasure this till I no longer draw breath."
He sheaths it on his hip in a holder that is a plain, dark blue colour before leaving. When he emerges from the darkness, the chamber disappears behind him. He notices Freyja taking a break and sees Wilter, Henry, and Greigore sitting up on their own having a conversation. As he approaches, Wilter looks up and smiles.
"Freyja told me a little bit of what happened. I just want to say thank you for helping us, and I'm sorry for acting like an idiot."
Benjamine smiles at him.
"Don't worry about it. Someone who was born an idiot doesn't need to apologize."
Wilter gets infuriated by Benjamine's words while the others laugh uncontrollably. Most of the tension has disappeared after the fight against Tartarus and the party take their time recovering. Freyja notices the hilt of a sword on Benjamine's waist.
"Is that the sword Tartarus was protecting?"
"Yes. This is Silent Wraith, a sword forged with the essence of a primordial. It transcends the three known realms and houses immeasurable power. It belongs to the primordial known as Kage."
The party falls silent. Henry has a chill run down his spine before speaking.
"Do you mean to tell us that the sword you hold, is older than the world and transcends even the realm of gods?"
"Yes. If its true power was unleashed, it would break the veils between the realms and cause the destruction of the world itself."
Henry catches his words, leaving the others feeling uneasy. Greigore changes the subject quickly.
"Tell me, Benjamine. What is Hydra?"
The mood suddenly changes, and everyone looks at Benjamine waiting for his answer. He sighs before answering.
"Hydras are not naturally evil. They have an essence stone that determines their nature at birth. Some of the ancients kept them as companions and there were no conflicts. They have no legs because of their genealogy being a half dragon, half whale experiment. They move by means of wind magic which makes their heavy bodies as light as a feather. People often used them for transporting and traveling."
Benjamine smiles as he reminisces about the past.
"Then, what happened?"
His smile quickly fades.
"One day, a god descended on the human realm. Full of envy and hate for the human's relationship with the monsters. She slowly started corrupting the Hydras essence, turning them from placid giants into deadly weapons of war. She then used them to exterminate any humans who would not serve her or the pantheon. Controlling the humans through fear, using the beasts they loved."
Silence fills the empty space between them.
"Those bastards! They haven't changed at all."
Wilter says gritting his teeth.
"I have so many questions for you, but we need to get back to Erib and report on our exploration of this dungeon. Although I don't know how we can tell the king we encountered a god and someone who can kill them."
Freyja laughs.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
Everyone nods in agreement as they gather up their supplies and get ready to leave the dungeon. Benjamine stops, feeling a presence watching him and the others. He turns around to look but sees nothing. Hidden among the shadows, a scout watches the party of adventurers leave. When he starts following them, he feels a terrifying presence watching him as he turns around to see where its coming from a tall mass of shadows floats above him. The scout tries to get away but is swallowed up by the shadowy mass. Benjamine smiles and follows the others on their journey back to the surface.
As the group pass the conquered levels, all the bodies of those who died are nowhere to be found, giving the group a tense feeling. When they reach floor fifty, a massive swarm of the dead soldiers charge towards the party. They ready their weapons, but Benjamine stops them.
"Please let me deal with this."
The others stand back as Benjamine draws his new sword. Closing his eyes, he feels the immense energy housed inside it and calls upon not even a fraction of that power to take out the charging hoard. Thin black clouds gather around the sword, covering it in a whirlwind of darkness. Benjamine holds it over his left shoulder with one hand before swinging it in a horizontal arc.
"Silent Death."
A thin slash of black energy leaves the sword. When it collides with the hoard, a dark purple aura envelope the undead soldiers and it slowly disintegrates their bones. Unfortunately, they can still feel pain and scream in agony as their very bones slowly turn to ash. The screams strike the hearts of the party members leaving them terrified. After minutes of unrelenting screaming and howling, silence fills the floor. The party look around and not even the atmosphere feels alive. Benjamine stands there with the sword in his hand, his eyes stare in disbelief. He sheaths it timidly.
"This is really Shadow's sword. It reeks of death."
"See what I mean by it being a dangerous weapon. Now you have an idea of its capabilities, use it wisely."
"I will Shadow."
They slowly make their way through the dead silence of the floor, looking for any signs of movement or an attack. After a while, they eventually reach the exit and shoot up to the next level with a fast pace. After their experience on floor fifty, nothing else in the dungeon fazes them. There are attacks from monsters who hid away but they are quickly dealt with. After what feels like hours, the group eventually reach the entrance of the dungeon and immediately run outside to a burst of fresh, fragrant air that is a welcome feeling for the group. Benjamine slowly steps outside and takes a deep breath, savouring the feeling and smells of the world after two millennia. The gentle breeze cools the sweat on his face.
"So, this what the outside world smells like. It's so beautiful and peaceful. Unfortunately, it will not last much longer with the looming clouds of battle on the horizon."
Everyone sits on the soft, green blades of grass. Wilter has a look of victory on his face, while Greigore is off collecting material for a campfire. Henry is frantically looking through his bag for spare clothes to replace his current battle-worn ones. When he can't find any spare clothes, he gets into a panic and frantically runs around looking for anything he can use. Freyja rests on a tree stump laughing.
"Why are you so worried about changing your clothes? Didn't you know torn clothes and scars make a man more attractive to a woman?"
He comes to an immediate stop and is on the ground before her within a second. Tears of happiness well up in his eyes.
"Oh, lady Freyja! If you're saying it, I will accept it as truth. So does that mean you like me more-."
"No."
She stops him short with her answer; the emotional damage is so great he turns into a stone and crumbles.
"Why lady Freyja? Why?"
He says this curled up into a ball on the grass. Benjamine looks at her and raises an eyebrow.
"You're merciless you know that."
She scoffs before replying
"I must be. Otherwise, I get pipsqueaks like him trying to swoon me only thinking about their perverted ideas."
Henry has just recovered from her first response and feels his very soul get pierced. Not once but twice buy the words pipsqueak and perverted. He falls back to the ground curled up and shaking.
"I might as well end my life right now."
Benjamine and Freyja burst out laughing at his response and actions. Greigore returns with wood and fire starter. Noticing Henry, he raises an eyebrow.
"What's, wrong with him?"
Benjamine tries to get his laughter under control before responding.
"Henry has just learned a harsh lesson of dealing with rejection from a woman you are infatuated with."
Greigore can't help but chuckle at young Henry.
"Give him, time. Soon, he will understand."
Wilter's voice can be heard in the distance.
"Alright everyone, let's set up camp. We'll proceed to the city tomorrow. Let's get some rest after our ordeal in the recently conquered dungeon."
Wilter and Benjamine pitch four single sleeper tents. Wilter looks at Benjamine with an embarrassed face. His eyes betraying his thoughts before he can speak.
"Sorry about that. Would you like to take my one?"
"That won't be necessary. Wilter. I will keep watch through the trees."
"If you're ok with that, then I won't try to persuade you."
Freyja prepares a pot of food for everyone while Henry cuts up the ingredients, still emotionally damaged by Freyja's rejection.
The sun gradually sets, colouring the sky in a beautiful golden light with a few clouds adding to the majesty of the picture. It is soon replaced by a clear starry sky with the half-moon emitting its glittering light over the forest. Everyone can't wait to dig into the soup Freyja made as their stomachs rumble from hunger.
"Here you go everyone, don't be shy for seconds."
Freyja smiles as she passes the dishes of soup to each member. After the first spoonful, everyone goes silent making her worry, before they all shout at the top of their lungs.
"THIS IS DELICIOUS!!!"
After eating more than they could handle, Benjamine jumps into the trees to keep watch while the others retire for the night. A smile crosses his face as he looks up at the stars in the night sky.