Cutting through the air, a voice said with cold authority, "The dungeon of Eldralis. That's where you must go." The person next to him lifted his head, catching his breath at the sudden command. The chamber, dimly lit by 4 torches, felt suffocating as if the very walls were closing in. The speaker remained cloaked in darkness. Both, hiding their identity by covering their faces, remained motionless for some seconds.
"There is something in that dungeon... something that is being protected by the hero Askelar and his family for years. But we don't know what it is. There are also rumours of Askelar running some illegal businesses. At first I dismissed them as mere gossips, but when I started investigating it, one thing I came to know is that these are not mere talks- but the reality. The problem is, we don't have enough evidence to act on it. When I dug deeper, everything pointed back to Eldralis Dungeon." The speaker took a pause. The room became silent again. Breaking the silence, a voice asked, "w-wait, so what's my exact mission?" Making the tone darker, the person said with a cold voice, "your mission is to go to the dungeon and bring the thing which is being protected by them to me."
They have executed many dangerous missions but something about this mission felt different- a mission that could be labelled as impossible. "Wait, don't you think it's a bit dangerous? What if I fail?" The person asked with a tense voice. The person in front of him took a deep breath and worriedly said, "failure is not an option, engrave it in your mind. This time, it's not any ordinary mission but a mission which will decide whether you will live or die. If you get caught, you will get killed and our whole organisation members too."
The person hesitated but eventually accepted the mission as there was no other option. He was about to leave the chamber when suddenly the voice which was tensed and serious, softened and said, "please come home safely, son."
In an instant, the once cold chamber felt warmer, the air heavy with unspoken emotions. The young person stepped toward the door, his movements slow, almost reluctant.
"I will", he said, offering a faint smile before disappearing through the doorway leaving his father behind- lost in a storm of indescribable emotions.
As the door closed, he vanished in an instant leaving only a gust of wind. Traveling through the forests, his each step barely touching the ground, showing his assassination skills.
As he reached a certain distance, he came to a sudden halt, blending into the shadows of the trees. With a deep breath, his eyes closed. His senses sharpened, activating a technique known as mana detection.
His eyes were closed, yet he could see everything around him- every movement, every shadow. Light blue energy eminating from the guards revealing their exact locations like a beacon in the darkness.
After analysing his enemies, he decided to go into the dungeon. Jumping on the tree branch, he dashed towards the dungeon gate with such a speed that the guards felt nothing but a gust of wind passing them. Ignoring what just happened, they decided to continue guarding the dungeon.
"Such fools" he muttered with a smirk, venturing deeper into the dungeon. As he went deeper, the energy of the place felt heavier. He sprinted to the direction from where the energy was coming.
Suddenly he halted, hearing some whispers. Realising he was not alone, he swiftly unsheathed his daggers. He saw some light coming from a room and tried to peek through the cracks of the door.
As he peeked through it, he saw 4 guards and 2 knights engaged in a conversation. Beside them, there was a sphere which was emanating the strange and powerful energy which he felt earlier. He guessed that they were protecting the sphere. Knowing nothing about it, he decided to continue his mission of taking it to his father. He activated mana detection again to see their power level as there was no way of taking the sphere while avoiding a fight. He tried to analyse their power level but he failed. He was shocked as it only indicated that they were stronger than him.
"I-I don't think I have any chance" as soon as he muttered that, a sword flown through the door. With quick reflexes, he dodged that in time. He felt a killing intent, suppressing his mana. Scared, he looked in the knight's direction.
"Well, well, well. I knew I felt someone's presence but wasn't sure until I sensed your mana." One of the knights said with a creepy smile. The young man knew he was doomed but he still stood up to fight. "So.. you want to fight?" The knight questioned, releasing his mana, showing the power difference. "As if I have any other option?" The young man said and activated a technique shadow steps and dashed towards the knight. Using shadow steps, his movements became more swift and reached the knight in seconds. He attacked his neck with his daggers hoping to cut down the head. But suddenly a sword blocked his daggers, forcing him to retreat with a swift step back.
"Isn't it the shadow steps?" The knight asked with a smirk. "If you are using this technique, then you must be from that family. Tell me who you are?"
"What if I don't?" The young boy answered. "Then, you are going to regret it." The knight said, transferring his mana into his legs, he dashed with a great speed. The young man saw that in time and barely survived from being cut into pieces. He grabbed his daggers tightly and went for his neck again. "Do you think that the same technique will work on me?" The knight shouted. But suddenly he changed his direction, tricking the knight, he launched towards the sphere, hoping to take that and leave. But to his surprise, another sword came flying at him, blocking him from taking that sphere, injuring his left arm.
"Have you forgotten about me?" Another knight spoke up. The young man could say just by looking that the second knight was even stronger than the first one. He gulped and grabbed his daggers, knowing he couldn't escape. The first knight again dashed towards him with his sword. But this time, the young man jumped onto his sword dashed towards the sphere. Realising his plan, the second knight infused his legs with mana and dashed towards him. He was about to land a hit on him when the young man used shadow steps again and boosted his speed, grabbing the sphere. As soon as he grabbed the sphere, the intense energy which was surrounding the whole dungeon, disappeared. The knight, now angered, rushed at him. He used his technique blaze sword and delivered a devastating slash at the young man. Realising there was no way of dodging, he decided to use the sphere as a shield to block that attack. The knight noticed it but it was too late to withdraw his attack as he was scared that he might break the sphere. But to everyone's surprise, as soon as his attack struck the sphere, it absorbed all the energy. The sphere then began to glow. The knights and the soldiers were stunned by the sight. Seeing their shocked faces, the young man guessed that it was the first time that they'd witnessed the sphere glow. Suddenly the sphere unleashed a burst of golden energy, forcefully pushing the knights and the young man back. The soldiers who came into contact with the energy, immediately lost their consciousness. To their surprise, as soon as the energy dissipated, a stardy man materialized in place of the sphere, seemingly out of thin air.
"Where am I?"
Who is this man? Can he be trusted, or will bring even more trouble? The question remains unanswered- friend or foe?
To be continued ~