The dungeon cell offered no reprieve, only the cold embrace of stone and the suffocating weight of injustice. Elias lay on the damp, earthen floor, his jaw aching from Hektor's blow, his mind a tempest of disbelief and despair.
The vivid replay of Princess Seraphina's chilling performance, her perfectly feigned terror, the shattered goblet, the orchestrated tears – it all painted a grim picture of a meticulously planned betrayal.
His Perception passive, now in the relative quiet of the cell, flickered with frantic, warning hums, retrospectively screaming at the cunning he had so naively walked into.
He pushed himself up, leaning against the rough, cold wall. The utter helplessness was a new kind of pain.
He was alone, in a foreign world, condemned for a crime he didn't commit, by people who held absolute power. The notification tab, a silent observer of his ordeal, had been overwhelmed by the chaos of the frame, but now, in the quiet, a subtle glow indicated it had updated. He called it forth with a thought.
[Notification]
Event: False Accusation & Imprisonment.
Description: You have been falsely accused of attempted rape against Princess Seraphina of Veridian. You are now imprisoned, awaiting public condemnation and transfer to the Dungeon of Death.
[Player Status Window Updated]
Name: Elias
Race: Human (Anomalous Origin)
Level: 1 (Dormant)
Health: 75/100 (Minor Injury - Jaw)
Stamina: 60/100 (Fatigue - Emotional Stress)
Mana: 500/500 (Locked - Still Dormant)
[Magical Affinities]
* Wind Magic: Level 0 (Dormant)
* Water Magic: Level 0 (Dormant)
* Fire Magic: Level 0 (Dormant)
* Earth Magic: Level 0 (Dormant)
* Dark Magic: Level 0 (Dormant - Access Restricted)
* Ultra-Rare Magic: Level 0 (Dormant - Monster Assimilation)
[Special Abilities (Passive)]
* Perception: Level 1 (Actively alerting to immediate threats or strong emotional distortions in proximity)
* Dominant Tamer: Level 0 (Dormant)
* Anomalous Resilience: Level 1 (Slightly reducing the mental toll of extreme stress)
* Mana Conduit: Level 1 (Passive - Unlocks Elias's innate, vast mana reserves over time)
[Skills]
* Survival (Basic): Level 1
* Observation (Basic): Level 1
* Language Comprehension (Eldorian): Level 1 (Rapid Adaptation - Continuing)
[Current Quests Updated]
* Main Quest: Survival of the Unwanted.
* Description: You have been summoned by mistake. Your presence is seen as an anomaly, potentially a threat. Navigate this hostile new world.
* Objective: Survive the Dungeon of Death.
* Reward: TBD
* Side Quest: Vengeance's First Echo.
* Description: Princess Seraphina has falsely accused and condemned you. Her betrayal runs deep. Your name is now sullied. Seek retribution.
* Objective: (Unlocked upon escape from Dungeon of Death)
* Reward: ???
Elias stared at the quest log, a bitter, hollow laugh escaping his lips. Vengeance. It was a foreign concept to him, a boy from Sapporo, but here, in the cold, unyielding darkness of Aethelgard, it began to feel like the only solace. His Anomalous Resilience helped him push down the immediate wave of overwhelming despair, leaving behind a cold, hard knot of resolve. He would not break. He would not just accept this fate.
Sleep, when it finally came, was fitful and haunted by images of Seraphina's smiling face. It was still dark when the heavy door grated open, letting in a sliver of torchlight. Hektor stood in the doorway, his scowl firmly back in place, accompanied by two other guards. There was no mercy in their eyes, only grim duty.
"On your feet, monster," Hektor grunted, his foot nudging Elias roughly. "The King demands that you face the people's judgment."
Elias was hauled up, his stiff muscles protesting. He was still in the tattered remnants of the clothes he'd been given, now stained with dungeon grime. He was marched through the silent, sleeping palace, the only sounds the clanking of the guards' armor and the echo of their footsteps. They emerged into the Royal Plaza, but it was not deserted.
The plaza, usually teeming with morning merchants and early risers, was already packed. It was just past dawn, the eastern sky a bruised purple, but thousands of citizens had gathered, roused by royal heralds crying out the "crime" of the previous night. Whispers, growing into a furious roar, swept through the crowd as Elias was dragged onto a makeshift platform erected directly in front of the palace gates.
King Valerius stood there, majestic and stern, flanked by Grand Arch-Mage Lysander and the three "true" heroes – Borin Stonefist, Elara Whisperwind, and Sir Gareth Ironclad. Princess Seraphina stood beside her father, dressed in fresh, immaculate robes, her face composed, radiating an air of traumatized nobility. She looked utterly pristine, utterly innocent. Her gaze met Elias's for a fraction of a second, a fleeting, cold glint of triumph in her emerald eyes, quickly masked.
"People of Veridian!" King Valerius's voice boomed, magically amplified to reach every corner of the plaza. "Last night, a heinous crime was attempted within these sacred walls! This outsider, this anomaly," he gestured to Elias, who stood bruised and battered, surrounded by guards, "dared to lay his vile hands upon my innocent daughter, Princess Seraphina! He attempted to rape your Princess!"
A wave of collective outrage surged through the crowd, a visceral, guttural sound of pure fury. Elias flinched, the sheer hatred palpable. People screamed obscenities, spat at the platform, and hurled whatever meager objects they had brought.
"Monster!" "Defiler!" "Kill him!" The roar of the mob was deafening, stripping away any last shred of Elias's dignity.
Grand Arch-Mage Lysander stepped forward, his staff held high. "For this unforgivable act, the punishment is decreed by the King, and sanctioned by the ancient laws of Aethelgard!" His voice, grave and resonant, silenced the mob, building the tension.
"This abomination shall be cast into the Dungeon of Death! A hundred levels of eternal torment, from which no creature has ever returned! Let his fate serve as a warning to all who would dare to threaten the purity of our royal line, or the sanctity of our kingdom!"
As Lysander finished, a sickly, purplish-black portal shimmered into existence on the edge of the platform, pulsating with an aura of profound dread. It was larger, more menacing than any Elias had seen, a gaping maw leading to absolute darkness.
Hektor and the other guards seized Elias again, their grips brutal. They dragged him to the edge of the platform, the jeers of the crowd a deafening cacophony in his ears.
He caught sight of Borin, his face set in grim approval; Elara, her features pale but resolute; and Sir Gareth, his eyes cold and unwavering. They had bought the lie.
With a final, brutal shove, Elias was sent sprawling into the swirling blackness of the portal. The world inverted, sound became a crushing roar, and an agonizing pressure enveloped him. Then, absolute darkness and the distant, guttural growl of something utterly monstrous.
The scent of damp earth, decay, and stale blood filled his nostrils. He landed hard on uneven stone, the impact rattling his bones. He was alone, bleeding, broken, and truly condemned. His long, brutal rise from the abyss had just begun.