Siegfried Fors
"Young lord! Wake up!!"
Aifa's voice tugged me back from the darkness. I opened my eyes to the sight of her beautiful face hovering above me, concern etched in her features.
"Aifa?"
The position was immediately clear: I was resting on her lap. A gentle comfort amidst the strangeness.
Quite soft.
A quiet sigh of relief escaped her. "Are you feeling alright?"
I pushed myself upright, the memory of the freefall flooding my awareness. "Wait! Where are Mother, Granny, and the others?" I swept my gaze around the space. It was dim, barely held together by the faint glow of mana orbs floating above us, flickering like weak candles.
"We have been separated." Aifa shifted closer, her brows knit with worry. "I woke up only a few minutes before you… I used mana detection, but I can't feel anyone nearby."
This was the worst scenario. A time dungeon with unstable space and time, and now we were alone.
Even Faux is not here, I can't even feel him, so summoning is out of the question… Anything could happen now.
"Aifa, you aren't hurt anywhere, are you?" A flicker of surprise crossed her face, quickly replaced by a soft smile. "I am fine. Thank you for asking."
Good. Because if she wasn't… we would be doomed before anything even started.
I brushed the dust off my clothes and stood, steadying my breath. "Shouldn't we be searching for the others?"
"We should, but…" Aifa's gaze shifted toward the darkness ahead. One of her mana orbs drifted forward, settling near the far wall. Its glow spilled outward, revealing a narrow, tunnel-like path stretching deeper into the dungeon. "… The problem is visibility. We have no idea what could come at us in a place like this. It's safer to stay here and let the others find us. There's only one entrance, so we just need to watch that direction."
"Visibility, huh."
I followed her eyes toward the mouth of the tunnel.
I understood her logic. But if a swarm of monsters poured out of that path, we would have nowhere to run. Just the two of us in a dead-end cavern.
She knows that too… she can feel the danger just as clearly.
Her expression said everything her words didn't.
My mind drifted for a moment. There was a spell for lighting paths, something I skimmed in Kaelen's book. A way to push back the darkness without draining too much mana.
I reached into my pouch and pulled out the worn spellbook. "Let's see…"
Aifa leaned in, her cheek brushing close to mine, warm enough to send a shiver across my skin. "Young lord, what are you doing?"
"Trying something…"
I flipped open the spellbook. The left page described the incantation and its effect, while the right contained a beautiful and intricate magic circle, the notes explaining each stroke of the pattern.
I pulled out my wand, grounding myself with a slow breath.
If this works, we won't be sitting ducks in the dark.
"O Aethelhum, I, your follower, ask for your guidance..."
Mana gathered at the tip, humming in response.
Hmm let's pour more mana than usual.
"…light up my path and let your eternal light guide us. Flash!!"
A golden radiance burst outward. It felt warm, familiar; just like that moment in the church with the medallion. The light rushed across the cavern walls, clinging to them like glowing moss. The darkness retreated in an instant.
"What?"
Aifa shot to her feet, eyes wide as if they might fall out of her head. She turned in a slow circle, unable to believe what she was seeing. The tunnel ahead glowed all the way down, bright as afternoon.
Did I pour too much mana? Maybe… maybe just a little.
I glanced back down at the spellbook. The spell uses the caster as the center point, and the light spread based on output and the mana poured into it.
So… yeah. I might have overdone it.
"Can we move now?" I asked.
Aifa's fingertips were still pressed to the glowing wall, awe softening her eyes. After a heartbeat she pulled away.
"R-right. I will lead."
She lifted her bow and quiver, steadying herself, and we moved forward into the tunnel.
I kept the spell "Mana Missile" readied around me, its faint hum comforting in the quiet. We walked for a few minutes until the path split into two—one tunnel veering left, the other right.
"Which way now?" I asked.
"Hm…"
Aifa stepped ahead, examining both tunnels. Then she glanced over her shoulder. "Young lord, please keep watch for a minute."
"Okay."
She closed her eyes. A wave of wind mana rippled outward from her, brushing past my skin like searching fingers. A minute passed in silence.
"There's another cavern down the left tunnel…" she murmured, eyes still closed. "…And on the right, there's a large space. No floor, high ceiling and a big drop."
She opened her eyes and looked at me. "Those are the two ways."
"Then we should go left, right?"
Aifa crossed her arms. "We should. But I want to check the right side too."
"Why? You said there's no footing there."
"I felt a weird mana in that direction. Ever since it brushed past me, it keeps tugging at my senses."
Weird mana in a time dungeon… could it be the core of the dungeon?
"Then lead the way," I said with a small smile.
Her expression eased. She nodded once, tightened her grip on her bow, and turned toward the right path.
With each continued step, I began to understand what she meant by weird mana. A faint current brushed against my skin, almost like tiny needles. Cold spread across my arms, sinking deeper the further we walked. What kind of mana is this…?
We reached the end of the tunnel and everything opened at once.
A vast space stretched ahead of us. When I looked up, the ceiling was swallowed by darkness, far beyond the reach of sight. Down below, there was nothing. Just a depth so black that even my "Flash" spell could not uncover a shape or edge. The light dissolved into the abyss as if eaten by it.
And from that abyss, the strange mana rose like a slow, chilling exhale.
I narrowed my eyes, pouring mana into them, trying to make sense of the blackness below.
Did… something just move?
"Is that a tunnel?" Aifa's voice wavered slowly.
I followed her gaze. On the opposite side of the abyss, carved into the wall, was another hole. A silent mouth in the stone, waiting.
"What should we do?" I asked.
"... I am not sure. That mana is definitely coming from down below, but I cannot tell if it belongs to the dungeon's core or something else..." Her eyes drifted forward, then downward, a worried crease tightening at the edge of her expression.
It must be exhausting... taking the lead, protecting me, and still trying to make sense of this place.
I reached out and wrapped my fingers gently around hers. "How about we search for the others first and then bring everyone here? We can figure out the situation together."
She stared at me for a heartbeat before her fingers curled back around mine. A small smile touched her lips, cheeks softening with a faint blush.
"Young lord is really mature for his age."
"I hear that a lot."
A soft laugh slipped out of both of us, gentle and fleeting. Even with the cold mana stinging our skin, something warm settled between us.
Aifa then turned, drew in a slow breath and lifted her free hand. "O Wind, carry us forward to our destination."
The air shivered. A rising swirl of wind gathered beneath our feet, coiling like an unseen current. It lifted us upward, guiding us across the abyss.
As the wind pushed us forward, I glanced down again, narrowing my focus. The mana haze wavered, but this time I was certain. Something moved in the darkness.
I tugged at Aifa's hand. "Aifa, something is down there."
"Huh?"
Just as I turned back, a violent burst of black erupted from the depths, tearing through the abyss like a spear.
"Young lord!" Aifa yanked me toward her just as the black stream sliced through the swirl of wind holding us aloft.
The current shattered.
Not even a heartbeat passed before weightlessness gripped us.
Not this again…
"O wind..." Aifa's voice wavered beside me, trembling as she tried to cast in midair.
I pointed my wand toward the tunnel. "O unseen threads that bind the world—Attract."
The force snapped around us instantly. Our bodies jerked sideways, dragged through the air. We were flung straight into the tunnel entrance, rolling along the rough stone until everything finally stopped.
Aifa let out a low groan.
"Sorry. The pull was too strong because I shortened the chant," I said, pushing myself upright.
She sat up slowly and shook her head, strands of her hair swaying. "No, I should be the one apologizing." Her gaze drifted toward the tunnel mouth behind us, her expression tightening. "Whatever that was, we need Lady Valka to get through it."
Right. We need to find Mother fast.
We had barely taken a single step when a faint slithering sound brushed against my ears. I turned toward the tunnel's mouth and felt my breath catch. A thick black liquid was crawling its way upward over the stone, dragging itself into the tunnel like something alive.
"Young lord, stay behind."
Aifa moved in front of me instantly, bowstring already drawn tight.
I leaned slightly to the side, trying to see. The liquid rose higher, gathering into a wobbling mass before swelling outward. Slowly, it began to shift, stretch, reshape.
Humanoid outlines emerged.
Bodies of black-gold sheen.
And where their heads should have been… only golden rings, turning silently in place.
Weapons materialized along their forming limbs.
One held a bow made from the same eerie substance.
Another shaped its arm into a long, gleaming spear.
The last one's forearms split open, pulling out blade-like extensions that scraped against each other with a harsh, metallic rasp.
A sharp chill crawled down my spine.
What are those things…?
"Darkkin...?" Aifa's voice shook as the word slipped out, barely louder than a breath.
The creature with blade-arms lunged forward in a blur, and the one with the bow raised its weapon in the same instant.
"Young lord!"
"Got him!" I thrust my wand forward. "Mana missile!"
My spell shot out with a sharp whistle, just as Aifa released her arrow.
The tunnel lit up with streaks of light.
Our attacks struck true—multiple mana points hammered into the bladed one, knocking its unstable form backward until it tumbled into the abyss below.
Aifa's arrow tore straight through the bow user's chest, splitting its form in half. It dissolved into dripping black in the air.
But the spear-user was already upon us.
A sharp thrust cut through the space between us, the spear moving so fast I barely tracked it. I threw myself sideways, feeling the air split near my cheek.
"Agh!"
My heart lurched. I snapped my head toward the sound.
Aifa staggered back, blood spraying from her shoulder.
A heat rose in me. "You…"
My voice came out low, shaking with fury.
The creature raised its spear for another strike.
I surged toward it, slipping under the swing aimed at my face. The spear sliced a few strands of my hair as it passed.
I forced as much mana as I could into my arm and drove my fist straight into the creature's torso. The impact cracked through the tunnel like thunder. The creature's body warped inward, golden ring flickering violently.
With a sound like shattering glass, it shot backward and flew out of the tunnel mouth, vanishing into the void below.
The echo of the blow lingered in my bones.
I rushed to Aifa's side. "How bad is it?"
She was already bracing herself against the wall, breath unsteady, her hand pressed to her shoulder. A faint green shimmer glowed beneath her fingers.
"Let me do it." I pulled out the Aethel magic spellbook with trembling hands. "There's a healing spell in here."
She let out a slow breath and eased herself down, revealing the wound.
*That attack went clean through her armor.*
I placed my hand over the injury.
"O Aethelhum, I your follower ask for your assistance,
Let your light mend flesh and restore the weary soul."
A warm golden light spread under my palm, soft but steady, like sunlight slipping through cathedral glass.
Aifa blinked up at me as the radiance faded and I lifted my hand.
The wound was gone. Not even a scar remained.
"Wow…" she whispered, moving her arm in a slow circle, disbelief softening her features. "I… I don't feel anything. Young lord, you are really amazing."
I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. "It was nothing. I just read the spell." I handed her a potion for both fatigue/blood loss and sat beside her.
She shook her head. "No. You can already shorten Force magic spells, and you're still lighting this entire cave while constantly supplying mana. These are no small feats."
"Instead of my hard work, it's just my manapool and affinity with Force. I inherited those things. It's nothing to brag about."
It really isn't. Anyone with the same traits could do it.
"...That's not true. There are many noble children who are born with amazing talent, but not just anyone could have come into a Time Dungeon without a shred of fear. It was you who decided to come here, knowing what happened with Lord Erik. It was you who pulled us to safety at the right moment. It was you who sent that Darkkin flying." She punched lightly at the air as she said it. "It was your smarts and critical thinking that got us this far. . So yes… I think young lord is someone to brag about."
She leaned in, resting the side of her head gently against mine.
My breath caught for a moment.
I… don't really know what to say. But she's a good person. A really good person.
"Thank you."
The only words that managed to leave my lips.
A moment of peace, quiet and simple, descended, yet it was shattered by a chilling, wet slither. My gaze and Aifa's snapped to the tunnel's mouth. Same viscous, black liquid was creeping out, pulling itself up the stone.
"Young lord!" Aifa grabbed my hand and pulled me up. "Run!"
I obeyed instantly and started running.
A quick glance over my shoulder revealed the liquid rising again, twisting, shaping, becoming those same nightmare figures.
"Aifa, what are they? What are these Darkkin?"
"Creatures born from Darkness, they are driven solely by an insatiable thirst for bloodshed. These creatures first appeared when demons first arrived in our world..." A flicker of confusion crossed her voice. "I don't understand why they are appearing in a time dungeon."
I looked back again. The Darkkin were rushing after us in a tide of pure mad aggression.
"A-Aifa, they'll catch up like this…"
The gap is closing, the sheer numbers are too great.
"Young lord, can you stop their movements?" Her tone was steady despite the chaos behind us.
"I should be able to…" I tightened my grip on the wand.
"Then do it when we reach a large area."
I nodded, the word caught in my throat.
The tunnel spat us out into a vast cavern, a maze of other dark openings dotting the walls. Aifa and I spun around instantly, facing the entrance we'd just fled.
I raised the wand.
"O unseen threads that bind the world
Let burden anchor flesh and bone.
By my decree, let force awaken—
Fold, crush, and claim all bound below.
Gravem Press! Intensify fivefold!"
As the Darkkin spilled out of the tunnel's mouth, the sudden, immense weight slammed down upon them. They were instantaneously forced to the ground, their forms buckling, unable to move against the crushing gravity.
Aifa did not miss a heartbeat.
Three arrows left her bow in a single breath, each one whipping through the air and piercing a Darkkin's body. They shattered into black mist.
I held the spell steady, pressing harder, keeping the creatures pinned, while Aifa continued releasing arrow after arrow—sharp, precise and relentless.
Black bodies burst apart into shadow, but then I noticed something that sent a chill deeper than the cold mana in the air.
The new ones crawling out of the tunnel were no longer dropping fully to their knees.
What…?
"Intensify tenfold!"
The spell deepened, the air trembled, and the incoming Darkkin were forced down, but only for a heartbeat.
They immediately began pushing themselves up again.
"O Arrow, pierce through the enemies!"
Aifa's voice echoed sharply. A mana-forged arrow shot past me, a bolt of pure, concentrated energy that tore through the mass of Darkkin, skewering several in a single streak of light.
"Nice work," I said, a flicker of hope rising again.
"Something's wrong, they are too..." Aifa's voice trailed off, lost in thought, her eyes narrowed. Before I could ask what she meant, she spoke again, her tone urgent. "Young lord, hold on for a few seconds, I need to try something."
"Uh?... Okay."
What is she planning?
My attention caught the arrow she was drawing now. It was unlike the others, a dark, rich red color inscribed with intricate blue markings. A different kind entirely.
A special arrow…?
I tightened my grip and turned back toward the tunnel, refusing to let the creatures advance even an inch further.
"Intensify twentyfold!"
The spell roared through the ground, force swelling like an invisible tidal wave. The Darkkin crashed down again, limbs scraping the stone, agonizingly slow to rise, but their bodies were already beginning to strain and fight their way up again.
Are they are adapting or something? They are simply too many, and too strong.
The pressure of the spell gnawed at my mind, but before fear could settle, a surge of red tore past my side. The air split with a roar as crimson mana erupted down the tunnel, devouring everything in its path. For a heartbeat the entire cavern flashed red, shadows writhing and then vanishing as if swallowed by a storm.
When the light faded, the tunnel was empty. Not a single Darkkin remained.
I stared, unable to hide my astonishment. I turned back to Aifa. She was already sinking to her knees, sweat beading at her forehead as she struggled to catch her breath.
"Aifa, what was that?" My voice was breathless, a mixture of shock and awe.
"It was… a special arrow." Her voice trembled slightly, more from exhaustion than fear. "An area-wide mana destructive spell is engraved on it. Once released, the spell consumes user's mana to expand in every direction." Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
"Wow…" I turned back to the tunnel, still half expecting something to crawl out. "Still, that was incredible."
She shook her head lightly. "No. The only reason it worked was because of you."
"Me?"
Aifa gestured weakly at the walls around us, faintly glowing with soft Aethel light.
"This illumination… Aethel magic weakens beings born of darkness. It is one of the few things in the world that directly counters them. That is why the arrow's spell could destroy them so completely."
Oh, I didn't know about that.
The revelation settled into me like a stone dropped into deep water. If Aethel magic weakens them this much… maybe the spellbook has spells made to counter Darkkin directly.
Before I could think further, a surge of mana brushed against my senses. Violent and Familiar.
I straightened instinctively and turned toward the branching tunnels of the cavern. The air trembled again, another shockwave spreading out like an unseen ripple.
"This is…"
"Someone is fighting." Aifa stood up instantly, the fatigue vanishing from her posture.
"Not someone," I corrected her, a surge of recognition and dread hitting me simultaneously. That mana signature...
"It's Granny!"