Chapter 29: The Nightmare Training
The Dungeon of Stellaris Academy was a reversed tower burying deep into the earth.
Levels 1 through 10 were for freshmen—filled with rabbits, wolves, and the occasional goblin.
Levels 11 through 30 were for seniors—home to Ogres, Wyverns, and Stone Golems.
Levels 31 through 49 were restricted zones for Professors, inhabited by Core Formation beasts.
And Level 50... Level 50 was the Abyssal Floor. It was a chaotic zone where the laws of reality began to break down, infested with monsters that didn't just bite flesh, but eroded sanity.
We stood at the heavy iron gate of Level 50.
"This is insane," Prince Valerian muttered, clutching his golden sword. His knuckles were white. "We are students! Level 50 is for Elders! The atmospheric pressure alone will crush our lungs!"
Beside him, Lyra (Student Council President) was adjusting her glasses, but I could see them trembling. Kael (Sword Sect Disciple) remained silent, but he was sweating profusely.
"Stop whining," I said, leaning against the gate. "The Mystic-Fog Team specializes in mental warfare. They will drag you into your worst nightmares. If you can't handle a little pressure here, you will be drooling vegetables in the arena tomorrow."
"But how does going to Level 50 help with mental attacks?" Lyra asked, her voice logical but shaky.
"Because," I smiled, pointing to the shadow behind me. "You aren't fighting the beasts of Level 50. You are fighting her."
Seraphina stepped out of the shadows.
She wasn't wearing her noble dress. She wore a form-fitting black combat suit that seemed to absorb the light. Her violet eyes were glowing. She wasn't suppressing her aura anymore—at least, not the Killing Intent part of it.
"Hello, little lambs," Seraphina purred. She licked her lips. "The Master said I can play with you. He said I can break you, as long as I glue you back together."
Valerian took a step back. "Lady Seraphina? But... she is a noble! What can she do?"
"Oh, Prince," I sighed. "You have no idea."
I turned to Anya. "Munchkin, stay with Ria behind the barrier. Eat your popcorn. This is going to be a horror movie, Rated R."
"Okay!" Anya chirped, sitting on a conjured chair and opening a bag of caramel corn.
I unlocked the gate.
"The rules are simple," I told the three terrified students. "Survive for ten minutes. If you die in the simulation, you wake up. But the pain... the pain will be real."
I shoved them inside and slammed the gate.
"Start the game."
The Abyss.
Valerian stumbled into the darkness. The air smelled of sulfur and old blood.
"Light!" he shouted, activating a spell.
A ball of light floated up, illuminating a cavern made of black, wet stone.
"Where is she?" Kael drew his greatsword, spinning around. "Where is the Lady?"
"She's gone," Lyra whispered, her back to the wall. "She vanished the moment we entered."
Drip. Drip.
Water dripped from the ceiling. Or was it blood?
"This is ridiculous," Valerian scoffed, trying to regain his composure. "She's just a girl. Rudra is trying to scare us. I bet she's hiding behind a rock—"
Giggle.
The sound echoed from everywhere. It wasn't a human giggle. It was the sound of scraping metal.
"Who's there?!" Valerian shouted, slashing his sword at a shadow.
"Look up," a voice whispered in his ear.
Valerian looked up.
Clinging to the ceiling, defying gravity, was Seraphina. But it wasn't the beautiful girl he knew.
Her eyes were two voids of violet fire. Her shadow stretched out, forming massive, phantom wings that spanned the entire cavern. She radiated a pressure that felt like the sky was falling.
This wasn't cultivation pressure. This was Predator Intent. The instinctual fear a mouse feels when it sees a hawk.
"Run," Seraphina whispered.
She dropped.
"Block formation!" Lyra screamed.
Kael stepped forward, raising his massive sword. "Mountain Guard!"
A shield of earth energy formed around him.
Seraphina didn't use a weapon. She didn't use a spell.
She simply landed on Kael's shield with one finger.
Ping.
The shield shattered like glass.
Kael didn't even have time to scream. Seraphina grabbed his face with her hand.
"Weak," she murmured.
She threw him. Kael flew across the cavern and smashed into the stone wall with a bone-crunching impact. He slid down, unconscious.
"Kael!" Lyra shrieked. She quickly cast a binding array. "Chains of Light!"
Golden chains erupted from the ground, wrapping around Seraphina's limbs.
Seraphina looked at the chains. She smiled.
"Kinky."
She flexed. The chains snapped like wet noodles.
She appeared in front of Lyra.
"You think too much," Seraphina critiqued. "You plan for enemies who follow rules. I don't follow rules."
She tapped Lyra's forehead.
Mental Art: Abyssal Gaze.
Lyra's eyes went wide. She froze. In her mind, she was trapped in an infinite library where the books were screaming. She collapsed, catatonic.
Valerian was the only one left.
He stood there, his sword shaking so hard it rattled against his armor. His teammates—the strongest Vanguard and Strategist of the Academy—had been defeated in ten seconds.
"Stay back!" Valerian screamed, swinging wildly. "I am a Prince! I have a Core Protection Artifact!"
Seraphina walked toward him slowly. The shadows danced around her.
"A Prince?" she laughed. "In my world, Princes were appetizers."
She walked right through his sword swing. She moved so fast the blade passed through her afterimage.
She grabbed Valerian by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
"Look at me," she commanded.
Valerian looked into her violet eyes.
He saw Hell.
He saw a throne made of skulls. He saw a sky burning with black fire. He saw himself, tiny and insignificant, drowning in a sea of blood.
"I... I..." Valerian couldn't breathe. His mind was shattering. The fear was primal. He wanted to die just to make it stop.
"Is this the best Aerthos has to offer?" Seraphina asked, disappointed. She looked over her shoulder at the entrance. "Darling, they are broken already. Can I eat them?"
I stepped out of the shadows. I walked calmly through the terrified atmosphere, unaffected by her pressure because my soul was heavier than hers.
"Don't eat the Prince, Seraphina," I said. "He's rich. We need him for funding."
I walked up to the dangling Valerian.
"Hey. Sleeping Beauty. Wake up."
I slapped his cheek. Hard.
Smack.
The pain jolted Valerian back to reality. He looked at me with tear-filled eyes.
"Rudra... help... she's a monster... a demon..."
"She is," I agreed. "And tomorrow, you are fighting a team of people just like her. The Mystic-Fog World specializes in this. They will show you your worst fears. They will make you see your father disowning you. They will make you see your kingdom burning."
I leaned in close.
"Fear is a biological reaction, Valerian. It tells you that you are about to die. But you are a Cultivator. You defy death. So defy the fear."
"I can't!" Valerian sobbed. "I'm scared!"
"Good," I said. "Be scared. Use the fear. Your legs are shaking? Good, that means your muscles are primed. Your heart is racing? Good, that means your blood is pumping oxygen."
I pointed at Seraphina.
"She is terrifying. Yes. But she is holding you by the neck, and you aren't dead yet. That means you are still in the fight."
I looked at Seraphina. "Drop him."
She let go. Valerian fell to his knees, gasping for air.
"Pick up your sword," I commanded.
Valerian looked at his golden sword lying in the mud. He shook his head. "I... I can't beat her."
"I didn't say beat her," I said. "I said pick up the sword. If you die, you die with a weapon in your hand. That is the only difference between a Prince and a peasant."
Valerian looked at the sword. He looked at Seraphina, who was grinning like a shark.
He gritted his teeth. He grabbed the hilt.
He stood up. His legs were wobbling like jelly, but he stood.
"I..." Valerian wheezed. "I am... Valerian Storm."
He pointed the shaking sword at Seraphina.
"Come and get me, you witch."
Seraphina blinked. Then she smiled—a genuine smile this time.
"Better," she said.
She lunged.
Valerian screamed and swung.
He missed. She knocked him out instantly.
But he swung.
The Aftermath.
We dragged the three unconscious students out of the dungeon.
Ria had prepared buckets of ice water.
Splash.
Valerian, Lyra, and Kael gasped, waking up on the grass outside the gate. They looked around wildly, checking their limbs.
"Am I alive?" Kael checked his chest.
"My mind... it's quiet," Lyra rubbed her temples.
Valerian lay on his back, staring at the sky. He started laughing. It was a hysterical, broken laugh.
"She didn't kill me. I fought a demon and I didn't die."
I stood over them.
"Congratulations," I said. "You survived the Abyss Simulation. Your mental walls have been shattered and rebuilt. The illusions of the Mystic-Fog team will look like children's cartoons compared to what you just saw."
Seraphina walked over, wiping imaginary dust off her combat suit. She was back to her 'Noble Lady' persona, looking elegant and bored.
"You lasted 12 seconds, Prince," she said. "That's a new record. Most men faint at 5."
Valerian looked at her with a mix of terror and reverence.
"Thank you... Lady Seraphina. I think."
"Don't thank her," I said. "Thank her by winning tomorrow."
I looked at the team. They were battered, bruised, and traumatized. But their eyes... their eyes were different. The arrogance was gone. The hesitation was gone. They had stared into the void, and they had walked away.
"Go rest," I ordered. "Meditate on the fear. Make it your weapon."
They stumbled away toward the dorms, supporting each other.
"They might actually have a chance," Seraphina mused, leaning against me. "The Prince has a spine after all. It's small, but it's there."
"They'll do fine," I said. "As long as you didn't break their brains permanently."
"I was gentle!"
"Big Brother!" Anya called out from the snack table. "The popcorn is done! Can we go home now? I want to watch cartoons."
"Yes, Anya," I picked her up.
I looked at the setting sun. The peaceful days were over. Tomorrow, the portal would open, and the Tournament would begin.
The Mystic-Fog World thought they were the masters of fear.
They were about to realize that fear had a master. And she was currently complaining about my furniture.