CHAPTER 40: INSIDE THE DUNGEON

Arthur arrives at the Arvion Beach sidewalk in record time. He steps out of his Link with Dumar, both immediately gearing up. A few minutes later, Julian arrives, stepping out of his Horizon, already equipped.

"How’s the situation?" Julian asks Arthur. Both men are pale; cold sweat runs down Julian’s spine.

"Just got here. I’ll check with the DEU Captain." Arthur strides off, the other two close behind.

He finds the Captain on the phone. When the man sees Arthur, he recognizes him instantly and hangs up.

"Mr. Arthur, you’re here. I know you want to go in, sir, but it’s useless. The gate’s closed," the Captain reports.

In Arvion’s DEU, who doesn’t know Arthur Montrose? Until a year ago, he used to clear dungeons alongside them, saving their lives more than once. They hold immense respect for Arthur and his team.

Julian pales at the news. A closed gate is a closed gate. Unless someone clears the dungeon from the inside, it can’t be forced open. His team had been trying to find a way to reopen one, but without success. He quickly looks at Arthur.

Arthur frowns. "I’m here looking for my sister, she’s –"

"Arthur!"

He turns sharply and sees Claudia rushing toward him, tears streaking down her face. His heart sinks – he already knows.

"Thea is inside the dungeon! Go save her, please!"

Arthur’s worst nightmare has just come true.

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Inside the dungeon, Theo feels like crying. His body is soaked with sweat, his breathing ragged and uneven. But he can’t let his guard down.

The wolf-like haelion has an entire pack with it. They surrounded Theo when he faced their scout. The first haelion was one of the smaller ones in its pack. The others are much bigger.

When Theo and the scout were locked in their unblinking standoff, his eyes began to sting and dry.

I have to blink!

When he couldn’t hold it anymore, he blinked and the beast attacked. Theo jumped to the side, barely dodging its claws. He had just landed when it lunged again.

Theo instantly raised his shield, blocking the attack, but the impact sent him rolling across the grass until he slammed into a large stone. Dazed, he forced himself to his feet and froze.

There were more than ten wolf haelions surrounding him, most are much larger than the first.

Theo knew then that he couldn’t afford to hold back. He straightened, cracked his neck and shoulders, and prepared to cast Fyralis, a second-level fire spell. But before he could say the incantation, blue flames already blazed in his hand.

He didn’t stop to question it, he simply attacked.

Luckily, instinct led him right. If he had used ordinary fire magic, it wouldn’t have done much damage. The beasts’ hides were tougher than he’d anticipated. Even with Fyralis, it took effort to burn through their skin.

Theo’s old instincts as a battle mage resurfaced. He instantly thought of another spell, one that would condense the flames into a sharp, sword-like point for piercing attacks.

Again, he didn’t need to say the incantation. Just visualizing it was enough; his magic responded on its own.

When Theo realized this, he was ecstatic.

Now I can really fight! Come on!

He rushed forward, gripping a blue flame sword in his hand, and began slashing.

Within minutes, several haelions had fallen, but there were still many left. Theo could already feel the limits of Thea’s body catching up to him.

Even so, he was grinning. He’d gotten his magic back, stronger than ever. All he needed now was to train Thea’s body, and he’d be unstoppable.

Theo visualizes several blue flame swords floating above his head, their sharp tips aimed at the beasts — and they really appear!

He feels like laughing like a madman. I used to dream of this! I can’t believe I can actually do it!

He locks his gaze on the biggest haelion — the leader. It’s larger than the rest, its fur a slightly darker shade.

Theo smirks and flicks his hand.

And then it rains blue flame swords onto the beasts.

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"Arthur, we need to think about this!"

"Thea is trapped inside, and you want to think about it?!"

"Don’t you dare say I don’t care about Thea! She’s my sister too!"

"And yet here you are, still thinking about it!"

"If we force the gate open, there’s a chance it will collapse and Thea and everyone inside will die. Is that what you want?!"

"At least there’s a chance! If we do nothing, Thea will surely die!"

"Enough!" Dumar finally steps between them, stopping their heated argument. "Both of you, enough. We need to work together, not against each other."

Arthur exhales and looks at Julian. He can see that his younger brother is just as worried as he is. He closes his eyes, feeling helpless.

Julian watches him. Arthur’s brow is furrowed deeply, his eyes closed, every line on his face etched with worry for Thea. They both are terrified.

Julian sighs and turns to Dumar. "It’s not that I don’t want to open the gate. I’ve been experimenting with forced openings, and they always collapse. Nine out of ten."

"And one out of ten succeeds?" Dumar asks.

"If you call the gate disappearing a success, then yes," Julian answers, his voice defeated.

"Things might not be as bad as we think," a female voice says suddenly.

Arthur opens his eyes and looks toward her. Julian and Dumar do the same.

Now that she has their attention, Claudia continues, "My bodyguard is inside too. He’s a Monfort Sentinel. He might have a chance at clearing the dungeon." She looks hopeful.

Arthur smiles bitterly. "Monfort Sentinels are among the best, but this is a level five gate. To clear a dungeon at this level, we’d need at least a dozen Monfort Sentinels."

Claudia pales, tears welling up again.

Suddenly, the sky shifts. Thick, dark clouds roll in, and the wind picks up.

"Is the dungeon cleared?" someone asks.

Everyone turns their gaze to the gate, half-expecting the arch’s symbols to pulse, a sign it’s opening.

But nothing happens.

Meanwhile, the sky grows darker. The wind howls.

"A storm coming?" someone mutters.

"In the middle of summer?" another replies.

Then lightning splits the sky, followed by rolling thunder.

"It’s raining!" someone shouts over the roaring wind.

The downpour intensifies. Julian activates his Aegis Y and pulls Claudia close, shielding her from the rain.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning slams down and strikes the gate with a deafening crack.

"NO!" Arthur shouts, his eyes widening in pure fear.

For a moment, the gate stands there, untouched, unaffected. Arthur exhales in relief.

But then another lightning bolt crashes down. And another. And another.

By the fourth strike, the gate begins to pulsate again, glowing faintly at first, then brighter with each flash. But the lightning doesn’t stop. It keeps striking, again and again, as if the gate is absorbing the lightning itself.

"Jeez! I’ve never seen or heard of a gate absorbing lightning like this!" Julian exclaims in shock.

He’s not the only one. The rest of the crowd can hardly believe what they’re seeing. They can only watch in a mix of fear and fascination.

It’s around three in the afternoon, yet the sky is as dark as if it were six, and the weather rages like a full thunderstorm. The phenomenon alone is rare enough — but a rogue gate absorbing lightning like crazy? Unheard of.

Julian keeps recording, determined to analyze it later.

Then, the stone arch suddenly cracks, as if it can no longer withstand the lightning strikes. Before anyone can react, it begins to grow wider and taller with a deafening crackle.

The gate is now eight meters wide and sixteen meters tall.

"Impossible!"