Time to say goodbye

Somewhere in the vast and unfathomable universe, among millions of planets, stars, cosmic nebulae, galaxies, and black holes, stood a lonely fortress. One might assume it was there by accident, but one couldn't be more wrong.

It was the center of apparent chaos and the heart of a magical formation spanning hundreds of thousands of light years.

If one had a shred of sense in one's head or didn't have suicidal thoughts, one avoided the place by a wide margin. Only madmen looking for doom ventured here uninvited.

The place once aroused terror even among the bravest beings. Even the so-called gods trembled at the slightest mention of it. All thanks to a man who lived here and built everything with his own hands.

A being who was no different from an average man, turned into a ruthless monster by the pride of others, envy, deceit, and hatred, pushing forward like a battering ram to achieve his own goals.

According to some eyewitnesses, he could resist the will of the mother of all life and creation.

Over time, the man grew too powerful, drawing the attention of creatures who felt threatened by his presence...

Taking advantage of the fact that war had been raging since the beginning of time, they managed to lure Man into a trap. Our hero bravely defended himself, but couldn't stand against the universe that had turned against him. This time... he suffered a humiliating defeat by dying.

His body was divided into dozens of tetra parts, each annihilated by a long-forgotten magic. The creatures took such drastic measures to prevent the potential return of the monster. They feared its revenge ... because the second time, it wouldn't be possible to kill it. All, due to treachery...

But, this is a story for another time...

Behind the walls of the impregnable citadel, an interesting venture took place. Inside one of the many absurdly vast chambers, at the beck and call of one woman, dozens of beings unheard of even in myths and legends gathered.

Literally anything could be found in the room, beginning with beings possessing human characteristics and ending with monsters and degenerates in whose presence, the worst nightmares would bury their heads in the sand.

Although they were all different, they had two distinct characteristics in common. First, each of the creatures present, stood out with an absurd strength that couldn't be described in words. A single glance of the weakest of them was enough to annihilate the Milky Way in a matter of seconds, and that's just a small sample of their capabilities.

Second, all of them, without exception, share the same mysterious stigma. (A/N Along with the development of the series, it may change. I'm still not entirely sure of its appearance.)

It resembled an eight-pointed star lighting up the gloomy sky on a cloudless night, ensnared by dozens of chains stretched to the limit.

If one looked closely at the stigma, one would notice that it wasn't static. Chains as black as night, resembling clouds of pride, crept across the surface of the enslaved star, which every so often trembled in an attempt to free itself from the yoke binding it.

Some would take them for members of a sect, some for a grouping hundreds of thousands of years old, others for an organization operating from the shadows... but who was right?

The answer is trivial. No one.

The truth, however, is simpler than one might predict.

Once, they could call themselves comrades, serving one master together. Together they celebrated victories, together they bid farewell to fallen comrades, together they defended the home they called Lochem of the End.

 But now?

They were nothing more than strangers, united only by a common past. Purely out of respect for the woman who called them here and the fallen man who pulled them out of the swamp called life, they had not yet jumped at each other's throats.

Their master was gracious. Once, for their hard service to the glory of the dungeon, he offered them free will. They could do literally anything. If another dungeon core chose them as rulers, he had no objections.

There was just one small catch. They had to be loyal to him and the Dungeon of the End until the end. They were to stand by his side to the end...

Despite his vast experience and knowledge accumulated over centuries, the Dungeon Master was very naive. He believed in the integrity of his subjects and their devotion. He wanted to offer them true freedom, and as a result, he didn't include negative consequences in the contract, should they break their word.

The only thing he demanded was a magical stigma, which at the same time was a symbol of the Dungeon. As long as they possessed the stigma, they were treated as friends who would always find refuge under his roof...

Those who gave it up became the worst enemies, of one of the scariest people to tread the universe.

Blind faith in humans proved to be the final nail in the coffin of the naive Master. As soon as he drew unwanted attention to himself, most of his subjects turned on him... or worse, stabbed him in the back.

Years passed, and more and more creatures lost faith in the return of the man who had given them a second chance.

One by one, they shed the stigma, until a handful of them remained... a handful that gathered in the fortress.

The attention of all the gathered beings focused on the mystical fountain, decorated with fossilized gargoyle statues and dozens of forgotten runes from the Exodus era.

The sheet of water, which usually resembled a vast and limitless expanse of space, this time showed a different face....

Beneath the dead core of the Loch lay Ramiel's body trapped in a block of ice, or what was left of it. The man was missing key body parts. His left arm was gone, leaving jagged and rotten flesh behind. Broken bones protruded from legs bent at unnatural angles.

Cheeks sunk inward, and half-open eyelids revealed amethyst eyes that were cloudy and devoid of a spark of life.

" So? How much longer do we have to wait? We've been sitting here for a week and nothing is happening. "

A man with a short-cropped orange voice spoke up. One could sense irritation and nervousness in his voice.

His sharp reptile eyes hid in the irises flames capable of melting the ice from the heart of the land of Niflheim.

He directed a pity-filled gaze toward the woman sitting on the edge of the fountain.

Her platinum hair, tied in a long ponytail, reached to the base of her tailbone. An airy gown clung perfectly to her divine figure, perfectly exposing her exposed back.

" ... "

The woman remained silent, not knowing what to say. She felt ashamed and embarrassed at the same time.

She had gathered everyone here to ... well, exactly ... what for?

To watch the corpse of a man who bears a slight resemblance to their former master? Their common traits end with an explosive temperament and a penchant for the element of darkness and space...

The woman wasn't sure what she expected...

Perhaps a part of her heart longed for the return of the person she longed for and refused to accept reality at any cost...

No...

It couldn't end this way.

The hanyard that the man had bonded with bore the same stigma as the creatures present here. But did that mean something? Or was it just a simple coincidence?

The woman couldn't give a correct answer to the question that plagued her.

Snap

The woman's nails shot out breaking.

" Just a little more... just a few days... I'm sure it's him. "

" Stop it! "

The figure of a scantily clad woman emerged from the shadows. Her charms were tightly concealed by wild vegetation, tightly clinging to her sun-drenched complexion. Between her golden hair, braided unique autumn leaves. Each of them was covered with strange runes, from which it is better to stay away.

" Don't you understand that what you are doing is even worse than betrayal? You compare it, to this thing! It's pathetic... "

The exotic woman even hissed through clenched teeth. Anger grew in her throbbing veins. She would have long since served justice for her former master's insult, had she not been standing in the heart of a death trap. One mistake, and she would be swallowed up by the magical formation.

Those who knew her called her the first and only child of Mother Nature. In terms of understanding and power over nature, she outclassed both allies and opponents. In this particular aspect, she had no equal.

" ... "

A heavy sigh escaped from the mouth of the man hidden behind the mask. A simple dark blue cloak rested on his shoulders, effectively obscuring the silhouette of the mysterious visitor.

His distorted and metallic voice sounded as if it had passed through a series of low-quality filters.

" Don't misunderstand her Oriana... we also want him to come back... but it's been too long... how long has it been? Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of years? Maybe... it's the right time to serve? "

" ... "

The exotic beauty interjected.

" What are we even talking about? There are a handful of us left ... and some of us didn't even bother to come here ... "

There was pain and a hint of self-loathing in the woman's bright green eyes. The words she wanted to say never found their way through her throat.

" Sigh... The balance of power has long since changed... Given that this thing is him and by some miracle will come back to life, what guarantee do we have that we won't be crushed? "

There was silence in the room. Each of the beings present averted their eyes. Everyone had been thinking about the same thing for a long time, but no one had the courage to take the first step.

" You should remember who it got in the way of and how it ended last time... ".

The woman clenched her fists with all her might.

Kap, Kap, Kap

At the place where the drops of blood that shone brightly fell, wild vegetation sprouted. Unwanted weeds immediately withered under the influence of the hostile environment.

" I don't know about you...but I want to live...You can call me a traitor...you can hate me...but I won't sacrifice everything for some brat who may not be one... "

Oriana raised a forlorn look. The expressions she saw on the faces of her former comrades didn't fill her with optimism.

It wouldn't hurt to try one last time...

" What if you are wrong? What if you are all wrong? What if... "

Oriana wasn't allowed to finish. In the middle of her sentence, she was interrupted by Mother Nature's favorite child.

" If I am wrong... I will be the first to come here to beg for forgiveness and mercy... if I don't get it... I am able to accept the consequences... If the master demands my head, I will deliver it to him myself... I swear in the name of the great Nenneke, if I don't keep the above words, my soul will be annihilated. "

The stigma adorning the stranger's wrist broke, dissolving into the air.

" I am sorry Oriana ... but I willn't wait any longer ... ".

The woman didn't wait for an answer. Along with her words, she was engulfed by the roots of the trees, of which a moment later not the slightest trace remained.

Oriana's eyes reflecting the thousands of sparkling stars in the night sky, looked disdainfully at the grim faces of her former comrades. One doesn't need to be clairvoyant to predict their future actions.

" Don't take it personally, we just want to survive. "

Swish

With a deft flick of his wrist, the creature hiding its face behind the mask ripped off his right hand. Reacting even faster, it burned a fresh wound before blood flooded the floor.

The severed limb wriggled and thrashed before it was enveloped in pitch-black flames.

The stench, which was almost vomit-inducing, spread through the tightly sealed room.

Removing the stigma wasn't one of the easiest things to do. The late Dungeon Master may have been naive but not stupid. If someone wanted to get rid of his " favor, " he had to offer something of equal value.

Mother Nature's favorite was one of the few exceptions. As one of the few, she was able to defy the laws of the universe to a minimal degree.

The rest were not so lucky. They had to give something back in return.

And so, the floor of the once tidy room was bathed in a mixture of disgusting liquid, in no way resembling human blood.

One by one, Oriana led away with her eyes the former comrades who had become dead in her eyes.

The procedure of self-mutilation continued until there were only two people left in the room.

" Why did you still stay here? "

Oriana didn't bother to look at the man who stayed with her until the end.

The orange-haired man sat next to the woman in silence, looking intently at the image reflected in the sheet of water.

" I thought it would be nice to say goodbye... After all, you saved my skin a few times. "

" Is that all you have to say? "

The man felt a subtle sting of regret, hearing Oriana's cold and emotionless words.

" Sigh... My proposal still stands, should you ever change your mind... ".

The man received a bloodthirsty look in response. Apparently, these were the only emotions the woman could bestow on him.

" Try to understand us... unlike you, or that fucking hag, we didn't inherit an impregnable fortress. And so we endured for a long time, hiding from them... "

The pressure exerted by Oriana suddenly increased... If a man wanted to die, he did well.

" We were given an ultimatum by Oriana... they got tired of playing cat and mouse... either we break off all contact with the master, or we can say goodbye to life... Don't blame them for what happened... "

" Silence! "

A simple dagger, created from stardust, materialized in Oriana's hand.

With the remnants of common sense, the woman restrained herself so as not to sink it into the traitor's heart.

" It was nice to see you ... I hope you'll let me come visit again someday. Goodbye, Oriana. "

Boom

A violent flame erupted beneath the man's feet, devouring him completely within seconds.

The only trace that marked his presence was a hand left on the ground.

~~~ End Of The Volume 1 ~~~.

~~~~ (Prologue) ~~~~.

(A/N Ramiel isn't the reincarnation of anyone. Just a reminder, as if anyone forgot.)

(2 A/N Well, we have reached the end of the prologue. Now the real fun begins. Open world, we will finally get out of the dungeon and get more space, then we will get even more dungeon and related stuff ><. Finally, it will be possible to develop normally.< p>

If you stuck with me through Volume 1, I'm glad, and I hope we'll get through Volume 2 together. If possible, I'll post chapters as often as my time allows. 

P.S. I think I will take a week's break, before starting Volume 2. 22.01- 28.01. See you in the next chapter. You can leave feedback on what you think of the Novel, what annoys you, and what you like.

2P.S. If I were you, I wouldn't get attached to the characters who will start appearing in the story from now on. Nobody is untouchable, not even Ramiel. )