Interlude

-Floor 25-

Belial and his 3 rowdy companions move accross the 25th floor mirror maze, aside from the conspicuous treasure chest. There have been no enemies so far. Much to Ifrit dismay

"Where are the monsters , mortal I wanted to test myself against them!.its not fair that Flamma gets the 1st encounter." Ifrit says shadowboxing

"Ifrit, perhaps you scared the enemies off with your antics.besides monsters prefer inauspicious targets like Flamma." Ignis says mockingly

"You two!, stop it i didn't encounter them on purpose." Flamma pouts cutely

"Not all enemies appear physically, besides this is the tricksters maze. We ought to be careful."

' We? ' Belial skin crawls at the thought of plurarity, since when had he considered those three anything but pawns and fodder. Could Flamma be right? Could there still be some good nestled deep in his heart? Whatever the case might be , he's got more pressing matters at his hand.

Mirrors begin to glow and change shape, the scene changes to that of his past.

He looks to his left and right to find his 'companions' gone, Belial blinks once , twice and thrice in an effort to wake up.

"This isn't real." He says matter of factly

These were scenes of his childhood, the life he'd buried surfacing like that.

"Don't look at me." He says gesturing to a man

The spiral continues , for not even Belial is immune to mental attacks. It didn't take long for him to figure out the loophole.

He'd ask the projections trivial questions of what they are doing here , where have they been, and discerning the discrepancy of their characteristics.

"You aren't them, Ludere show yourself!." His aura leaks shattering the mirrors that entrapped him, revealing 3 ugly trolls.

"H-how." The monster says before a spell pierces its head

Belial casts an ice spell summoning icicles and pierces the other 2.

"Hmmm, that was brief the enemies here hide behind their boss trickery. Such things aren't a challenge for a quick adept mind , however those 3 I'd reckon need my help."

Belial walks through the mirror maze as it projects stages of his life, unfortunately for Ludere the illusions break just as they arrive. It took Belial an hour of trecking to find one of the 3 dragon siblings

Flamma was surrounded by treasure chests all around , she opens each and every chest unaware that what she's holding were flesh eating maggots.

The maggots suck on her blood as she showers in what Belial thought she'd assume to be gold

"Wake up Flamm!." Belial shouts at the pinkish red dragon

The pink dragon looks at Belial, her expression turns frenzied.

"You're here for my treasure, you bastard!."

Belial stood stupified as the typically pleasant Flamma would have never ised strong language. Soon his thoughts are interrupted as Flamma starts clawing him

He easily dodges the strikes and begins to speak

"What do you think you're doing attacking me like this..." he won't hold back , is what he ought have said however. Something prevents him from doing so

"My treasure , mine and mine alone!." Flamma continues cutring the mirrors in her path as Belial dodges

"Such a hassle." He sighs as he prepares an incantation

-thunder bolt-

With ease he unleashes a series of Lightning attacks , Flamma now paralyzed from the shock ceased moving. Belial stepped forward and with a single flick of his finger infused some of his mana through her forehead.

"W-what , how did I end up this way." She looks at the sea of maggots clinging to her body in disgust as she shakes them off

"You were under Ludere's influence, her illusion magic reflects your deepest desires and projects them through her mirrors." He said smiling at his companion

"*sigh*, i can't believe I fell for a simple illusion magic and yet I was supposed to be the responsible elder sister ."

"I didn't ask for a sister, besides a responsible dragon wouldn't run fleeing at some random treasure chest." Belial rebuttals flickering her forehead again

"Rude!, I can't believe the mouth on this little one." She goes on a tirade as Belial walks away

"When were you separate from your siblings?." Belial asks changing the course of the conversation.

Flamma in deep thought recalls the events leading to their separation

"We went out to look for you , when Ignis suggested we abandon you and Ifrit nodded along saying it was troublesome to search for a mortal. From then on things divulged into an argument with Ifrit and Ignis that's when we saw wyverns.. I believe this was the last of my memories."

"Hmmm, could those be Ludere minions." He recalls the Trolls he encountered believing this to be no coincidence to write of.

"I'd reckon so as well." Flamma reading his mind nods affirmatively

The two walk through the mirror maze searching for a trace of the 2 adolescent dragons until they stop and hear wails

"Waaaaah!."

"Ifrit you numbskull!, you said you'd play with me after sparring with Father. I'm telling Flamma you lied, just you Wait!."

"Flamma!, You're telling her. w-wait Ignis I'll play with you intact you can have all the picture books I've stolen from those humans."

"E-even the lady knight book."

"Yes even that!."

"Thank you Ifrit, I love you!."

Flamma and Belial watch in horror as Ignis the normally cool and collected Dragon regress to a childlike state , gleefully holding a mage goblins book. The mage goblin stealthily unsheathes a cursed dagger ready to stab the unaware Ignis.

Fortunately for the Dragon , my presence thwarted the attempt on his life with a simple wind gale I push the Goblin away

Failing to kill the Goblin, it stands up and yells for Ignis to help

"I-its the mortals Ignis, help your brother!."

Ignis drops his book and stares us down, he fails to recognize his sister Flamma , and begins attacking us. He summons fire balls from his palms and fires

"Tch, the same as last time." Belial says clicking his tongue

"How dare you mortals harm my brother." Ignis enraged unleashes more spells

Fires rage on as Belial dodges every attempt, Flamma frantically runs for cover as he prepares a counterattack of his own

"Can't you tell , Ignis its me Flamma." Flamma yells out

"Lies Flamma is sleeping right there!." He says pointing to a dead goblin warrior

"That's a dead goblin, you believe this thing is me." Flamma fumed at the thought and could no longer hide

She runs at Ignis tackling him to the ground and clawing at him

"That hideous thing isn't me!."

"You lie mortal , I'll kill you for impersonating my sister!" He pushes Flamma away and attempts to cast

"Vines bind him!." Suddenly Vines appear on Belial orders they retrain Ignis.

"You lowlife mortal untie me!." Now squirming Ignis curses at Belial , who simply approaches him

Ignis always looked down on Mortals, even ones as strong as Belial don't impress him. His purpose for joining the party was to see that arrogant mortal drop to his knees.

Alas Belial had no desire to entertain him, with gait he walked over the hypnotized dragon and infused his mana into him which broke the illusion apart.

"W-what are you doing dragon, kill them now." Said the panicked goblin mage

"What,where am I, more importantly." Ignis glares at the Goblin mage behind him, by activating a spell he burns the mage goblin to crisp.

The Goblin screams as his flesh turns to ash , Belial watched with disinterest he strode deep in the mirror maze.

"Ignis, to have fell for such balatant trickery. How could you mistake that thing for me!." Flamma pouted as the party proceeded to run across the maze

"This wasn't my fault, had you not distracted us by squabbling about that mortal here that lowly wyvern wouldn't have been able to pounce."

"Oh so now it's mine, I'll have you know that I seen everything. Little Ignis do not make tell Ifrit."

"A-anything but that Flamma." He says flustered

"Why not? You were adorable just like the old days." She reminisces.

"E-enough about me, look the portal's traversed a distance without us." In an attempt to divert Flamma , Ignis traces Belial ahead

"Belial, must you always exhaust yourself." Flamma says worried

Monsters of all types lay in wait just as the mirrors flash, Belial aware of the mirror activation thrashed spells as they come. His memories assail him in the process, leaving the trails of corpses behind he trecks forward towards an enormous door

"Ludere must be lying in wait along with Ifrit." He says turning to his two companions

"We have to save Ifrit!." Flamma flies next to Belial hurriedly

"He's alive, I feel his mana presence." Says Ignis

"Well you lot stay behind, I don't want you to slow me down." Belial says as a matter of fact

"We can't do that!, Ifrit needs us." Flamma exclaims

"I won't follow a mortals order, you deal with Ludere and leave our sibling's care to us." Says Ignis

"*sigh* Just don't die, I wouldn't want my conduits and my key out of here missing." He says before opening the door.

The 3 move in sync and enter a room fully fitted with mirrors on all corners, Ludere's vessel sits there and guarding him is Ifrit, noticeably bigger than last time.

Ludere isn't a combat type, solely relying on trickery his white transparent scales and red outlines gives him the appearance of a clown albeit dragonoid

'He's leveled up quite a bit' thinks Belial, he turns to his companions and asks "will you be fine on your own?." He asks

"We'll do fine right Ignis?." Flamma looks at her brother

"Mortal, you've come for that things essence, how we fare against our brother is none of your concern besides... this is a good opportunity to challenge myself." He says brimming with confidence

Belial smiled as he wordlessly left the 2 siblings behind, for his goal is none other than the XII dragons everything else is a distraction at best.

"Good day to you Ludere, to think I'd have let you explore and violate my mind like that, its unfortunate that i've long since discarded that weak excuse of an existence."

Belial unleashes a plethora of spells as he talks down to the trickester dragon , Ludere simply turns transparent as his retreat into the mirriors. They glow when queued by him.

silhouettes take shape those familiar to Belial he watches in disinterest, as the one who despised the most stood before him.

another mirror glows showing other people, Belial simply unleashes a quadruplicate spell four magic circles appear

each bear the lightning attribute

"tell me Ludere, how does it feel to watch your world fall apart?"

Belial unleashes the lightning across the room , shattering each and every familiar reflection in its wake

meanwhile

"Father!, you won't win this time"

Ifrit wholly convinced that hes fighting his father growls in rage, Salamander had always treated him like a hatchling and as per dragon's rite of passage a young dragon has to defeat its parent to be deemed an adult

"Ifrit, this is me Ignis!" Ignis shouts as he dodges Ifrits fiery breath

behind him Flamma lunges forward cutting some of the flames with her enchanted claws

"Ignis stay on your toes, Ifrit believes he's fighting father. We'll give him that fight until he's satisfied that, Belial is dealing with the source, watching his back is the least we could do"

"right that mortal is doing the hard work for us." gaining his composure Ignis shoots magic from his palms

fighting fire with fire, is unheard of but with dragons who specialize in elements casting elements other than their own is biologically impossible, adding to the fact that Ifrit had leveled up significantly since the group parted ways makes it an uphill battle.

"its 2 vs 1, Ifrit might be big but we have you as the brains." says Flamma pompously

"right, here's the plan!"

"that could work." says Flamma nodding 

Ignis will summon all his mana into meanwhile Flamma diverts his attention towards her, the two split each attending to their own tasks

"overhere, you numbskull!." 

Flamma with her sharpened claws slashing through his tough hide

Ifrit growls as he gives chase mumbling nonsense in his trance

"don't run away father!, fight me like a real dragon would." he bites hard in an attempt to gnaw on Flamma's bones , Flamma being an agile type flees from his strike

Ifrit swings his spiked tail in frustration to which she sidesteps and delivers a cut to keep his attention where it ought to be

"who said i'd fight a weakling like you." she says tauntingly 

Ifrit had completely fell for the provocation unleashes inferno, his father's special move flames escape the earth as they erupt in the room. Flamma looks at Ignis unsure , as he simply nods to her signalling a retreat.

"This is it." Ignis says as he redirects Ifrit's inferno via intricate webs of magic circles the fire erupting from the ground becomes a cell of his own making.

"good job Flamma"

"weren't you going to attack, why were you weaving magic circles like that?" she asks confused

"Ifrit is much stronger than me, besides i wanted to his flames against him and inferno is such an easy spell to take over unless it was casted by father or her" he says sighing

"i see.... and it looks like Belial is done over there."

Belial looks down on all that stood down his path, and Ludere's decaying vessel 

he materializes a sword and walks forward towards him and not Ludere as its soul is already escaping back to the other world

"this is how I imagined it'd be..." he says as he stabs a sword down the reflection's gut an aloof expression is all he could muster "yet i know that the real you, won't take this lying down." with a sigh he returns to the 3 siblings wondering how they fared.

"Ignis, Flamma. Why are you lot here." says Ifrit confused

"you don't remember?" asks flamma

"we were abducted by wyverns and it looks like Ludere took you here to his nest." says Ignis

"oh , you're right that aside. the lot of you look puny."

not long after Flamma and Ignis glow , Ignis grows slim like a snake while Flamma grows feathers resembling a phoenix 

"nevermind that, he must have defeated Ludere." says Ifrit as a matter of fact

"speak of the devil." says Ignis

"Welcome back Belial." says Flamma

"you three, lets move ahead."

"Belial, are you ok?" asks Flamma worried

"I'll be once we leave." he says as he turns his back on the siblings

Belial was not in the mind to question nor bring up the topic of the siblings evolution he strode ahead, wanting to leave the aftertaste of this foul dungeon behind.

To be continued