Royalty

Bloodied and beaten, Amon lay in torn rags atop a grand tree.

It'd been a week already, and after the first day, his mind had cooled down and fully assimilated the seriousness of the situation.

In seven days, he hadn't been able to kill any other monster or even find a water source as he stood starved, thirsty, and without any energy.

The only reason he was still able to advance and survive was his gift of growth, which allowed him to rapidly get used to such a state.

Over the past few days, beyond that, he'd gotten very familiar with all the perks of the system. Unfortunately, Mordred still wasn't aware of what the clear conditions were.

This meant that either this was a new type of dungeon not within Mordred's accessible data, or for some reason, the dungeon's 'Quest' hadn't begun, seemingly waiting for a trigger.

If it was the second, it meant this might not be a reactive dungeon in the first place.

'Seven days...'

As said, these last few days had allowed him to cool down, but this also meant it allowed his mind to fully heal from the trauma he'd gotten after he nearly died crushed under the weight of the crumbling military facility.

This clarity allowed him to regain his usually calm and relatively collected bearing, but it also allowed worry and grief to suffuse through his soul.

His father had died. It wasn't a dream. And when he eventually made it back to Earth, he'd be once again put on trial for his death.

It was maddening.

'One day at a time.'

His gaze narrowed, and he looked in the distance where he saw a beast that could be said to be a deer.

It had all the perks and features of a deer, with the only exception being that atop its head, a crown of beautiful red flames could be seen.

He'd tried asking Mordred what this beast was, but apparently, until he cleared this dungeon, his system would be greatly limited in terms of information.

'If I had a bow, it'd make it much safer, but unfortunately, I don't know how to make one. Actually, if this beast has fire abilities like the cat, maybe it wouldn't have worked either way.'

He hesitated.

'Should I go for it or should I go look for hel—'

His thoughts suddenly halted as his heart seemingly stilled.

Upon his neck, a cold blade was pressing against his skin, drawing blood.

"Don't move."

The feminine voice was laced with a formless type of authority as Amon felt that at that moment, he wouldn't have been able to move even if he wanted to.

Just as the voice was about to speak again, a strange scene played out.

The blade pressed against Amon's throat turned to ash, and before the woman could react, her legs were swept by Amon, and she found herself falling flat on her back, Amon already upon her as a sharp branch pressed into her chest.

Amon looked at the woman, and his expression remained the same.

She was young, perhaps in her mid-twenties, with long crimson hair and a face full of battle scars. The silver armor she wore told all that needed to be said.

Her cold, golden eyes reflected unwillingness and shock as she couldn't believe what had just happened.

Had a mere awakener taken her down? An untrained one at that? Without using aether?!

Before her rage got the better of her and she did something she'd regret, a voice echoed, reaching them both.

"Haha! That was nice, boy!" Amon turned to look at a man who stood mere inches behind him.

He was tall, full of muscles, and was entirely without hair, whether it be his face or head, as his warm golden eyes radiated hope and familiarity.

Just like the woman, he wore armor of silver parts, and his inner seatings were entirely black, giving him the look of an elite.

"But you ought to be more careful—" The man clapped his hands, and Amon suddenly panicked, all his senses having been stripped away from him. "The world is vast, and the mysteries of aether are beyond comprehension, boy. Do not let your arrogance shadow your reason."

When he regained his senses, Amon found the woman standing next to the man, a frown etched on her face as the former bore a smile of utter and absolute purity.

"Hello, young man, I'm Abel." The man introduced himself. "We were sent here by the third prince of Kandria after he sensed a ripple in the force. Thankfully, you're not a monster." The man laughed.

Though outwardly, Amon remained calm and stoic, inwardly, he was as panicked as ever. The power he felt from the man was terrifying.

Within that moment where his senses had been stripped away from him, he could've very well died! Without being able to do anything about it!

He sucked in a cold breath.

"Unfortunately, because you're an otherworlder, you must be brought to the royal court, but do not worry, they'll treat you well."

Seeing Amon's expression pale and his calm vanish, Abel laughed even more as the red-haired woman sneered.

"Oh come on, surely you didn't think you'd be able to hide such a thing from me? From us? You must come from a rather young planet then."

Abel waved his hands, and from the surroundings, white flames suddenly manifested, gathering to form a gigantic phoenix.

Without asking or warning Amon, he grabbed him by the nape like a kitten and jumped onto the phoenix of fire.

Amon, who had given up the idea of resistance, couldn't help but be awed as he watched the man shock him once more as he summoned this entity of fire.

Would he, too, one day be able to wield such powers? With such ease and might?

Despite his situation, Amon couldn't help but be excited as he looked forward to the future.

Seeing the sparks of hope within Amon's gaze, the red-haired woman's expression softened, not out of fondness but rather out of pity.

Oh, how she pitied him.

'If only he...'