?

The space is quiet apart from the never-ending stream of water flowing through the air. Stairs and walls float around, twisting and locking into each other, creating an ever-changing maze of stone. Currently, they stand in an open space with few floating structures, surrounded by a shimmering river that flows through the air, casting reflections that dance like living light across the room. The air is thick with mana, the atmosphere pulsating with an eerie, almost hypnotic rhythm.

'Who is he? Is he a boss monster?' Kael sighs, looking around. 'This is strange though... Why haven't we gotten a test window?'

Clenching her bow tightly, Ryua glares at the creature before her, ready to strike at any given moment. "What are you?" she demands. 'The pressure it's emitting is higher than an evolved SS rank monster. I need to calm down; it's not aggressive.'

"What am I?" His voice is ethereal, a soft, calm, and soothing melody that seems to resonate with the very mana in the air. The creature walks casually on air, each step causing ripples in the floating river. "Should I feel vexed by your impoliteness, or should I be grateful that my presence is now a mystery?" He smiles, a mixture of amusement and melancholy in his eyes.

Stopping four meters away, the creature calmly looks up, standing on their level despite his ability to fly. "No need to fret, your deaths would be no more than the snapping of twigs to beings such as myself. I am merely here to test the intruders."

Kael examines him from top to bottom. 'I feel like I should know who he is. I have a theory, but I can't confirm it until I reach the lowest floor. Hey System, can you do me a favor and tell me what he is?'

[ꉂ (´∀｀)ʱªʱªʱª]

[No]

[To clarify, I can't tell you what 'he' is since you'll find out sooner or later]

'Tsk, useless as always.' With a heavy breath, Kael speaks, "You're here to test us? So... are you this floor's boss?"

Gripping her bow, Ryua tightens her hold on Kael's shoulder. "Don't trust a word he says. This whole dungeon is manipulative, and every boss monster is a master of deception." Her breaths are calm, but her eyes are anything but.

The creature tilts his head slightly, his golden eye dazzling. The light around him dims slightly as he smiles, extending his arm and pointing at Ryua with a glowing white nail. "Human tendencies towards distrust never change, but I advise you to show respect, young lady. I'm not like those other foolish creatures." Lowering his arm, he closes his eyes and turns around. "Given your past with your old companions, I won't pursue your lack of respect."

Ryua's eyes widen, gritting her teeth as she raises her bow. "What did you say?" she growls. "How do you know?"

"Hey, stop it! He's not attacking us. Acting recklessly won't help the situation! I don't know what he's talking about, but don't let him taunt you." Kael whispers, trying to push her arms down. 'Shit, she's letting her emotions take control. We can't fight him until we figure out what the test is.'

"Shut up! What do you know, huh!? You're just a kid!" She grits her teeth, her body exuding a blast of mana, 'He shouldn't know a thing unless he was there to witness it.'

The creature tilts his head, his smile turning into a curious frown. "How biased of you. You claim he does not comprehend?" He smiles, taking a step forward with calm confidence, the reflection of his wings shining through the flowing water nearby. "I would say he understands the term 'acting recklessly won't help!' more than you." He changes his tone to a higher pitch, a pitch Kael never thought he'd hear.

Kael takes a step back, his knees trembling, his eyes wide open as he stares at the creature. "W-what d-did you say..." His voice trembles, his hands twitch as he covers his mouth and swallows.

"What was that!?" Ryua turns to Kael, then glares back at the creature. 'An ancient language? Did he curse the boy?'

Lifting a finger to tap his chin, the creature opens his eyes again. "How intriguing. I've never seen such a civilization..." He smiles, looking Kael dead in the eye before turning to Ryua. "You seem to know nothing of him. You delude yourself with the idea that no one has suffered as much as you." He smiles, turning back to Kael. "He, on the other hand, hides behind the reasoning that others suffer a worse fate."

"You..." Ryua's mana soars in a spiral. "Don't..." Slowly turning a brighter blue that surrounds her from above. "Know..." It moves to life, her tattoo glowing a bright blue, burning her skin. "Anything..." She growls in a low, cold tone, shooting a blast of energy with her bow directly at him. 

Looking up, the creature nods in approval. "The blessing of a blue phoenix, a worthy achievement. To 'phoenix cry...' how sad." He lifts his hand, and before the blue flames reach him, they stop and disperse. "You lack control over your flames."

Kael gasps for air, holding his trembling hand as he looks at the creature with wide eyes. 'Shit... Shit... he replicated her voice...' He grits his teeth, holding his head. 'What's her name... what's her name... I know it, I know it, I have to...'

"You won't find your answer. Your mind is near breaking point, and yet despite that, you manage to stay sane." The creature's eyes glare at them, snapping his fingers. Two rifts appear, and two figures walk out, confounding and confusing with no apparent details. They clearly resemble humans but look like they are made of nothing but mist. One is a man holding a misty sword, and the other is a woman holding what seems like a misty crowbar.

"Defeat them, and I'll send you on your way," the creature exhales with a warm smile.

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

Boom!

The misty crowbar stops right before hitting Kael. "I almost forgot." The creature extends his hand. "I'll temporarily remove your restrictions," he says, looking at Ryua before a white light shines over her. Turning to Kael, his smile disappears. "As for you... there's not much I can do. Good luck."

'What!? She gets a free pass but I don't? I didn't even notice the attack until the thing was straight up in my face.' Jumping back, Kael and Ryua make eye contact.

Turning to Kael, her eyes are cold. "Don't die, 'spy.'" She pushes down and jumps onto a different set of floating stairs. 'He mentioned a different civilization and used a language that guy understood. He's not from the Great Empire or the mercenary guild. He must be a spy from the demon continent. He better not survive.' She looks at the misty figure with a sword. "T-this isn't real," she mumbles under her breath.

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

The figure runs on the air and slashes down at her with a constantly tilting diagonal sword. 'That's... that's the dancing frame technique.' Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! She jumps from stair to stair, quickly backing up. "N-no... why is it using your technique, Nio?" she stutters, clenching her gun and stabilizing her trembling hands. 'This is not real.' She exhales heavily.

Bang!

Bang!

Slashing down, the misty figure cuts down the bullets, causing a shockwave.

Boom!

Clash!

*Cough* *Cough* Crashing down into a set of walls, Kael grits his teeth, standing up and looking down at his trembling gloved hand. 'I barely managed to block with Umbra, but that crowbar... crowbars don't exist in this world. They have klints, which have two handles on them.' He breathes heavily, clenching onto his heart as his heart rate skyrockets. "N-no, this shouldn't be possible," he exhales under his breath, sweating profusely.

"You shouldn't be started by the figure after you, magic can achieve the unachievable. After all, here you stand before me. I'm genuinely surprised, you're a lot older than you seem," the creature says, sitting down on a stone chair.

"Shut up... I don't want to hear shit from someone invading minds," Kael mumbles, his black glove slowly extending as Umbra reshapes itself into its original form.

Boom!

Umbra clashes against the misty crowbar, sending a shockwave that pushes any surrounding objects away. "Tsk, s-so... strong..." he grits his teeth, circulating his mana and aura around his body. 'Ilka, I'm sorry I opened my eyes earlier. You'll forgive me for this, right? I mean, this thing is strong!'

The misty figure lunges again, swinging the crowbar horizontally. Kael ducks, countering with a swift strike to the ribs, but the figure dissipates and reforms behind him, swinging down. Kael pivots on his heel, blocking with Umbra and pushing back with a burst of aura.

Ryua leaps from a floating staircase, her bow drawn. 'Explosive Arrow!' she shouts in her mind, releasing a fiery arrow that detonates upon impact, causing a massive explosion. The misty figure is momentarily dispersed, but quickly reforms, undeterred by the blast.

Swoosh!

Ryua lands gracefully, nocking another arrow. 'Piercing Light!' The arrow glows with intense light as she releases it. The projectile cuts through the air, piercing the misty figure's chest, creating a blinding flash. The figure stumbles, but recovers, its form wavering.

Kael takes advantage of the bright distraction, lunging forward with a series of rapid strikes, each movement fluid and precise. He dodges a counter-swing, sliding low and sweeping the figure's legs. The misty form tumbles, but rebounds with a backflip, landing on a nearby floating wall.

'These things are fast and strong but easily predictable. I can beat them.' By some miracle, both Ryua and Kael have the exact same thought.

'I should be able to end it in one strike,' Kael thinks with an exhale, coating Umbra with aura until it solidifies. Ryua looks at the misty figure's sword. 'I found its core...' Taking a deep breath, she closes her eyes, and her bow slowly starts emitting a golden-blue hue. "So long, imposter," she mumbles under her breath, opening her eyes.

"𝕋𝕖𝕒𝕞 𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕣..." The misty figure speaks, extending its hand out. Ryua's hands tremble, holding her bow, and she grits her teeth. 'He's not real, he's not real, he's not real,' she feeds her bow more and more mana.

"ℙ𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖..." it speaks, walking closer. Ryua's eyes water, and she trembles.

"S-SHUT UP! YOU'RE NOT REAL!" She yells, gritting her teeth. A faint smile can be seen on the misty figure. It runs closer, but not too close or fast.

"ℙ𝕦𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕓𝕠𝕨 𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕜 𝕦𝕡 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕤𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕!" it yells at her, its voice filled with emotions.

"S-SHUT UP!" She yells as tears drip down. "𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕔𝕒𝕟'𝕥 𝕕𝕚𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕦𝕤... 𝕀𝕥'𝕝𝕝 𝕙𝕦𝕣𝕥 𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕕𝕖." It gets closer until it's only a couple of feet away. Ryua grits her teeth, unable to let the string go.

'I finally got you!' Kael slashes down as he fights across the room, lost somewhere in-between stairs. Umbra slashes down at full might.

BOOM!

Kael's eyes widen as the misty person he was fighting suddenly disappears, and the misty male figure takes her place. 'It doesn't matter, I can still get it!' Kael smirks.

𝖙𝖚-𝖙𝖚𝖒 / 𝖙𝖚-𝖙𝖚𝖒𝖕

𝖙𝖚-𝖙𝖚𝖒 / 𝖙𝖚-𝖙𝖚𝖒𝖕

𝖙𝖚-𝖙𝖚𝖒 / 𝖙𝖚-𝖙𝖚𝖒𝖕

'What's going on...' he blinks as time slows down. 'Everything's so slow...'

"Got you." The voice of the creature can be heard throughout the room as he smiles from his seat.

-

It's a dark, quiet night in the city. The flickering of the streetlight above the bench is the only sound that can be heard, casting sporadic shadows over the scene. A beautiful girl, no older than sixteen, stands beneath the trembling light. Tears stream down her face, but her expression is one of pure anger. Her striking bright blue eyes shine fiercely in the dim light. Wearing a dirty, ripped-up black school uniform, she steps back, clutching it to avoid exposure. Her messy black hair falls down to her waist, with a single strand of hazel and white standing out against the dark locks.

"I told you to leave me alone! LEAVE ME ALONE! FuCK! You're always somewhere else, doing your own thing! Why talk to me now of all times!?" Her voice echoes through the empty street, filled with a mix of rage and desperation.

The man on the bench stands up, the darkness concealing most of his face. His hands tremble as he extends them towards her. "I-I know, I-I try, but I need to work..." he says, his voice stuffy and constantly cracking. He takes a hesitant step forward, his hands still reaching out. "P-Pleease just tell me who did it."

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! YOU'RE JUST GOING TO MAKE IT WORSE! YOU NEVER DO ANYTHING RIGHT!" she yells, shoving him away with all her strength.

"I-I, I... please just tell me..." Tears drip down his face. 

-

'This memory... I... I remember this. T-this...' Kael struggles to think, falling to his knees. The misty figure pushes him down. Ryua's eyes widen, stumbling to the floor as the female figure with the crowbar appears in front of her, slamming her against a wall. 'W-what is this... I don't know any place like that. Who is that woman?'

-

The small military camp is alive with the crackling of a bonfire and the mingled scents of smoke and earth. Tents are pitched haphazardly around the clearing, casting long shadows in the flickering firelight. Soldiers, both men and women, move about, some chatting animatedly, others performing routine checks on their gear. The rhythmic clinking of swords and the occasional murmur of voices blend into a symphony of camaraderie.

"Okay, everyone, let's celebrate!" a young woman yells, her voice cutting through the night air. She stands out in her black uniform, a stark contrast to the others' brown ones. Her long black hair gleams in the firelight, and her eyes are striking—one black, the other a vivid blue. "This is going to be our last mission before our contract ends! Let's celebrate! Yeah!" She lifts a jar of strong beer, chugging it with a wide grin.

"Pfffhahahahahaha!" The others burst into laughter, sitting in a circle around the bonfire. "Team leader is drinking again, everyone get ready to fight!" they yell, their laughter echoing in the night as they drink and joke together.

"Oi, team leadeeeer," one of the boys smirks, stepping forward. He has a buzz cut, but his brown-red hair is already growing back out, and his green eyes twinkle under the bonfire's glow. "Come on, team leader~ Our mission is tomorrow, you're always thoroughly planning everythinggg, come on, let's go double-check our plan," he sighs, tugging her shoulder playfully.

Pushing him away with a smirk, she grabs a glass and stuffs it into his mouth. "Come on, Nio~ The commander planned everything out, so let's celebrate a bit~ This is going to be an easy mission, hahahahaha~" she laughs, the sound blending with the night.

-