The Fall of Dungeons (1)

A week has passed since the portal opened, only for the hunters to close it. There were low casualties, and the news has been talking about it for days without rest.

The people were wondering if more dungeons were going to come again. But this time, monsters will come out while hunters and porters do not have to go in.

The government tried to assuage the civilians' concern by telling them they have everything under control, but Neban did not believe it because he knew what is to come.

The only thing was that he did not know when the clan and Mother that Siren spoke of would cross over. It made him worry about Theo whenever they went out because a portal can open up at anytime.

"Papa, can we get some yogurt?" Theo asked from his seat in the basket, cutting off Neban's thoughts.

Neban looked at his son, nodding while he pushed the basket to the yogurt section. He could not help and gaze at the food while sighing a bit; there was mostly healthy food inside.

He turned on the cooking channel once and kept it on when Theo showed an interest. The only reason they are buying groceries is that Theo begged him to visit the store. Now, Theo only wants to get a ton of healthy food instead of junk food that four-year-olds tend to eat.

Theo was too mature for his age; maybe he should put on cartoons once in a while for him.

Once they reached the yogurt section, Neban parked the basket close while Theo stood up from the back of the basket and looked at the yogurts he picked up, reading them.

Neban chuckled at the scene in front of him. Sometimes it felt like his son was more of an adult than him.

As he turned around to look at what was near him, Neban saw someone he did not want to see walking towards him.

A few feet from him was a woman with black hair cut in a short bob and dark brown eyes with two vertical moles under the left one; a scar was present on her cheek, moving to her lips. But that did not disrupt her beauty.

She was wearing a jacket that was a bit unzipped at the top, showing a little of her cleavage while she finished the look with sweatpants.

There was a smirk present on her face as she stopped in front of Neban.

Neban could not help but check if his hood and fake glasses were still on. He also made sure to keep his anger in check and not murder anyone in public.

"Hello, Obsidian. Or should I use your real name that the government discovered?" The woman teased.

Neban gritted his teeth as he clenched his fist, "Luka, we have no business, so I advise you to leave."

Luka laughed before moving closer to where they were barely an inch apart. "So mean. It is the same as when you slept with me, then kicked me out before I had the time to rest."

"Luka," Neban warned.

He was ten seconds from pulling out a small blade and discreetly stabbing her.

Smirking, Luka pulled back before glancing at Neban's son. Neban stepped in front of her stare as he glared while putting up his hand that was counting down.

Luka laughed, "I'm leaving, but know it won't be the last time you will see Angel or me. And keep a good watch on the boy; you don't want what happened two years ago to start again." Then she walked off, waving her hand behind her.

Neban took a few deep breaths before turning back around, gripping the basket's handle. Theo was still looking at the yogurts, not paying attention to what happened seconds ago, which Neban was grateful for.

"Theo, hurry and pick one; I am ready to go home," Neban told him.

"Okay," Theo said before picking the one in his left hand and setting down the other, "I'm ready."

****

When they returned home, Neban turned on the news after bringing the bags inside. He and Theo were putting the groceries up as they listened to the news channel.

As they were close to finishing, there was a knock at the door. "Stay in the kitchen," Neban told Theo as he walked to the front door, opening it.

On the other side were Isona and Wey. When they saw him opening the door, they smiled. Neban felt warm when he saw their smiles.

Isona moved forward, grabbing Neban's fake glasses, pulling them off. "We don't need these."

Wey laughed at that before he did the same as Isona, except Wey pulled Neban's hood back. "I agree with Isona. I like seeing you."

Neban did not say anything as he ran his hand through his hair before moving out the way to allow them to walk in.

Once Wey and Isona were inside, Neban closed the door behind him as he started walking back to the kitchen. Wey and Isona followed him.

Theo was standing by the kitchen's door, looking like he wanted to run out but listened to Neban by staying. When he saw Wey and Isona, the boy widely smiled.

"Isona! Wey!" Theo excitedly said before running towards them and simultaneously hugging them. Wey and Isona bent down a bit as they patted Theo's back.

"Good to see you too, Theo." Isona smiled.

"Hey, little guy. What are you doing?" Wey spoke.

Theo moved back before saying, "Papa is going to teach me how to cook food."

Neban looked at his son with a raised eyebrow; he does not remember ever saying he would or Theo asking him. "I am?"

Theo nodded as he picked up the food he did not put up, standing on his toes while trying to put them on the counter. Neban took the food from him and set it on the countertop.

"Oh, how exciting. Can Neban teach us too?" Isona asked, smirking at Neban. Wey chuckled.

Neban sighed as Theo nodded. And this is how he spent the last hour teaching not only his son but Isona and Wey how to make chicken piccata.

As Theo was making the final touches, Wey and Isona surrounded Neban, blocking off his escape path.

"Isona and I were wondering if you want to go to Malin's Bakery tomorrow?" Wey started.

"It is fine if you cannot; we can hang here instead," Isona added.

Neban stared at them before glancing over at Theo. He rather not leave his son alone, especially if Angel and Luka are around. "We can stay here tomorrow."

Isona and Wey nodded before they kissed him on his cheeks, walking away right after. Neban's face was warm as he touched both his cheeks.

"Finished," Theo shouted before turning towards his dad, only to see his face was red, "papa, are you okay? Are you getting sick?"

Wey and Isona were silently laughing while Neban shook his head, "I am fine. Let's eat in the living area."

Theo stared at him for a while before nodding as he started fixing plates for everyone. Neban walked behind him while smiling as he watched his son. 'Such a mature boy.' Neban thought.

Once Theo finished, they grabbed their plates and moved to the living area, sitting on the couches as they watched the news.

Well, they ignored the TV as Theo happily talked with Isona and Wey. Neban would pitch in now and then but stayed quiet for most of the time.

'I have been bored for the past few days; when will we go back to the dungeons, so I can eat?' Siren complained.

Siren has been complaining for a week now since Neban had stayed home. He has not been back at a dungeon since the incident with Trickster. Xan has not given him any jobs as the man became very busy with the Porter Company.

'Soon. Stop complaining; I am tired of hearing it.' Neban answered.

But maybe he spoke too soon because once he uttered those words, the ground started to shake like the last time when a portal appeared.

'Is it happening again?' Neban thought as he held on to his and Theo's plate that was threatening to fall.

Theo, Wey, and Isona seemed to grab him as they used Neban to keep their balance on the couch.

The shaking ground did not last long as it stopped, but the TV seemed to have grown louder as they heard the news person say:

"On Kore and Lona Street, four low-level dungeons have broken down, closing for good as the buildings fell apart. Luckily enough, no monsters have no came out, so this was not a dungeon break.

"But, I advise citizens to steer clear of the dungeons; we do not know when they will fall, which could cause an accident. If you are near one, please move away from it.

"And as of right now, hunters and porters cannot enter a dungeon for fear of it breaking down on you when you are inside. Please be on standby for any news from your company. The government is trying to figure out what to do."

After they heard the news, Isona spoke first, "How will we make money now if dungeons are down?"

Wey did not know how to respond as he stared at the screen. Neban was also silent as Siren started speaking again.

'Dungeons are falling, meaning that Mother believes they are not needed anymore. Note that once all dungeons are gone, it could mean Mother and the clans are crossing over at full power.' Siren stated.

There were currently 63 dungeons in the country; Neban did not like what he heard one bit.