Dungeon center
Downtown district
Pele city
Nation of Haumea
5th August 285 A.G.M
The Light surrounded the room, and Ash could feel the twist within space as the rift sucked them all into infinite darkness. Ash's body popped out of the darkness, in the air, falling as gravity took hold of his body. He remained calm as he braced himself for the landing. The crash sent rocks everywhere, his body's reinforcement protecting him from getting hurt. He coughed, wiping the dust in the air away. Ash got out of the crater and checked his surroundings. He was on top of a field of yellow grass, a lone tree without leaves stood close to him. There was a bright light in the sky, a light that resembled the sun, but Ash could tell that it was a collection of pure Mana that was simulating daylight. He could hear the movements of water and when he turned around to check his left side, he found a stream of water. Out of Ash and Eren, Ash was the most knowledgeable one about a Dungeon. This wasn't his first time in one. He remembered as a child, going on Pilgrimages with his family to the Dungeon in the Holy Empire of Lumerion. Unlike the other six Dungeons in the world that was an attractive site for Adventurers, the Dungeon in the Lumerion empire was sacred and holy to Ash's people. He remembered the stories his mother used to tell him about their ancestor, Princess Neith, mother of the Asterion bloodline, and how she would make the trip to the Dungeon every dawn to make a prayer to her father, Menes, one of the Ancient gods. As a kid, Ash was scared of entering the dungeon. He had been a frail kid, not as strong as his older brother, nor was he mighty like his father. Ash didn't like thinking of his Father. He didn't have good memories of him, all he could remember was his Father's disappointment that Ash had not been blessed like his brother, Ishmael. Ash followed the stream, keeping an eye out for anything. His mood had soured thinking of his late family. Ash would rather think of anything than think of them right now. He wondered where Eren was. They had been separated upon their arrival inside the dungeon. Ash was sure that he would be alright. Eren might act and look like an idiot, but Ash knew he was smart and capable. As he kept on walking, he could see the signs that he was approaching a village. Dungeons were mysterious architecture that had existed within the world, long before the birth of the Primevals. Since the time of the First Age of Mana, only little bit of information about them had been revealed. They were believed to be Gateways that connected other worlds with their own. It was how mankind and the other folks had arrived in this world. And since Dungeons were pockets of space that bridged our world with that of other worlds, it was no surprise that some races from other places in the Universe were living within it. Even their side had institutions like the Global Hunters Association posted within the Dungeon where employees of the Association and their families could have a life within the place. The lower level of Dungeons was known to have the weakest level of dangers, and most of the areas within it had already been explored. It was the middle level and the higher level that was still being climbed. When he got as close to the gate of the village and hidden within a four-headed boulder, Ash pressed the first button so he could see the map. His plan was very simple. He needed to find territories that were being attacked by monsters. On the side of the map where he was, the village was listed as Goblin territory. There were rules and laws about the kind of monsters one could attack within the dungeons. Civilized territories like this one had a pact with the Hunters Association, so Adventurers or Hunters couldn't attack them. The beings within the village were probably the kind that had intelligence equal to humans. He stepped out of his hiding post and approached the gate. There was a guard post and positioned there were green-skinned guards in brown armor garb. They had long ears, with bald heads, and they were shorter than Ash. They blinked looking at him, not expecting to see a human. The guards were bored out of their minds, their duty requiring them to be on the lookout for any sign of trouble. From what Ash could tell, it seemed the village was doing ok, no sign of any trouble seemed to be going on. It looked like it was going to be hard for him to find any monsters. He wondered if the Goblins spoke the same language as he did.
"What can we help you with," the Goblin in front of the guards asked. Ash was relieved when he realized he could understand him.
"I'm looking for the floor with a monster lair," Ash said. He was checking the map, and from what he could tell, the closest gate that could lead him to any monster was-
"The gate is over there by the western cave," The Goblin in charge said. He pointed towards the western side of the village. Ash turned off the map, as he looked in the direction that the goblin was pointing to.
"Yah dawn't luk like an adventurer," The thin, scrawny goblin said.
"I'm not an Adventurer," Ash said. He turned away from them and headed over to the direction that both his map and the Goblin had indicated. He arrived at a riverbank, and he saw the cave that the Goblin spoke of. He could sense strange mana coming from it, but other than that, he couldn't sense any sign of monsters within it. He materialized a Mana blade and stabbed it into one of the trees by the riverbank. He was marking the place just in case he needed a quick exit. After that, he made a torch with a simple fire spell which ignited a flame on one of the branch sticks that he had picked up. Ash moved as quietly as he could into the cave, the pressure of the strange Mana becoming heavier. He was grateful for his Mana resistance that kept him from getting crushed by the density of the World energy around him. Normal Mages or Mana warriors would not be able to survive just standing inside the cave. Ash wondered what could be emitting this type of Mana. His Internal senses were on the alert for any threat but he still couldn't sense any life deep within the cave. Could a monster hide its presence from being sensed? Ash continued his walk while he tried to make sure that the path in which he was following wasn't filled with traps. It was common for floors within certain places in dungeons to be filled with Trap magic. It was leftover magic made by the Primeval beings from long ago. As Ash got deeper, he began to feel a draft of air, which threatened to snuff out his torch. Where was this breeze coming from? He turned back and as he did, he noticed that his surroundings had changed suddenly. He was no longer inside a cave but was surrounded by dark silhouette trees. Trees with birds flying off. Ash could see the smoke in the night sky alongside the flashes of various colors of light that streamed through it. And when Ash stepped out of the forest, he was confronted with the burning of a familial reservation land. Ash fell down on his knees as memories of his nightmare were bought to life. He could feel the tension within his body, his mind trying to figure out how it was possible that he was back to this terrible night. The fire was burning through the buildings within the land, his people were running around, being struck down by arrows of white energy. Besides Ash was the ten-year-old version of himself watching as his people were being killed. How was this possible? How was he back here? Ash had done his best for the past eight years to forget this night, to leave it behind in his past. And now he was being forced to relive it again. He got back on his feet as someone came into view. He recognized him as Ishmael, his older brother. He was dressed in fine silver armor, a box held within his left arm as he climbed the hill to get to where ten-year-old Asher was waiting. Ishmaels' brown hair was filled with soot from the burning smoke, blood stained his armor, the armor that he was always particular about keeping clean. Ash watched as his younger self ran up to his brother.
"Mael, Where's father and mother,"Asher asked. "What's happening," Ishmael fell to the ground as soon as he got to Asher. Ash watched his brother hide the wound, not wanting the younger Asher to see that he was clearly injured. Ash remembered his brother. Ishmael Asterion was the best warrior that the Asterion tribe had ever produced. He was someone who Ash looked up to. Someone everyone in the tribe could rely on. So young Asher couldn't fathom his brother ever losing in a fight. But that was what had happened. Mael pulled himself up and grabbed young Asher's hand.
"Where are the other children," Mael asked Asher..
"They went through the portal with Neith," Asher said.
"Ok, c'mon, we have to go," Mael said, pulling Asher into the forest. Ash followed them as they dragged themselves into the shadow of the forest as they tried to escape from whatever it was that had Injured Mael. Ash remembered all this. He noticed the blood that was pouring out of Mael which the younger him didn't notice. Mael said nothing but did his best to make sure that Asher wouldn't see it. He was getting paler, losing his strength with the amount of blood that he was spilling. Ash didn't even care to wonder why Mael didn't focus on using his magic to heal himself. He knew why. All his brother cared about was getting him out of danger. That had been his focus. There was a loud explosion and Ash could see dust of white light in the night sky. Ash had never understood how this event had happened. His tribe was known for their insanely powerful magic. So how was it that he had watched his people be slain in front of his eyes by some kind of mysterious power he had never felt before? Mael suddenly came to a stop and dragged both him and Asher behind a bush.
"Shh! Be quiet" Mael muttered. Little Asher did as his brother asked while older Ash watched the men that passed by as they hid. They were dressed in black armor gear and were armed with a silver metallic long gun. Young Ash couldn't sense a drop of Mana from them due to his conditions but Mael could. Mael held him down as they paused alongside them.
"The Sensor picked up two signals around this area," One of them said.
"Are you sure it isn't broken," the other said. Ash watched them, not sure how this was possible. He never saw them, at least he didn't remember getting a glimpse of them. Mael made sure of it. So how was this vision able to replicate something he had never witnessed. Ash searched around the forest. Nothing seemed amiss. He still couldn't figure out how he got into this mess of a trap. The two men had already gone further so Mael and Asher continued their way to the Stone circle. Ash recognized this part of their land. The stone circles were ancient artifacts that had been with the Asterion tribe before their fall from grace. Before the Asterion tribe had settled on this land, they had been cursed to wander, to be a nomadic tribe, and the stone circle had been their way of transportation. The artifacts were arranged in a pentagram fashion, and in the middle of the circle was the stone door. This was it. This was the moment when Ash and Mael would be-
"Leaving so soon, Ishmael Asterion," Ash froze when he heard that voice. This was the voice that haunted his dream. This was the nightmare that woke him up. No! No! Ash didn't want to see the man behind his nightmare. He wanted to get out of here but something held him to the spot. The man in front of Mael and Asher wore a wide-brimmed hat that hung two long loose straps. He was of an average height with dark-colored clothes with a light undershirt. His sleeveless top hung below his waist in a rectangle fashion-
"Enough of this," Ash let out his Mana in an explosive way, stretching it out through certain Mana pathways, and then he was no longer standing in the stone circle, but he was in his room in the Atwell orphanage. Ash looked around the room and saw Eren on the bed. He was out of it, wearing a bandage around his dark skin body. Ash recognized this night. And he knew what was about to happen. Mother Ruth had just left to go get something for herself, and Ash had used that chance to sneak into the room-the door jarred open, and Asher Asterion walked into it. Ash watched as the version of him months ago walked up to Eren. Ash knew what was about to happen, and a part of him was filled with shame and guilt as the Asher in the vision pulled out his blade towards Eren's throat. The power that Eren had displayed had been similar to the powers possessed by that hat wearing Man. Ash had always questioned what kind of power could wipe out his people so easily? And sensing that strange power again and witnessing Ash, the fear from that night had resurfaced. Ash didn't know what to think. How was this possible? Was Jax connected to the Hat wearing lunatic who had massacred his people? No…He couldn't believe that Eren was connected in any way. Ash watched as the blade in the other Ash's hand trembled, guilt holding him back from doing what he felt he needed to do. Ash closed his eyes, saying nothing. He wasn't going to relieve this moment for another second. This was just a construct. This was the work of whatever trap he had fallen for. And all he had to do was... Ash opened his eyes and he was in the middle of what looked like a tomb. The structure of the tomb's inside was made from Mana crystals which glowed bright green, and there were inscriptions written alongside the pillars that supported the ceiling of the tomb. Ash noticed that each of the pillars had the face of the Twelve guardian gods of Lumerian- the religion that had classified his people as a Cursed tribe, all because their bloodline stemmed from the Primeval beings. Asj couldn't read the inscriptions though he was fluent in the Old language, the words written on the pillar were older than what he knew. It kind of made sense that a tomb relating to the ancient gods would be in one of the Dungeons, but what caught Ash's attention was the nine wraith-like spirits that were hovering in front of the bigger pillar.
"Child of Menes, Cursed blood born from Darkness, You are not welcome here," The voice rang in Ash's head, sharp jabs pricking his brain from the sound of the voice. Of course, he ended up in a Lumerian religious site. The very thing that had always been against his people, and because of them, the Asterion tribe had barely survived that night. Ash formed a Mana blade as the Mindflayers grew closer to him. The Mindflayers were magical constructs, similar to Golems, but instead of being created from dirt, they were created from pure Mana itself, which made them very dangerous. The mind flayers had the ability of Illusions and mental powers, able to trap one in something similar to what he had experienced. They were something his people didn't approve of, but leave it to the Lumerians to use them as guard dogs to their Holy place. They looked like spirits, floating in the air, drabbed in a white robe that covered their entire body, only their red hands and legs came out of the robes. Ash didn't hesitate, as the rage from what he had relieved fueled him up. He shot through the space between him and the Mind flayers, and twisting his body through the air, Ash slashed his blade at the first flayer. There was a sharp rebound as the force of a barrier pushed Ash back to the ground. He grunted, cursing himself for not being aware of the Magical barrier that they had set up. Proficient Magic-users always had their defenses up, and Mind flayers were no different. He took out two more Mana blades and marked them in different areas of the tomb. The Mind flayers had spread out over the tombs, boxing Ash in the middle. But he wasn't frightened or felt trapped. He had spread five of his blades in different corners of the tomb, so he could teleport anywhere he wanted. Ash sighed as he channeled more mana from his Mana circuit. Ash didn't want to prolong the fight as he had to be considerate with his Mana quantity. He was still an Intermediate rank after all. So he knew what he had to do. This was his chance to complete the spell he had spent this summer practicing. With this new move, Eren definitely won't be able to catch up to him. The technique that Ash was about to use was difficult and among the many spells of his tribe. For years Ash had struggled with trying to master it, but this summer he had felt very close to fully mastering it. And now he was going to use it to defeat these creatures. Ash took a deep breath, and took a stance, readying his body for what he was about to do. He had to make sure his concentration was smooth as he channeled Mana to his fist. As he was doing it, Ash went ahead engaging one of the flayers. He was slashing and hacking his blade at the flayer but the Barrier kept repelling all his attacks, but what he was doing was just a distraction as a golden stream of Mana, flowing like gas within his right arm concentrated within his fist. The golden mana became shaped like a star, and when Ash threw a punch at the barrier, there was a flash of a golden explosion, the very space in which the barrier had existed became distorted, tearing it apart. The force of the Golden flash pushed Ash's right arm up, blood splashing from the wound his arm had taken. But Ash didn't let his chance escape him, as he fought through the pain, and swiped his blade through the neck of the Mind flayer.
"One down, eight more to go," Ash muttered. His arm was hurting, he hadn't done the Golden flash properly. The technique was a spell that was difficult to master as it required him to gather his Mana and hold its release after striking out. Upon 000.1 seconds of duration when he made an Impact, that was when Ash could then release it. The result of that was his Mana exploding in a golden flash and the very space in which he struck distorting. His concentration during his fight had been off, for even one tiny miscalculation could have resulted in him crushing his hands spatially. He didn't want that. Ash flexed his injured hand and sprinted after the other Mind flayers. He summoned his sacred bow which Mael had entrusted to him before his death, the Enchanted tool that could deal greater damage than even him. Instead of using his fist like some brute that came in his mind, Ash decided that his arrows were the right medium to use the Golden flash technique. As Ash went from one mark to another, he pulled the strings of the bow backwards, his Internal sense landing on the flayer and then he released the string. The arrow shot out, the Mana arrow tingling as the space around it began to vibrate with some kind of pressure. As the Arrow connected with the barrier, there were cracks around the space, and then the barrier broke, the arrow piercing the Flayers skull as a distortion occurred within the area of the head. The distortion crushed the head, killing the Flayers so easily. Mind flayers were known for their powerful mental abilites, but a weak body. He prepared five more arrows and shot them, the arrows connecting with his mark, moved through space and appeared in the blind spots of the Flayers who were trying to keep their distance from Ash. Five more heads exploded, their body dropping high end Mana cores for him. The three remaining ones tried activating their Illusion spells to trap Ash, but it wasn't working again. Ash's Internal senses were too sharp to fall for the same trick again. If it was anyone else, they would fall for the power of the Flayers, but as an Asterion, a tribe known for their Internal senses, especially the power of their sight, Illusionists were the worst matchup for them. Ash could tell that the Illusion he had fallen under had pushed his mind to the brink, strengthening his Mental force. His Mind was close to awakening it. He could feel it. The Power that made his tribe feared as a cursed being. If their first Lineage ability had to do with spatial abilites, then this second Lineage ability had to do with their Internal sense especially the Internal sight. He was close but not quite there yet. So Ash decided to get this fight over as soon as possible before his Mana get so low.
[Nebula arrow] He conjured arrows made up of the Darkness element, an element known for its volatile power, and then he managed to kill two more of the Flayers.
"Cursed blood, you are not wanted here,-" Ash didn't give it the chance to say what it wanted to say as he blinked to the Flayer with a Blink spell and slashed the neck with a Mana blade. Ash sighed as he rested his body against the bigger pillar. He looked up at the face of Keraunos, the Head deity of the Lumerian. The god looked wrathful and fierce as he looked down on the mess Ash had made. Nine large Mana cores were left from the Flayers that he had slain, and each of the Mana cores was emitting that strange Mana that Ash had felt before. With their powerful Illusion, Mind Flayers were known to feed on their prey, but luckily for Ash, he was born with a powerful resistance to Magic, especially Illusion types. It had given him the strength to break the illusions away. If he had continued to stay within their trap, the Flayers would have had the chance to feed off him. He got up and retrieved the cores, storing them within his wristband. After he was done storing them, Ash took one last look at the tomb. In a way he had been lucky, his original plan had been to find territories that were suffering from monster attacks, but luck had been on his side. Sure he wasn't happy about his past being forced on him again, but Ash was grateful for it. He had been reminded of what his goal was and how he had to become a Hunter if he wanted to reach it.
"Better get out of here before I'm struck down," He muttered to himself. He dispelled his Mana marks and stowed away his bow before teleporting to his mark that was outside the cave.
*
The Hospital where Eren was resting was adjoined to the building of the Adventure guild association, so all Eren had to do was go to the western hallway which had an entrance that led to the Guild's building itself. Adventurers surrounded the lobby where they were staring at a notice wall. Eren went to the receptionist's desk. He had to find a way to get out of here.
"If you're an exam candidate, you have to wait a week before the results come in," the lady at the front said. She was a Beastfolk, her cat ears, and yellowish-green eyes that acted as signs of her race. She was wearing a white long sleeve shirt underneath a velvet suit.
"And if you don't get any notice," Eren said.
"You'll get a notice if you fail," The receptionist said. "Exist to the outside world is that door right there," She pointed to the door on her left side.
"The one with the exit sign," Eren said.
"Yes." She said. "Good luck." Eren went over to the door, not sure what to expect. He turned around to look at the Adventurers. If he wasn't able to get into Namer, who knows maybe he might become an Adventurer. They do make good money. He opened the door and walked through the space, ending back in the same hall where the Magic crystal had transported everybody into the Dungeon. Many others were appearing out of thin air, similar to him, which made Eren sure that there were numerous exits within the Dungeon that all lead to this point.
"Eren"
Eren turned around to see Ash waiting for him in a row of seats with other people. He got off the seat and walked to him. Eren watched Ash, unable to read his expression.
"You look okay," Ash said. He was staring at the hole in Eren's chest. "What did that Hunter want with you,"
"Can we get out of here," Eren said. "I need fresh air."
Ash and Eren ended up by their usual spot on the Lakane riverbank, eating lochfish that Ash had gotten for them. Eren was silent as he bit into the hot-fried fish while feeling Ash's eyes on him. Ash began to talk about his experience in the dungeon and what he had gone through. Eren listened and began to feel a little bit ashamed of himself for how he had been feeling. When he had seen Ash after he had gotten out of the Dungeon, the first thing he felt was jealousy. He thought of how smoothly the exam would have been for Ash as he was talented and blessed. The way he had always felt growing up. He hadn't considered that maybe he might have gone through something. Eren knew little of Ash's past. It wasn't something Ash liked to talk about and all Eren knew about the Asterion clan's massacre was what was available to the public record. Ash's people- the Asterion clan- was seen as a Cursed clan by the decree of the Lumerian doctrine, and their settlement on the reservation in Namer Island hadn't sat well with some countries. So when they had been attacked by some mysterious forces, no nation within the Global union had bothered to help them or come forth as responsible for it. It was still a mystery who or what was powerful enough to attack a clan of powerful magic users.
"So you ended up in a Lumerian holy site while I got humiliated by a crazy Hunter," Eren said. Ash raised an eyebrow in questioning, and Eren had no choice but to tell him about what had happened.
"...now I don't know if I'm going to pass or not," Eren said.
"And you're thinking if you do pass, it's not going to feel good because you're not the one to gain the Basilisk Mana core ," Ash said. He sat down beside Eren, done with his own Lochfish. "I can see why you would be down. To want to gain the opportunity with your own strength. But why is a Hunter following you? First Alastor, and now this Hunter girl"
"I don't know," Eren said. "What I do know is that I stood no chance against her. I could have been killed if I hadn't…if I hadn't somehow healed myself. I don't get it. What the hell is an Irregular and what does that have to do with me," Ash said nothing because the truth was that even he didn't know. He thought of the Hat Mercenary that had killed his clansmen and family, knowing that if he wanted to stand a chance against him, then he needed to know what an Irregular was.
"It doesn't matter what it is," Eren spat. "In the end, I failed. I couldn't do anything in the exam," Eren knew now that more than anything he had to complete reorganizing Fa jin into a perfect Battle art. One that could truly make use of his Battle aura. And more than anything he needed to grow stronger. So that he could get his revenge on that damn princess. Eren's resolve had never been more powerful than ever.
"So using your unique ability was not enough" Ash said. It wasn't. But it wasn't his only hope. If he got into Namer university, Eren knew that he would have the opportunity and resources to grow. Plus there was his grimoire, which he knew could help with his cultivation. As much as he wanted to hide his status as an Irregular from the authorities, Eren couldn't afford to have that hinder his growth so as soon as he got home, he would increase the intensity of his training. His encounter with Reyna Greyron showed him that he desperately needed all the help he could get. Eren knew what he had to do. He squeezed his fist and cleared his throat.
"Ash…"
"What is it," Ash said, raising an eyebrow at the change of Eren's tone. Eren got in front of his face, making up his mind on what he needed to do for his future.
"Care to help with my training," Eren said. Ash got up from the grass, a grin on his face brightening his golden eyes.
"I never thought those words would come out of your mouth," He said. "Hmm, I reckoned it would be hard for you to ask me to mentor you, not after proclaiming me to be your rival."
"Gods dammit, I didn't say train me." Eren said loudly.. "I meant for you to fight me. A full on fight is the best way to push yourself."
"Fine, I'll help you," Ash said. "But don't blame me if you can't keep up with me,"
"Sure, whatever," Eren said. Right now, all Eren cared about was paying that Hunter back for what she did to him. If asking Ash for help was going to let him get strong enough for that, then he would definitely do it.