We following Lyria's to some kind of room with a large blue door with images of many figures with wings bowing to one person, or perhaps an entity?
"Another boss?"
Cedric mutters to himself while he prepares to fight.
Ignoring him, Lyria open the door.
A soft blue light shimmered against the cavern walls, reflecting off scattered crystals. In the center of the chamber stood an ancient stone pedestal, covered in dust but unmistakably untouched for ages.
And resting atop it
A sword.
Its silver blade gleamed faintly, runes etched into the metal pulsating with a subtle magical glow. The hilt was wrapped in black leather, while the crossguard had an elegant wing-like design.
The air around it trembled, as if the sword itself was alive.
Lyria stepped forward without hesitation.
I narrowed my eyes and swiftly grabbed her wrist.
"Wait."
She shot me a sharp glare, trying to pull her arm free.
"It's fine," she insisted. "I can feel it. This sword—it's calling to me."
That only made me more suspicious.
A weapon like this wasn't supposed to be in the first dungeon. No matter how much I searched my memories from the game, there was never a reward like this.
Something had changed.
And the way Lyria was reacting, her certainty, her determination wasn't normal either.
But before I could press further, she yanked her wrist away and reached for the sword.
The moment her fingers wrapped around the hilt—
A pulse of energy burst outward.
The runes flared to life, golden light swirling around her arm, spiraling up her body before settling into a soft glow.
For a second, silence filled the chamber.
Then.
A deep, resonant hum vibrated through the air as the sword recognized its wielder.
Lyria exhaled, her expression unreadable as she slowly lifted the weapon. She gave it a few test swings, and with each movement, the sword cut through the air effortlessly, as if it weighed nothing to her.
I crossed my arms.
"...That was way too easy."
Lyria ignored me. Instead, she tightened her grip on the sword and turned toward the exit.
"We should find the Dungeon Core and get out of here."
She was dodging the topic.
But I let it slide. For now.
We had more pressing matters to deal with.
A Short While Later…
The Dungeon Core chamber wasn't far from the pedestal room. Unlike the rest of the dungeon, this chamber was massive, its walls covered in intricate patterns of glowing blue veins.
And in the center
A floating crystal sphere pulsed rhythmically, radiating raw magical energy.
The Dungeon Core.
Elena let out a low whistle.
"Always a sight to see."
Cedric, still nursing a bruise from earlier, just huffed.
"So what now? We take it and leave?"
Lyria nodded, stepping forward. But just as she reached out.
I stopped her. Again.
She looked at me in irritation.
"Now what?"
I studied her carefully.
"You're not acting like someone who's experiencing this for the first time."
Her fingers twitched slightly against the hilt of her sword.
But she didn't answer.
I sighed.
"Listen, I don't care what your secret is. But if it puts me or the rest of the party in danger, I'd like to know."
She clenched her jaw.
"I don't need your help."
Lyria's tone was firm. Cold.
Even though I wasn't expecting immediate trust, something about the way she said it—so resolute, so absolute—rubbed me the wrong way.
I clicked my tongue.
"Right. Because that worked out so well for you before."
Her grip on her sword tightened.
I could see it—the brief flicker of emotion in her eyes. Fear.
Not of me.
But of something else.
She was hiding something. Something big.
But before I could press further, Elena clapped her hands together.
"Alright, alright. I don't know what tension is going on here, but how about we finish up before the professor starts getting impatient?"
Lyria hesitated, just for a second before finally touching the Dungeon Core.
A surge of light engulfed the room.
And just like that.
The dungeon was cleared.
...
Back at the academy, we stood before Professor Alden, the stern-looking instructor who had been in charge of supervising our dungeon run.
His piercing eyes scanned over us, as if assessing every detail.
"Your performance was adequate," he finally said.
Cedric scoffed.
"Adequate? We took down an entire pack of Dreadfangs and cleared the dungeon without casualties. That deserves more than just 'adequate.'"
Professor Alden remained unimpressed.
"A real battle isn't just about surviving, boy. It's about efficiency, teamwork, and foresight. From what I observed, you lack all three."
Cedric grumbled under his breath but wisely shut up.
Alden then turned to Lyria.
"You, however…"
His gaze lingered on her for a moment.
"Something changed with you in that dungeon. I don't know what, but you should tread carefully."
Lyria stiffened slightly but nodded.
Alden exhaled.
"Regardless, you all passed. Dismissed."
With that, we were free to leave.
But as the others walked ahead.
I lingered.
And so did Lyria.
I glanced at her.
"We're going to have a talk," I said quietly.
She didn't respond.
But she didn't deny it either.
I smirked.
"Good. I'll be waiting."
...
The training grounds were almost empty, the soft glow of magical lanterns casting long shadows over the stone pathways. The cold night air carried the distant murmurs of students still lingering outside, but here, in this quiet corner of the academy, it was just me and Lyria.
She hadn't left yet.
She stood a few feet away, her new sword strapped to her side, fingers resting lightly against the hilt. Even now, she looked tense, as if expecting something to go wrong at any moment.
I leaned against a nearby pillar, arms crossed.
"You've been avoiding me."
Lyria's expression barely changed.
"I've been busy."
"Yeah? Funny, because you weren't too busy to clear a dungeon with me."
She turned to leave.
I stepped in her path.
Her hand immediately went to her sword, but I raised both hands in mock surrender.
"Relax. I'm not picking a fight."
Her eyes were sharp, guarded.
"Then move."
I didn't.
Instead, I lowered my voice.
"You're not just any ordinary student, are you?"
Lyria flinched. It was subtle, so subtle that most people wouldn't have noticed. But I did.
Her fingers clenched around the hilt of her sword, and for a moment, I thought she might actually draw it. But she didn't. Instead, she exhaled slowly, schooling her features into careful neutrality.
"You don't know what you're talking about," she said.
I tilted my head.
"Don't I?"
Silence stretched between us.
Then, I smirked.
"You know, I have a theory."
She didn't react. But I could tell she was listening.
"The way you move, the way you know things you shouldn't, it's almost like you've been through all of this before."
I took a step closer, watching her carefully.
"Like you've seen this happen once already."
Lyria stiffened.
She masked it well, but for that split second, I saw it, fear.
Not fear of me.
Fear of being found out.
"...You're wrong,"
She said flatly.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Am I?"
Lyria's expression darkened.
"Even if I was hiding something, why would I ever tell you?"
I chuckled.
"Fair point."
Then, I let my smirk drop, my tone turning more serious.
"But here's the thing, Lyria, I don't actually care what your secret is. If you want to keep it, fine. But secrets have a way of getting people killed. So if yours is going to put me or the rest of the party in danger, I need to know."
She stayed silent.
I watched her carefully. She wasn't just hiding something, she was desperately trying to keep me from knowing it.
But more than that.
She didn't trust me.
And I understood why.
"...I can help you you know, you don't need to bear all of the burden alone since we probably have the same goals"
I said after a moment.
Lyria narrowed her eyes.
I shrugged.
"I don't care what your secret is. But if you've got unfinished business, I can make sure you don't have to handle it alone."
She scoffed, taking a step back.
"You? Helping me?"
There was something bitter in her tone.
"I don't need your help, Tristan. I don't want your help."
She turned sharply, starting to walk away.
But before she left, she paused.
Just for a moment.
Then, without looking back, she muttered.
"Stay out of my way."
And with that.
She was gone.
Sigh, what a stubborn girl.