Dungeon Dream

[Training Grounds]

"ATTENTION, TROOPS!"

Yuhi's commanding voice echoed like a crack of thunder through the night.

"Lieutenant Syne! Take charge of the archers and mages. Find a high vantage point and cover our assault team. Make sure those ranged units hit hard!"

"Lieutenant Hugger! Lead the infantry through the front! Your mission: clear a path and eliminate all hostile forces. Show no mercy."

Yuhi's eyes swept across the gathered warriors, their faces set in determination.

"All remaining personnel, fall in behind me! We're breaching the dungeon and securing critical objectives."

"MOVE OUT, TROOPS! Form your positions and prepare for battle!"

"FOR VICTORY!!!" the soldiers roared as they filed into their formations, and the lieutenants led their forces into the fray.

As the troops moved into position, Yuhi led the remaining force toward the dungeon's rear. The cold air seemed to stiffen as they drew near, an unease growing in the silence.

[Dungeon - Back Entrance]

A soldier's voice pierced the tension. "General, why the back of the dungeon? Shouldn't we be at the front?"

"We're going in to prevent the Quinens from escaping," Yuhi replied, her voice cool but commanding.

"But how do we get inside?" the soldier asked, growing confused.

"Just watch," Yuhi murmured, her sharp eyes scanning the worn walls of stone. She stepped closer, trailing her fingers over the cracks.

There was a pause, a moment of tension in the air, and then Yuhi's fingers stopped at a subtle groove, barely visible beneath years of decay. Her breath was held as her thumb brushed a small, nearly imperceptible indentation.

"Got it... Help me push."

"Uuuuuhhhh!"

With a creaking groan, the hidden mechanism activated, and the stone wall slowly gave way with a low, guttural grind.

"Wow... Didn't know there was an entrance here." A soldier's voice broke the silence, tinged with awe.

"Enough talk. Follow me. We've got a mission to complete." Yuhi's command snapped her soldiers into action.

They crossed the threshold, entering the darkness beyond the door. The eerie quiet of the underground air washed over them, the only sound being the rhythm of their footsteps and the soft creaks of the crumbling walls.

They soon reached the chamber that had once sealed the Quinen's power. But when they approached, Yuhi's heart sank— the seal was shattered, the door to the inner sanctum ajar.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Yuhi murmured. "Stay alert!"

But before anyone could even take a breath, the first attack came. A soldier crumpled in an instant, sliced clean through. His body hit the floor, lifeless.

"Stay alert!" Yuhi barked, her instincts flaring, but it was already too late.

The horror that followed happened too quickly to be registered. Creatures of dark, unearthly speed sliced through the squadron. Their bodies fell one by one, their screams echoing in the hall as they fought in vain. The enemy was fast, merciless, and invisible.

Yuhi watched helplessly as her troops fell, the battlefield transforming into a slaughterhouse. Blood stained the floor and the walls. The force she had commanded was decimated.

The final moments were a blur. A heavy door slammed behind her, sealing her fate. The last thing Yuhi saw was the darkness closing in.

[18 YEARS LATER…]

Present Day, Urano Empire

City of Dawn

[Dungeon, Sector 5 - 3rd Floor]

The labyrinth had consumed him once again.

"Damn it, not again… Where the hell am I?! Why is this floor so confusing?!"

Frustration gnawed at Alkrin as he tried to make sense of the constantly shifting dungeon.

"Ahh... whatever. Guess I'll just wait until the rescue department finds me... Maybe…"

[3 Days Later]

His hope was slipping through his fingers.

"Grrr... rrrrr... uh..." His stomach rumbled with hunger. The water supply had run out, and the aching thirst clawed at him. He sat down heavily against the stone wall, his mind clouded with desperation.

"Why isn't the rescue department coming?" He let out a laugh, bitter and dry. "Guess that's how it ends... die from thirst in an ever-changing maze, real heroic."

His eyelids felt heavy. Maybe just a moment's rest... Then, everything would be fine when he woke up.

[Later...]

"Oi Al! Al! Alkrin..!, wake up!!"

The voice rang out like a lifeline in the darkness. He blinked his eyes open, the sight of a familiar face bringing some relief.

"Jeanne..." He coughed weakly, looking up at her. "Thank you. I thought I was going to die."

She handed him a waterskin, her face set with Disappointment. "You can't keep relying on the rescue team for everything. You're lucky I found you in time. Do you ever learn?"

Alkrin managed a wry smile, grateful and ashamed all at once. "Well, at least I won't die in here... again."

Jeanne asked in a chilled and irritated voice, "What is it with you always getting lost in dungeons?"

He took the water gratefully, then slumped back against the cold stone. "Couldn't find the exit... Again." and his vision began to go blur

"Hoi! oi! Al! Al.. ishh....! This guy" Jeanne spoke in an irritated manner