Lucifer: Godless Reawakening

There was a tense atmosphere at the academy as the dungeon trials began today.

The news of a single student taking the challenge all alone spread like wildfire.

Every single student, irrespective of the academic year, had the freedom of their schedule to be present in the Common Hall—the place where the live performance of the challenger would be shown.

For the sake of learning and understanding the threat they would be facing, the dungeon trials are shown to everyone.

For the first- and second-year students, it might always have been a subject of interest, but many third-year students don't usually watch others' matches, given that they always remain focused on their improvement.

However, on this single day, every single student had gathered to watch the trial. Just because they were witnessing it for the first time—not a team, but a single student entering that dangerous labyrinth.

Emma was among them as well, standing alongside Dorothy as she looked at the big screen projected on the wall.

"Did you two talk? Was he nervous?" Dorothy asked with her brows elevated.

There was nothing being shown as of now because William hadn't reached the destination yet.

Emma sighed. "Yes, I talked to him just when he was leaving. Forget about being nervous—it appeared he was going shopping."

"That carefree?" Dorothy asked in a surprised voice. "Emma…this is a dungeon, you know?"

Emma shrugged. "Well, that man can stare into the eyes of death with his hands tucked in his pockets. I have never seen someone as confident as him."

"And he has the strength to back it up," added a third person. It was Natalie.

Emma's brows elevated. "Why are you here and not with Kevin?" Earlier, they were all together, but since Emma promised to watch the trial with Dorothy, she briefly chatted with them and left.

Natalie wryly smiled and said, "Kevin…is being a little weird for some reason. Maybe he is still shaken up because of the incident. He said he wanted to stay alone for some time. That's why the three of us walked away, choosing our separate friend groups."

Glancing at Dorothy, Natalie asked, "I hope…you don't mind me being here."

Dorothy shook her head with a pleasant smile. "Not at all."

Just then, the doors of the Great Hall parted, and one after another, the instructors and the professors started to show up.

There was a separate section for them on the side.

It was not surprising that most of them had come to watch the trial, since this was possibly history being written—or another joke to be presented to them.

"The headmaster isn't here?" Natalie asked. The vice-headmaster was in charge of taking William to the dungeon site, so it wasn't surprising for him to not be here.

Gizel informed, "I heard there is a special guest arriving, so maybe he went to pick him up."

Emma's hummed in question. "And where did you hear that?"

Gizel shrugged. "Just rumors—"

STEP STEP

Just as she finished speaking, the footsteps of several men were heard.

Everyone turned to look at the entrance.

Several lips parted in shock; many gasped in disbelief.

Widened eyes of the students witnessed a familiar and very popular entity of Gahalia stepping inside the hall.

Surrounded by several other men who wore the crest of the Great Hall they served, and beside the central figure walked the Headmaster of Ardentia.

"Is he not…the Tower Master of the East Wind?" Natalie asked, her tone edging toward disbelief as well.

Gizel hummed in response. "Yes, he is. But I have no clue why he is here."

Emma silently watched her father, thankfully ignoring her, making his way to the front of the aisle under the questioning gazes of the students.

As Vitori stood at the front, he turned to face the students alongside the headmaster, before the latter announced, "I am honoured to announce that the Tower Master and members of the Great Hall have come here today to witness one of our most capable students taking the trials. I would request the students to maintain silence during the assessment."

That shocked them even more. Not only the Great Hall, which maybe had a reason to be so interested in William, but the East Wind as well?

Now, that was something worth piquing the internet—or even those who were doubting their decision to come here.

Emma sighed as she mumbled under her breath, 'I hope father hadn't gone too far with his preparations.'

….

William was standing before it.

The labyrinth under Ardentia's control.

A dungeon is a home to several varieties of monsters, corrupted or not.

Their sole purpose is to test the challengers by presenting life-threatening situations.

To gain a star, every challenger must defeat and collect a body part of the boss monster of every floor.

Since there are many students who have to give their trials, at best, William would get a day before he would be shown the route to the outside world by the staff members.

Twenty-four hours to reach the fourth floor.

Sounds absurd for someone diving into the labyrinth for the first time—more so when they are alone—but William was well set on making the impossible possible today.

"The headmaster is risking many things for this," David voiced, his tone grim. "Don't shame his name."

William casually shrugged, not offering any words of comfort or saying anything that could reflect his confidence.

He is nothing like Kevin—David murmured through his gritted teeth.

"We are prepared, sir," a soldier arrived at their side and informed them.

William turned toward the cave-like entrance before him, built in the middle of nowhere.

The location of each dungeon is kept a secret; that's why William was brought here with his eyes covered.

He doesn't know where exactly he was, but he didn't need to worry about that now.

His focus was on the cave and what lay beyond it.

The dangers, the monsters, the risk, and the reward.

He was not here for glory or fame. He was here to prove that, regardless of the situation, he would never lose control and harm the ones he loved.

To prove to the father of his girlfriend that he could trust his daughter with him.

That he deserves to stand beside Emma.

And that was the biggest encouragement he could have asked for.

"Alright, student," David called out, his hands folded. "From here on, you are on your own."

William took a deep breath before he finally took a step forward.

°°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment if you have been enjoying the story so far. I will try a mass release on the 25th.