The kitsune's grin stretched a little wider as she leaned forward, her voice syrupy with disdain.
"More precisely," she said, "I outrank you, rendering your skills ineffective against me."
Her gaze flicked across Leo like a scalpel. "To me, you're like an open book." A pause. "But you're not like the other books I've discarded before."
The amusement in her eyes was sharp. "I find you interesting, Leo. I like to read you. But an unfinished book?" She tilted her head, golden ears twitching faintly. "Hardly worth the time. So, I'm giving you a chance to continue your story."
Leo held her gaze, the air thick with magic and something older than it.
"I'm not like the Dominion Lords," she continued, her tone shifting, something deeper layered beneath. "They're mindless. But dungeon masters like me? We're sentient. Strategic. Some of us want to burn everything down."
Her tails flicked once, then stilled. "I want freedom."
She studied him now, expression unreadable. "And I'm willing to invest in those who might help me attain it."
A strange calm began settling around Leo as the weight of her aura loosened its grip. His breath returned, shaky but his.
"I've planted many seeds before you," she said softly. "But—you're the one I'm rooting for."
Leo's brows knit, the edge of caution still in his voice. "What exactly do I need to do to 'free' you?"
The kitsune laughed. High and lyrical, but too sharp around the edges. The cave walls echoed with the sound, the notes lingering unnaturally.
"Don't concern yourself with that just yet," she said. "Focus on strengthening yourself. What you did to the Orc Lord and my children was impressive… but laughable compared to the true monsters that roam Aetheria."
Leo's eyes narrowed.
She opened her mouth to answer, but the silver-haired girl beside her leaned in and whispered something quietly.
The kitsune's gaze sharpened.
"Ah… I see," she said, a slow smile curving her lips. "That explains it." Her voice dropped, savoring the realization. "Another otherworlder."
There was an almost hungry glint in her eyes now. "Exquisite," she murmured. Her breath hitched, as if the revelation touched something personal. "But don't think that earns you mercy."
She leaned closer, her smile a blade hidden in silk. "I want you to take me seriously, Leo. I need you to understand the difference in our power."
The air snapped.
The cave began to shake. A low groan built from the depths below them as the walls shuddered. Pebbles rained from the ceiling. Dust rolled down in thick sheets. The torches flickered wildly, casting erratic shadows that jittered across the stone.
Leo's balance faltered as the tremors grew more violent. He braced himself instinctively, heart thundering, but then,
A black light began to swirl above the kitsune's head.
It pulsed slowly at first. Like a heartbeat, and then began to expand, devouring the light around it. The shadows it cast moved wrong, crawling in reverse.
Above her, glowing with quiet menace, appeared the words:
Level 4260: Silva.
Leo's knees hit the floor almost instantly, the sheer pressure knocking the wind from him. His sword clanged uselessly beside him, shifting form in a flicker of violet light.
Roxanne emerged, her voice strained. "Leo!"
But the pressure crushed the sound out of her. Her form went limp and collapsed, her last breath catching before darkness took her.
Leo tried to move. Anything. But the black aura rolling off Silva came down like waves of iron. His bones screamed. The air burned. Every part of him was less just being near her.
Then, above Silva's name, a new light flared. A deep crimson that radiated pure dread.
Dungeon Master
She hadn't moved. She didn't need to. Her aura alone had brought him to his knees.
Silva's smile was gentle now, almost pitying. "Now do you understand what separates us?"
Leo gritted his teeth, his jaw trembling.
"Even without your curse," she went on, her voice calm and cruel, "you're still far beneath me."
Her golden eyes narrowed. "But I expect great things from you, Leo. Someday, if you're strong enough, come challenge me again. You'll find me at the center of the World Ruins."
Then, casually, as though speaking of the weather, she added, "Until then, I'll leave this place to you. Let the world know you defeated my dungeon."
A dry chuckle escaped her lips. "Consider it a gift… for our mutual relationship."
Her gaze turned toward Roxanne, the softness gone. "But I'll be taking the Arcanite as collateral, just in case you get second thoughts."
Leo's eyes widened. "No!" He surged forward, but black tendrils erupted from Silva's form, snapping around him mid-motion.
They hoisted him off the ground effortlessly.
"Don't worry about her," Silva purred, her voice full of mock sweetness. "I'll take good care of her. She won't die—unless you do first."
Leo twisted in the air, teeth bared. "Let her go!"
But she was already in motion.
In a flash, she appeared before him, her fist drawn back, shadows spiraling around her knuckles like devouring serpents.
Her punch landed in his gut.
The impact exploded through him, ripping through organs, muscle, and spirit. Everything.
Time slowed. The world blurred.
Leo was airborne before he could even register the pain, crashing through the cave ceiling like a cannonball launched skyward. The stone above shattered, giving way to open sky.
The light faded. The world tumbled in circles.
Silva's glowing eyes burned behind his eyelids, her voice imprinting itself on his mind.
"Remember, Leo… I'll be waiting."
###
Inside the bustling guild hall, laughter and conversation halted all at once.
Eyes turned toward the entrance.
A figure approached.
"She came out of nowhere," someone whispered.
A tall elf strode through the doors. Her white hair spilled across her back like moonlight, framing her poised, expressionless face. Twin blades rested on her back in quiet warning. Every movement she made was graceful. Too graceful.
The room filled with the quiet hum of curiosity, a dozen murmured guesses and theories.
Then,
"Lilia!" Amanda's voice rang out.
She pushed through the crowd and reached her, grabbing Lilia's gloved hands with a familiarity only old friends carried. Her voice was a rapid-fire mix of concern and joy. "You left the sanctuary? Why? Where've you been? What happened to,"
But she stopped.
Lilia's eyes shimmered. Then filled. Her body trembled.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered. Her knees buckled. A single tear hit the floor.
Amanda's joy turned cold.
Something was wrong.
Then, beneath their feet, a glow. A familiar one.
Amanda's head snapped downward. "No…"
An ancient magic circle.
"No," she repeated, releasing Lilia's hands and stepping back. "What have they made you do?"
Lilia broke. She collapsed fully, sobbing now, hands hiding her face. The circle pulsed brighter.
Elois sprang to her feet, eyes wide. "Amanda!"
Amanda raised a calming hand. "It's okay, Elly. I know what this is."
The circle rose. A cylindrical barrier closing fast.
Elois' fingers found her sword. She climbed onto the table without a word.
"Not this time!" she shouted, kicking off.
The table clattered to the ground as Elois dashed straight for Amanda and the forming pillar.
Talia moved to follow, but Amanda looked back, smiling.
"Thank you," she said softly.
Then, quieter, not quite a whisper,
"Please tell Leo…"
But then she vanished.
The light blinked out.
Gone.
Suga grabbed his staff and began chanting, but the spell fizzled into the empty space where they had stood.
Elois screamed, slicing her sword through the air uselessly. The steel hissed through nothing. Rage. Guilt. Powerlessness.
The guild stood still.
The wind howled outside.
And Leo was nowhere to be found.