Lower Level 5

  Caelan and Garron stood watching the wall slowly disappear. Caelan was smiling at first, but the smile slowly faded as Garron let out a sigh.

  “What the shit is this?!” Caelan snapped, visibly annoyed.

  “I think they want us to split up,” Garron said dryly.

  They both looked at two small entrances, barely wide enough to be called doors, glowing numbers above each reading 0/1.

  Caelan rolled his eyes. “Not shit, Chief. Fuck it, let’s try and squeeze into one and see if that works.”

  He immediately tried to pull Garron toward one of the entry boxes.

  “Captain, I don’t think—” Garron started.

  “Just breathe in, mate, we’ll fit,” Caelan cut in.

  Garron stepped back. “Captain, I won’t fit.”

  As he did, a wall slammed down between them.

  Garron heard banging from the other side. “Captain…”

  The wall began to crack slightly. Garron rolled his eyes. “No point arguing.” He stepped into the opening beside him.

  The wall closed behind Garron.

  The moment it sealed, Caelan burst straight through the other wall. “Huh, that wasn’t too hard… wait—Jesus, Chief. Thought we were bros.”

  Caelan shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and started walking down the opposite path. Torches lit up ahead of him as he walked, half-dancing, humming to himself.

  He reached a corner and stopped.

  “Oh.”

  He followed the path around the bend.

  Garron stood alone in the cramped darkness. The wall in front of him began to disappear, revealing a wide-open path curving around the room.

  Torches flickered to life one by one, their flames filling the corridor with sound as Garron’s footsteps echoed against the stone floor.

  He noticed another darkened path cutting into the room and sighed. “Guess that’s where he’ll come out.”

  Ahead, an opening led into a large circular chamber. Torches were already lit inside, casting long shadows across the stone.

  Garron moved calmly toward the entrance.

  His eyes widened.

  A figure stood in the centre of the room.

  A sapphire being, fully encased in armour from head to toe. A fog-like sapphire cape flowed endlessly behind it, moving as if it had no weight at all. The knight stood motionless, a massive sword held vertically before it.

  Garron made eye contact—and found himself unable to take another step.

  His fist clenched as he stopped just short of the threshold.

  He drew in a slow breath, then calmly removed his jacket, folding it neatly before placing it against the wall.

  “I’m sorry, Captain,” Garron said quietly. “I don’t think I can wait. This thing… even I feel a fear I haven’t awakened in longer than I can remember.”

  The sapphire knight didn’t lift its head. It didn’t acknowledge him at all.

  Garron stepped into the room.

  As he began to place his second foot down, all he could register was pain—rushing, overwhelming, everywhere at once.

  The next moment, Garron was slammed into the outer wall of the chamber, embedded deep into the stone.

  Blood spilled from his mouth as he coughed violently.

  Shaking, he looked up.

  The sapphire knight hadn’t moved.

  Garron’s eyes slowly closed.

  For a moment, the pain dulled, and his mind dragged him somewhere else.

  A morning. Just a few days ago.

  He woke first, eyes opening to a gently brightening room. He stayed there for a few moments longer than he needed to, lying still, appreciating the quiet.

  The door exploded open.

  “I’m so late, she’s going to kill me. Chief, have you seen my scope? I swear I had it last night.”

  Keira was already tearing through the room, checking everywhere at once.

  “Good morning, Keira,” Garron said from the bed.

  She didn’t even register him.

  The room was turned into a bomb site in seconds before Keira bolted out again, straight into the room across the hall.

  “SIS! GET OUT OF MY ROOM!” Milo shouted.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Keira kept going.

  Garron finally pulled himself out of bed, sitting up as he let out a deep sigh and shook off the hangover. He walked over and quietly closed his door, then went about cleaning the room again with a small smile.

  Mid-stretch, he twisted his back and muttered, “Wow, why do I need to be stuck with an immortally stiff back?”

  A loud crack echoed.

  He let out a relieved sigh.

  Garron grabbed his jacket from the chair beside the door and slipped it on as he stepped out into the hall.

  Solara passed by holding a clipboard. “Good morning, Master Chief. I hope you slept well.”

  “Good morning, Lieutenant,” Garron replied with a smile. “Very well, thank you. And yourself?”

  “Very well, thank you,” Solara said brightly. “I’ve got a council meeting this afternoon. You still alright taking some of the local groups out on monster patrol the next few nights?”

  “Of course, Lieutenant.”

  Solara stopped at Milo’s door, opened it to reveal the empty room, pulled a sniper scope from her pocket, and tossed it onto his bed before closing the door again.

  “Great, thank you, Chief. Need to run.”

  Garron lifted a hand, waving behind her as she walked off.

  “Master Chief!” Solara called back. “I swear you better be ready this time—fourth time this week!”

  Garron made his way toward the common room as the sound of everyone heading out the front door filled the space, overlapping voices and laughter.

  Keira’s voice cut through it all.

  “I swear, Specialist Lyra must’ve hid it again. This isn’t my fault.”

  “No buts, Master Sergeant,” Solara said firmly. “You need to keep a better eye on your equipment.”

  The door slowly closed behind them.

  Garron walked into the common room just as a shout echoed from above.

  “Weeeee!”

  From the second-floor balcony, Mynxi launched herself into the air.

  Garron didn’t even flinch. He raised his hands and caught her as she landed, Mynxi beaming up at him.

  “Good morning, Gar-Gar!”

  “Good morning, Mynxi,” Garron replied.

  Elyria came walking down the stairs, already unimpressed. “Mynxi Langston, what have I told you about using the stairs?”

  Mynxi giggled. “Sorry, Ely. Can Gar-Gar come to training with us today?”

  Elyria stepped in, lifting Mynxi out of Garron’s arms. “Alright, hurry up and get your breakfast. Garron is far too busy to be training with us.”

  She carried Mynxi into the kitchen.

  Caelan came bouncing down the stairs, whistling loudly. “Good morning, all you beautiful—oh, they’re already away.”

  He spotted Garron. “Oh, what’s happening, big man? Want to stick around for breakfast?”

  Garron lifted a hand slightly, about to answer—

  The kitchen door burst open.

  Mynxi came charging out laughing, arms full of snacks. She planted her feet, ready to run.

  “NO, MYNXI! NOT INSIDE!” Caelan shouted.

  Mynxi took one step forward.

  She didn’t move.

  She looked down, then back.

  Elyria stood behind her, gripping the back of her jacket. “I told you to put the snacks back.”

  “Oh,” Mynxi said. “Okay. Can I have some after training?”

  “Only if you’re good,” Elyria replied, already steering her back into the kitchen.

  Caelan turned back to Garron, grinning like an idiot. “Oh, when you’re free, any chance I could pick your brain on something? I’ve got this idea about squad set-ups, and well… you know a million times more than me. I’ll drop past Whaa Whaa’s tonight, buy you a round for the help.”

  Garron nodded. “Of course, Captain. I am available whenever you require.”

  “Right, mon,” Caelan said. “Let’s grab some breakfast.”

  “It’s fine, Captain,” Garron replied. “I’ll get something at Whaa Whaa’s. But thank you for the invitation.”

  Caelan smiled gently. “Well, offer’s there any time, Chief. Catch you in a bit, lad.”

  Garron quietly walked out of the inn and into the streets of Virelith.

  Merchants, travelling groups, and guards filled the busy road as the city came alive. Garron breathed in the warm morning air, walking the same path he took every day, towering over most of the crowd as he made his way toward the edge of the plaza.

  He stepped into the somewhat quieter morning, Whaa Whaa’s.

  Garron waved to the staff behind the bar. A man nodded back as Garron headed toward the card table and pulled up a seat mid-hand. “See, you all started before me.”

  One of the players snorted. “You missed it. Aurex came in and lost fifteen kg in a single hand before being dragged out.”

  Garron whistled.

  The bartender set a drink beside him. “Will there be anything else, Master Chief?”

  “Can I have my usual breakfast, please?” Garron asked.

  “Of course, Master Chief.”

  The day blurred past. People came and went from the table, but Garron remained the constant. Members of the Revolutionary Army drifted through in ones and twos until the light outside faded.

  Night came.

  Garron stood outside the east gate, protecting groups from the city as they fought monsters beyond the walls.

  The same vision kept repeating.

  Again.

  And again.

  Until Garron realised, buried in the wall, that this wasn’t the same memory replaying—it wasn’t even the same day, over and over… though it was hard to tell.

  His vision blurred as he slowly lifted his head toward the sapphire knight.

  Nothing ever changes. Here you are once again, letting everyone around you down. I’m pathetic. The old me would’ve broken me where I am now. I would never have accepted such a pathetic resolve… and yet neither of you—neither of you ever once called me on this.

  Garron coughed, more blood spilling from his mouth.

  …Solara. Caelan. I’ve sat by as both of you have time and time again pushed and worked hard, grown so far beyond what this old man can muster…

  A flash of an image hit him.

  His wife.

  His daughter.

  Garron snapped.

  Without even thinking, his boot slammed into the ground in front of him as his teeth clenched, and one by one he saw them—every member of the Revolutionary Army—faces and voices bleeding into each other.

  Another memory surfaced, simple and stupidly warm. Caelan, Elyria, and Mynxi are playing a little board game. Mynxi won, then launched herself into Caelan’s arms, cheering as if she’d just taken a throne.

  No… I won’t. I… I refuse ever to let him see what I have.

  Garron forced a foot forward. Stone cracked.

  As long as you’ll have me by your side, I will stand for all of you.

  He reached the threshold again.

  The moment his foot touched the floor, he was buried deeper into the wall behind him.

  His chest darkened, bruising fast.

  He took one breath.

  Then he pulled himself out of the wall, not looking away from the sapphire knight.

  I WILL STAND.

  He stepped again.

  Room.

  Wall.

  Again.

  Room.

  Wall.

  Over and over.

  His chest was covered entirely in bruises now. Garron grit his teeth, pulled himself free again, and weakly forced the words out.

  “I… will… stand.”

  His legs gave.

  He started to fall, still refusing to look away from the sapphire knight.

  It would’ve been nice to see you all go a little further. I’m sorry.

  He never hit the ground.

  Caelan caught him.

  Caelan smiled at him like he always did. “Hey, Chief. Sorry, I took so long.”

  Garron tried to speak, barely conscious, but he only spat blood.

  Caelan lowered him, sitting him against the wall. “You rest up a bit, Chief. I’ll handle the rest from here.”

  Caelan turned toward the monster and started walking.

  Garron grabbed his hand.

  Caelan didn’t look back, just spoke quietly. “Trust me, it’s alright. You rest up, bud. I’ll finish this, and we’ll get Sparkly Hands to fix you right up.”

  Garron let out a gentle laugh as his grip slipped away.

  Caelan pulled his ponytail free, cracked his neck, and tied it back up a little tighter.

  Hands in his pockets, he stepped to the edge of the room, smug eyes locked on the sapphire knight. He lifted his foot and slowly lowered it into the room.

  Garron jolted, fully aware again.

  His eyes widened.

  The room that had rejected even his entry now stood silent as dust drifted, settling.

  Where the sapphire knight had stood unmoving… now stood Caelan.

  The sapphire knight was buried in the wall.

  Stone crumbled as it dragged itself free with a low, dark growl.

  Caelan stared, shocked. “It can’t be…”

  The sapphire knight spoke, voice filling the chamber.

  “Are you the challenge the Goddess promised?.... SO BE IT, MY GODDESS. WE WILL RISE!”

  Caelan’s neck twisted to the side, his smile stretching as far as it could.

  “You talk?” he said, grinning. “Good. Because I’ve got some questions.”