The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 65

"BROTHER! WAKE UP!!" My sister’s voice pounded through my head as she screamed at the top of her lungs directly next to my ear.

"What? What’s going on?" My eyes still half-closed, I whipped my head back and forth to see if there was an emergency.

"Sheesh! You suck at waking up, Brother." Ellie probably woke up not too long ago, evident by her bedhead.

"Haha, you hair looks crazy." I shot her a grin as I ruffled her hair.

"Eek! Stop it! Your hair looks weird too!" Hopping out of bed, my sister ran out of my room, reminding me to wash up.

"Aye aye!" I gave my sister an exaggerated salute, making her giggle, before going downstairs.

Sylvie woke up on her own from my sister’s shouting but her eyes kept blinking slowly as she unstably toddled behind me.

After washing up, I made sure I had a few basic necessities on me. This included my seal bracelet, my dimension ring with Dawn’s Ballad stored inside, the other ring used to signal my mother if I was in trouble, and the feather Sylvia left me that I used to cover Sylvie’s bond mark on my forearm.

The feather wasn’t necessary to cover the mark, but I liked to keep it on me just as a memento. Having a part of Sylvia with me always comforted me.

Walking downstairs, my nose picked up on the soft scent of a meaty soup. When I reached the kitchen, I spotted my parents and little sister sitting around the table, drowsiness still evident on their faces from being up early at dawn.

"Hope you don’t mind. The chef is cooking breakfast for you. We’re probably going to go back to sleep after we see you off." My mother gave me a tired smile.

I pulled up a chair and took a seat next to Ellie. "Not at all. In fact, you really didn’t have to wake up and see me off."

"Be vigilant, no matter how easy you think the dungeon may be. It’s called a dungeon because you never know of the dangers inside," my father warned me, his bedhead ablaze.

Looking at my mother, the strain on her face was hard not to notice as she struggled for the right words. "...Just, please be careful, Arthur. I know how strong you are but I can’t stand it every time I see you hurt, it’s just that..." Her voice faded at the end.

"Hmm?" My mind flashed back to what my father had said in the hospital room back at Xyrus Academy; the event that made her unable to heal anyone seriously injured.

"It-It’s nothing. Just be safe.... and keep your eyes on that girl, Tessia, as well. You have to protect her if things get tough, okay?" Giving me a gentle smile that didn’t seem to reach her eyes, she reached forward and patted my head.

The house chef brought in my food at this time, which consisted of dry bread and a creamy soup that I assumed was used to dip my bread in. After Sylvie had a nibble on the bread, she whined and just curled up again. By the time I’d finished, the sun was starting to peek out from the mountains.

"Are you going to be coming home right after your dungeon excursion?" my father asked after giving me a hug.

"No, not right after. I’ll be back for a whole week next week though, for break. There’s some kind of special festival going on in the city, right?" My professors had all announced it a few weeks in advance that once every ten years, there was a phenomenon that occurred. Supposedly, during that entire week, the mana density in this continent reached its peak, giving mages the resources to make breakthroughs and even allowing non-mages to experience what it’s like to feel mana. For that week, classes were cancelled and students were allowed to either stay on campus or go back home to meditate and train as much as possible.

"Ah, right! The Aurora Constellate is happening next week. So you’re going to stay here for the festival too?" My mother’s mood brightened.

"Wow! A whole week?" My drowsy sister perked up at this and pulled on my sleeves.

"Yup, that’s the plan. Let’s all go to the festival together." Looking at my family, I gave them a smile and hugged my sister and mother before walking down the stairs.

"Be careful!" my mother shouted one last time while waving. Waving back at them, I stepped inside the carriage. Once inside, I followed Sylvie’s lead, catching up on my sleep until we arrived.

__________________________________________________

"Arthur!" Stepping out of the carriage, I spotted Curtis waving at me, his smile wide and genuine.

"How was your trip back home? Did you get to catch up with your family?" Claire patted me on the back when I reached the group of students waiting at the front gate.

"Good, you made it!" Professor Glory gave me a smile too as she began her headcount. Looking around, besides Curtis and Claire, I saw Clyde, Lucas, and a few other students that I never really paid attention to. I did one more quick check but didn’t see Tess, and by the frantic look on his face, neither did Clyde.

"Sorry I’m late!" Once Tess ran through the front gate, she caught her breath, her face flushed and hair messy.

"You’re the last one, Princess Tessia. We can start heading out now." Professor Glory took note of everyone’s presence once more and nodded in satisfaction before turning around and leading the class of fifteen students to the teleportation gate.

I glanced back to see Tess walking alongside Clyde when she caught my gaze. Giving me a shy smile of affirmation, I replied with a small wave but otherwise continued making small talk with Curtis and Claire until we arrived at the gate.

The guard stationed at the gate adjusted the settings as he asked our professor a few questions. After several minutes, Professor Glory signaled for us to enter through the gate one by one, stepping in herself after all of us. Again, my stomach turned from the feeling of traveling through, but luckily, the trip never lasted more than a few seconds.

"Welcome! I assume for most of you, this is the first time you guys have stepped foot in the Beast Glades, correct?" Professor Glory chimed while placing her hands on her hips.

"Hmph. I’ve been here countless times. I was an A-class adventurer after all." Lucas stepped forth with his chest out. With this, a couple impressed murmurs from the students made Lucas even more arrogant until Professor Glory replied.

"Ah, yes. I’ve heard from Director Goodsky that you were indeed an adventurer. I’ve also been notified that you had your license revoked due to classified reasons." Raising an eyebrow, Professor Glory continued on.

"Tch. It’s all because of that damned masked bastard." The professor didn’t hear Lucas mutter under his breath as he leaned against his staff.

"Right now, we’re near the edge of the Grand Mountains. If we walk a few hours this way, we’ll arrive at a famous pub of gathering called Dragonspine Inn. Back when I was an adventurer, that was the place to chat and get information on various mana beasts and dungeons. We’ll be going to a rather low-level dungeon so don’t worry too much. I will also be with you at all times but I’ll refrain from helping unless it is absolutely necessary so don’t look to me for answers." Professor Glory waved her right hand and from her dimension ring appeared a small pile of black cloth.

"These are shawls that you guys will need to wear inside the dungeon. The dungeon we’re exploring is called Widow’s Crypt. It’s a fairly straightforward dungeon without any traps or mazes so don’t worry about getting lost. It is, however, very cold in there, which is why you need these shawls. The mana beasts you’ll mostly be facing are nasty little creatures called snarlers. There are two types of snarlers in this dungeon that you’ll need to be wary of: the minion snarlers and the queen snarler. The minion snarlers are the ones you guys will be facing. Their queen burrows to the bottom floor of the dungeon so you won’t see it, but just know the difference. You’ll see what the minions look like once we go inside, but for now, we’re going to split you up into three teams of five." As Professor Glory finished informing us, she pulled out a small piece of paper from the inside of the shawl she was wearing.