Chapter 15: Ancient Dungeons

Elisa woke to a familiar face standing over her. Allia was standing on her bed looking down at her when she opened her eyes. How comforting. She got down from her bed after having confirmed her roommate was awake, "I made breakfast," Allia said proudly, and she had. On their small kitchen counter sat a plate of pancakes with fruit. Elisa would eat them after washing up. She sat down at the counter and ate. It was surprisingly good. Allia had hung up her jacket on the coat rack; since it wasn't the cloak, nobody would be able to tell it was an ervis.

"It was you!" Elsia suddenly called out, startling and confusing her roommate, "Back then, it was you and your friend who tried robbing the merchant. I took down a few of your guys before you decided to leave!" Elisa had suddenly remembered their real first encounter, all the way back when she had been travelling with George to Lu'rein. Allia was racking her brain hard when she finally remembered, "Ahh, right, right, that," She said, chuckling. "We weren't trying to rob them, Edward felt your Ego, he just wanted to know who it was," She said with a mouthful of pancake. The two continued to converse as they ate.

Winter break eventually came to an end, and everyone returned for classes. Elsia did not miss this. Her schedule was still the same, and Gramps let them move forward in the Dual Ego class. "Hey!" Dan called out to her as he made his way over to her table. She waved back. Elisa never told him about her third Ego, and she never planned on it; part of E'iers Ego allowed her to conceal the gem so nobody would see it. Gramps and the Grandmaster both told her not to let anyone else know, aside from Lucas and Sylia, two students from the Four Great Families. She was informed that when the other Empires' councils and the four families were told about her, they were met with outrage. Some of them demanded the Ego be removed, while others think she should be brought in for investigation. The Grandmaster has forced them to back down for now, but there's no telling how things will escalate. "Haa, it's only the first day back, and I'm already exhausted." En dropped his lunch bag onto the table before sitting down next to Dan, "I don't wanna hear you complaining about it, you damn genius." Dan said teasingly. The boy she helped a few weeks ago was more open now that the three of them had become better friends.

Elisa made her way through unfamiliar halls. She had been summoned by the Dean, which honestly doesn't sound good. The halls were well lit, and yet it was dark. She eventually reached the dark oak doors leading into the Dean's office. She reaches out to pull the doors open, but stops herself. She knocks and waits. Only opening the door when a voice called from the other side. The Dean sat at his desk; he looked stressed. His hand rubbed his head while he looked over a paper, only putting it down when Elsia came in. The Dean was an older person, his black and grey hair combed back, allowing for the wrinkles on his face to seem more visible. His brown eyes were like Gramps, warm.

"You must be Elisa, the student who's caused more trouble in her first year than a certain someone," he said half-jokingly. Standing beside him was the Grandmaster. Wonderful.

"Please, take a seat," He said, gesturing to the couch. " We didn't call you here today because you're in trouble, well, partially, but don't worry about that," Elisa frowned. It was kinda hard not to worry about being in trouble with the four families or any of the Empires. "As you already know, the other Empires have been informed of the uh, statement? What E'ier told you about the end of the world," The doors opened and closed behind her as the Dean spoke, she didn't bother turning to see. "Anyway, you're late," The Grandmaster cut in, not to Elisa, but to the person who had just arrived. "I know we've met only once, but I didn't think she was this bold, Grandmaster." The voice spoke from behind her. He sounded young and familiar... Elisa slowly tilted her head back, her eyes meeting with the eyes of the Emperors. He didn't seem upset, more amused. She remained seated instead of getting up and properly greeting the Emperor; instead, she slowly tilted her head forward and kept her gaze forward. The corners of the Grandmaster's mouth were twitching, trying very hard not to laugh at this peculiar situation. Emperor Elaris moves around and sits on the same couch as Elisa. The Dean clears his throat as he brings everyone's focus back, "You, Elisa, will be attending the H'yrelia Summit. There-"

"The what?" She cut in unintentionally, but how was she supposed to attend something she had no idea existed? "The Hy'relia Summit is the yearly meeting of the Four Emperors. You will be joining me to discuss the Ancient Dungeons with E'ier." Emperor Elaris stepped in, and Elisa nodded. She did not want to do that. It's all this damn Ego's fault.

"Ah, now that's just rude," said Ego. The Emperor said she'd be further informed of the summit as it draws near; for now, she is to continue attending her classes as normal. So she did.

A few weeks had gone by, and the day of the summit was here. She had been picked up by the Emperor's...maid? Butler? She honestly wasn't sure what to call her, but it was super early in the morning; the lady who came to get her was dressed fancy, in a black, pink, and gold baggy pants, and a kimono with a pink flower pattern draped over her shoulders, over the royal family's normal dress shirt. The lady ushered Elisa into a black car; the summit was held in the capital of Lu'rein, Lu'reisha, which wasn't too far from the academy. Once they arrived, she was led into a guest room with maids, who helped her get changed. "You will be representing all of Lu'rein alongside our Emperor, so you need to look your best," Is what the Head Lady said. They fitted her into the same colored pants and dress shirt, with the same pattern. Her kimono, however, was different. It drooped down exactly to her ankles, which meant this had been a commissioned piece specifically for her. The back of the kimono had a plum blossom tree, and pink represented it against white.

The Summit wasn't until 6 pm, and it was 10 am. They quickly undressed her, much to Elisa's confusion, and they dragged her to the bathroom, where she was given a shower. Though this part could've easily been done by herself, the maids insisted on doing it. This was by far the most nervous she'd ever felt; it made fighting against the Verant feel like nothing. She was given an hour of downtime while her hair dried. After, the maids moved to apply makeup. Elisa never bothered with makeup, mainly cause she never had any, or knew how to use it. When she was little, she would see the older girls wear it, and from time to time, when she could sneak into the Lingering Fragrant House, she would watch the hostesses put on. The house was mainly a restaurant that offered other services, and she only went inside to hang around the older girls working there; they were nice to her. The old lady who worked the place would kick her out whenever she got caught, though. Elisa's mind wandered back to her past as the maids applied the...whatever this was called again. By the time they finished with everything, the time for the summit was near.

The head lady led Elisa to the main lobby, where the others would be. The sound of chattering filled the room when they entered. Some people turned to look, and quite frankly, Elisa did not like the attention. She stayed close to the Head Lady as they made their way to Elaris. He was wearing the same thing as the Head Lady and Elisa, with the only difference being his kimono had a katana going down the middle of the plum blossom tree. Elaris led them to the room where the summit would be held, which was massive. One section of the room was for the other nobles and council people, with the raised section of the room being for the Four Emperors and their closest attendants; they were the last ones to join. The Emperors sat at a roundtable, their attendants standing silently behind them. Elaris sat down, and Elisa and the Head Lady stood on either side. She recognized the three Emperors before her, but they didn't know her. The Grandmaster stood not too far from them; his expression was slack, but his eyes remained crimson. "Elaris, who exactly is it that you've brought with you? The summit is only for the nobles and the Emperors," Spoke Gahren, Emperor of Weiren. He was an older-looking dude; he wore a more modern royal attire, red and black as the colours of the Weiren family. Elaris's expression remained the same since she first met up with him; he was smiling.

"I assure you, Gahren, I did not break the rules we set ourselves," Elaris gestured to Elisa, "Though not many people know of this, she is my second oldest." A ripple of murmurs erupted from the crowd, but the other Emperors didn't seem to be shocked, aside from the Honein, Emperor of N'rell, who stared in disbelief. Elisa herself had to remain composed, as she had no idea this was gonna happen. It was better this way; Elaris was protecting her secret from the other Emperors, even if it meant lying. AH! Her kimono being similar to his was because shes the Emperor's daughter, which means the maids who helped her were most likely informed that she was the second daughter as well. "Then what about those?" Emperor Ki'ria of Ai'rein pointed to Irakami and the newly acquired blade, "The katana she has on her is Irakami, the heirloom of the Ky'urai family, is it not?" Elisa glanced over at Elaris, and he remained smiling. "As you are all aware, El'an was like my brother; the Ky'urai clan and the Ka'lein family have a strong alliance.

I spoke with Irakami," He blatantly lied. "The Sky Ruler passed on his late master's wish to me, for the Divine Egos of the Ky'urai Clan to continue, so I bestowed this power to my second eldest, as my eldest is set to inherit my divine Ego." Elaris was good; he spoke with such confidence, and the things he said lined up so that nobody could call him out. The blades of the Ky'urai Clan were passed to the villagers along with a small Elsia the night of the attack, so nobody found them, and they were presumed destroyed. With that having been settled, they returned to the topic at hand, the Ancient Dungeons. Elaris explained the whole situation, and the whole problem of her having E'iers Ego vanished after her ties to Elaris were fabricated. "And how exactly are we supposed to know any of this is true? She could be lying for all we know," spat Emperor Gahren. The sound of footsteps entering the room rang silently in her ear. "I believe that is why I'm here," Gramps said.

Elisa was relieved to see another familiar face. He smiled warmly at her before turning his attention back to the Emperors. He held out his hand to Elisa, "If you would so kind as to let me see the divine relic, Miss Ka'lein?" She did as asked, though being referred to as "Miss. Ka'lein" was odd; she did not like it. A second later, the divine relic glowed, and a figure emerged from it. It was tiny. Gramps had used his Ego to give E'ier form, so he could explain everything. E'ier looked around, confused, but they were able to proceed without much issue. E'ier examined the four Emperors carefully, "Seems like the world has come a long way since Elphia, ah, and her predecessor is here too," He said, pointing to Theo, "You must be the what, fourth Grandmaster since her?"

"That is correct."

"Huh, well, you certainly hold up to her reputation in strength, especially with that E-" Elaris clears his throat to stop E'ier from rambling on, "Right, right, yes, my apologies. It's been years since I last saw this many people. Back to the topic at hand, hmm, considering how long it's been, I'd say you've got about a year left."

"A year till what?" Honein asked, leaning forward, his expression tense with fear. "If you don't clear all four Ancient dungeons by some time next year, you can kiss this world goodbye," panic erupted among the nobles. Listening, low murmurs erupted into full-on shouting. Gramps was able to get everyone to calm down. "E'ier, can you tell us anything about the whereabouts of the fourth dungeon?" Elaris asked, E'ier covered his mouth with his hand and stared off into the ceiling, thinking. "Unfortunately, I am bound by the flow of causality, but what I can tell you is that at the end of the third dungeon lies the key to the fourth."

"Can you tell us about this world-ending threat? What or who is coming?" Gahren asked, his head resting in his hand. "Alas, that falls into the realm of the impossible, given the causality and all, but all I can say is that the rules of causality binding me to silence are related to the thing that is coming," E'ier said, shrugging. That was worrying; E'ier was a divine god, not many things could threaten him, yet he's also bound by rules, which raises the question: Is something like that even stoppable?

"With that having been settled, I believe the time to clear the Seas Edge is now, with the Grandmaster at its head. I propose a strike team be formed; three hunters from Lu'rein would be more than enough for this, and the two will be my two oldest," Elaris proposed the idea to shift the meeting into a more direct way, and set two Hunters to it, making it harder for the others to disagree or object. But Elisa wasn't super confident about going in with just three hunters, even if they had the Grandmaster. "Very well, while you handle the Seas Edge, we'll make preparations to tackle the other two, but that brings us to another important question: Isn't your eldest currently away looking for the mysterious third Ancient Dungeon?" Gahren asked. "I've already sent word; she is on her way back as we speak," Elaris responded, his smile unwavering. Elisa had no idea they were looking for it, but it made sense as to why she wasn't here now. The other emperors agreed to this plan, and the summit ended. Elisa followed Elaris back to his table in the hall. They would have dinner before heading back. "Is there anyone you'd like to join for the raid?" Elaris asked her, taking a sip from his glass, she had thought about this even before he asked, and she had a certain someone in mind, "Sylia Velonis," "Ah, the first year Velonis girl, I've heard promising things about her from Caland, I'll keep her in mind when picking the third," Elisa hoped he picked her, better to go into a raid with someone she knew.

"I'm sorry about springing this on you without any prior warning. To keep your secret, it had to be this way. " Elaris suddenly told her, she nodded, it was understandable. "Thank you, Father." It sounded weird. calling him father, it startled Elaris for a second, but he smiled warmly at her, he patted her head once before she pushed his hand away, "We're not there yet,"

"Of course, of course," he said, laughing. The two would continue to bond as father and daughter.

Elisa told Sylia about the raid and how she had put her name in as one of the potential hunters; she was thrilled. Well, it was hard to tell, but she was smiling. Once Elaine, her now older sister, returned from her expedition, they would set out for the Seas Edge a few days later. And soon enough, those few days had gone by in an instant. It was early in the morning on a Friday, and they would head to the port city of El'vair, from there they would head to the Seas Edge. Elaris had chosen Sylia to join the team, fortunately, and he also insisted on driving the way there, leaving the three of them in the back. Elisa wanted out. The three of them sat there in silence. Elaine was imposing, like her father- well, now it was their father, she hadn't gotten fully used to it yet, it still felt a little weird. The girl was tall; she wore black, baggy pants, a dark blue chest plate, and her black plum blossom kimono rested on her shoulders. Her blueish-pink eyes bore into Elisa as she avoided direct eye contact. Elaine's katana rested beside her; it was beautiful. The handle seemed to have been made from a dark wood, wrapped in a dark pink fabric. The sword rested in a black and blue sheath with a scatter of flower petals design. They reached El'vair in complete silence. The village was rather small, with buildings scattered all around, but far enough away from the cliff's edge. The Grandmaster stood facing the direction of the Seas Edge, which anyone could see from here. The thing was large and loud. She could hear the faint roars of the winds surrounding the dungeon.

"Once everything's set up, we'll head out," Elaris told them before heading over to the Grandmaster, but now that she thought about it, how were they going to reach the dungeon by boat? "That platform," spoke Elaine, she gestured to a decently sized wooden platform a few feet away from the Grandmaster, "He'll use his Ego to float us over to the dungeon." Elaine explained, and the duo nodded in understanding. Elaine let out a heavy sigh, "Although this is our first time meeting, I hope this raid helps us better familiariz ourselves with each other," She said holding her hand out, forcing a smile, Elisa took it out of fear that something'll happen if she doesn't, "You can relax you know," Elisa told her, and she dropped the smile. "haa, thats good. Father told me to act nice, but if you want me to view you as my younger sister, then prove it." She said, grinning for real this time, Elisa returned the smile, accepting her test. The trio would join Father and the Grandmaster near the ledge, in the distance, raged the Seas Edge. And so the Seas Edge raid team set forth; the fate of their world rested upon them.

Two teams enter the Seas Edge, two teams that must work together

Beware the King, for his madness spares no man

Seek the maiden of coral

Bring peace to this old King, O Hunters brave...

THE END