We woke with the sun.
Got dressed. Packed our things. Tried to pretend the grief wasn't still sitting in our chests.
"Well," I said, forcing lightness into my voice, "we can finally go chase some swords."
Dixon didn't look up. "I guess so."
His tone was hollow.
"Don't be like that," I said. "Cast wouldn't want you moping around. He'd want us doing what we love."
Flake nodded. "He's right. I didn't know Cast long—but I know he wouldn't want to see you all like this."
Jax exhaled slowly. "Yeah. You're right." She straightened. "So what blade are we going for?"
I pulled out a worn piece of parchment.
"Word is, a new sword was discovered about three weeks back. They're calling it the Blade of the Hottest Star."
Flake tilted her head. "What does that mean?"
"The hottest star," I said. "It's that thing in the sky. The one giving us light right now."
Dixon squinted upward. "I always thought that was just... an eye in the sky or something."
Flake laughed. "It's called the sun. I learned about it from a teacher back home."
We exchanged glances.
"We couldn't afford teachers," I admitted. "Everything we know, we taught ourselves."
She didn't pity us. Just nodded.
"Then I'll teach you what I can."
We set out that day.
And as we traveled, we kept our eyes open—not just for the blade, but for anything related to Mazza. Anything about dark magic.
Weeks passed.
Eventually, we gathered enough information to form a plan.
The good news: The Blade of the Hottest Star had been spotted near the Valley of Life.
More good news: The sword was ranked third among all known blades. Top tier.
The bad news: Many had tried to claim it. Few returned. Only ten people had ever made it inside the dungeon—and lived.
The journey would take a full month.
So we trained along the way.
Flake became our teacher.
She was the most skilled among us—had formal training, real schooling. She could take any of us in a one-on-one fight without breaking a sweat.
We asked her to train us.
She agreed immediately.
Over the following weeks, she taught us everything she knew.
How to read and write properly. How the sky worked—the stars, the sun, the seasons. How nature moved and grew.
And most importantly: how to outthink an opponent.
She drilled us in new stances. New techniques. New ways to move, strike, and adapt.
By the time we reached the Valley of Life, we weren't the same fighters we'd been a month ago.
One Month Later
The Valley of Life was unlike anything I'd ever seen.
Towering trees—so tall they blocked the sky. Crystal-clear lakes. Roaring waterfalls. Nature ruled here, untamed and endless.
And we weren't alone.
Other chasers had gathered. Dozens of them. All hunting the same blade.
They called it the Sun Blade now. Easier to say.
But as we searched for the dungeon entrance, whispers spread about something else.
Another weapon.
One that wasn't hidden.
We followed the crowd to a clearing.
In the center stood a pedestal—a slab of dark metal jutting from the earth. And embedded in it, pointing toward the sky, was a sword.
It was beautiful.
The blade was forged from harnessed silver, gleaming like liquid light. The handle appeared to be diamond, with a brilliant gem set into the center. It radiated wealth—easily the most expensive weapon in the land.
One by one, chasers stepped forward and tried to pull it free.
None succeeded.
My friends and I tried too.
It didn't budge.
Flake didn't even approach. She stood at the edge of the crowd, arms crossed, expression blank.
Then she turned and walked away.
I followed.
"Hey—what's wrong?"
She didn't stop. "Nothing. I'm just not feeling well. I'll go look for the entrance."
That didn't make sense.
If she wasn't feeling well, why wander off alone?
I caught up to her. "Flake. Talk to me."
She stopped.
Her voice was quieter now. "What if we don't make it out alive?"
I blinked.
"What if we die down there?" she continued. "What if this is the last dungeon we ever see?"
I stepped closer.
"We won't. I won't let that happen." I met her eyes. "I'll protect us. All of us. No matter what comes."
She held my gaze for a long moment.
Then, slowly, she nodded.
"...I know how to get in."
"How?"
"You have to pull the sword from the ground."
That night, we made camp beneath the stars.
In the morning, we returned to the clearing.
Jax stepped forward first.
"Let me try. My ability is strength—maybe it'll work."
She gripped the handle. Pulled. Twisted.
The ground shook.
She tightened her grip and pulled harder. Cracks split outward in every direction, the earth groaning under the pressure.
Then she let go, gasping.
"Almost," she breathed. "But not quite."
I stepped up.
"My turn."
I activated my power.
Fire erupted around me—armor forming across my body, bright and furious. But this time, something else followed.
A dark mist coiled at my feet.
I placed my hands on the hilt.
Gripped it.
And pulled.
Lightly.
The sword slid free like it had been waiting for me.
The crowd gasped.
I lifted the blade, staring at it in disbelief.
"I got it... I actually—"
The ground gave way beneath me.
I plunged downward, the world collapsing around me. My friends screamed—then followed, tumbling into the darkness.
We hit water first. Then the water drained. Then we fell again—crashing onto solid stone.
I groaned and pushed myself up.
We were in a cavern.
Massive. Endless. The ceiling stretched so high I couldn't see it. The space was wide enough to hold a castle and several towns.
Then the sword spoke.
Not out loud—inside my head.
"If you seek the entrance, you must advance to the blue essence."
I looked forward.
A faint blue mist drifted through the cavern, glowing softly, leading deeper into the dark.
I followed it.
At the end, I found a door—ancient, covered in dust—and Flake standing in front of it.
"You found it," I said.
She nodded. "Followed the mist."
Others gathered behind us.
I approached the door. There was a slot in the center—a sword-shaped indent.
I inserted the silver blade. Twisted.
The door exploded open.
Inside, the dungeon was pitch black.
Torches lined the walls, flickering weakly. The air smelled of rot.
And there were bodies.
Everywhere.
People screamed as something lunged from the shadows—
Giant cats. Dead. Decayed. Faces and bodies wreathed in fire.
They attacked without warning.
I drew the Blade of Hearts and fought back, slashing through anything that came close.
But there were too many.
I reactivated my armor.
Let go.
Just for five seconds.
Twenty-three monsters dropped at once.
When I snapped back, I heard it.
Laughter.
Old. Cruel. Echoing inside my skull.
No time to think.
The dungeon master burst through the floor.
It was massive—wolf-bodied, red-handed, claws dripping with blood. Its teeth were jagged stone. Its eyes were slitted like a cat's.
It charged.
I drew the Fury Blade and braced—
Too slow.
The master slammed into me, sending me flying. Before I could recover, it leaped and pinned me to the ground.
Its face loomed inches from mine, breath hot and rancid.
Then—
A whisper.
"You want to kill him. Let me do it. I'll end it quickly. The weapon will be yours... Let me do it."
My vision blurred.
My body moved—but I wasn't controlling it.
My fire armor darkened. Black flames engulfed me. My sword turned obsidian.
I struck.
The dungeon master turned to cinders.
When I came back to myself, I was standing over its remains.
Stronger than before.
But my mind felt... thinner. Weaker.
The Blade of the Sun materialized in my hand—then vanished, joining my arsenal.
I lifted my wrist.
It was there. Alongside the others.
We were pulled to the surface moments later.
Everyone collapsed onto the grass, gasping, alive.
I sat up slowly—and froze.
The star on my arm was gone.
In its place was something else.
A black dot.
Large. Dark. And it moved—like it was alive.
Then my stomach twisted.
I doubled over.
Dropped to the ground.
Blood poured from my mouth.
My friends rushed to my side. Flake held me up, her voice panicked.
"Zero—Zero! What's happening?!"
I tried to speak.
Only one word came out.
"...Mazzaaa..."