Silence hung heavy.
So heavy that every breath echoed like thunder between the broken columns of a royal hall. Torchlight danced along the cracked walls, casting twisted shadows across a floor covered in debris and dried blood. The ancient stones, carved with forgotten symbols, still pulsed with a faint reddish glow — remnants of the energy that had teleported them there after the massacre in Thegg's dungeon.
The group lay scattered across the ground, bodies motionless, wounds deep.
The air smelled of iron, dust, and despair.
Romeu was the first to open his eyes.
— Ugh… where… are we? — he murmured, coughing as he tried to sit up, still gripping his bow tightly.
As he opened his eyes fully, he realized that he and the others were inside an enormous royal hall, completely drenched in blood. Swords and spears were scattered everywhere, along with decomposing bodies of fallen soldiers. At the far end of the hall stood a shattered throne, looming ominously over the scene.
His HUD blinked red.
HP: 20/100
Mana Bar: nearly empty
He looked around and saw his fallen companions. Kuto lay motionless, his twin swords still embedded in the ground beside him. Sônia and Selina were close to one another, their faces smeared with soot and dried tears. Jack was slumped against a wall, his shield split clean in half. Haru remained unconscious, his face swollen and deformed, breathing with extreme difficulty.
Romeu took a deep breath.
His heart pounded violently.
No… it can't end like this… not yet…
He clenched his fist, opened the menu, and quickly accessed the Player Shop.
The credits flickered: VelPoints: 542.
He scrolled through the options until he found something that could help.
> [Item] Supreme Healing Potion — 80 VelPoints
Restores 100% HP and Mana.
— This will do… — he whispered.
He purchased one and drank it in a single gulp. The golden liquid burned down his throat like liquid fire, and a bluish glow wrapped around his body. Wounds sealed shut, and energy surged back like an explosion.
Romeu exhaled deeply.
Life had returned.
But the pain remained — the pain of watching his friends die, one by one.
Without hesitation, he bought five more potions. He walked over to Sônia, knelt down, and gently supported her head.
— Come on, Sônia… wake up… — he murmured, opening the vial and bringing it to her lips.
She swallowed with difficulty. A soft light enveloped her body as her wounds knitted closed, and she slowly opened her eyes.
— Romeu…? — she whispered, dazed. — Did we… survive?
— Yes… at least some of us.
Romeu moved on to Jack. The warrior was barely breathing, still clutching his shattered shield.
As he drank the potion, Jack let out a groan and clenched his fists as strength returned to his muscles.
— Damn it… that monster… — he muttered, looking around. — Where are we?
— A temple… it looks ancient. I don't see Thegg anywhere, — Romeu replied grimly.
Next was Haru.
The rogue was in even worse shape — his face swollen, arms twisted unnaturally.
Carefully, Romeu poured the potion into his mouth. Slowly, Haru opened his eyes and let out a weak chuckle.
— Heh… so I didn't die after all… thought Thegg had sent me straight to hell…
— Not this time, — Romeu replied with a tired half-smile.
Finally, he approached Kuto.
The swordsman's body trembled faintly. He tried to move his arm, but nothing responded. Every breath was a struggle.
Romeu opened the potion, lifted his friend's head, and helped him drink slowly. A bluish aura surrounded Kuto, and little by little, his bones began to realign with dull cracking sounds.
Kuto opened his eyes.
He looked around.
Darkness and flames. The stench of ash and death.
— … Selina? — he asked hoarsely.
Romeu glanced toward the far corner of the hall.
There she was — kneeling, motionless, her eyes unfocused and brimming with tears. An untouched potion vial rolled weakly between her fingers.
— Selina… — Romeu called, approaching. — You need to drink this.
She didn't respond.
Tears fell silently, one after another, glimmering in the torchlight.
— It's useless… — she murmured, her voice breaking. — Nothing matters anymore…
Romeu stopped.
The silence of the hall grew even heavier with those words.
Selina clenched her fists, her nails digging into the stone.
— I… I lost him. He was all I had left. I promised my parents… I swore I'd protect Dimitri… and I failed! — she screamed, slamming her hands into the ground and cracking the stone beneath them. — I broke my promise… I failed him!
Jack, now standing, looked at her with a heavy expression.
— It wasn't your fault… — he murmured.
But his voice faltered.
Deep down, he blamed himself too.
As leader, he felt the weight of every life lost. He clenched his fist until blood trickled between his fingers.
I should've been faster… I should've protected them all…
Sônia stepped closer, kneeling beside Selina.
— I'm so sorry… we all are. But what Dimitri did… he saved you. He chose that.
Selina lifted her face, her eyes flooded with tears.
— Then why am I still here? To watch everyone die? — her voice trembled. — What's the point of this…?
Romeu inhaled deeply. He stepped closer, knelt before her, and took her hands.
— Selina, I know how you feel, — he said firmly, yet with compassion. — Dimitri was my closest friend. And Gunja, Célia, Sensi… they're all gone.
He swallowed.
— But if you give up now… his sacrifice will have meant nothing.
She stared at him in silence.
Torchlight flickered, reflecting in her tear-filled eyes.
— Survive, — Romeu said, his gaze unwavering. — Live for him. Because that's what Dimitri would want. For you to keep going.
The words lingered in the air like a silent oath.
Selina closed her eyes, tears still falling. For the first time since waking, she took a deep breath and whispered:
— … Alright… I'll keep going.
The silence shattered with a sharp metallic sound — a ringing echo that reverberated through the walls.
Suddenly, a familiar voice, playful and cold, echoed through the chamber:
— Welcome, survivors…
The sound was crystal-clear, coming from all directions at once.
The torch flames flickered violently, and the air itself seemed to vibrate.
— That voice… — Haru whispered. — I recognize it…
Kuto frowned.
— Zeylor.
A laugh echoed — light, almost childish, yet dripping with malice.
— Oh my, oh my… what an adorable reunion! I almost believed you wouldn't even make it past the tutorial…!
Sônia tightened her grip on her staff.
— What do you want now, Zeylor?
— Oh, relax, relax… nothing serious! — he replied cheerfully. — I just came to congratulate you. You were… persistent. And to announce the start of a system event. I almost gave up on saving your broken little heads, but the XP Festival started right on time. Perfect timing, don't you think?
Jack clenched his teeth.
— So we were thrown here because of that?
— Exactly! — Zeylor said with false enthusiasm. — The system wouldn't allow my players to die before the event began. The XP Festival is an ancient tradition! A little gift from the Nexus to boost your levels — or devour you, depending on your luck, of course…
— Is this a joke? — Romeu snarled. — We just escaped a dungeon where we nearly died, and now you expect us to fight again?
— Oh, my dear archer… — Zeylor replied, feigning sympathy. — You have no choice. The event is mandatory. If you refuse to participate… — his voice dropped, cold and echoing — you will be instantly eliminated from the game.
A deathly silence fell over the group.
Selina lowered her head.
Jack took a deep breath.
No one dared to answer.
However, Romeu, still refusing to accept it, walked toward the massive doors of the royal hall, intending to leave the place. But as he opened them, he was met with nothing but an immense vision of darkness.
A darkness that seemed to have no beginning and no end.
Within that darkness, the only thing that existed was the small royal hall where they stood.
Romeu froze, his face pale with disbelief at the sight.
Then Zeylor continued.
— Ohooo… so you've seen my little secret! You are inside my domain. If you dare refuse the event, you will be completely erased by the shadows of this place.
— But don't worry! — Zeylor continued, returning to his sarcastic tone. — The first stage is just a warm-up. Small creatures… a fun little mess. Then a mini-boss. Easy!
Magical crackling filled the air as a massive door began to materialize before the shattered throne. Its edges glowed gold and ruby, pulsing like a living heart.
— Inside lies your fate, — Zeylor announced theatrically. — Complete the event and you'll return to Velerithon. Fail… and you'll be swallowed by the darkness surrounding this place.
Haru looked around.
Beyond the chamber was nothing but pure darkness — no ground, no sky, no sound. Absolute void.
— What if we try to leave? — he asked, his voice trembling.
— Ah, ah, ah… — Zeylor laughed, playful and cruel. — Try it, and you'll learn what it means to be erased from existence. I control this reality, my dear players. There is nowhere to run.
The group fell silent.
Fear was palpable.
The only living sound was the crackling of the torches.
At last, Kuto slowly rose to his feet, still unsteady.
He drew his sword from his inventory, the blade reflecting the orange torchlight.
He looked at the door. Then at his companions.
— … We have no other choice, — he said firmly. — If we want to live, we have to play.
One by one, the others stood.
Jack adjusted his cracked shield.
Romeu checked his bow and arrows.
Sônia wiped her face and steadied her staff.
Selina inhaled deeply, hesitated, then opened her menu, bought a potion, and drank it. Color returned to her face as she wiped away her tears.
Kuto turned to them, his hand resting on the golden handle of the door.
— Ready?
Romeu nodded.
— We always have been.
Jack muttered under his breath.
— Then let hell begin.
The torches trembled.
Zeylor's voice echoed one last time, playful and theatrical:
— Oh, I can't wait to see the show!
With a firm push, Kuto opened the doors.
An icy wind poured from the darkness.
Golden and crimson lights flooded the chamber.
And the group stepped through the portal, vanishing into the mist.
Behind them, the temple fell silent once more.
Only the distant echo of Zeylor's laughter remained.
> "Welcome to the XP Festival…"