"Ais is far too reckless."
Whenever the topic turned to raising that child, Riveria couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
"Even as a child, she always tried to act strong," she said softly.
"From the very beginning, she possessed an extraordinary thirst for power—as if she somehow knew she needed to become stronger."
"She's come to treat that craving as her destiny. It's reached the point of obsession."
That was what troubled Riveria the most.
"Her obsession drives her to throw everything else away, charging forward without pause. It's been the same in countless Expeditions."
"When our Familia faced the Dungeon's malice, she always rushed ahead without hesitation, cutting down monsters as they poured out. In her frenzy, she lost sight of herself, completely ignoring the wounds she took."
"I'm afraid one day, her desire for power will consume her entirely."
Riveria sighed, her voice slowing as the weight of her words settled.
Tsuna listened quietly, but he could only feel helpless at her lament.
"Riveria, it might sound cruel, but that background pretty much defines Ais's entire life. She's walked a path that spans a thousand years—she doesn't truly belong to this era. The seal that bound her was likely her parents' way of protecting her."
"As for her parents... unless there's some way to return to the past, I doubt they could have lived this long. Even if Ais's mother was a Spirit."
"Even a Spirit can't?"
Riveria still clung to a thread of hope, but Tsuna shook his head.
"Unfortunately not. Spirits, like the Gods themselves, are beings sent to the surface to aid mortal heroes—to hunt and suppress monsters. In theory, they share the same longevity as the Gods, and they can't truly die."
"But immortality doesn't mean they can't be corrupted."
The word corruption stirred a chilling sense of dread in Riveria's chest.
"What do you mean by 'corruption'?"
"When a Spirit is devoured by a monster, the monster can't actually digest them. Instead, the Spirit devours the monster from within. But once that happens, their very nature reverses. The beings who once aided mortal heroes become vengeful wraiths, hating everything, slaughtering humanity in blind rage."
"I don't know if Ais's mother suffered that fate—but I do know this: there's a corrupted Spirit in the Dungeon. And years from now, it will even form an alliance with the Dark Faction."
"What!?"
Riveria could hardly believe what she was hearing. Spirits—those sacred beings—standing against them? Cooperating with the Dark Faction? It sounded like the cruelest joke imaginable.
She steadied herself after a moment of shock.
"So you're saying… Ais's mother might also be somewhere in the Dungeon?"
If that were true, it was a nightmare beyond imagination.
Riveria's fists clenched tightly.
"I don't know. But we should be prepared for that possibility."
Tsuna didn't have the answer—but he knew that some truths had to be faced with the worst in mind.
Prepare for the worst, so that when the time comes, one can still act rationally.
"I believe Ais's parents sealed her away—perhaps even within the Dungeon itself—because they were running out of time."
"What they did was, without a doubt, an act to give Ais a chance to live."
"And their actions also delayed the Dungeon's awakening. Judging from how stable it's been, their efforts from a thousand years ago—along with the Gods'—must have held the crisis at bay."
"But delaying the crisis comes with its own risks. I suspect the two of them sacrificed themselves, becoming part of the Dungeon itself."
"So, when we eventually reach the deeper layers… the ones waiting for us might very well be those same two—the ones who postponed the calamity a millennium ago."
Tsuna spoke as if tracing the story's unseen path.
The tale of Ais's parents was like a riddle—no one knew what they faced or what sacrifices they made.
The author of that story had yet to reach that chapter. The record of that era was a page of history painted over in black ink—its secrets long buried.
That blacked-out chapter must have been a magnificent story. But hidden beneath darkness, it was lost to time.
Still, judging from what remained, those two would appear again in the future.
Perhaps as part of the Dungeon itself—standing as enemies.
Even so, that would be years from now.
If it truly came to that, then those two would become obstacles humanity must overcome to move forward.
At this rate, the ones destined to face that trial would likely be the Loki Familia and the Familia of the God As...
…
And that meant Ais herself would have to overcome it.
"If that's true… that's going to be a real problem."
Hearing Tsuna's speculation about the future, Riveria couldn't shake the feeling that it might actually come to pass.
But if it did—would Ais still be able to raise her sword?
Riveria feared that Ais's mind might collapse under the weight of it all.
To turn her blade, forged through years of hardship, against her own parents—now part of the Dungeon itself…
Could Ais really do that?
Just imagining that future made Riveria's chest tighten painfully.
"It's troublesome, yes. But not entirely hopeless," Tsuna said quietly.
"I already have the power to save that couple. But first, we'll need the strength to defeat them."
"A Spirit, and a adventurer who was once the strongest a thousand years ago—neither can be dealt with easily. Especially if they've become part of the Dungeon itself. Their power would only have grown stronger."
"That makes it even harder."
Tsuna's words offered a faint glimmer of hope.
Riveria's eyes lit up instantly. Perhaps—just perhaps—this was the only path left open.
"It will be difficult, yes. But it's far better than having no hope at all."