The village of Ikasa rested peacefully beneath rolling emerald hills where the wind danced endlessly through fields of silver grass. It was not a wealthy village nor was it famous yet to those who called it home, it was paradise.
Children laughed through dirt roads, merchants greeted one another with warm smiles, and every evening the scent of freshly baked bread drifted from nearly every home.
Among those simple lives lived a girl everyone knew, a girl whose smile seemed capable of chasing away even the darkest clouds.
Her name was Maira. At only fourteen years old, she had already become one of the most beloved people in Ikasa. Not because she possessed extraordinary magic, not because she came from an important family but because no matter how difficult life became she never stopped being kind.
Short silver hair reached just below her shoulders, framing gentle golden eyes that always carried warmth. Many often whispered that if flowers could become human they would surely look like her.
"Maira!"
An elderly man waved from across the road.
She stopped, balancing two heavy buckets of water across a wooden pole resting on her shoulders.
"Good morning, Mr. Daren."
The old man chuckled.
"You shouldn't be carrying all that by yourself again."
She laughed softly.
"It's alright. Mother needs fresh water for her medicine."
"You really spoil that woman."
"I'll never stop."
The old man smiled sadly.
Everyone in the village knew about Maira's mother. Years ago she had fallen victim to a strange illness, some days she could walk other days she couldn't even leave her bed. No healer had managed to cure her completely, medicine only slowed the sickness and medicine cost money, money they barely had yet somehow Maira never complained.
Every sunrise began exactly the same, she collected herbs before dawn, fetched water, prepared breakfast, helped her mother take medicine, cleaned the house, worked odd jobs around the village, collected firewood cooked dinner then repeated it all the next day.
Day after day.
Month after month.
Year after year.
She lived entirely for one person, her mother.
Their little cottage sat near the edge of the forest, its roof leaked whenever it rained, the walls were old, the furniture was worn but it was home. As soon as Maira entered, she placed the buckets down.
"I'm back!"
A weak voice answered.
"Welcome home..."
Her mother smiled from the bed. Even pale from illness, even exhausted she still looked beautiful. Maira immediately prepared warm water before crushing several medicinal herbs together.
"You should've rested more."
"I rested all morning."
"You always say that."
"Because it's true."
Maira pouted.
"You promised not to overwork yourself."
Her mother laughed quietly.
"When did you become my mother?"
"When you stopped listening."
Both of them laughed together, moments like these they treasured them because neither knew how many remained. After preparing the medicine, Maira carefully helped her mother drink it.
It tasted terrible, as always.
"You made it even more bitter."
"It helps more that way."
"So cruel."
"I'm learning."
Her mother reached over and gently brushed Maira's hair.
"You've grown into such a wonderful girl."
Maira smiled.
"I learned from you."
"No..."
Her mother's eyes softened.
"You became someone even kinder than I ever was."
Maira looked away shyly.
"I still have a long way to go."
Later that afternoon she met her friends near the river. Magic sparkled across the open field, children around her age practiced simple elemental spells.
Tiny flames.
Floating water.
Small gusts of wind.
Nothing dangerous.
Just enough to have fun.
"Maira!"
A cheerful girl ran over.
"Lory!"
Several others followed behind.
"You finally came!"
"I had chores."
"You always have chores."
Another boy grinned.
"We saved your spot."
She thanked them before joining. Everyone knew Maira's magic wasn't impressive, she possessed only a tiny amount of mana.
Whenever everyone else launched beautiful streams of water or elegant wind blades Maira could barely create a few gusts of wind.
Still...
Her friends always encouraged her.
"Again!"
"You almost had it!"
"Little more mana!"
Tiny gusts of wind were released.
Then...
Vwoosh.
They disappeared.
Everyone burst into laughter including Maira herself.
"I did warn you."
Lori wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"You'll get stronger."
"I hope so."
"You definitely will."
The encouragement made her smile even if she secretly doubted it. When evening approached several boys waited near the bridge each looked unusually nervous. One stepped forward holding flowers.
"Maira."
"Hm?"
"I...I've liked you for years."
The others shoved him from behind.
"Say it!"
"I..."
His face turned bright red.
"W-Will you go out with me?"
Silence.
Maira looked genuinely apologetic.
"I'm really grateful."
His shoulders lifted hopefully.
"But..."
She smiled gently.
"I'm sorry i can't."
The hope disappeared.
"Is...is it because I'm weak?"
"No."
"Because I'm poor?"
She shook her head.
"My mother needs me, that's all. I don't have time to think about romance."
The boy lowered his flowers.
"I understand."
His friends sighed.
"Rejected again."
"Didn't even last thirty seconds."
Lory marched forward immediately.
"Our Maira isn't available."
Another friend crossed his arms.
"Go home."
The boys groaned dramatically before leaving.
"I'll try again next year!"
"You'll still get rejected!"
Laughter echoed across the bridge, even Maira couldn't help laughing.
Life though difficult she still held moments worth smiling for.
That night Maira tucked blankets around her mother.
"Comfortable?"
"Very."
"Need anything else?"
"No."
Her mother reached out, Maira immediately held her hand.
"I worry about you."
"You shouldn't."
"You work too hard."
"I'm happy."
"You never think about yourself."
Maira smiled.
"I don't need much, as long as you're here i'm already happy."
Her mother's eyes became wet.
"My precious daughter if one day..."
She hesitated.
"If one day I'm gone..."
Maira immediately shook her head.
"Don't, promise me you'll keep living i don't want to hear that."
"Maira..."
"I said don't."
Her voice cracked.
"I still need you."
Silence filled the room, finally her mother smiled.
"Alright."
"I won't say it again."
Maira rested her forehead against her mother's hand.
"I'll protect you."
"No matter what."
Autumn arrived quietly in Ikasa.
The trees surrounding the village blazed with shades of crimson and gold, and cool winds carried the scent of drying leaves through the streets. To most, it was another peaceful season.
To Maira it was another season of trying to stretch too little money into enough medicine to keep her mother alive. Every morning before sunrise, she ventured into the forest to gather herbs that could be sold in neighboring villages. Every coin mattered, every handful of herbs meant another day her mother could smile. Despite the burden she carried, she still greeted everyone with the same gentle smile.
"Good morning, Miss Elna."
"Morning, Maira."
"Need help carrying those sacks?"
"Oh, dear, you already do too much."
"It's alright."
Without waiting for permission, Maira picked up one of the heavy grain sacks and carried it into the woman's home.
"You'll spoil us one day," the elderly woman chuckled, Maira only smiled.
"If everyone helps each other, life becomes easier."
Those words became something people often repeated around the village.
"That's something Maira would say."
Yet...
Not everyone admired her kindness. The chief's residence stood at the center of Ikasa.
Large.
Elegant.
Built from polished stone instead of weathered wood, its owner, Chief Roderick, ruled Ikasa with absolute authority. Beside him stood his only son, Victor.
Seventeen years old, handsome by most standards, talented in magic.
Strong.
Wealthy.
Everything a village girl was expected to admire.
Everything except...
His heart.
He had grown accustomed to getting whatever he desired, when he wanted a horse his father bought one, when he wanted expensive robes the arrived the next morning. When he wanted respect people gave it freely not because they respected him but because they feared disappointing the chief.
Then...
He met Maira. At first, he genuinely admired her.
Her kindness.
Her smile.
The way she never treated anyone differently, he believed she would eventually fall for him.
After all who would refuse the chief's son?
One afternoon, he found her gathering herbs outside the village.
"You work too hard."
Maira turned.
"Victor."
"You should let servants do this."
She laughed softly.
"I don't have servants."
"You could."
She tilted her head.
"What do you mean?"
Victor smiled confidently.
"Become my fiancée."
The words came so casually that Maira blinked.
"I'll make sure you never have to worry about money again my father can hire the best healers for your mother. You'll live comfortably and you'll never struggle again."
For a brief...
Very brief...
Maira's heart wavered.
The image of her mother receiving proper treatment flashed through her mind. No more counting coins, no more wondering if the medicine would run out, no more sleepless nights. It was tempting, painfully tempting then she remembered something her mother had once told her.
"Never accept kindness that asks you to sell your heart in return."
Maira lowered her eyes.
"I'm sorry."
Victor frowned.
"I can't."
"...Why?"
"My mother deserves help but I don't want her health to become something someone can bargain with."
Victor stared.
"You'd rather stay poor?"
"I'd rather stay honest."
For the first time in his life someone had chosen hardship over him.
Days became weeks and Victor didn't stop asking. Sometimes near the market, sometimes by the river, sometimes while she gathered herbs and each time the answer remained the same.
"I'm sorry."
"No."
"I appreciate your feelings but I cannot accept."
Every rejection chipped away at his pride, his friends noticed.
"You still haven't won her over?"
Victor forced a smile.
"She'll change her mind."
Another week passed.
Still no.
Another.
Still no.
The laughter began.
"Even the weakest girl in the village doesn't want him."
"I thought girls dreamed of marrying the chief's son."
"I guess kindness can't be bought."
Victor overheard every whisper each one carved another wound into his ego.
Meanwhile life continued for Maira. Her friends still visited, Lory often helped prepare medicine, Tom carried water whenever he had spare time even the village baker occasionally left bread outside their door, pretending he had baked too much.
Small acts of kindness, the kind Maira herself had inspired.
One evening, while everyone shared dinner inside the little cottage, her mother watched them laughing together.
"You've surrounded yourself with wonderful people."
Lory grinned.
"Maira never lets anyone struggle alone. So now it's our turn."
Maira felt her cheeks warm.
"You all embarrass me."
Her mother smiled.
"I'm proud of you."
She looked around the room.
"If one day I'm not here..."
"M-Mom..."
"...promise me you'll stay by her side."
The room fell silent, Lory immediately nodded.
"We promise."
Tom placed a hand over his chest.
"We'll always protect her."
Maira laughed nervously.
"Why is everyone talking like that today?"
No one answered, only her mother smiled sadly.
The next afternoon Victor stood waiting near the village well alone. As Maira approached with her empty buckets, he stepped forward.
"This is the last time I'll ask."
His voice was unusually calm.
"I can save your mother."
Maira remained silent.
"I can give you everything."
Silence.
"Just say yes."
She slowly shook her head.
"I'm sorry."
His jaw tightened.
"You'd rather watch your mother die?"
The words struck like a slap, Maira's eyes hardened for the first time.
"My mother isn't a prize. Don't speak about her like that."
Victor stepped closer.
"I'm trying to help you!"
"No."
She met his gaze without fear.
"You're trying to own me."
His breathing grew heavier, around them, villagers quietly watched, none intervened.
Victor leaned close enough that only she could hear.
"You'll regret humiliating me."
For the first time a chill ran down Maira's spine. She picked up her buckets.
"I hope you find someone who truly loves you."
Then she walked away leaving Victor standing alone. His fists trembled, his nails dug into his palms until blood trickled between his fingers, one of his friends approached after Maira disappeared.
"Still refusing?"
Victor didn't answer, another laughed bitterly.
"Maybe she thinks she's too good for you."
A third spat onto the ground.
"She's just a poor girl."
Victor's face twisted into something ugly, something that no longer resembled affection.
"I gave her every chance."
His voice was cold.
"Now she'll learn what happens when someone insults me."
The others exchanged uneasy glances.
"What are you planning?"
Victor slowly smiled, a smile devoid of warmth.
"Something she'll never forget."
Far away...
Maira walked home beneath the setting sun, carrying water as she always had. She looked toward the little cottage waiting for her at the edge of the village, smoke rose gently from its chimney, her mother was waiting.
Maira smiled.
"I'll be home soon..."
She never noticed the five figures watching from the shadows of the forest waiting for night to fall.
The moon rose high above Ikasa, its silver light bathed the quiet village in an almost peaceful glow. Crickets chirped from the grass, a cool breeze rustled through the trees.
Inside the small cottage, a single lantern flickered gently. Maira carefully stirred a pot of vegetable soup over the fire. The aroma filled the room.
"It's almost ready, Mother."
Her mother smiled weakly from her bed.
"It smells wonderful."
"I managed to trade some herbs for fresh vegetables today."
"You shouldn't spend everything on me."
Maira looked over her shoulder and smiled.
"I didn't. I also bought your favorite tea."
Her mother's eyes widened.
"Maira..."
"It was only a little."
"You spoil me."
"You deserve it."
The older woman lowered her gaze.
"...No."
"It should be the other way around."
Maira placed the bowls on the table before helping her mother sit upright. She carefully cooled each spoonful before feeding her.
Slowly.
Patiently just as she had done hundreds of times before.
"I'm sorry."
Her mother whispered, Maira blinked.
"For what?"
"...For making you carry so much."
A pause
"You should be laughing with friends, thinking about your future instead of worrying whether your mother will survive another winter."
Maira gently took her mother's frail hands.
"You've never been a burden, you've always been my family."
Tears welled in her mother's eyes.
"You truly are too kind."
Maira smiled.
"I learned from the best."
The two embraced quietly.
Later that night after helping her mother lie back down, Maira stepped outside to collect the laundry she had hung earlier. The village had already fallen asleep only the distant chirping of insects broke the silence. She gathered the last blanket.
"...Strange."
The night felt heavy as though something unseen was watching her. She looked around.
Nothing.
Just darkness.
She shook her head.
"I'm imagining things."
As she turned toward the door a hand clamped tightly over her mouth. Her eyes widened.
"Mmph!"
Another arm wrapped around her body, dragging her backward. Three figures emerged from the darkness.
Then another.
Then another.
Five.
Five boys.
Moonlight revealed their faces.
Victor.
And four of his closest friends, her heartbeat exploded.
"Mmph!!"
Victor smiled.
"Finally..."
"No one to save you."
She bit down with every ounce of strength she had.
"AAAGH!"
Victor cried out, jerking his bleeding hand away. Maira immediately twisted free.
Run!
Her instincts screamed, she dashed toward the door. Almost there a blast of wind magic struck her side and she crashed into the ground, pain shot through her ribs.
Before she could stand, another boy lunged, she grabbed a nearby wooden bucket and smashed it across his face.
Crack!
He stumbled backward, clutching his nose.
Another reached for her, she kicked him squarely in the knee.
"Agh!"
He collapsed.
For someone with weak magic she fought with desperate determination, not because she believed she could win but because inside that cottage her mother was sleeping.
"I won't let you near her!"
Wind mana gathered weakly around her hands, a tiny gust of wind shot toward Victor. It barely grazed against his clothes, the boys laughed.
"That's your magic?"
"So pathetic."
Victor's expression darkened.
"I'm done playing."
He raised his hand, a glowing magic circle appeared beneath Maira's feet. Before she could react chains of pale blue light erupted around her body.
Her limbs froze, her voice caught in her throat.
She couldn't move.
She couldn't scream.
Only her terrified eyes remained free. Victor walked toward her.
"You should've accepted my kindness."
Inside the cottage Maira's mother stirred.
"...Maira?"
She had heard something. A struggle, using the wall for support, she slowly stood every movement sent pain through her weakened body.
"Maira?"
She opened the front door, the scene before her stole the breath from her lungs. Her daughter was bound by magic surrounded by five boys.
"Maira!"
She stumbled toward her.
"Leave my daughter alone!"
Victor sighed.
"...Annoying."
One of the boys stepped forward.
"What do we do?"
Victor glanced at the frail woman, then he reached into his cloak. He withdrew a small black vial, its contents swirled like liquid darkness, one of the boys hesitated.
"Victor, Isn't that...?"
"Just hold her."
Two boys grabbed the sick woman, she struggled with what little strength remained.
"Let me go! Maira!"
Maira's eyes became frantic, she shook violently against the paralysis.
Move.
Move!
MOVE!
Please!
Her mouth opened but no sound came.
Victor crouched before her mother.
"You know, i offered your daughter everything and she chose to embarrass me."
He uncorked the vial, the sick woman immediately understood and her face turned pale.
"No..."
She looked toward Maira forcing a gentle smile. Even now she smiled.
"It's alright..."
Her lips formed silently.
"I love you."
Victor seized her jaw.
"No!"
Maira screamed inside her own mind.
No!
Please!
Don't!
The poison was forced into her mother's mouth.
She struggled.
Coughed.
Choked.
Then...
Her body began trembling violently, blood dripped from the corner of her lips. The poison spread with terrifying speed.
"M...Maira..."
Her voice barely escaped.
"My...beautiful...girl..."
She reached toward her daughter, their fingertips stopped inches apart then her hand fell.
Silence.
Complete...
Terrible...
Silence.
The world stopped.
Maira stared.
Her breathing ceased, her heart refused to accept what her eyes had witnessed.
No...
No...
No...
No...
Her mother, the woman who had sacrificed everything for her, the only family she had was gone, right in front of her.
Because she couldn't move.
Because she was too weak.
A sound escaped her lips.
Not a scream.
Not crying.
Just a broken gasp.
As if her soul itself had cracked apart, Victor looked directly into her eyes his voice was ice.
"That's what happens when you toy with me."
He snapped his fingers, the paralysis spell vanished. Maira collapsed forward, she crawled desperately toward her mother's body.
"Mom..."
Her trembling hands shook her shoulders.
"...Mom?"
Nothing.
"No..."
She shook harder.
"Please, wake up..."
Nothing, tears blurred her vision.
"Mom, please..."
"...don't leave me..."
Her cries echoed into the empty night.
The boys watched.
Some looked away, one swallowed nervously. Another whispered,
"...Let's go."
Victor turned without another word, the five disappeared into the darkness leaving behind only death and a fourteen-year-old girl whose entire world had just been ripped away.
Maira remained there until dawn, holding her mother's lifeless body, crying until there were no tears left. Eventually even her sobs faded, only silence remained.
The village awakened to what should have been another peaceful morning. But at the edge of the village peace no longer existed, Maira still knelt beside her mother's body.
She had not moved, not once. The tears had long since stopped, her eyes were swollen, her face pale, and her hands still clutched her mother's cold fingers.
"...Mom..."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"I'm sorry..."
"I couldn't protect you..."
A cold morning breeze drifted through the open doorway, gently lifting strands of her hair.
Then...
Heavy footsteps approached.
Clank.
Clank.
Clank.
A squad of village guards appeared before the cottage. Their captain frowned at the sight.
"There she is."
Without another word, two guards marched toward her, Maira slowly looked up.
"...?"
One grabbed her arm.
"Stand up."
She didn't resist, she simply stared blankly.
"What...?"
The captain looked down at her with cold eyes.
"Maira of Ikasa. You are under arrest for the murder of your mother Laila."
Silence.
The words didn't register.
"...What?"
The captain repeated himself.
"You are accused of poisoning your mother during the night."
Maira blinked.
Then laughed.
It was small.
Broken.
Disbelieving.
"...No. You have the wrong person."
Another guard stepped forward.
"Witnesses reported hearing an argument inside the house."
"There was no argument!"
"You lived alone with the victim."
"I wasn't alone!"
Her voice finally rose.
"They came here! Victor! and four others!They attacked us, they murdered my mother!"
The guards exchanged glances, one sighed.
"...Enough."
Before she could react, iron shackles snapped around her wrists. Cold steel bit into her skin.
"I said enough."
"They killed her! I saw them! They forced poison into her mouth!"
The captain's expression never changed.
"Save it for the chief."
As they dragged her through the village, people emerged from their homes.
At first it was total confusion, then whispers, then accusations.
"Isn't that Maira?"
"What happened?"
"I heard she killed her own mother."
"No..."
"That sweet girl?"
"I always thought something was strange."
"She smiled too much."
"Maybe it was all an act."
Each word struck like another blade, Maira looked around desperately.
"No! Please listen to me! I didn't do it! They attacked us! They murdered her! They framed me!"
An old merchant she had helped countless times looked away, the baker who had secretly left bread at her door remained silent, the woman whose child she had once saved from drowning lowered her head. Not one person stepped forward.
Then...
She saw them.
Lory.
Tom.
The friends who had promised to stand beside her, their eyes met.
"Lory..."
Her voice trembled.
"You know me, please tell them. I would never hurt my mother."
Lory's lips quivered, she looked terrified. For one brief moment, it seemed she might speak.
Then...
She lowered her eyes.
"...I'm sorry."
Maira froze.
Tom looked away completely, another friend stepped backward into the crowd, none of them defended her. Not because they believed she was guilty but because the man accusing her was the chief.
Fear was louder than friendship, a crack spread through Maira's heart.
The people she had loved.
The people she had sacrificed for.
The people she had called family.
One by one they abandoned her.
The village square overflowed with spectators, at its center stood a raised wooden platform. Chief Roderick sat upon an elevated chair carved from dark oak, beside him was Victor.
His arm was wrapped in a clean bandage where Maira had bitten him. He wore an expression of perfect sorrow as though grieving alongside everyone else, the sight made Maira's stomach churn. The guards forced her to her knees then the captain spoke loudly.
"The accused has been brought before the chief."
Roderick nodded solemnly.
"Maira. I never imagined it would come to this."
His voice was calm, practiced.
"If you confess your punishment may be lighter."
Maira stared at him in disbelief.
"You know, you know your son did this."
The entire square fell silent, Victor looked appropriately shocked.
"What are you talking about?"
"You murdered her!"
Maira screamed.
"You! And your friends! I saw every one of you, you poisoned my mother!"
Victor's face twisted in wounded disbelief.
"Why? Why would I ever do that? I loved you, i even offered to help your family and yet you rejected me. But I never hated you."
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
"He tried helping her?"
"And she accused him?"
"How cruel."
Maira looked around desperately.
"No he's lying! Please! Someone! Anyone!You all know me! You know I'd never hurt my mother!"
An elderly man lowered his gaze, a woman quietly pulled her child closer, no one answered. Victor stepped forward.
"I didn't want to say this, last week she became angry when I suggested taking her mother to a better healer. I was worried she was under terrible stress but I never imagined she would snap."
Gasps rippled through the villagers.
"It makes sense..."
"She cared for her alone."
"The burden must have been too much."
Maira felt the world spin.
Everything.
Everything had been planned.
Even before last night.
Victor had already planted the seeds, her truth never had a chance. Chief Roderick raised his hand.
"Silence."
The square obeyed immediately.
"Maira, do you possess any evidence supporting your claims?"
She opened her mouth but nothing came out.
Evidence?
The poison was gone.
The attackers had left no visible injuries.
Even the bruises from the beating had vanished.
One of the boys had been gifted in healing magic.
They had erased every mark before leaving.
She slowly looked down at herself.
Not a scratch.
Not a bruise.
Nothing.
She looked exactly as she had yesterday. To everyone watching, she appeared perfectly healthy. The chief sighed heavily.
"...As I feared."
He stood.
"As village chief..."
"...I find the accused guilty."
The words echoed through the square. Maira's eyes widened.
"No..."
"I..."
"I'm innocent, i swear, i swear on my mother's life!"
The chief ignored her.
"For the crime of matricide and for bringing shame upon the village of Ikasa you are sentenced to exile."
A pause, then he continued.
"Specifically you shall be cast into the World Class Dungeon."
The entire crowd gasped, even some guards looked horrified, one whispered,
"The World Class Dungeon..."
"No one survives that..."
Another murmured,
"It's worse than execution..."
Maira's blood turned to ice, every child in the kingdom had heard the stories. A dungeon so vast that entire armies vanished inside, a place where monsters beyond imagination roamed.
A prison from which no one had ever returned. People did not enter it, they disappeared into it forever. Maira shook violently.
"No..."
"No..."
"Please..."
"I'll die..."
"I'm innocent!"
"I didn't kill her!"
She struggled against her chains.
"Please!"
"Someone believe me!"
No one moved.
Some villagers even spat at her feet.
"Murderer."
"Monster."
"Your poor mother."
"We trusted you."
"You fooled us all."
Every insult struck harder than the last, her breathing became ragged.
Then...
Something inside her broke completely, she looked at the villagers, at the friends who remained silent.
At the guards.
At the chief.
Finally...
Her eyes settled on Victor and the four boys standing behind him, they smiled. Just enough for only her to notice. A quiet, victorious smile, Maira slowly stood despite the guards trying to force her down, her voice was no longer trembling.
It was cold.
Quiet.
Almost frightening.
"...After everything..."
She looked across the crowd.
"...After everything I did for all of you..."
Silence.
"...This..."
"...is what I receive."
No one answered, she turned toward Victor, their eyes locked, the hatred burning within hers was so intense that Victor instinctively took half a step back.
"I'll remember your faces."
She spoke each word slowly.
"I'll remember every smile."
"Every laugh."
"Every lie."
Her voice grew sharper.
"You took my world from me."
A terrible stillness settled over the square, then she made a promise that seemed to shake even the air around her.
"I swear i will come back."
Her eyes never left Victor's.
"And when I do every single one of you will pay."
For the first time since meeting her Victor felt fear. Not because of the shackled girl before him but because the hatred in her eyes no longer belonged to a child, it looked ancient as though vengeance itself had found a vessel.
The guards seized her arms and dragged her away toward the mountains, toward the place from which no one had ever returned, toward the endless darkness of the World Class Dungeon.
The road to the World Class Dungeon was one no one wished to travel. It wound through barren hills where even birds refused to sing, the further the guards marched, the colder the air became. The cheerful forests surrounding Ikasa gradually gave way to jagged cliffs of black stone, trees became twisted and lifeless, their branches resembling skeletal hands clawing at the gray sky.
Maira walked in silence, the iron shackles around her wrists clinked with every step, she no longer cried there were no tears left to shed. The girl who had smiled at strangers, who had believed kindness always returned in kind, who had spent every waking moment caring for others had died beside her mother.
What remained was an empty shell, walking only because her body had not yet realized it was supposed to stop. The guards avoided speaking to her, even they looked uneasy.
One of the younger guards finally broke the silence.
"...Captain."
"What?"
"Do... do we really have to throw a child in there?"
The captain's expression hardened.
"Our duty is to obey the chief."
"But she's only fourteen."
"We obey."
The younger guard glanced at Maira, she walked with her head lowered.
Not pleading.
Not resisting.
Simply... walking.
His heart tightened.
"...What if she's innocent?"
The captain stopped. For a moment, he stared toward the distant mountains then he quietly replied,
"...Whether she is innocent or guilty no longer matters."
"The chief has already spoken."
The younger guard clenched his fists, he hated that answer but he knew it was true.
They finally reached it.
The World Class Dungeon.
Maira slowly raised her head, her breath caught. Before her stood a mountain so enormous that its peak disappeared into the clouds, its surface was split apart by an impossibly large crack stretching from base to summit.
That crack...
Was the entrance.
Dark mist continuously flowed from it like the mountain itself was breathing.
The air felt wrong.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Every instinct screamed one truth.
Run.
Yet there was nowhere to run.
Legends claimed the dungeon was older than kingdoms.
Older than recorded history.
Older than magic itself.
Some believed it had been created by the gods.
Others claimed it was the prison of something far worse.
Thousands had entered.
None had returned.
The guards stopped several dozen meters away, even they refused to get any closer. One guard swallowed nervously.
"I hate this place..."
Another quietly muttered,
"It feels like it's watching us."
The captain unlocked Maira's shackles, the metal fell to the ground with a dull clang.
"Walk."
She didn't move she simply stared into the darkness. It felt, infinite as if the entire world disappeared inside that abyss, a stone platform stretched over the enormous chasm. There were no railings only an endless drop into blackness, the guards forced her forward. Each step echoed.
Tok.
Tok.
Tok.
Her heartbeat matched the sound, when they reached the center the captain spoke one final time.
"Maira of Ikasa."
"By order of Chief Roderick..."
"You are hereby sentenced to eternal exile within the World Class Dungeon."
Silence.
The wind howled.
Maira slowly turned back toward the distant mountains, toward the direction of her village.
Though she could no longer see Ikasa she imagined it.
The small cottage.
The herb garden.
The river where she laughed with friends.
Her mother's smile.
"...Goodbye."
Then images flooded her mind.
Victor's grin.
The poison.
Her mother's final outstretched hand, the villagers calling her a murderer. Lory lowering her eyes, Tom looking away one after another like knives twisting inside her chest. Her hands slowly curled into fists, her nails dug deep enough to draw blood. Her voice was barely audible.
"...I'll kill them."
The guards frowned.
"...What?"
She repeated it, a little louder.
"I'll kill them."
Again.
"I'll kill them."
Again.
"I'll kill them."
The words became a mantra, each repetition carrying more hatred than the last. The captain's face grew pale.
"Do it."
Before anyone could hesitate two guards shoved her. The ground vanished beneath her feet.
She fell.
The world disappeared.
There was no ground.
No sky.
Only endless darkness.
The wind screamed past her ears.
She couldn't tell whether seconds or hours passed.
There was no sense of direction.
No up.
No down.
Only falling.
As she tumbled through the abyss, strange lights flickered around her. Some passages glowed emerald, others crimson, some shimmered like stars scattered across the darkness.
The dungeon wasn't a single cavern, it was a labyrinth of impossible dimensions, an endless world hidden beneath the earth.
Countless floors.
Countless realms.
Countless destinies.
Every person cast inside landed somewhere different, some appeared in monster nests, some inside poisonous swamps, some never even reached the ground. No one could choose, luck alone decided where they arrived. Maira barely noticed, her mind was consumed by one thought.
"I'll kill them."
Again.
"I'll kill them."
Again.
"I'll kill them."
Again.
Her hatred echoed through the endless void as if the dungeon itself could hear it. Then the falling stopped without warning. Gravity shifted and her body slammed onto solid stone.
"Ugh...!"
Pain exploded through her back, for several moments she couldn't breathe. Finally, she forced herself onto her hands and knees.
"...Where..."
She looked around.
Her eyes widened.
She stood within a colossal chamber unlike anything she had ever imagined. The ceiling stretched so high it disappeared into darkness, towering crystal formations covered the walls, glowing with soft blue and violet light.
Countless floating stones drifted lazily through the air, illuminating the chamber like an underground night sky filled with silent stars. There were no monsters.
No bones.
No signs of life.
Only silence.
Beautiful.
Unsettling silence.
Maira slowly stood.
"...Where did I..."
A voice echoed across the chamber deep and ancient. Powerful enough to make the air tremble.
"WHO DARES..."
The crystals vibrated, dust fell from the ceiling.
"...STEP INTO MY DOMAIN?"