Two ladies and an item

Casper stood at the entrance of the simulated dungeon for the practical exam. His heart thudded in his chest with a mix of excitement and nervous energy. This trial was rumored to be the most challenging- a dungeon raid designed to test every aspect of a hero's skills.

Mr. Ethan had given him a reassuring pat on the shoulder before he entered.

"Remember, Casper, trust your instincts and rely on your training. You have everything to succeed"

The dungeon portal swirled giving a soothing sound.

Casper stepped inside, the familiar hum of the academy's advanced holographic systems filled the air, and the room transformed, its walls shifting to form the entrance to a cavernous dungeon.

Casper adjusted the gear given to him by Mr. Ethan, his hands brushed over the utility belt stocked with various tools and potions.

But as he took the first step into the dungeon, a jolt of energy surged through the room.

The holographic walls flickered and distorted, the floor beneath him shuddering.

Casper's eyes widened in alarm as the runes on the walls blazed with an intense, blinding light. Before he could react, the ground vanished beneath his feet, and he was enveloped in a vortex of swirling energy.

The sensation of falling through space was disorienting, a chaotic tumble that seemed to last an eternity.

When Casper finally hit solid ground, the breath knocked out of him. He lay there for a moment, gasping, his senses slowly adjusting to his new surroundings.

He was no longer in the simulation. The dungeon around him was real-he could feel the damp, cold stone beneath his hands and smell the musty air. But more strikingly, he found himself in a forested area with the dungeon, ancient trees towering overhead, their branches intertwining to form a dense canopy. The dim light came from flickering torches set into the forest floor, casting long eerie shadows.

Groaning, Casper pushed himself up and looked around. He wasn't alone as he thought. Nearby, three other figures were also picking themselves up, confusion and alarm written on their faces.

"Is everyone okay?" Casper called out, his voice steady despite the chaos.

A tall girl with dark hair and sharp eyes stood first, brushing dirt off her clothes, her sword sheath and medical kit strapped to her belt. "I'm Elena. I think I'm fine but where are we?"

Another figure a boy with a set of arrows and a bow on him nodded as he helped the third person, a young girl with blue hair, to her feet. When they stepped forward, Casper noticed both of them had the same color of hair.

The girl raised her head and Casper's eyes widened in shock, it was the girl from the introduction ceremony.

"We're twins, my name is Dexter and her name is Aria" The boy said with a heartwarming smile. Aria nodded in agreement.

Casper quickly introduced himself to erase any suspicions on him

"I'm Casper, it looks like we've been transferred to a real dungeon and not the simulation."

Elena, looking around nervously asked "How did this happen?"

"We can figure that out later," Dexter said, his voice calm and authoritative. "Right now, we need to focus on surviving and finding out a way out"

Casper nodded, "Agreed. Let's stick together and move carefully. This dungeon will have real dangers, not simulated ones"

They began to explore the dungeon, moving cautiously through the forest.

The first challenge came swiftly- a pack of goblins, their eyes gleaming with malice, charged at them from the darkness.

Before Casper could counter Elena moved swiftly, her blade cutting through the goblins with precision and agility. Casper smirked and fought alongside her, his skill and power matching hers, his fist demolishing every goblin with deadly efficiency.

Dexter and Aria provided cover from the rear. Dexter's arrows hitting with sure accuracy while Aria supported with ice magic, using icicles to pierce through the mob of goblins.

As they pressed deeper into the dungeon, the challenges grew more intense. Traps lined the forest floor and the trees-spiked pits, swinging blades and pressure plates that triggered deadly projectiles. Elena navigated them with a mix of caution and clear problem-solving, using her tools and ingenuity to disarm or bypass the threats.

Hours passed in a blur of combat and exploration, and their bodies ached with exhaustion and hunger. But their determination never wavered. They had to find a way out, to survive and return to Milliards Academy with the knowledge of what had transpired.

They had arrived at a graveyard, it seemed to have two paths, and Elena suggested they should take the left path. They agreed but before they could go on, Aria stopped suddenly.

"No that place is dangerous" She said stopping their movement.

"What do you mean?" Elena gave her a questioning look "It's totally safe"

"No it's not" Aria persisted calmly "You can feel it too right Casper?"

Casper avoided eye contact with her, the item had been reacting to her presence from the moment they had met. But she was right, he could feel the ominous energy coming from the path, it was deadly and ancient.

Tension ran high, and in the heated moment, Aria and Elena found themselves in a fierce argument about their next move. "We need to take the safer path" Aria insisted, her voice strained.

Elena shook her head, her eyes blazing with conviction. "No we need to be bold. The more time we waste, the more danger we're in."

The argument escalated, and on the adrenaline-fueled tension, their disagreement Elena pulled her sword out of her sheath pointing it at Aria.

Aria stood firm, icicles forming at the air above her.

Dexter placed his hands on Aria "Calm down Sis" but it seemed like she wasn't listening.

Casper urged Elena to cool off but she didn't budge.

"You know, I have been wondering about you" Aria stared at Elena, her eyes cold as ice. "I studied everyone in the hall and I don't remember your face, that's unlikely. You were probably never there"

Casper stepped forward annoyed "Are you saying she's not an ally?" He faced Aria.

Dexter stepped in between them "I believe my sister, she never forgets someone"

Casper didn't step back, his fists clenched. He opened his mouth to say something when Elena started laughing hysterically.

"You caught me Aria" She said grinning "And I did it all knowingly. You fools were too blind to see it coming!"

"Enough" Aria snapped. "Ice crystals began forming around her fingers as her magic surged in response to her anger "Who do you work for?"

"You already know who I work for" Elena grinned.

The moment erupted into chaos. Elena drew her sword with a swift, practiced motion, meeting Aria's icy assault head-on. A blast of freezing wind shot toward her but she dodged, the ice shards narrowly missing and shattering against a crumbling tombstone.

Casper and Dexter stepped back, knowing better than to intervene in a battle between such powerful foes. They watched in tense silence as the battle went on preparing for an opportunity to assist.

Elena moved with deadly precision, her sword flashing in the moonlight. She closed the distance between her and Aria, forcing her to retreat with each strike. Aria conjured a wall of ice to block her advance, but Elena shattered it with a powerful swing, the ice fragments scattering over the graves.

"You should just give up and surrender Aria, I'm only here for you as ordered" Elena said, her voice laced with a hysterical glee.

Aria's eyes were cold and unyielding. "Never, I'd rather die than work for that bastard"

She summoned a blizzard, the air around them growing frigid as snow and ice swirled. Elena pushed through the storm, her movements swift and relentless. She was overpowering Aria, each strike more forceful than the last. Despite Aria's best efforts, she was losing ground.

A particularly fierce blow sent her sprawling to the ground near a decrepit mausoleum. Elena stood over her, her sword posed for a strike. For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Then with a crazed look in her eyes, Elena hesitated, like she was listening to someone.

"You're lucky" She said, her voice a frantic whisper. "This is all part of a grander plan. You're all just pawns in a game you can't even comprehend."

Aria's eyes blazed with defiance, but before she could respond Elena stepped back. She sheathed her sword and turned to leave, casting one last look at the group.

"I guess I'll let you go back" She said performing some hand signs, a casting circle appeared whirling below each of them.

"Take care of each other" she said, her voice tinged with a mocking tone "It will make you better prey next time"

Casper couldn't believe his eyes as the casting circle glowed, his eyes met with Elena. She was strong, way stronger than what she just showcased, that was what his instinct told him.

Before they disappeared, Elena mouthed some words to him, Casper eye's widened, how did she know? And who was she?

The familiar sensation of being pulled through space gripped them, and they landed back in the academy's simulation chamber, the real dungeon fading into a distant memory.

The door slides open and Mr. Ethan rushes in, relief and pride etched on his face "Casper, Are you alright?"

Casper nodded, catching his breath. "I'm fine. But that dungeon… it was real. Something went wrong"

Mr. Ethan placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We'll figure out what happened. But for now, you've all proven yourselves beyond any doubt. You're more than ready for the challenges ahead."

As they left the chamber, the academy bustling with activity, Casper knew that his journey was just beginning. The encounter with Elena was an unexpected dilemma but not a wasteful one.

The item he held was more than it seemed and two people knew something about it. Elena was the prime suspect. And for number two.

Aria!