The First Night

The night arrived in the blink of an eye. The sky surrounding Avalon was breathtaking—clear, vast, and littered with countless stars. Without the interference of clouds, the celestial expanse seemed infinite, a canvas of twinkling lights stretching far beyond what Fenix had ever seen on Earth.

He couldn't help but compare it to the sky in his Soul Trial.

'The sky there was different… it seems like every part of the Soul Realm is unique,' he thought.

Despite the beauty of the moment, an uneasy feeling settled in his chest. This was his first real adventure, and not just any journey—it was a dungeon raid, an expedition into the unknown, where dangers lurked in every shadow. There was no telling what they would encounter.

For the first time since arriving in the Soul Realm, he wouldn't be alone. This time, he was accompanied by six experienced Awakeneds, warriors who had spent years navigating this world. That alone should have reassured him, but the anxiety remained.

Aldric's voice cut through his thoughts, pulling him back to reality. His mentor looked uncharacteristically pleased, his usual sharp demeanor softened. Fenix had a feeling it had something to do with being reunited with his former comrades.

Aldric cleared his throat, gathering the group's attention.

"We leave in thirty minutes. Make sure everything is ready."

Rein, the silver-eyed swordsman, gave a curt nod.

"Double-check the carriages—supplies, spare wheels, everything."

Lena, the short, red-haired archer, took on the task. She moved swiftly, inspecting each carriage with practiced efficiency.

Once she finished, she flashed a thumbs-up.

"All set. We're good to go."

With that, everyone boarded their designated carriages.

Now, it was Vix's turn to act. Despite wielding two blades, her Aspect wasn't centered around melee combat. She was a Summoner. Unlike standard magic users, Summoners had a unique ability—they could invoke creatures they had previously fought, killed, and understood completely.

She raised her hand, channeling her power, and two massive Ravager Boars materialized before them. The creatures, hulking beasts with thick, armored hides, snorted loudly, their glowing eyes flickering in the darkness.

Each boar was harnessed to one of the carriages, their sheer strength making them ideal for the long journey ahead.

Fenix recognized them immediately and smirked.

'Well, well… look at these little bastards. Now they're working for me.'

With their mounts in place, their expedition officially began.

The night stretched on endlessly.

Vix had taken control of the reins, expertly guiding the carriage along the rugged path. Aldric and Doran sat toward the back, resting with their weapons close at hand. Meanwhile, Fenix remained wide awake, unable to find any semblance of sleep.

Excitement, anxiety, and the sheer vastness of the unknown kept his mind racing.

This was his first true journey beyond Avalon, a trip into the heart of the Soul Realm's mysteries and dangers.

Fenix knew that the Soul Realm had manifested around 200 years ago, an entire parallel world interwoven with Earth's reality. But despite two centuries of exploration, nearly half of this realm remained unknown.

Some areas were too dangerous, filled with creatures that surpassed human understanding.

Others were simply avoided—Awakeneds grew comfortable living in their strongholds, unwilling to risk venturing into the unknown.

Fenix had read about it, but being out here—feeling the vastness of the world stretching beyond the horizon—made the reality sink in.

From the front, Vix glanced back, noticing that Fenix hadn't slept. Her keen eyes studied him with curiosity.

Despite his clear inexperience, there was something interesting about the boy.

Aldric was known for being cold, detached, and pragmatic—not someone who would easily take on a student. Yet here Fenix was, accompanying him on a dungeon raid.

Intrigued, she decided to strike up a conversation.

"Fenix, right? That's your name?"

Fenix blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. He turned toward her, focusing on the voice that had called him.

"Yeah. That's the name my parents gave me."

Vix tilted her head, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Huh. Interesting name."

Fenix studied Vix carefully. There was an unmistakable ease in the way she spoke—playful, yet sharp. She didn't take things too seriously, but there was depth behind her words.

Feeling a rare opportunity, he decided to push the conversation further.

"You were Vix, right?"

Vix smirked. "Correct, you seem to have a good memory." She chuckled softly.

"It's important for survival," Fenix replied simply.

"Without a doubt, it is."

His curiosity was piqued.

"You guys used to be a rescue team, right?" He asked, recalling what Aldric had briefly mentioned before.

Vix raised an eyebrow, looking at him with mild amusement. "So the kid's been briefed, huh?"

A chuckle escaped her lips before she leaned back against the carriage, flicking the reins with one hand while casually resting the other on the hilt of one of her blades.

"Yeah, we were," she confirmed. "One of the best, actually. Specialized in finding idiots who got themselves lost or stuck in the deeper parts of the Soul Realm. Sometimes it was new Awakeneds, sometimes entire expedition groups. You'd be surprised how many dumbasses underestimate this world."

Fenix nodded. "I've read stories about that. There are areas where the system glitches, where Awakeneds get thrown into places they shouldn't be."

Vix exhaled. "Yeah, and those are the lucky ones. Sometimes, you don't even get the chance to be lost—you just die."

The way she said it so casually made Fenix shiver slightly. She had seen it firsthand.

She tapped her fingers against the wood of the carriage. "But those days are long gone. Not much need for a rescue team anymore. The strongholds are more organized, and people are... more careful."

Fenix glanced toward Aldric, who had his arms crossed, eyes closed, but clearly still listening.

"And Aldric?" Fenix pressed. "I bet he was different back then."

At this, Vix smirked and turned slightly, looking at Aldric with amusement.

"Oh, you have no idea, kid."

Fenix tilted his head. "Really?"

Vix leaned in slightly, lowering her voice as if sharing some grand secret.

"He used to be the loudest one of us all. Always cracking jokes, always the first to throw himself into the craziest fights. Hell, you wouldn't believe it now, but he was actually fun to be around."

Fenix turned toward Aldric, his curiosity growing. He couldn't picture his mentor as someone cheerful, let alone reckless.

"What happened?" Fenix asked.

For the first time, Aldric opened his eyes—not with annoyance, but with something deeper, something heavy. His gaze met Vix's, and in that brief silence, Fenix felt the weight of an untold story.

Vix's playful smirk faded, her expression shifting into something more solemn. She clicked her tongue and looked away, hesitating.

But eventually, she sighed and answered.

"What always happens, kid." She spoke softly. "People die."

Fenix tensed, sensing there was more. He didn't interrupt.

Vix's grip on the reins tightened slightly. "We were eight once. Now we're six."

Fenix remained silent, waiting.

Aldric finally spoke, his voice steady but tinged with an emotion Fenix had never heard from him before.

"The two that died…" He exhaled, as if forcing the words out. "One of them was my best friend, someone I knew since I was a child, he was like my little brother. He was annoying, a pain in the ass, didn't care about anything, living the everyday at his fullest."

Vix continued where he left off, her voice quieter.

"And the other was his wife, a wonderful woman who loved someone like me."

Fenix's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't expected that.

Vix didn't go into details, but the weight in her voice said enough.

Aldric didn't say anything else for a while, only looking out into the dark horizon beyond the carriage.

For the first time since meeting his mentor, Fenix saw him as more than just a teacher.

More than just a warrior.

He was someone who had lost everything and still moved forward.

Just like him.

After a brief silence, Aldric spoke up.

"Let's switch shifts, Vix. Go get some rest and leave the reins to me."

He then turned his gaze to Fenix and added, "You should get some sleep too, kid."

As Aldric took the reins from Vix, she stretched her arms with a tired sigh and hopped down from the driver's seat.

"Wake me up when it's my turn again," she mumbled, disappearing into the carriage and making herself comfortable.

Fenix, still seated, watched the darkened landscape roll past them. The vastness of the SoulRealm stretched endlessly before him, bathed in the eerie silver glow of the twin moons overhead. He exhaled slowly, nodding at Aldric's words.

"Yeah… I'll try."

But even as he leaned back against the wooden frame of the carriage, pulling his cloak a little tighter around himself, sleep did not come so easily.

His mind drifted, consumed by the weight of everything that had happened. The attack on Avalon. His power. The dark flames that had consumed the Tier III beast. The fact that he had nearly lost himself in the process. The Chaos inside him—it wasn't just an ability. It was something alive, something ancient, something that hungered.

'What even am I now?' he thought. 'This power… is it really mine? Or am I just a vessel for something else?'

And then there was Sylis.

The thought of her crept into his mind unexpectedly. The warmth in her smile, the way her deep blue eyes softened when they spoke, the way she carried herself—strong yet undeniably graceful. There was something about being near her that felt… different. Something that made him aware of himself in a way he didn't fully understand.

'What is this feeling…?'

Fenix had never had the luxury of forming attachments. Before all of this, survival had been his only priority. People came and went, and trusting anyone too deeply meant exposing a weakness. But with Sylis, it wasn't just trust. It was something else—something unspoken.

He shook his head.

'Tch. I don't have time to dwell on this.'

The future was still uncertain. The attack had been orchestrated, but why? And by whom? The Five Families were already at each other's throats—Sylis' father had made that clear. Would things escalate? And if they did, where would that leave him?

And then there was the voice.

The one that had spoken to him in his Soul Trial.

"Rise."

A single command, spoken with an authority that felt beyond mortal comprehension. What had it meant? Why had he been chosen? The moment he consumed that fragment, his fate had been sealed. But what was the mission that had been thrust upon him?

'Am I meant to destroy? Or to create?'

A quiet sigh left his lips. No matter how much he turned it over in his head, there were no answers. Only more questions.

He glanced toward Aldric, who was focused on guiding the carriage through the uneven terrain. The man was calm, unbothered, as if he had seen this kind of journey countless times before.

Fenix envied that.

Finally, exhaustion started to settle in. With a final glance at the night sky, he let out a breath and closed his eyes.

For now, he would rest.

The answers would come later.

But deep in his heart, he had a feeling—this journey, this dungeon, was only the beginning.