It has been 4 days since Sulfias' request to our team. Aric was training with his training axe in the guild’s training hall. Valerian watched him from the shadow of the trees.

  "The movements of this boy are quite crude, but there’s something inhuman in his flexibility," he thought to himself.

  —Hey, kid—he shouted, approaching—. Wouldn't you like to warm up with me?

  —Mr. Valerian—said Aric, standing up—, that would be great.

  Valerian smiled at him with a slight hint of distrust and moved closer.

  —There should be training weapons in the storage—he said, taking position while putting on light armor from the armor rack. He took one for Aric and handed it to him when Aric brought him a sword—. Put this on, kid.

  Both prepared themselves, and suddenly, Aric charged with the training axe, head-on and directly, attacking Valerian. He smoothly deflected the attack, causing Aric to miss, but with the momentum, he twisted like an animal to launch a second strike, which was also deflected, but forced Valerian to take a step back. Aric, seizing the opportunity, struck again with his feet, which were at the height of Valerian’s face. Valerian used the retreat to lengthen the distance between them, but Aric, already recovered, cut the distance again, only to be met with a powerful frontal strike that fell from the sky, leaving a large bump on his head.

  —You two!—shouted Sulfias—. We’ll have a meeting, stop your little game and come to the main hall.

  Valerian and Aric, who had gotten excited with the fight, had to quickly cool down and obey Sulfias. On the way to the hall, Valerian said to Aric:

  —Kid, your attacks are tenacious and risky—he began while walking—. You’re strong enough to cause problems for an A++ rank even though you're only A rank. For me, it's reliable to have someone like you by my side, but you're too careless. You need to refine your movements more; otherwise, one of these days you'll end up without a limb.

  —Thank you, Mr. Valerian—Aric replied—. It’s an honor to work with you.

  —Are you listening to me, brat?—Valerian scolded him, mockingly annoyed.

  Upon arriving at the hall, the Reconnaissance Corps was gathered, along with Aric’s team.

  —Great—said Sulfias—. Now that we’re all here, let’s start the meeting.

  During the meeting, they discussed the formation and strategies they would use to face the boss of the fourth floor and asked Aric to tell them how to defeat the boss of the fifth floor. Aric, who had heard stories about this boss, shared the monster's possible weaknesses, and the Reconnaissance Corps mentioned the weaknesses of the fourth floor boss. Once the meeting was over and the preparations were made, the reconnaissance team headed to the labyrinth.

  Lucien, who had tried to stay as far away as possible from Sulfias, was discouraged.

  —Why the long face, Lucien?—Sulfias asked, wrapping his arm around Lucien’s neck—. You’d better get used to the other elements; if not, you’ll crash into a barrier you won’t be able to overcome.

  Lucien bristled and nodded in embarrassment.

  Upon arriving at the labyrinth, they easily traversed the first three floors. The confrontation with the boss of the fourth floor was particularly easy. A spell of ice followed by a lightning spell was enough to weaken it. Valerian and Aric continued to weaken the boss with powerful synchronized attacks. Their combination was powerful. Gobhiria and Lysandra delivered the final blow, reinforced with Kaenia’s support magic.

  The monster dropped a large blood gem, a highly prized item by shamans.

  Serpensq’i stared at it with his mouth agape, his entire face and eyes drooling. Sulfias took the gem and handed it to the carriers in the rear, then winked at the orc. After regrouping, the group continued to search for the entrance to the 5th floor. From this point on, the labyrinth became more complex with many dead-end corridors and dangerous traps that kept them on high alert throughout the journey. They decided to send Aric and Valerian to search for the correct path. The two ventured down the labyrinth’s halls in search of the entrance to the 5th floor.

  While exploring, Aric spotted a silhouette in the distance.

  —Mr. Valerian—he whispered—, there’s an anthropomorphic shape nearby.

  —You have sharp senses, kid—Valerian replied, recalling a moment of an angry Sulfias: "Don’t even think about getting into combat"—. Let’s avoid engaging in combat, young Aric.

  They continued a little more stealthily and, beside a corridor, found a large hole in the wall. Valerian approached to inspect it and told Aric to wait there. Using an ability called “Predator’s Eyes,” which allowed him to see in the dark and detect life forms by sensing heat, he entered the hole's darkness.

  —I’ll be back in 5 minutes—he said—, if I’m not back by then, go get help.

  Aric nodded and, like a guard dog, stayed where Valerian had told him. Shortly after he left, a figure appeared in front of Aric, whom he immediately recognized. It was the mysterious person who had been with him in the hospital.

  —You’re too calm, young Aric—he greeted—, why don’t you go on the defensive with me?

  —If you had wanted to hurt me, you could’ve done so in the hospital—Aric responded—. Besides, I had already recognized you, I suspected you’d come to see me as soon as you had the chance. So, what do you want?

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  —The entrance to the 5th floor isn’t here, Aric—he revealed, leaving Aric stunned—. On the first floor, there’s a small empty room. If you look carefully at the walls, you’ll find a plate that, when pressed, will reveal an altar.

  —Are you messing with me?—Aric asked—. How do you know that? And why are you telling me this?

  —Don’t twist your braid so much, kid—he calmed him—. You need to put the blood stone there. I must go, your babysitter is about to return.

  After saying that, he walked away until vanishing into the air.

  Soon after, Valerian returned to Aric.

  —There’s nothing there, just rubble and cobwebs—he said, disappointed—. Let’s continue exploring, the entrance must be nearby.

  —Mr. Valerian, could you trust me?—Aric asked—. I think I know how to get to the 5th floor.

  Valerian looked at him in astonishment and placed his hands on his shoulders.

  —I’ll trust you, kid. I want to see what you’re capable of—he said, looking him in the eyes (non-homo moment).

  —We need to go back to the first floor. There’s a mechanism in the small room they use as a storage—Aric told him—. We need to find that mechanism.

  Without wasting time, Valerian and Aric returned to the main group. Valerian took Sulfias aside to tell him in private and avoid the rest of the group's suspicions. Sulfias studied Aric carefully and approached him.

  —This time we'll do it your way, young man —he said, approaching his face. Aric immediately blushed—. Stay alert, we'll follow your lead.

  Aric nodded, and they returned to the 1st Floor. Upon entering the old warehouse, the group positioned themselves outside the room. Aric asked Sulfias for the blood gem and began searching for the pressure plate in the walls. Valerian and Sulfias stayed with him while the rest of the group prepared their equipment. During the search, Lucien and Lysandra entered the room, curious about what Aric was doing. Suddenly, Aric found the plate, and when he pressed it, the door that connected to the first floor slammed shut, trapping the group.

  —Wow! —exclaimed Valerian—. I didn’t expect that.

  —Me neither —Aric followed—. I’m sorry, Mr. Valerian, I’ve put us in a dangerous situation.

  While the boys were talking, a tile on the floor began to move, alerting everyone. A statue began to rise from the empty space until it fully emerged, a female statue with her hands raised as if offering something to the sky. Aric took the blood gem and placed it between his hands, gripping it tightly. Immediately after that, the statue’s eyes began to glow, and it began to sing a melody. The door to the 5th floor opened in front of the statue.

  Sulfias, who could not afford to be surprised, noticed the flow of the blood gem.

  —If my guess is correct, we don’t have much time to do this. We’ll have to challenge the boss just the three of us —she said decisively—. Young Aric, if it weren’t for you, we would have never discovered the entrance. There are a few things that worry me, but we need to take care of what’s important now.

  Lysandra and Lucien cursed their curiosity. Valerian, who was watching them, tried to encourage them and gave them confidence by telling them their support would be essential to defeat the boss of the 5th floor.

  —I’ve heard a few stories about this boss. When we defeat it, the 5th floor will change location and the labyrinth will begin a new “cycle.” This boss is the reason why maps don’t work in this dungeon. The last cycle happened less than five years ago, but the adventurers who defeated the boss never returned.

  Lucien tensed at Aric’s story, and Sulfias comforted her by hugging her.

  —Don’t worry, Lucien, I’ll protect you —she whispered in her ear.

  —Leader, please —Valerian stopped him—, let’s stay alert.

  After passing through narrow stairs, they arrived at the 5th floor.

  It was something unreal. What had seemed like a huge labyrinth in the past had turned into a beautiful meadow, immense and vast, a flat land where it would be hard to hide.

  —The boss must have regenerated a couple of years ago, I don’t think it’s in its best condition right now —speculated Aric—. It will be difficult for it to ambush us, but it will be difficult for us to ambush it.

  —We must prepare for the confrontation at any moment —concluded Sulfias.

  The group of adventurers cautiously advanced through the beautiful meadow of the 5th floor. Suddenly, the ground shook and the Basiligon* majestically emerged in front of them. Without attacking, the creature watched them with its sharp eyes and its basilisk serpent tail waved threateningly.

  —What is that? —Lucien exclaimed alarmed—. Is it a chimera?

  —It’s a Basiligon —Sulfias responded—. I never thought I’d see one in my life. Don’t worry, it’s not aggressive.

  —You won’t pass without proving your intelligence. Solve my riddles, and only then will you be able to continue your path —the Basiligon roared—. Failing means facing my wrath.

  —That was pretty aggressive, in my opinion —Aric complained.

  The group, keeping their guard up, prepared to listen to the majestic beast.

  The Basiligon planted its rooster-like front legs into the ground and the meadow began to darken, simulating the passage of time.

  —I can be long or short; I can be fast or slow; I can be betrayed but never caught —it said, approaching the group—. What am I?

  —It’s time —Valerian said confidently—. No doubt.

  The Basiligon nodded, and the surroundings returned to normal.

  The beast twisted its porcupine-like back, and sharp spines rose, casting shadows in strange shapes.

  —The bigger I am, the less you see. What am I? —it asked, approaching Valerian.

  —A shadow? —murmured Lysandra, frowning.

  —No, that doesn’t make sense —Lucien replied, scratching his head.

  —The darkness? —Aric wondered aloud.

  —Yes, that makes more sense —Valerian nodded—. Darkness expands and makes us see less.

  The Basiligon nodded, and the shadows disappeared.

  The Basiligon extended its basilisk snake tail and drew a winding path in the air.

  —A man wants to reach the castle, but to get there, he must cross a path with three doors: one of fire, another full of assassins, and the last one with lions that haven’t eaten in three months. Which one should he choose to survive? —it asked, sitting in front of the group.

  —Definitely not the one with fire —said Lysandra, shaking her head.

  —The one with assassins isn’t a good choice either —added Aric, thinking.

  —The door with the lions —Valerian concluded, confidently—. If they haven’t eaten in three months, they’ll be dead.

  The Basiligon smiled in approval.

  —It takes me a moment to be made, a life to destroy me, but sometimes I am all of life. What am I? —it asked, eyeing the group.

  —Hope? —suggested Kaenia—. It could be the only thing that keeps us alive.

  —But what if it’s not hope? —asked Sulfias—. What else can destroy a life but be life itself?

  —Love —said Aric, after a pause—. Love can be all of life and destroy a life too.

  The Basiligon finally bowed its head, showing respect.

  —You’ve proven yourselves worthy so far, but there’s one last challenge. I often pass by, but you’ll never stop to observe. What am I? —it said, standing up and looking threatening.

  —An opportunity —said Valerian, without hesitation—. The answer is an opportunity.

  —No, wait —interrupted Aric—. What if it’s something more abstract? Like... death.

  —That’s too dark, but it could be true —murmured Lucien.

  —No, it has to be something we don’t always observe —Kaenia reflected—. It could be... the present. We never stop to observe the present moment.

  With this answer, the Basiligon bowed, allowing the group to move forward.

  —You have proven your worth. Pass, and may your path be clear. But remember, intelligence and courage must go hand in hand —it said, as a door rose behind it.

  DESGLOSE DE AETHER