Dungeon Hallow

Destiny

On a beautiful night, bathed in the light of the full moon and the twinkle of stars, a solid and luxurious house stood on a privately-owned island. It was a palace that most people could only ever dream of owning.

“Master, wait! Master…!” called a young man, half-running down the marble stairs. But the person he was addressing ignored him. He became annoyed and began to shout. “MASTER ERIX ARTHUR, STOP RIGHT THERE!”

The person being called stopped in his tracks. “It seems like you’re getting bolder, Lucius Ventus,” he said.

“I-I’m sorry, Master. That’s because you ignored me. Besides, where are you going at this late hour?” asked him, sounding somewhat anxious.

“Running away,” replied Erix firmly.

“Pardon? Master, don’t joke around. Our schedule for tomorrow is very tight,” Lucius explained.

“I’ve told you before, haven’t I? I’m leaving. I don’t want to live like this anymore. I’m tired,” said Erix, pouring out his heart. “It’s time for a caged bird to fly free.”

“Many people desire to be like you, to live glamorously, with luxury and wealth,” said Lucius.

“Of course, that’s because they don’t know what I do and what I experience behind all this luxury. Anyway, don’t stop me.”

“I can’t! This is for your own future!” protested Lucius.

“Future? Ha! What future?! My future’s very bright, Lucius. My wealth alone won’t be depleted for seven generations. What else kind of future do I need?” Lucius fell silent. “Come on, Lucius. Aren’t you tired of living like this all the time? Take tomorrow, for example. We have to meet with A, B, representatives from company A, company B. And, we have to fly to five countries in one day. CRAZY!!”

“But Master…”

“At the age of 20, I want to live like a normal person. Play and joke with friends my age. Have fun in my youth. Do whatever I want,” said Erix with a pitiful and dramatic tone.

Lucius fell silent again. What his master said was true. He also had aspirations that were hindered by some complex matters. He wanted to design his own robots.

His mind was working hard on what to do. However, he still couldn’t do anything.

“What should I do? Your father, Master Hendri—“

“Lucius!” Erix interrupted his servant’s words. His gaze was sharp as if it was piercing through his body. “Who’s your master?”

“That is you, Master…”

“If that’s the case, just follow my orders. I’m leaving, and don’t try to stop me.”

Lucius immediately bowed down before Erix like a general bowing to his king. “Alright, I won’t stop you. But let me come with you because it’s my duty to ensure your safety.”

“Good! That’s the way to do it.”

*****

Lucius appeared an hour later, dressed in his butler, complete with a bow tie. On his back, he carried a large backpack that was bigger than his own body.

“Wow, that’s huge! We’re not going on a picnic, y’know!”

“These are all weapons, complete with accessories, Master. Our enemies are in the millions out there. This is my way of protecting you,” said Lucius, intentionally bringing a complete arsenal because many rival families hated his master’s family and would not hesitate to kill its members. “Master, why did you only bring such a small bag?”

“Never mind that, let’s go!”

The two of them left the luxurious house at night. Nobody knew what they were doing. They sneaked through the bushes like lizards. They wandered without direction, driven only by the desire to escape the madness of the world they knew.

They walked without resting, navigating through the unfamiliar jungle. Without realizing it, the morning sun had risen. Its dazzling light penetrated the forest through gaps in the leaves, revealing the beauty of nature before them and bringing a sense of peace. The cool morning air mixed with the unique scent of the woods created a beautiful atmosphere that could only be found in the jungle.

A few moments later, they heard a commotion. Not only that, but the barking of dogs was getting closer to them. They were startled and immediately ran away from the presumed danger.

“We’ve been discovered! They must be my father’s servants,” said Erix. “Let’s run, Lucius!”

“Master, wouldn’t it be better to go back?”

“We’ve already run away from home. Why go back?”

He remained silent and continued to follow his master.

They ran as fast as they could. Finally, they found a cave and without hesitation, they went inside.

As they went deeper, the cave became darker. The minimal sunlight reduced their visibility. Lucius pulled out his smartphone and turned on the flashlight. He used the light to guide them.

“Lucius, watch your step!! The cave floor is a bit slippery,” advised Erix, who kept his eyes fixed ahead.

“Don’t worry, Master. Make sure you don’t trip either,” he said reassuringly.

They quickened their pace. But due to a lack of concentration, Lucius bumped into a sharp stalactite, causing it to break. He felt pain in his forehead, but he ignored it because the most important thing was to run as fast as possible. He tried not to let the pain hinder his master.

“Let’s go! Find them, quick! They can’t be far,” said the leader of the chasing team. The tracking dogs continued to follow their trail until the group stopped in front of a cave.

“Did they go in?” the leader asked.

“Looks like it, sir,” one of his subordinates replied.

“CHASE THEM!!” the order was given, and all members, along with the tracking dogs, entered the cave.

Erix and Lucius kept running without stopping. Until a light appeared at the end of the cave. They looked ecstatic. They increased their running speed as if they were racing and at the end of the cave was the finish line where the flag was raised.

However, something strange happened. Their bodies seemed to be sucked towards the light. There was a strong wind from behind pushing their bodies.

“What’s happening? I’m floating!” exclaimed Erix as his foot tried to touch the ground.

“Ignore that, Master. Our real problem is ahead,” pointed Lucius. At the end of the cave, the blue sky began to appear, indicating that they were getting closer to the cave’s mouth.

“WE’RE GOING TO FALL….!!” Erix shouted in fear.

They quickly emerged from the cave.

Just as they thought, they were falling from a height of thousands of feet. They even collided with some clouds.

Despite that, something was odd around them. There were no cliff walls there. Erix looked around with widened eyes, not believing what he’s experiencing. He’s in the vast sky with his servant and was sliding downwards.

“Master, look!” Erix turned to where Lucius was pointing.

The cave’s mouth where they had just exited was shining brightly. Its light, which remained dazzling even in daylight, began to shrink and disappear. Erix looked at Lucius with a strange look. His heart wanted to scream, “I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS!”

Erix’s face turned pale in an instant. For someone afraid of heights, this was like the worst nightmare. Lucius tried to calm his master, but failed.

“WE’RE GOING TO DIE…!!” Erix hugged and clung to Lucius tightly, like a frightened cat being bathed.

Lucius looked down, there was only land below them. They were sure to die if they fell to the ground. He tried to find a of a way to save his master’s life. He then found a lake not far from their falling point. And he had an idea using the big backpack he was carrying.

He felt around the left and right sides of his large backpack. There were several buttons there. One of the buttons on the right side functioned to blow air out of the holes on the bottom of the backpack. While one of the buttons on the left side functioned to suck in air from the same holes.

Actually, both of these buttons were used to fill the backpack with air so that it could be used as a float if they were in the ocean. But only these buttons could be relied on now.

Lucius sucked in the air and then released it. As a result, they gradually shifted from their original falling point, trying to push their bodies towards the lake.

They slid rapidly due to the weight carried by Lucius, piercing through the wind like a missile. Until they were right above the lake and fell into it.

Just before they hit the surface of the water, Lucius deliberately turned his body over. So his large backpack landed first to avoid the pain from the impact.

“Master… Master… are you okay?” Lucius searched for his master while holding onto his floating backpack.

“Well, we’re both alive.” Erix surfaced and was immediately caught by Lucius.

“Master, let’s go to the side.” They both swam along the cold lake to its shore.

They were sitting under a tree by the lake’s edge, breathing in the fresh air to shake off their shock. The scent that Erix inhaled was slightly different from the previous forest; the air was fresher with a unique blend of wood and grass. Furthermore, birds that they had never seen before were flying in the sky above them. The cool misty wind instantly chased their worries away.

They took off their wet clothes and basked in the sun, bare-chested, while enjoying the view of the lake. Erix unpacked Lucius’s backpack, a sophisticated waterproof one, hoping to find some food to satisfy his hunger. However, what he wanted was not there. Inside the backpack were various types of firearms, complete with their accessories, solar chargers, strange advanced tools, several books, and a tablet computer.

“You want to start a world war, don’t you?” teased Erix, holding the Sub Machine Gun P90 M.C.

“Protecting you without weapons is suicide,” Lucius explained.

“I’m hungry. Don’t you have any food?” complained Erix, holding his growling stomach.

“Be patient, Master. After this, we’ll look for the nearest town or village,” said Lucius, putting the firearm back into the bag.

A few moments later, a girl suddenly appeared in front of them from behind the trees. She looked scruffy, like a homeless person. She also carried a shabby little bag. Erix and Lucius were surprised, and quickly, Lucius took out one of his firearms from his backpack and pointed it at the girl.

“Hold on, Lucius!” shouted Erix, “Put your gun down!”

“You came, you really came,” the girl said, smiling while crying.

Erix and Lucius exchanged glances, perplexed by the girl’s words. She seemed overjoyed for some reason. For a brief moment, they both thought this girl was insane.

“What do you mean…?” Lucius asked, his gun still pointed at the suspicious woman.

“I really need your help. I begged heaven to send one or two of its angels to help me. Then suddenly, the sky lit up, and you appeared,” explained the girl while wiping her tears.

Her face was beautiful, but it was obscured by dark circles and bruises under her eyes. Her face looked very tired.

Her long black hair was unkempt and blown by the wind. Erix felt an odd sensation in his chest, like shortness of breath. His heart was pounding faster, and he felt a strange and ticklish feeling that was hard to explain.

Suddenly, the girl bowed down and clasped Erix’s legs. “Please… please help me, save my brother. He went into the dungeon and hasn’t returned for five days. I beg you, help me save him.”

Erix immediately lifted the girl up to stand. Her tears started flowing again. “Forgive me, I’m not an angel or anything like that. I really don’t understand; I can’t help you. I’m sorry.”

The girl was taken aback by Erix’s words. She covered her mouth with both hands, cried, and ran away, leaving the two men behind. They remained silent, feeling sorry for the unfortunate girl.

“She said dungeon, didn’t she? A dangerous place with evil monsters,” said Erix to Lucius with a serious expression.

“I thought so too.” Lucius agreed.

Erix immediately put on his dry clothes and so did Lucius. He quickly picked up his backpack and set off with his servant to chase after the girl.