The battle lasted for days. Neither side seemed willing to retreat, and, even after everything that had happened, Ylrie continued trying to find some possibility of survival through her visions. Val'Drakar fought by her side to his limit, while Tarcen and Laflez also did everything they could to prevent Sairao from approaching the sphere where the survivors were sealed. At a certain point, Vaelith finally appeared. He had managed to defeat Valdir and returned to help in the battle, but, despite his strength, he could not change the outcome. After a long battle, Vaelith ended up dying at Sairao's hands.
One after another, everyone fell.
In the end, only Sairao remained standing before the sphere containing the survivors. He slowly approached, observing the object with satisfaction.
"With this, I will finally be able to descend into the original world."
"No..."
Ylrie's voice came from behind him.
She could barely remain standing. Her body had been destroyed by the battle, but there was still one last thing she could do. She knew she would not be able to defeat Sairao, so she decided to use what remained of her own life to alter the rules of that world. Gathering all the strength she still possessed, Ylrie created two rules within the dungeon.
"Only beings who are not Elves will be able to enter here... and no Nartheis shall interfere with the tests."
As soon as the rules were established, all the Elves were expelled from that dimension. The sphere containing the survivors was taken along with them, while Sairao remained alone in that world.
The change also affected the God himself. To maintain that form and remain in that dimension, he needed the presence and power of several followers. Without the Elves to sustain his existence, his strength began to decrease rapidly. Sairao had no choice but to disappear, but before leaving, he left a promise that he would return.
Tarcen and Laflez, who had been corrupted during the battle, fled somewhere unknown. They needed to hide, but they were still bound by the rules created by Ylrie, which prevented them from attacking Val'Drakar together.
Val'Drakar ran to where Ylrie had fallen and knelt beside her.
"Master... please, wake up."
Ylrie slowly opened her eyes.
"Val'Drakar... I feel a pain."
He remained silent for a few seconds, waiting for her to explain.
"But it is not physical pain. I tried to see the future several times... as many times as I could. And in all of them, I can only see my remaining children dying in the future."
Val'Drakar did not know what to say. He looked at the sphere and tried to make it absorb Ylrie so that she could remain protected together with the others. However, he did not possess the necessary level to open the sphere.
Perhaps he could undo the tree and use the remaining power to try to save her.
But before he could do anything, Ylrie stopped him.
"Don't try... Even if you do that, I will already be dead."
Val'Drakar stood motionless.
Ylrie did not want her children to see her body after she died. She knew how painful that would be for them. Even so, there was still one thing she wanted to do before leaving. She wanted to try to see a new future. It did not need to be something grand. A small possibility was enough, anything that could mean that her children still had a chance.
Her voice was becoming weaker and weaker, but she continued trying.
Once.
Then again.
And again.
The ability activated repeatedly, but all the visions seemed to end in the same way. Even so, Ylrie did not give up. She continued forcing her mind, searching for some difference between the futures she had seen.
Until, finally, her eyes opened.
There was a different light in them. She had seen something.
"This will be my final effort, my children."
Val'Drakar, completely devastated, watched her hand slowly rise. A small light began to appear in her palm while the light in Ylrie's eyes gradually diminished. She was using the last remnant of her own life to create something.
The light left her hand and flew through the air until it reached one of the blue roses.
Val'Drakar did not know what that meant. He simply stared at the flower for a few seconds before turning his attention back to his master. Carefully, he buried Ylrie right in the middle of the garden where the blue roses were.
He did not cry.
Not because he did not feel sadness, but because his body was a statue and he simply could not cry.
For days, Val'Drakar did nothing but remain in that place. He protected the flower and the sphere left behind by his master, without knowing exactly what he was supposed to expect. Even so, one thing remained clear in his mind.
He would continue.
No matter how long it took.
Years began to pass. The small flower Ylrie had created slowly grew, becoming larger and larger, as if it were waiting for something. Val'Drakar decided to hide it. He created an underground base and erased as many traces as possible to prevent anyone from finding that place. To him, that flower had become the most important thing his master had left behind.
He also continued searching for Tarcen and Laflez. He did not want his former companions to cause any harm, but he also did not wish to kill them. Ylrie's rules still prevented them from attacking Val'Drakar together, and that was enough to keep them away.
"Even if you are my companions... I would rather you be able to rest in peace."
Val'Drakar knew that he would probably be able to defeat the two if he undid the tree and used all the power he had stored within it. However, doing so would also mean losing his main protection. If Sairao found a way to return, Val'Drakar could die permanently.
Therefore, he waited.
Time continued to pass until that place finally became a complete dungeon. A large door appeared before him, marking the completion of that process. Val'Drakar placed his three summons, each only one level below him, to protect the place and then walked toward the door.
He opened it.
On the other side was a gigantic corridor.
Val'Drakar crossed the entrance and remained there, sword in hand, waiting.
A decade passed.
During those ten years, he thought of countless ways to find someone who could help with the sphere and free her children to the original world. He could not simply hand that object to anyone. If someone with bad intentions obtained the sphere, they could sell the Elves, use them, or even kill them.
He needed to find someone who had truly come to save them.
Because of this, he began leaving notes hidden throughout the dungeon, creating clues for those who were intelligent enough to find them. He wanted someone who had enough interest to search for the answers, who could understand the Elves' language and, above all, who would not treat his children as objects.
Perhaps it would be the girl who could one day make a contract with the fire spirit.
Val'Drakar was not certain.
But he would wait.
Decades, centuries, or even millennia.
He had all the time in the world to wait, because that dungeon would be able to continue existing as long as the tree that sustained its power remained alive.
And he would wait until he found the right people.
Now, before him were exactly two people who could be the ones he had searched for for so long.
"I waited for a long time... and I thought I would have to wait even longer until I finally saw the two of you. But you are exactly the people I was looking for."
Val'Drakar looked at Enrico and Valença. There was genuine relief in his eyes. After so many years alone, he had finally found someone who could take her children out of that place. Deep down, he also hoped that Enrico could surpass his own potential without dying in the process.
'I really want these two to survive... because they are not only my hope.'
"I did not expect this..."
Valença seemed genuinely sad. She had never imagined that a dungeon could hide a story of that magnitude. Val'Drakar took the crystal ball and placed it in Enrico's hands. As soon as the boy touched the object, it began to dissolve into magic and entered his body, forming a white circle.
Even if Enrico could not completely break through his potential, Val'Drakar believed that the sphere would be able to keep him safe. That body would continue fighting even when his consciousness was no longer present, but there was still a risk. Because of this, Val'Drakar had placed a rule inside the sphere: if something bad happened to Enrico's body, the sealing of the Elves would immediately be transferred to Valença.
"Very well. I can sense Laflez out there. He probably evolved into a Faizes."
"Wait. He evolved? Then did he devour Tarcen's core?"
Valença managed to remember everyone's names easily because she had just heard the entire story. Val'Drakar explained that devouring that core did not necessarily mean that Laflez had evolved. He would simply have become stronger. Nartheis could only evolve when they devoured the core of a higher-level Nartheis or several cores belonging to the same level.
"Then what will we do? You are not at the level of a Level 1 Faizes."
"Don't worry, Miss Valença. I can take care of myself. The most important thing is that I will be the one training you over the next few days."
Val'Drakar looked outside the protected area. A darkness had begun to surround everything around them. That meant that Sairao had found a way to enter the dungeon again, although he seemed to be doing it in a desperate manner.
Valença almost stood up upon hearing that, but remembered that Enrico was still in her lap and remained seated.
"Don't worry. This barrier is my territory and depends on my life. One day outside corresponds to one week in here."
Carefully, Valença placed Enrico's head on the ground and stood up. She was about to ask new questions, but Val'Drakar simply raised one of his hands. He did not want to say that he was using his own magic to maintain that protection. If his magic reached zero, his life would also come to an end.
"But how will Enrico train?"
Val'Drakar pointed his finger at Enrico and fired a small fire slash. Even with his dull eyes and apparently unconscious, the boy's body reacted immediately. He jumped upward, dodged the attack, and landed a kick on Val'Drakar.
Valença became worried.
She did not want Enrico's body to collapse because of training that could be too difficult for him in that state.
"Sir Val'Drakar, his body is injured..."
"I know. It will only be training to keep his body in good condition. Besides, the region has a much greater natural healing ability, so you don't need to worry."
Valença let out a sigh of relief. She watched Enrico, still with those lifeless eyes, continue fighting Val'Drakar. After a few seconds, she also joined the training.
The three began fighting inside the protected area, while, outside, the darkness continued advancing.
Everyone was certain of one thing.
When that barrier finally broke, a new battle would begin.
In the mental void, a hand climbed up the stair of the staircase. Enrico tried to stand, but he could not. Every fiber of his body screamed at him to stop. Even so, with effort, he placed his foot on the next step. His breathing grew heavier and heavier, and he no longer knew how long he had been in that place. It seemed like days had passed, and even so, he had only managed to reach one-third of the staircase.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
'I have to keep going.'
From the moment he arrived at that place, Enrico knew it was better to think than to speak. That way, he could organize his thoughts better. He could not lie to himself: he was even starting to miss the system. On the next step, the pressure increased even more, causing him to collapse completely onto the staircase. He did not know what was happening outside, so he needed to finish this as quickly as possible. Even if his body really broke, he would go farther.
'I have to get up. Even if I have to crawl, I will surpass this damn potential...'
He grabbed the step and tried to propel himself forward. He would succeed, even if he had to die for it. If he was going to die anyway if he did not surpass that limit, then he would risk his own life to succeed.
'Faster...'
Enrico managed to stand up and took another step forward. Then, he continued advancing, moving even faster than before, as if he wanted to run.
'Faster...'