Chris, their instructor, shook his head at their antics and muttered under his breath, "Ahhh....the beauty of youth." Then, louder, " Ladies and Gents it's about time we returned to Terra firma"
"How?" Theo asked, glancing around as the only thing he could see were trees.
Chris adjusted his coat calmly. "The dungeon gate always remains exactly where it was when you entered."
With that, he turned and began to walk and one by one, they fell in line.
Alauna lingered for half a second, her fingers tightening around the hem of her clothes before she steadied herself and moved forward. The exhaustion still clung to her, but it was no longer the crushing weight it had been earlier. Leo walked beside her, careful to keep a respectful distance this time—though he couldn't help glancing her way to make sure she was truly alright.
Avril noticed. Of course she did.
She smiled.
Leo shivered.
The path back felt different. They entered the dungeon naive and all but they were going out grown up. They have had their first taste of what entering a dungeon was like and next time they will be prepared. The air grew lighter with each step, the oppressive silence fading into something almost peaceful.
Then they saw it—the gate.
Just as Chris had said, it stood exactly where it had been at the beginning: an ancient arch of stone, runes dim and dormant, waiting patiently. No fanfare. No final trial.
"Guess that's our cue," Max said, stretching his arms. "I'm starving."
Grey nodded. "And tired."
One by one, they passed through the gate.
When Leo stepped through, the dungeon vanished behind him, replaced by the familiar open air outside. Sunlight filtered through the trees, warm and real. For a moment, he simply stood there, breathing it in.
Alauna looked up at the sky, eyes widening slightly, as if confirming that it truly existed.
She was alive.
They all were.
Chris counted them silently, then gave a single, satisfied nod. "Go home and rest" he said. "Every one of you. We will talk about what happened in the dungeon first thing tomorrow."
The words settled over the group.
This dungeon run was over.
But something told Leo—it was only the beginning.
Leo went home and met his sister, Samantha, on the couch.
"Welcome home, big brother," she said, wearing that mischievous yet cute smile of hers.
He ruffled her hair affectionately, and out of instinct, checked the time.
4:59.
Something didn't sit well with him.
They had entered the dungeon around 12:45 p.m., and based on how long the trials had taken, they should have come out much later than this. The timing felt wrong.
He made a mental note to ask the others if they had noticed anything strange when they met the next day.
Leo walked to his room, shut the door, and lay on his back on the bed, hands folded behind his head, staring at the ceiling.
"What is it?" he asked. "You said you had something to tell me."
{It's a surprise, one more sort of reward from the temple} Primo replied, his tone unmistakably amused.
Leo rolled his eyes. "Can you stop beating around the bush?"
Primo chuckled, the sound echoing faintly in Leo's thoughts.
{Very well,} he said. {But don't say I didn't try to make it dramatic.}
Leo smirked faintly. "Just spill it."
{Alright, alright,} Primo replied, amusement clear in his tone. {Go ahead and introduce yourselves—he doesn't bite.}
Leo raised an eyebrow. That comment definitely hadn't been meant for him.
Then—
[I am Lux, the Guardian of Potential.]
[I am Nux, the Guardian of Skill.]
[I am Yama, the Guardian of Courage.]
[I am Quin, the Guardian of Endurance.]
[I am Hermes, the Guardian of Wisdom.]
Five unfamiliar presences surged into his mind at once, distinct yet harmonized, each voice carrying its own weight and temperament. The air in the room seemed heavier, though nothing had physically changed.
Leo shut his eyes and let out a long, weary sigh.
"Great," he muttered. "More voices."
He rubbed his temples. "I'm so grateful," he added, sarcasm dripping from every word.
Primo laughed outright this time.
{Oh, don't be like that. You should be honored.}
"Honored?" Leo scoffed. "I was barely coping with you."
[Your tolerance will improve,] Hermes said calmly. [The mind adapts.]
Lux added eagerly, [You stand at the threshold of what you could become, Leo. And we are here to aid you in fully unearthing your potential]
Leo opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.
"…So let me get this straight," he said slowly. "The temple gives me damn trials, a suspiciously overpowered bracelet, and five divine commentators living rent-free in my head?"
{Exactly} Primo commemted cheerfully.
Leo groaned.
"This," he declared, "is officially too much."
A brief silence followed.
Then—
[You accepted the trials,] Lux said.
[You walked the path,] Yama continued.
[You survived,] Quin added.
[You learned,] Hermes concluded.
[Now you will grow,] Nux finished.
Leo exhaled through his nose.
"…I'm asking this once," he said. "Do any of you come with an off switch?"
Primo laughed again.
{Absolutely not.}
"I have had enough for today" Leo said closing his eyes, "I'll deal with this tomorrow" he added as he drifted into sleep.