"Where… where am I?" Zane asked, opening his eyes. "Last thing I remember I was fighting a Hydra and…" Zane trailed off
"A Hydra huh? I can't say I've ever fought one of those, but did I ever tell you about this time in Vietnam when the night watch got spooked by a rabbit or some other critter and wasted like twenty or thirty bullets?" a familiar voice said
When Zane looked over his grandpa was standing in the doorway. He was back in his room again. His mind raced a million miles a minute. Was he dead? Was it all a dream? Is this a dream? He couldn't breathe or think.
"Hey now son, calm down and talk to me. What's on your mind?" Zane's grandpa said with a smile and took a seat at the foot of the bed.
Zane sat there for a moment studying his grandpa's face. "I'm in my head again, aren't I?"
His grandpa took a moment to contemplate his response. "If I was going to take a guess, I'd say your evaluation was right."
Taking a deep breath Zane said "Well, if nothing else I'm still alive. So, I guess I'll take the win and move on. On to new business, I'm happy to see you old man. You won't believe what I've been through."
His grandpa smiled and Zane told him all about his adventures so far. His grandpa sat there smiling and listening attentively. Never looking away or interrupting. Zane hadn't realized it, but the way he was describing the story. It sounded more like the fun isekai anime's he loved to watch, rather than the unwelcomed kidnapping he'd felt like it was earlier.
After recounting the whole story his grandpa sat there shaking his head and laughing. "So, I guess you've found your way. I knew you could do it. I'm proud of you son."
Zane could feel tears welling up and quickly went to dry them. When that didn't work he hugged his grandpa and let it all out. His grandpa sat there hugging him. It felt just like he remembered. It was tight and warm and comforting, and everything a hug should be.
After the long embrace ended Zane could feel the tug that meant he was waking up. "Already, but I wasn't done talking to you yet." Zane wined
With a wink, nod and smile his grandpa said "Don't worry son, I'm not going anywhere. I'm always watching over you, but do me one favor. Don't be so reckless, and jump into monster's mouths. I'd rather not see you in the afterlife anytime soon." As everything faded to black his laugh was the last thing Zane heard before waking up.
Zane opens his eyes to an all too familiar light. He couldn't tell if it was the real thing or artificial, but he knew it felt like sunlight. It took his vision a few moments to adjust, but he could tell that if nothing else this wasn't the final boss's room.
"Where am I?" Zane asked groggily
When his eyes finally adjusted, he looked around, and found himself in a bed. Scanning the room there was a little wooden table next to the bed. Two windows with white cloth blinds blowing lightly in the wind. One was at the foot of his bed the other next to the nightstand. In front of him was a massive bookshelf filled to the brim with books. Whoever used to sleep here must have been quite the book worm Zane thought. On the far corner furthest from the bed was the door.
"I wonder where Sakura is? I'd love to thank her for dragging me to safety." Zane said, taking another scan of the room.
The bed he laid in was a queen size, and when he turned to his right sleeping peacefully was a white-haired elf girl. To make matters worse since he'd sat up it exposed that she was naked. When he looked down hoping that he was wrong. Found himself also wearing only his birthday suit.
His mind began working overtime. "She probably just had to take my clothes to clean my wounds. Yeah, that makes sense, and she couldn't wear my dirty shirt. She needed to clean her wounds too. Yeah, that makes sense, and she wasn't going to dress me. I mean I can't imagine how embarrassing it was to see me naked let alone have to reclothe me. Yeah, nothing weird about helping someone in need out." Zane rationalized
While Zane was slowly unwinding mentally. Sakura had awoken to see Zane awake and well. She snuggled up against his arm and said sweetly "Morning Zane, I'm glad to see you're finally awake."
Zane froze, his brain completely crashed and all he could respond with was "Um… Uh… Yeah… Glad you… Uh… Thanks… Save… Sorry."
Sakura giggled at the flustered man. crawling out from under the covers and in front of Zane she grabbed his cheeks and looked deep in eyes.
"Wha… What are you doing Sakura? You're not wearing any clothes, and neither am I, and I'm feeling a tad awkward." Zane said flushed with embarrassment
Sakura looked confused for a second then smiled "Why would I wear clothes around my husband? Could it be that you like the aspect of taking the clothes off me yourself? If so, I can put some on really quickly."
Zane's brain for the second time in five minutes crashed. "Wife? When did we get married, and… Ok, I need a minute, this is all too much. I think my brain is going to explode."
Sakura's face soured glumly asking "Did I do something to upset you? Am I not pretty enough for you? I know my chest isn't the biggest, but I was hoping you wouldn't care about that."
Zane did not have the tools to handle this. In his past life he wasn't exactly too focused on dating. He did have girlfriends, and some got pretty serious. Still, he never really worried about things like that. Now he was wishing he'd practiced for things like this.
"It's not that I don't find you attractive. In fact, you might be the hottest girl I've ever met, but I'm not even sure where we are and you mentioned something about marriage. I just need us to slow up a minute and start from the top." Zane said finally getting his thoughts together enough to form an actual sentence.
Sakura sat with that for a bit, and as if only listening to the first part responded "You think I'm the hottest girl you've ever seen?" her face turned a shade of red equal to that of Zane's fire magic.
Zane couldn't help but find her even cuter. It was taking his full willpower to restrain himself. When he noticed her ears turning red, he had to fight for his life not to lose control. He tried to look somewhere else, but looking down only put him face to face with her chest. While they were covered with bandages so nothing too spicy was showing it was still way more than in this moment, he was ready to handle. In a moment of weakness, he looked further down, but thankfully her legs were closed enough to cover anything that would have broken him.
As he raised his gaze, he took the time to take in Sakura's figure. Her fair porcelain skin, and slender almost frail body reminded him of a doll. Her purple eyes looked so soft, but he could see the ferocity hiding just behind the surface. Her long snow-white hair shimmered in the light radiating through the windows. She really was beautiful, and he had to admit that if given the option he'd love to have her as his woman. Still, they only just met and he knows nothing about her or why she was sealed in that dungeon.
"Hey, I'm glad you enjoyed my compliment, but mind answering where we are and why you called me your husband?" Zane asked
Sakura thought about it for a minute then answered "Well, after we beat the boss I dragged you through those giant golden doors, and when I did this mansion was what I found. So, I dragged you to the nicest room I could find, cleaned your injuries, and stayed by your side till you woke up. I don't know much about this place as I didn't explore much. Only enough to find this room and medical supplies. As for the marriage part, isn't it obvious?"
Zane did not feel that the marriage thing was obvious, but all of a sudden, a jolt of pain coursed through his body. That's when he noticed it. "Where's my eye?!"
He couldn't feel anything because of the bandages, but he could tell that his left eye was gone.
Sakura sat there looking at the ground embarrassed. "I'm sorry, but at some point, during the fight you must have lost it. I wish I had a spell to regenerate lost body parts, but unfortunately that's not something I can do."
Zane tried to think back and remember where it could have happened. Then it hit him, when he jumped into the Hydra's mouth one of the snake's fangs cut his face. That had to be when it happened.
"Ok, please tell me I at least got a cool scar out of it." He said smiling. He really wasn't happy to be down an eye, but he didn't want Sakura to feel guilty. Besides, being upset over it wasn't going to change reality.
Sakura's head perked up and she gave Zane a smile that made him think that losing an eye wasn't so bad. Her smile was worth an eye or a limb.
"Now back to this marriage thing. Still, I'm going to need an explanation." Zane said getting back on task.
Sakura looked disappointed that she needed to elaborate, but did so anyway. "In Elven culture marriage isn't easy to explain. At least not for a human to understand. Basically, there are three types of marriages. First, is what you'd call love-based marriage. This is pretty self-explanatory. Second, are arranged or political marriages, and this one also is self-explanatory. The last one is the one humans tend to struggle with. It's called reproduction marriages. To explain this, you need to understand that elves don't fall in love easily, and only a small number of elves are ranked in a way that arranged marriages are applicable. So, thus to keep our race from going instinct we created reproduction marriages. I've also heard it called marriage of convenience. It's pretty simple to explain, two elves who aren't in love procreate then after the woman is pregnant, they end the arrangement. The woman is tasked with raising the child till they are self-sufficient, and then they send the child off to brave the world. The term marriage is also used for what humans would call dating and engagements. Since elves don't have a strong romantic sense, they found it simpler to use one term for every meaning. Any questions?"
Zane had so many questions, but only one needed answering right this second. "In what way are you using the term?"
Sakura began laughing uncontrollably. This went on for five minutes or more. Zane was beginning to get annoyed at her reaction, but before he could say anything she answered him "I mean it in the same way a human would. I love you and want to be husband and wife with you."
Zane studied her face for any joking around, but Sakura wasn't joking. "But we don't even know anything about each other. Don't you think it's a little early to be ringing the wedding bells?" Zane said exhausted
Sakura looked genuinely confused "I don't understand the issue. Yeah, we don't know each other, but we'll have our whole lives to learn about each other."
Zane wanted to argue, but for some reason her logic actually made sense. Plus, in his past life a girl as gorgeous as her would never give him the time of day let alone want to spend the rest of their lives together. While it wasn't exactly something he was fully convinced on. He decided to roll with it and enjoy this for however long it took her to realize she could do way better. If he was lucky, she'd never figure it out, and he'd get to live out his fantasy of marrying a hot elf girl.
"Alright fine, I can't say I get it, but I also can't say I'm not attracted to you either. So, let's do this." Zane said smiling.
Sakura practically speared him with how fast she sprang to hug him. Zane's body sent pain shockwaves all over his body, but he didn't say anything. He just wrapped her in his arms and held her close. He wasn't positive if he loves her the way she loves him, but he wanted to make sure he didn't half ass this. She was the first person to give him a genuine reason to want to stay in this world. She also had enough courage to admit her feelings to him. He couldn't imagine the courage that took, and didn't want to disrespect that by not trying.
After their long embrace a very loud and aggressive rumbling from Zane's stomach broke up the moment. "Sorry about that, I guess it has been a week since I've eaten anything." Zane said laughing, his cheeks red from embarrassment.
Sakura gave a warm smile and laughed before saying. "Why don't you stay here and rest, and I'll go make you something to eat."
Just as Sakura was about to get up, she paused, turned around and planted a kiss on Zane's lips. She stretched it out, and at first Zane didn't know how to react. However, he leaned into it and reciprocated the kiss.
The long kiss came to an end as Zane's impatient stomach once again made its presence known.
"Alright I hear you stomach. Just give me a few minutes to whip something up." Sakura laughed while leaving.
Zane was once again red with embarrassment "Damnit stomach you're killing me here." Zane's stomach growled again, not caring about Zane's love issues.
Zane sat there for a bit, but got restless and so left the room to explore. He hadn't realized just how beat up he was, but it took him several tries to get to his feet. The pain was immense, with every movement he felt pain ripping through him. The pain was so bad he almost gave up on exploration, but curiosity was just too strong. Pushing through the pain he got up and gingerly walked out the door into a long hallway. To his left was a stone wall with a window, and to his right was four closed doors, two on each side. At the end you could go left or right. Straight ahead was a closed door. He tried to open it, but found it locked and sealed with magic. He wasn't sure how he knew that, but chalked it up to becoming more in tune with his magic. Unable to enter the room he turned left and peered out the window. A beautiful manicured lawn surrounded a patio with several pristine white patio furniture. Sculpted bushes depicted dogs, cats, angels, and one big one in the middle looked like a person. It was the biggest and seemed to be the most detailed. Behind the patio was a lawn maze. The green foliage was covered with flowers of all colors, and in the center was a gazebo with a circular white table. Two chairs sat on either side, and the gazebo was surrounded by a little moat with four small bridges allowing access. The spot called to Zane, it seemed like a great spot to have a meal and just relax. The whole place felt surreal, and made him think of all the anime and manga he'd seen.
"Nothing from those stories did this justice." He mused
Zane headed for the back yard, and after numerous trials and errors he finally found his way outside. The patio, layout, and maintenance all confused him. Who built this place? Why was it built? Were their large groups of people who frequented this spot? How does this place get maintained? All these questions kept racing through his mind as he walked past the tables. When he approached the maze the sheer massiveness of this place left him in awe.
"This thing is massive, but who does the lawn care? Must be a freakin giant." Zane said with a chuckle.
From the window of the house the maze seemed pretty simple, and in fact it was a simplistic design. The massive walls and beautiful foliage distracted and disoriented anyone unprepared for its challenge. Zane found his way through the maze, but it took him way longer than he'd ever admit. The tiny moat he'd observed from the window turned out to be an eight-foot-wide monster. The bridge was a steeper arch than the window view had made it seen.
"Alright, something seems fishy here. I get the objects far away appear smaller than they are, but this is ridiculous. First off, neither the maze nor the moat was far away enough to justify how much bigger they actually are. Secondly, who is this place made for? The house says humans, but the garden says giants. Nothing about this place makes sense. Is this a trap meant to trick us into letting our guards down?" Zane pondered as he crossed the bridge.
Sitting at the table made for a normal human he found himself even more perplexed. The whole place was giving him a bad vibe, but he couldn't justify worrying Sakura over what could be an odd taste in gardening and architecture size. Zane sat there deep in thought, so deep he didn't even notice Sakura approaching with lunch.
When Sakura got to him, she laid the platter carrying the two sandwiches and glasses of water. Zane didn't react which only added to her annoyance. Sakura wasn't too pleased to find Zane had left his room when he still needed to rest and heal.
"Hey, snap out of it, Zane." Sakura said shaking him
"HUH" Zane said jumping
Sakura concerned said "You ok babe? I told you not to leave the room. You need to rest and heal. You almost died in that fight, and if you're not careful next time you won't be so lucky."
Zane gave a weak smile apologizing "Sorry about that, it was such a beautiful day I thought it be good for me to get some fresh air. Hey, can I ask you something babe?" Zane paused when he realized how natural it felt to call her and be called by her babe.
In that moment of quiet reflection Sakura responded "Yeah, ask me anything"
"What do you know about this place? Like why is some of the stuff massive while other things seem more fit for a person. It's really disorienting, and giving me a bad feeling." He concluded
Sakura took a second to look around and was just as casual as telling someone the weather said. "This is the home of the dark mage Vance. He was the creator of this dungeon. He is infamous for kidnapping women and children, and…" Sakura trailed off, but Zane didn't need her to finish. He had some guesses as to what he'd do with them.
"It's fine you don't have to elaborate. I think I got the jest of the situation. So, is that why you didn't do much exploring while I was out?" Zane asked
Sakura shook her head yes. "I'm surprised you don't know the stories about Vance, but he was known for many things. Traps, torture, illusions, and more. Nobody who knows his record would ever explore anywhere he's been alone. Where did you come from that you've never heard these tales. His crimes are known all around?"
Zane sat there thinking how he should answer. He ultimately decided that lying to your wife was never the right answer in his world so he'd be honest with her now. "Well, this is going to sound like a crazy story, but I promise you I'm being honest. I'm not from your world. I was brought here by the gods of this world along with twenty other people.
In the world I come from magic and dungeons and monsters don't exist. It's a mundane and dreary place. I never really fit in or felt at home. Me and my family didn't get along, and the only person besides my cousin I loved there had been dead for several years. To be honest the only reason I had to want to go back was my cousin. I had money, but no reason to spend it. Friends were basically nonexistent, and I had girlfriends, but none I can say I loved. Every day was just a steady stream of boredom and apathy. You know it's funny my blood boils thinking about the gods that brought me here, but this has given me more freedom than my old life ever gave me. Shit, meeting you has been life changing. I was focused on one goal and one goal alone. I'm going to kill the gods of this world. It is my driving goal and mission, but now I'm questioning if I really need to rush it. I'm thinking I should travel the land and find more allies. Then when I'm ready I'll take my revenge." Zane finished
Sakura sat there unsure of how to process what she just heard. The other world part was hard enough to handle, but the killing the gods part was almost the crazier part. Zane could tell she was going to need a minute to wrap her head around all this. So, he decided to eat while she sorted through his speech.
After ten minutes of silence Sakura finally spoke. "So, you swear that everything you told me is the truth?" Zane nodded yes and Sakura continued "Ok, I'll admit that's a lot to accept, but I don't get the sense you're lying. So, I'm going to choose to believe you. As for your mission, I'm not sure I understand. You said that you hated your old life, but you want revenge for taking you out of it and bringing you to in your own admission a place that's made you happy. I don't understand, can you please explain?"
Zane didn't hesitate "I don't want revenge because they brought me here, but because they left me in the middle of a dungeon with no magic. I had to curse out a goddess to get her to leave me an awakening orb so I could defend myself. I don't mind being brought here, but being brought here to die is where I draw the line."
Sakura still wasn't sold on fighting gods but at least she understood his motives. She also felt closer to him. Like they shared a kinship in their misery. Sakura could feel tears pushing at the corners of her eyes. She tried to blink them away, but that only made them fall.
"Your crying" Zane said
"Sorry, it's just that your tale reminded me of my own and I guess I couldn't hold back." Sakura responded with a smile wiping the tears away.
Zane rose from his seat and wrapped Sakura in a huge hug. "Someday I'd like to hear your story, but only when you're ready."
Sakura couldn't hold back now the tears came and came and came some more. Before she knew it, she was full on balling. All the years of loneliness and despair. All the years of hate and animosity. All the years of pain flowed freely, and she felt the weight of that pain lift as if Zane was removing it. Zane gently kissed her forehead, and looking in her eyes kissed her soft lips. They melted on the floor, melding mind, body, and soul.
Zane awoke a few hours later feeling both lighter and happy. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this good. He looked down at Sakura, laying carefree and smiling ear to ear. He had been so distracted with exploration and curiosity that he had forgotten to put on any clothes before leaving the room. He was coming to understand his elf bride was just shameless, or a genius who knew being naked around him long enough would break him.
"Well, it's getting dark out. I should probably get us inside before I can't see." Zane said, looking around and seeing no lights or anything.
He picked Sakura up gently and carried her back to the mansion. He hadn't really been paying attention, but his severe wounds seemed to have gotten better. He wondered if that wasn't something unique to this world or if this place had some kind of regeneration properties. Either way he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
When they arrived at the patio Zane got a bad feeling that they were being watched. However, when he turned around, he couldn't see anyone or anything around them. He gave another quick scan of the area then headed inside. Once the door was shut that feeling seemed to reduce.
"Hmm, maybe there are monsters in this area, but they can only come out at night?" Zane pondered
With a shrug and a sigh, he pushed it to the back of his mind and walked Sakura to the bedroom.
After laying her down he rummaged through the dark mage's closet. "Come on, there has to be something in here I can wear." Zane said
In the closet were robes of gold, silver, and emerald. A bedazzled shirt that screamed fabulous more than menacing. "What, am I raiding an evil mage or Elton John's closet?" After several minutes of rummaging through gaudy clothes. Zane finally found a simple red button down along with a black suit. He found a pair of red loafers that, while different, still went well with the ensemble.
"Was Vance from my world? This doesn't seem very fantasy, but hey it's better than looking like I'm going on stage with Sam Smith." Zane said, putting on his new attire.
Heading down the hall on the last door on the right he found the restroom. It wasn't big, just a toilet on the far side of the right wall, and a mirror over a simple sink. Almost as if waiting for him were several hair ties. Zane picked one up and tied his hair in a bun. Winking at his reflection in the mirror along with some finger guns. That he was glad no one saw, so he left the restroom and decided to explore.
Most doors were locked, and the ones that weren't were either empty or filled with junk. He was starting to think Vance must have taken all the good stuff before he left when he entered the last room on the main level. It's kind of stuck, but with a little force he was able to get it open. Once inside he looked around, and it wasn't anything to write home about, but on the far end of the room was a simple wooden table that was glowing. Zane approached it cautiously, remembering what Sakura had said about traps. The table was bare except for a magic circle. In the circle was a silver ring that had strange engravings with a blue gem that shimmered a blue like the sky. Zane thought about grabbing it, but decided to wait till Sakura was with him. He was still new to this whole magic thing and felt like it would be safer to wait. Exiting the room he headed for the basement door. The moment his hand touched the knob he felt a jolt of dark and malicious energy. It was thick and what scared him about it was how natural it felt. Zane quickly pulled his hand away and backed from the door.
"What the hell was that? Why did it feel so familiar?" Zane asked
Rustling upstairs broke Zane from his questions, and sent him back upstairs. As he entered the room Sakura was sitting up on the bed rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes. She turned to look at Zane who was still shaken up by that door.
"What's wrong?" Sakura asked concerned
"It's nothing, babe. Did you sleep alright?" Zane deflected
Sakura gave a nod and half-hearted smile, but her eyes couldn't hide her concern. She pulled the blankets off and got up. She was still naked, and while Zane wasn't against round two. He knew he needed to keep it in his pants. Grabbing a red skirt and white blouse he'd found earlier. He handed them to her along with brown booties that to Zane's surprise actually made for a nice outfit.
"Thanks, though I feel weird wearing clothes that…" Sakura trailed off, but Zane knew where she was going. Most likely the previous owners of these clothes were victims of Vance. At least in Sakura's case.
"Yeah, well it's that or nothing, and while I don't mind nothing. I know I'll be more productive if you're clothed." Zane said smirking, Sakura pouted, but didn't argue the point. "Anyways, while you were napping, I carefully explored the mansion and while most of the doors were locked or empty. I did find a couple of interesting ones if you'd like to come see them." Zane finished
Sakura and Zane went to each of the rooms, most of them had books, scrolls and other texts on every race, most wars, and a myriad of other topics. Zane in his previous life wouldn't have cared about this stuff, but now he found it all fascinating. Sakura was less interested in that stuff, but did find the text on elves of interest. She made a note to come back later and read them.
They continued to check out the interesting rooms, till they reached the second to last one. When Zane opened the door Sakura was less than impressed with the basically empty room.
"What's so interesting in here" she asked
Zane pointed to the glowing table and responded "Look at what's on that table. I'm not sure why but I get the feeling it's important."
Sakura approached the table and confusedly asked "Are you referring too the table itself or the two rings on the table?"
Zane ran over and shockedly sputtered "B…But, I swear there was only one ring earlier. How or where in the world did the other ring come from?"
Zane examined the rings without touching them. They were identical in every way. Stumped Zane shrugged and asked "So, what should we do? I get the feeling that they're important, but I can't exactly say I know why. Any idea?"
Sakura stood there studying the silver rings. She swore she'd seen the ring in a book her parents read to her as a child. She racked her brain, but in the end couldn't figure it out. "Sorry, but I haven't a clue what they are. I think we should go back to the library room, and see if maybe there is a book on it." She said
The two headed back to the library. They went through numerous books and scrolls, and were about to give up when Sakura screamed "I found it!"
"So, don't leave me in suspense, what does it say?" Zane asked excitedly
Sakura responded "It says here that the ring is a teleportation ring. Apparently, Vance was actually the creator of them. On top of that, he did this seven hundred years ago."
"Seven hundred years ago? That's insane, how long did this guy live for?" Zane asked
"Well, that's not an easy question to answer. Some say thousands of years, and others say one hundred and fifty the average life span of a human. Others believe he found a way to extend it to five hundred years. There were still tales of his being alive when I got sealed. Nobody knows when he was born or if he's still alive or when he died. Hell, even the stories about him are clouded in mystery. There is a cult that believes he was actually a hero and the gods had their disciples make false stories about him. Overall, he's a mystery, and complicated figure in this world's history." Sakura explained
Zane was floored by this revelation. "Do you think there is any merit to the cult's claims?" Zane asked
Sakura thought about it for a moment then responded "I can see a case for the stories being exaggerated, but not outright false."
Zane nodded his head, but felt a seed of uncertainty take root. He wasn't going to doubt his wife, but the gods had fucked him over and he couldn't just pretend that they couldn't have done the same to him.
"Ok, should we take the rings then?" Zane asked
Sakura again took a moment to pontificate. "Yeah, I mean it's either that or we fight our way out of this hellhole."
Zane wasn't a fan of that prospect so he decided it was better to risk it. The two went back to the glowing dark room, and each took one of the rings. Once in his hand he realized they were their exact ring sizes.
"Well, at least we won't need to have them resized." Zane laughed as he put his ring on
Sakura was a little more hesitant, but Zane took the ring from her hand and slid it gently on the middle finger of her left hand. Sakura blushed and covered her face with her right hand. She was so happy and embarrassed that she felt she might faint.
Zane standing up removed her right hand and planted a surprise kiss. She backed up so fast in surprise she tripped and fell on her butt.
"Ow, that hurt." Sakura said, rubbing her butt. "What the hell was that for you jerk?! You can't just sneak attack a lady you… you… you big dummy!!!" she hollered
Zane just laughed and offered a hand to help her up. Sakura swatted it away and got up on her own. She puffed out her cheeks and Zane couldn't help but gush at the cute face she was making.
Sakura stormed out of the room and Zane followed, still smiling. "Are there any more rooms we need to check out?" Sakura asked
Zane took a moment remembering the basement door. That menacing energy still had him shaken up, but he knew they needed to explore it. It could have ancient artifacts and weapons. Pushing the unease to the side he spoke.
"Well, there's that door down there. I think it leads to a basement." Zane pointed to the end of the house at the lone door. Even from here Zane felt the darkness radiating off it.
Sakura seemed to be oblivious to it. She just walked right up and opened the door. She turned back and nodded down the stairs at Zane. Zane using Cherry Light created a light source and took the lead down the dark stairway.
Zane wasn't sure what to expect, but he tried to make sure he was ready to attack or defend. Neither was necessary, as when they reached the bottom of the stone steps they found a massive room. It was messy with paper and beakers and even what looked like a robot all over the floor. There were three tables all cluttered with different stuff. The first was a desk with scientific research notes, magic item ideas, and magical research notes. The desk was the closest to the stairs. Right behind it was a long wooden table covered with magic items and trinkets. Laying face down close to the center of the room was the robot. Zane was interested in this, but Sakura seemed scared of it. Against the far wall on the left side was another long table, this one was covered in beakers and burners. The beakers had red, blue, green, and many other colored liquids in them. On the wall near the stairs was a massive bookshelf overflowing with books. Another one was on the far-left wall when you entered. Zane had to give the dark mage props. He respected a fellow reader. What really caught their attention was in between the bookshelves in the corner were a big red magic circle. Up to this point blue had been the only color Zane had seen, but apparently, they come in different colors. He wondered if that meant this one did something different. His mind said don't go near it, but his curiosity said you only live once, or twice in his case.
Looking at Sakura, Zane asked "Any idea what this red circle does?"
Sakura looked at the glowing red circle warily. "I can't say I've ever heard of a red circle, but knowing who created it I'm sure it's bad news. We should stay away from it. Let's look around, but stay away from it."
Zane didn't like her answer, but listened nonetheless. Zane scanned the desk, and was completely lost. He couldn't make sense of any of it. The theorems, and hypotheses were so complicated his head started spinning just trying to read it.
Abandoning the desk, he went to the bookshelf closest to the desk in hopes of finding something he could understand. As he scanned the shelves he tripped over a stack of books on the ground and fell into the magic circle.
"Zane, are you ok?!" Sakura yelled rushing over to him
Zane rubbing his elbow sat there for a second then responded "Yeah, more embarrassed than anything."
Just as Zane stood to leave the circle the glow got light up into a blinding light. One that Zane remembered. He had seen a red circle, back in the dungeon on floor seventy-one. It had transported him to the final boss on floor one hundred. This time though when the light faded, he was in a blank white room.
As Zane looked around, he saw nothing but endless white. It seemed to go on forever, and while he could feel solid ground beneath his feet, he could tell he wasn't actually standing on any ground. When he looked down it looked like a bottomless drop into a white void. Back in his old life he'd taken mushrooms and acid and other hallucinogenic drugs. This was even tripper than anything they did.
"I must admit, I'm impressed you can handle my White Void." A male voice said behind him
Spinning around Zane was face to face with a man who had a smug smile. The man was about six foot three and looked like he'd missed more than a couple meals. His raven black hair was neatly slicked back, and reminded Zane of used car salesman. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt and black pants. Over top was a white lab coat, and white slippers to round out the look. To Zane he looked like a textbook image of a scientist.
"Well, I can't say this isn't trippy as hell, but freaking out isn't going to help anything. So, for now I'll deal with the insanity of this later." Zane responded flatly
The man nodded slowly as if processing the words. "How pragmatic of you." The man mused
Zane already over this interaction bluntly asked "What do you want Vance?"
The man looked a bit taken aback, but quickly recomposed himself and smiling said "So, you figure me out? Well, I won't lie to you, I am in fact the dark mage Vance Owlsman, pleasure."
"Zane Newgate, like wise. So, Vance, why am I here?"
Vance's smile never faltered as he spoke "Well, you came to me. When you fell on my magic circle it brought you here. So, you're here because you're clumsy. Now, let's play a game, I'll ask one question and you answer one. We will go back and forth till we are out of queries. So, for my first question. What are you?"
Zane didn't know how to answer that. He thought it was pretty obvious. "I'm a human male, I heard you were old, but what are you blind too."
Vance didn't lose his smile, just nodded slowly and gestured for Zane to ask his question.
"Ok, are you alive?" Zane asked
Vance's smile grew wider at this question. He was hoping Zane would ask that. "Depends on your interpretation of alive. I am alive speaking to you right now. Though in your world I'd be considered dead. Then again, my soul still lives, so who is to say."
That answer pissed Zane off. He spat back "I thought we agreed to be truthful. You're either alive or you're dead."
Vance's smile shrank with disappointment. "Don't be an idiot, next you will say something like there are only two genders. Binary thinking is for the dumb sheep living their lives oblivious to the truth."
"What is this truth exactly?" Zane asked
Vance's smile returned as he waged a finger at Zane "Nope, it's not your turn. Now for my question. Am I a hero or a villain?"
Zane didn't need to think about this "You're an asshole, beyond that I don't have an opinion on your good or bad nature. Now, my turn, what is the truth of this world?"
Vance seemed a bit surprised by both Zane's question and answer. "I promise to answer if you can just elaborate on your answer to my question."
Zane sighed before saying "If a tree falls in a forest and nobody's around does it make a sound? For some the answer is yes and others it's no, but for me it's irrelevant. Who you were or what you may or may not have done means nothing to me. All I care about is what you've done to and for me. Some call that selfishness, but to me caring about someone's past when it has nothing to do with you is pretty narcissistic. Your past has nothing to do with me and I have no intention of pretending it does."
Vance seemed content with that and answered Zane's question. "You wanted to know the truth, hmm? Well, get comfy this is going to take a bit to explain. To start right and wrong is decided by the victors. If you win you are right and if you lose you are wrong, but let's explore that idea for a minute. A hero slays a dragon who kidnapped a princess. Most would say the hero is good and right, and the dragon is bad and wrong. But let's explore that in depth shall we. The dragon only kidnapped the princess to save her from an uprising that was about to happen in her kingdom. Her father the king was a tyrant who kept his people in a perpetual state of poverty and misery. The princess shielded from this by her father hadn't a clue of her subjects' living conditions. Adding that to the story some may say that the dragon shouldn't have kidnapped the princess, but instead stopped the king, and others would say the hero is complicit in the awful treatment by the king, but is still ultimately right in slaying the dragon. There are many other opinions that would form at this point, but for the sake of time I'll only name two. Continuing, the hero returns the princess and a few days later during the uprising the princess is ultimately killed. The hero is exiled for his negligence and the king is killed for his transgressions. If the princess had stayed with the dragon, she might have lived many more years, and the hero may have heard the people's plight and helped them overthrow the king. In the end was anyone truly good or evil? Maybe the princess, but we never explored how she treated the servants and members of the castle. She could have been just as bad as her father. We only assume she's good cause the dragon tried to save her, but maybe the dragon was only looking to procreate and found her beauty irresistible. Good and evil, right and wrong are all lies created to justify the victors and delegitimize the losers. In the end the truth is there are no heroes or villains. Only people just trying to survive in this cruel reality."
Zane sat there with the face of a stoic. Inside though his mind was racing a million miles a minute. He had so many questions, but he couldn't let the mage know he was overwhelmed. After several minutes Zane nodded slowly, and responded.
"I see, so are you one of these delegitimized losers you spoke of?"
For the first time Vance's smile faltered and rage filled his face. "I'd tread lightly hybrid, I may not be what I once was, but I'm still enough to crush you like a bug."
Zane was confused by the term hybrid. What was Vance talking about? Zane shook that question off. He needed to keep pressing, and get as much info as he could from Vance. "Please, I meant no disrespect, just a simple question. I mean it was your idea to play this game. So, with that being said, ask your question."
Vance's scowl grew deeper "I have no further questions, and I'm suddenly not feeling well. If you have any last questions, ask them fast."
Zane figured he'd pull that, but was fine with it. He only had a couple questions left anyways. "I have five questions I'd like you to answer. First, is it true that twenty-one people were brought to this world? Second, can the gods be killed? Third, what is the current state of the elves? Fourth, what did you mean by hybrid? Fifth, is the truth you told me about related to your past?"
Vance's scowl had somewhat subsided, but it didn't take a genius to see he was annoyed. He stared Zane in the eyes. His glare would probably have broken most men, but Zane didn't blink or advert his eyes, or show any surrender. Eventually Vance realized he wasn't going to be able to intimate Zane.
Still annoyed but seeming to have found his previous smugness answered "I'm not all seeing or anything, but I can confirm that twenty-one souls entered this world recently. As for killing the gods I'd say you're mad, but having looked deep into your soul I can tell you're serious. The answer is yes, but you will need to unlock divine magic. Lucky for you your crimson fire magic is one that has that capability. Your wife is an elf is she not? Well, that makes her the only one alive. The elves died out about seven hundred and fifty years ago. Before you try to do the math, your wife was sealed for eight hundred years. So, fifty years after that they went extinct. Also, not important, but as an academic I prefer facts. I created the teleport rings fifteen hundred years ago. Now I believe your fourth question was about me calling you a hybrid. This one I can't answer. I myself am a hybrid, both divine and human at the same time. Hence the whole both alive and dead thing. You aren't divinity, but you aren't fully human either. Whatever you are, it's got a dark aura around it. As for your last question all I'll say is everything you know, everything you think you know, and everything you are told. Are only half of the true story. Maybe someday I'll tell you the whole story, but I'd prefer if you did your own research. I'm curious what conclusions you'll reach. Now, I believe it's time we end this meeting. I've grown bored and weary of talking. I will leave you with these parting words. When you leave the dungeon head for the town of Tigrerra. You will find allies there to aid in your foolish mission. Till we meet again, and I promise we will meet again. Take care, hybrid."
Immediately the void filled with light and when Zane opened his eyes he was back in the laboratory. It took his eyes a minute to focus, but he noticed that Sakura wasn't there anymore. He was completely alone, and panic filled his mind. He raced up the stairs and as he turned the corner. Sakura was right there he tried to stop, but his momentum was too much and he crashed into her, sending her flying.
"What the hell Zane, that really hurt! Also, where the hell did you go?" Sakura asked, rubbing her head and butt.
Zane didn't respond, he just got up, walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms. Sakura wasn't sure what was happening, but figured it must have been pretty crazy. Afterwards Zane filled Sakura in on everything he and Vance had talked about. Sakura became overwhelmed several times and had to take breaks. When Zane got to the part about her being sealed for eight hundred years and about her being the last elf. Sakura became upset and questioned the authenticity of Vance's words.
"How can you be sure he's not lying? I would know if I had been sealed for eight hundred years. I can't speak to anything else he said, but I'm positive he's lying about this." Sakura said
Zane looked unconvinced "I don't think he is. He's a lot of things, but I'm starting to think that the cult may be closer to the truth than anyone knows. He's a scholar, and a smug asshole. He's not exactly what I'd call nice, but I can tell he's not a liar. I'm sorry, I know this can't be easy for you."
Sakura had tears trickling down her cheeks as she screamed "You don't know anything! You couldn't understand how I feel! To have everything you've ever known and loved ripped away from you! You don't know my pain!"
Zane sat there calmly, compassion filled his eyes as he said "You're right, I'm sorry"
Sakura gasped as she realized that Zane knew exactly how she felt. "I'm so sorry, I…" before she could continue Zane pulled her close and kissed her. This time she didn't pull away.
"Sakura, I don't understand, because I got the one I love right here still with me. Yeah, I miss Dokja and my gramps, but I have you and thanks to that a bright future of happiness. I hope I can help you find the same." Zane said softly
Sakura began sobbing as she buried her face in his chest. Zane just held her tightly and kissed the top of her head.
After the emotional evening they'd decided to go to bed and gameplan in the morning. When daylight came the pair decided to spend as much time as it took to study, train, and equip themselves with the goal of fighting and killing the gods.
"So, babe, are you ready to get to work?" Zane asked smirking
Returning his smile Sakura said "If it means standing by your side then let's do this."