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A crack.
The faint sound almost escaped their ears.
Tremble.
The ground shivered before falling from beneath their feet, with no time for either of them to react.
The purple eyes shot wide, looking down into the dark maw that had opened beneath them with nothing to support their legs on. Then up, towards the other boy in the uniform wearing Fire Faction colors, falling right above him, frowned confusion painted on his face.
“Sion-!” he yelled out desperately. The moment of distraction caused him to not see the falling debris, his head flunging into one of the hard rocks.
The next moment his vision turned blurry, darkness taking over, with droplets of red entering field of view.
“Flunkie!” Sion yelled out, his voice laced with a mix of desperation, frustration and fear.
He grit his teeth painfully, getting back to his senses. There was no time to waste. He dived down as he fell, catching Will by the collar of his outfit, his grip strong. The red eyes glanced down, towards the quickly approaching ground.
They were caught in a dungeon cave in. Something that shouldn't happen, and yet sometimes the unfortunate students and High Mages could get caught in, out of nowhere, without a warning or explanation.
“Mrow!”
“Tch-!” Sion's teeth clenched harder, bitter taste spreading in his mouth when the sharp claws of the black familiar dug into his shoulder unexpectedly.
With a deep breath, he aimed his wand downwards, waiting for the moment and then- “Flames, come forth!” he yelled out from the top of his lungs.
Explosion of fire burst out from the tip of his wand, as they found themselves close to the ground. Despite being a low-grade spell, it was strong enough to propel them up, against their momentum, if only for a brief moment.
Enough to safely land with Will heaving in his grip, blood trailing down his forehead, some of it staining the glasses.
Being in a dungeon all of the sudden meant Sion could not let go of his wand and they needed to be on guard, but-
“Hey, laggard, get a hold of yourself!” He shook Will violently, but to no avail. The boy remained unconscious, unable to stand up on his own.
“Darn you-!” Sion huffed, throwing Will's arm over his shoulders, supporting him.
The red eyes carefully scanned his surroundings. There was no questioning it, they were in a dungeon. Caught in the cave in, they found themselves on one of the dungeon floors.
As the ceiling above his head started to slowly regenerate, he glanced up, only now realizing how far down they fell. The interior of the floor, the heat and the distance, it was all enough to answer Sion's question.
We are below the 10th floor! No- We are at least on the 16th floor! He grit his teeth, casting the Search spell. But he knew better than to depend entirely on magic in a dungeon.
Sion glanced over at the trusted familiar of Will's, stuck to his shoulder. “Hey, you can sense any enemies nearby, right?! We need to get the laggard to a safe spot, where I can take a look at his wound!”
Kiki meowed in response, putting her nose to use immediately. After a brief moment of sniffing she meowed again, jumping ahead to one of the corridors, pointing at it. Sion grinned to himself bitterly, following slowly, dragging Will along.
This was a death zone. The 11th floor was already a lot to handle last time they fell down there. But now they were even lower, it was just the two of them, and Will was unconscious. They had to avoid any fight possible.
What made things worse was the floor they were on. After walking for a while Sion was certain of it, it was undeniably the 16th floor. Unbearably hot, barren, unusually bright for a dungeon, with lava rivers every corner, and with tight corridors that could fill anyone with claustrophobia.
A floor where the main inhabitants were demons with high resistance to Fire Magic!
Sion clicked his tongue at the thought, frustration weiling up. Not only was he forced to drag along the no-talent around, but his spells were basically ineffective against the monsters on this floor.
Thankfully, the floor wasn't riddled with enemies like the Nightmare's Intestines, which sprouted the demons out non stop, relentlessly. So, with help of Kiki's nose and his Search spell, they could avoid any fighting, while looking for a safe spot to take care of Will.
Of course, there was the option of leaving the no-talent behind and rushing for the exit on his own. But that was out of question for Sion.
“I will not be bested by the likes of you-!” he muttered with frustration under his nose, chasing the thought away, a weak line of red painting his cheeks.
He knew Will wouldn't leave anyone behind, and he was not about to be a coward and humiliate himself by escaping.
His furious, red eyes glanced at the dark hair wobbling back and forth next to his shoulder, softening momentarily. Of course, he also wouldn't let a mere dungeon be the one to beat Will over him. That was an unacceptable thought for him.
He was going to best Will. And no one else.
His cheeks puffed up and his focus shifted to Kiki who let out a sudden “Mrow!”. Sion raised his brow, watching the familiar raise her paw and point at a small opening in the wall. Small enough for humans to enter, too small for any larger demon to invade. A perfect spot to hide in.
Small demons were rare, basically nonexistent on the 16th floor. So if there were to be any threats, it would be enraged, enormous demons, like Flame Goliaths, who could bust down the wall open. So, so long Sion didn't infuriate any enemies nearby, they would remain safe.
After settling Will down on the ground, sighing with relief from not having to drag him around anymore, he quickly jumped to his companion's bags. Although in normal circumstances it was something to be looked down upon, Sion had no other choice, if he were to treat the wound on Will's head. With cheeks red in embarrassment, and many curses, apologies and justifications running through his head, his hands rummaged in search of anything of help.
And, just as he suspected, he found some first aid materials in the bag, quickly making use of them. Fortunately for the both of them, he was taught the basics before, and it was finally time to put those skills to use.
Kiki watched from the side with a tilted head as Sion's trembling hands wrapped the bandage around Will's forehead, after having cleaned the opening. It wasn't perfect, but it would do for the time being.
After being done, Sion sat down, sighing heavily with frustration, throwing his head back, against the wall he leaned on. He clenched his hands into fists, biting on his lower lip.
“Damn it!’
Why did they have to find themselves in a situation like this? What were they going to do? They weren't prepared for a dungeon dive, not to mention a 16th floor! With Will unconscious, and no supplies prepared beforehand, who could tell how long they could last? The rescue might not come for days! Their absences wouldn't be noticed immediately, not to mention, no one would be able to tell where the cave in brought them.
Kiki jumped, startled, fur going up, when Sion threw his fist against the wall, creating a small crack. She hissed but calmed down immediately after. Surprised red eyes glanced at her, as if he forgot she was even there. But then the brows furrowed immediately after.
“This would be a great moment to wake up, no-talent!” he growled under his nose, wanting to fault Will for the situation. Of course, he knew it wasn't the fault of either of them. It was a force of habit, a way to vent out his frustration.
Think, Sion, think! he sat down, clenching his jaw painfully.
Normally, the best choice would be to wait for rescue, but right now it would've been a death sentence, just like the time back on the 11th floor. Sion knew he can't get too full of himself either. Even though he trained relentlessly, nearly pushed to the limits during Fire Faction's trainings, he was now in a dungeon. Overestimating yourself was a one way ticket to the other side.
He knew that all too well because of the painful memory from 6th floor, where his overconfidence nearly got him killed. The most humiliating day of his entire life.
Sion sat straight, taking a deep breath to calm himself down.
First, he had to figure out what their actual situation was. Hoping for Will to wake up any moment would be a waste of time, even though the wound didn't look serious and the boy was strong.
With newfound determination and goal, Sion got up on his legs, his eyes focused ahead.
He was going to get them out of this. Safely.
He was going to show the no-talent what he is capable of!
The red eyes turned to Kiki, his voice much calmer, filled with confidence, “Keep an eye on the no-talent for me. There is no telling if this day won't have any more surprises. It seems like trouble flocks to him like a moth to a flame.”
The familiar tilted her head, the meow confused and concerned but Sion already was walking past her.
Before leaving the safe spot, he made sure to look around for any potential threat that might have showed up, but the coast was clear.
He studied the information about dungeons a lot, ever since the day of humiliation, honing his senses to be able to detect any threats that avoided his Search spell. While it wasn't as accurate as the senses of Will or Kiki's nose, the awareness he built up had already saved his and the lives of others.
His gaze remained sharp for any signs of the nearby monsters and their tracks, listening intently to every noise in the area, never letting his guard down.
What he learned about the 16th floor was that its layout remained to be one of the simpler, straightforward ones. Meaning they likely weren't far away from the exit. But it also meant sometimes a fight was unavoidable, and the tight corners made maneuvering and fighting at distance difficult.
And so, once it came to fighting, he had to use all his training and previous experience to his advantage. Being in a losing position, with the enemies having high resistance to Fire spells, he had to use his wits in defeating them.
With that in mind, Sion took advantage of the surroundings, while making sure to not expend too much mana.
While fighting in a closer distance still made his legs shiver like jelly, he was determined to stand his ground. He had to overcome that fear.
If the no-talent could do it, so can he, after all.
That was what pushed him forward, facing the deadly claws and jaws when in dire situations, honing his skills and strategies in close quarter combat. Gathering the courage to face enemies head-on, like a sword would.
And so, another group of demons he had to face within the walls of the 16th floor fell down beneath spikes that were just hanging from the ceiling, their bodies pierced through and crushed under the debris. Making use of the highly explosive attribute of Fire spells, Sion used the dungeon itself against its habitants.
Sion pressed on, memorizing the path and avoiding attention from enemies he needn't face. The way he navigated an unfamiliar dungeon would've been unthinkable for him just a year ago, and yet, here he was, turning the burning fury from being humiliated into power and experience.
He had to make sure the path to exit was cleared out, although removing the obstacles now wouldn't guarantee a safe passage. After all, even if he defeats all the demons on the way now, the dungeon would eventually make more. So all he was truly doing was lessening the trouble for later and scouting ahead.
Sion frowned, pausing around the corner. There was some difference in the air he couldn't quite place a finger on. As if the temperature suddenly went down, even if slightly. He pushed his back against the wall, carefully leaning forward to check around the corner. His eyes shot wide open, hope sparkling within. Just as he had thought, they were near the exit. The corner of his mouth twitched up momentarily.
But that didn't mean he could let his guard down yet.
Sion frowned, looking around with focus, scanning the area carefully. He froze, breath catching in his throat once the red eyes landed on the gray, massive body with six limbs of a tall beast sitting nearby the exit.
There was no mistaking it, it was the floor's notorious monster. The Gray Emperor Beast. A demon with thick skin, completely immune to any Fire spells, and with overall high resistance to all other schools of magic, except Water. It was almost as if it was guarding the exit.
Sion felt dizzy, wanting to sink down in the place, his gaze staring into the enormous beast with despair. His face turned completely pale. Forget getting himself or even Will out. He stood no chance against it.
They were completely doomed.
If only the no talent was awa-
He clicked under his nose, biting his tongue at the thought, clenching his fists.
No. There must be a way.
Sion convinced himself in his thoughts, turning away from the exit. For now, he had to return to the temporary hideout and check on Will, before deciding on his next move.
***
Workner stormed into his room with Edward following behind, panting heavily. They were notified about the cave in immediately upon learning of it. It wasn't the first time it happened, although it was rare. Everyone was mobilized to make sure no one went missing.
But, of course, someone did go missing.
“It's as if misfortunate followed that miserable boy,” Edward commented coldly under his nose, watching Workner hurry to the orb. “At least he has Ulster with him. And that familiar of yours.”
“You could say we are lucky it's them that got caught… Any other student and finding them would be near impossible. It's obvious they aren't on any of the first ten floors, they would've been back by now but… There is no way to tell what really happened unless we check,” as Workner continued, catching his breath from having run all the way to his office, he placed his hand on the orb, infusing it with magic.
Soon enough, an image appeared within the glass. Both of the professors froze in place in horror when witnessing it.
“Is that…?”
“No, it can't be…”
They both stared, terrified, at the image of what seemed like Will's legs, lying motionlessly on the floor. Kiki didn't move from her place and the only thing they could see were the red walls of the dungeon, with no way of telling which floor it was.
“...where is Ulster?” The question escaped from Edward's lips, as he walked up closer to the orb, carefully.
Sion seemed nowhere to be found in the image, not even a sign of him. It only filled both of them with dread, silence neither of them dared to break hanging in the air. They simply stood there, unable to move, each passing second being a torment.
Just as they both started to lose hope, the image moved, with Kiki turning her head around, reacting to something. A deep sigh of relief escaped from Workner, while Edward visibly relaxed.
Sion looked down, as if straight into the orb that the two professors could see him through, his hands remaining in pockets, not a single scratch on his skin. Only some dust and ash dirtying his red uniform. He glanced at Will, the frown deepening barely visibly, his lips pursed together, before his attention went back to Kiki.
“I need you for a moment-” as he was about to turn around and leave the claustrophobic room they were in, the red eyes looked over at the familiar once more, tilting his head with one brow curved. “Did the gem on your head always glow like this…? Forget it, let's go.”
Kiki followed behind Sion obediently as they left their safe spot. And it was thanks to that that both Edward and Workner could tell what floor they were on exactly. Without a single word, the orb was grabbed by one of the professors and both of them stormed out.
While they headed towards the dungeon entrance, Sion led Kiki to a water source he found within the dungeon, making sure to avoid any enemies on the way. He asked the familiar whether it was safe to drink, with it confirming, so he made sure to resupply as much as possible for the time being. The water was hot, due to the environment they were in, but it didn't bother the Fire mage. It was something he was accustomed to.
Once they went back to the safe spot, and Workner briefly saw the bandage on Will's head, he quickly understood the situation. He put the orb away, as to not be slowed down anymore.
***
With a heavy sigh, Sion flopped down onto the ground, leaning his back against the wall. He knew it's been a couple hours already since they fell down, which made him ponder whether their absence was noticed.
Of course they noticed the absence of the no-talent, there is no chance they didn't .
He thought to himself with a bitter smirk. After all, Will was now a big deal among the Tower. And he made a lot more friends recently than he had over the entire time at the school.
The red eyes glanced over at the unconscious boy, a hint of melancholy behind them. Sion recalled some events he didn't think fondly of, gritting his teeth and wondering: what if things went different back then? It was a weird question to ponder on now, that they've been through so much and grown so much stronger.
After taking a sip of water he found, letting the hot liquid run down his throat, he focused on the issue at hand. There was no time to ponder what-ifs when they were stranded on a dungeon floor.
The feeling of frustration overcame him as he started to chew on his inner cheek. Even though they were lucky to have fallen close to the exit, of course things couldn't have been that easy, with the path blocked by the worst match up for Sion. Their only chance out was to get through the obstacle, but Will remained unconscious and their time would eventually start running out with the lack of food. They couldn't afford to sit and wait, and there is a chance no one was coming to rescue, if the higher ups assumed they are as good as dead, still not back at the surface.
Who would spend their resources to find a needle in the hay, when they weren't even confident the two of them were still alive?
Which meant it all fell down onto Sion.
The red eyes stared directly at Kiki, a brief thought crossing his mind whether the purple gem on her head was now glowing less than earlier.
“I will fight the notorious monster. I will get you an opening so you can go and get help,” he said out loud, his voice seemingly firm and confident, yet there was a bit of shaking to it.
The familiar tilted her head, a concerned and reluctant sound escaping it in response.
“Tch…” Sion clicked under his nose, closing his eyes, hand clenched into fist. He raised his voice, now laced with frustration, “If I can't defeat some stupid monster that just happens to be immune to my magic, how can I ever dream of beating the laggard? I will find a way!”
With those words his face was struck by realization, his brows raised high. He suddenly got up, walking up to Will with pursed lips. Reluctantly, he crouched down.
“I will be borrowing this, flunkie… I promise I will give it back. Noble's promise,” he whispered, looking away with shame. With his cheeks turning red, Sion detached the belt with the sheathe Will always carried with him.
Sion held it up in his hands with a sense of confusion and disgust. Despite the sword remaining in its sheath, the weight and the object felt extremely alien for him to hold.
His hand clenched around the fabric. Burrowing his brows and with jaw clenched, he put on the belt around his chest, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.
But he needed this detestable weapon right now.
With that, he turned around, in order to leave the hideout. Although Sion felt bad about leaving Will without anything or anyone to protect him, he knew this would be a much safer option than dragging the unconscious boy into a fight.
And so, followed by Kiki, he went down the path he scouted and cleared earlier to face the difficult battle with the odds against him.
Just as they found themselves around the corner from which the exit was visible, Sion turned to Kiki.
“I’m going to fight it. As soon as I get its attention, you will run for the exit and bring help. The laggard… We depend on you, got it?” Without waiting for affirmation from the familiar, his attention returned to the beast awaiting by the exit.
Sion took a deep breath, calming down his racing heart. He raised his hand with the wand and as he was about to exhale:
“Lansear!” he shouted out, sprinting out into the open. The homing projectiles of fire followed his instructions, heading not for the beast, but for the spikes hanging on the ceiling above.
Although slow at first, the monster got up, as if woken up from a slumber. Once its eyelids opened, the bone-chilling red dots fixated on the figure of the boy in Fire Faction uniform. The spikes came down due to explosion, some breaking on impact with the thick skin, remains falling around, and some managing to sink in, although the wounds they caused remained shallow. The best let out a furious roar, charging straight at Sion.
The same moment it headed for him, he was done with the next incantation. Just before fully casting the spell, he threw a single command towards Kiki, “Go!”
And with that, his focus was entirely on the battle at hand. Raising the wand up, he yelled out:
“Halcon Gardinas!”
The flames summoned from the wand formed into an orb which grew the fiery wings. Followed by a screech, the flame hawk guardian was formed, charging against the beast it was facing off.
While the monster's focus shifted to the bird made of flames, Sion sprinted to the opposite side of the room, further away from the exit. The gray, clawed limbs cut through the fiery wings, with them dissipating momentarily, distracted.
“Entangle, briars of flame!” With the next cast, six fiery whips sprouted from the tip of his wand, swiftly wrapping around the limbs of the monster. Sion swung his hand back, throwing the monster off the balance, not being strong enough to throw it around.
All it did was buy Kiki time to exit and enrage the beast further, while it sustained no serious wounds.
“Tch,” Sion gritted his teeth, frustration weiling up as he realized more and more how hopeless this battle looked. He called upon his guardian to slow down the beast from getting up, with the clawed limbs trying to tear the hawk apart, but with its core remaining out of grasp. As if the bird was toying with the enemy.
Chanting any higher level spells remained pointless, and Sion knew that. The red eyes continued to scan the area for anything he could use instead.
“Lansear! Flames, come forth!” he shouted out once more, aiming for more spikes in the way of the beast, riddling the path between him and the monster with obstacles.
But, once the beast shook itself off of the guardian, it charged as if unstoppable towards Sion, breaking all of the obstacles to pieces in its path. He watched with terror at the approaching figure, a similar image from the 6th floor flashing before his eyes.
The red eyes burned with fury as he stared at his enemy with hatred. “I will NOT be humiliated again!” Sion shouted at the top of his lungs. “Entangle, briars of flame!”
He used the fiery chains again, but instead of aiming them at the beast, he sent them towards two enormous boulders previous explosions created. Putting his muscles to work, he raised both of them up and threw them at the beast, the rocks smashing against it from both sides.
The monster wobbled from the impact of the two boulders, slowing down and shaking off the debris, puffing out hot air from its nose. Sion grinned, seeing that the attack had some effect.
Not wasting any time, he chanted out another spell, breaking more of the ceiling with a continuous barrage of flames from above, blocking the monster's vision, while calling his guardian back.
Sion jumped on the back of the hawk, the two of them charging head on.
If he can do it, so can I!
His own words echoed in his head as he took out the unfamiliar handle that sat uncomfortably in his hands, fighting the shaking of his limbs.
The beast recovered from the onslaught of falling dust and debris, staring right into the charging flames. With a growl, it swung two of its arms at the fiery hawk.
“DIE!” Sion shouted, bouncing off of his guardian, with the claws stopped by two fiery whips tangling its hands together.
Although his grip on the sword remained awkward, it dug into the gray skin as if it was butter, causing the beast to stagger back. Realizing the damage wasn't enough, and that the enemy would soon recover, he took a deep breath, one hand clutching onto the sword and the other raising the wand up.
“Ignis Rooks!”
He shouted the first spell that came to his mind. The explosion of flames propelled him downwards, dragging the sword along the skin, deepening the wound.
The monster violently threw himself to the sides from the pain and agony, ripping the chains on his hands with ease. With Sion's inexperienced and weak grasp on the sword handle, he was sent flying away.
“Ugh!” He clenched his teeth, glancing back, at the quickly approaching wall, reacting fast. “Protect me!”
The hawk came to his rescue, as he commanded, catching him in the flight, neutralizing the impact.
Sion staggered up his legs once landing safely, panting heavily. He looked up at the monster and where Will's sword was dug in, expecting the beast to come at him charging any moment. His eyes shot wide open, frozen in shock at the sight.
While the skin of the beast remained untouchable by the flames, its insides were caught on fire with smoke coming out of the wound and the monster continuously spazzing out from agony. Sion stood there, in disbelief, watching the scene unfold.
His spells had effect on the enemy.
After learning that, a new plan arose in his mind. He grinned to himself, grip tightening around the wand.
He could win this fight.
With the determination and confidence rushing through him, he climbed up the hawk once more. Although he hated to repeat the same attack patterns, it wasn't a human he was fighting against. And he needed to get close to the enemy once more. He frowned for a brief moment, thinking there was a dark shadow dashing at the corner of his eyes, but he had no time to concern himself with that.
The beast seemed to have recovered from being burned from inside by a low-grade spell, and its furious eyes met with the determined gaze of Sion, locking down in a stare off. It gnarled at him, bearing its teeth, and Sion showed his, in a challenging grin.
While flying in, he continued the incantation under his nose, fully concentrating on the spell. Just as he approached the beast, he waited for it to swing at the hawk again. And when it did, he jumped off, with the enemy claws tearing through the core of the guardian next second, aiming his wand right at the wound he inflicted earlier, the incantation ready.
“IFLAMME BURDELYON!”
The flames burst out viciously, everything in the sight turning red, yet concentrating in a single spot. The impact threw Sion back away, safe distance away from the flailing limbs of the beast thrown into panic. The monster squirmed and growled, and let out howls of agony, all while its body was being burned from inside out, fire trapped within the concealment of thick, gray, fireproof skin.
Sion collapsed back, ending up watching while sitting, trying to catch his breath, panting heavily, sweating all over. With a corner of his eye he caught two figures showing up in the exit. He swallowed, his focus shifting to a shiny object in Professor Workner's hand he caught a glimpse of.
Sion's face turned completely pale as he froze in his spot, with lips going dry once he realized what he saw. Although the image within the crystal ball already faded, he was certain of what he witnessed.
The orb displayed whatever Kiki saw.
His face then was taken over by red, with him looking away, trying to hide it from the two males, teeth clenched painfully, gritting so hard, it seemed they were about to crack. A feeling of dread caused a shiver down his spine.
Kiki always accompanied Will in dungeons. Which meant that back then, at floor 6, there likely was a witness or more to Sion's humiliation in the face of the Evil Sentinel.
His nails dug painfully into the ground, scraping at it. The realization was unbearable to him, to the point he wished the ground underneath him caved in again and buried him deep down, where no one would find him.
Unaware of the mind battle going on in Sion's head, professor Workner walked up to him carefully, afraid to startle him. He looked over at the corpse of the notorious beast from floor 16, mouth open in shock to see it defeated by Sion, a Fire Mage. Edward, who stood at the entrance, also stared at it, in visible awe and disbelief.
Workner cleared his throat, turning to the young mage.
“Will, where is he? Is he safe?” He tried to hide the trembling of his voice and how worried he was, but to no success.
Sion didn't meet his gaze, still feeling too ashamed to. He raised his hand with the wand in it to the direction of the hideout.
“Follow… Kiki…” Sion muttered out, lips feeling too dry to speak properly.
Workner nodded, as a silent thanks and rushed after the familiar. He looked back towards Edward: “Keep an eye on Sion, I will bring Will back!”
The black haired professor didn't respond, still too stunned to say anything or move. His eyes sparkled with admiration for the skills of the young mage and his ability to overcome an obstacle that was a fire resistant beast. A notorious one at that.
Sion, after calming down and catching a breath, stood up, albeit wobbly, and walked up to the beast, to Edward's confusion. He raised his wand, to collect the remaining traces, but his eyes focused on a shiny object dug into the burnt corpse.
Hesitantly, he reached his hand for the handle, his face flushing with red. A frown appeared immediately on Edward's face upon spotting the sword, disdain painted on his face initially. But he quickly understood how Sion managed to defeat the monster he faced against.
Gripping onto the handle awkwardly, he tried to pull it out with a single motion, but to no avail. With a frustrated huff, he put all off his strength into trying to get the sword out, violently digging it, muttering angrily under his nose:
“How humiliating! Even this time I had to depend on that no-talent… Infuriating! I will show him, that laggard… I don't need him to defeat strong enemies, I can do it myself-”
His eyes shot wide open the moment there was no more resistance from the sword being stuck in the body. He staggered on his feet, unable to balance himself in time.
Sion plopped back on the ground, the sword escaping his inexperienced grip and landing in his lap. Gritting his teeth, he massages his back, just above the waist, glancing down at the blade. He froze, growing red all over, realizing how humiliating this must've looked, wanting to scream at the top of his lungs or be buried deep down.
If that stupid laggard wasn't unconscious the entire time…! He thought with frustration, trying to place the blame on Will just to vent it out.
Sion tried to look composed while standing up and grabbing the sword, shoving it back into the sheathe, not wanting to ever have to draw it again, not daring to look in the eyes of the Viper Mage present at the scene. His knuckles turned white, veins popping out from the tight grip of his hands around the belt.
Soon after, Workner and Kiki returned to them, facing no issues on the way, with the path clear from previous scouting by Sion. The young Fire Mage couldn't help the sigh of relief, masking it, seeing the unconscious, but safe Will hanging in the arms of the professor. Together, they headed slowly for the exit from the dungeon, with Workner turning to grumpy Sion, giving him a genuine, proud smile.
“Well done out there. And thank you for taking such good care of Will, you tended to his wound in time. I'm not sure what happened, but you saved him. You have my gratitude for that, Sion.” Workner didn't hide his relief, speaking with sincerity. Sion glanced at him from the side, but turned his face away, feeling heat overcoming his cheeks.
“It's not like I wanted to save him! It's- it's the noble's duty to protect the weak!” He crossed his arms, responding quickly and dismissively, trying to hide how glad he was that Will was okay and that he did a proper job with treating his wound.
Workner's smile widened, but he didn't say anything.
“It's a remarkable achievement to overcome an enemy resistant to your own element, a notorious monster at that, on your own. Although the methods you used were… Somewhat questionable, I understand that it was needed in the dire situation. Your victory is commendable,” Edward's tone, as usual, remained cold, but there was a hint of pride and slight bitterness at the mention of the “method”.
Sion's shoulders relaxed, hearing the words of affirmation from the Viper Mage himself, letting out a breath of relief after such an eventful day.
Just as they got to the exit, and were about to head up the stairs, Workner gave Sion another glance, tilting his head with confusion and surprise, only now noticing something was off.
“Isn't that… Are you sure you are going to keep it with you?” he asked suddenly, with the red eyes following his gaze, not understanding.
Sion paused in his tracks, freezing all of his motions, feeling the heat all over his body again, face redder than ever. He completely forgot that the belt with Will's blade was still hanging around his chest. He grit his teeth, frowning deeply.
“Tch-!” The frustration and humiliation welled up in him again, stronger than before. His hands darted, gripping the sheathe reluctantly, taking the belt off and shoving it on top of unconscious Will, as if with disgust, although lingering over it a second too long. “I was just borrowing it for the fight! I didn't want to use it-! It was to save the no-talent's- No- It was to defeat that stupid monster and show flunkie that swinging that metal object around like a brute isn't such a big achievement! Ugh-!”
Sion blurted out all at once, wishing he could disappear or burn to cinders on the spot. He crossed his arms again, pursing his lips, refusing to say another word.
Workner gave him a wide, genuine smile, chuckling to himself. “Thank you for being such a good friend to Will. I'm sure he appreciates you a lot- No, I know he does. I'm so glad you two acknowledged each other and ended up getting along so well, despite…”
He didn't finish, chuckling again. Sion was left dumbfounded, skin crawling. He knew what the professor was referring to. The start of it all.
The red eyes glanced towards the unconscious boy, all sounds muffled by loud thumps and the hotness around his face increasing in strength.
“Hmph-!”
He turned his face away from the professor, avoiding his smile.
But Sion couldn't help the light twitching pulling the corner of his mouth up, his expression softening slightly.