Player 0.4 [You have died.] [Reset in progress.]

I was notified there was some mail for me?” Aegus called out.

His voice echoed up the hollow interior of the tower. Receiving no immediate response, he reached forward and rang the small golden bell on the desk for good measure.

He stood before an empty circular reception desk. It was an enormous slab with a hollow center, carved from a single piece of redwood. The tower itself stretched high above him, ten stories at least, its stone walls curving inward as they rose. Though interestingly, there was no staircase to reach them. One had to fly to get up there. Narrow windows lined the upper levels, allowing thin shafts of late-afternoon light to spill in and catch the dust lazily drifting in the air.

It was quiet here, with only the squawking of birds to be heard.

Crystal communication orbs were useless within academy grounds, suppressed by layers of protective runic wards. Which meant that the only method of communication—for students at least—with the outside world was through physical mail. Sheets of paper within sealed envelopes. Archaic, but at least it worked.

Though communication was heavily monitored.

Aegus’s gaze flicked briefly to the side, toward a locked cabinet set into the wall. Every letter entering or leaving the academy was reviewed. Usually not opened, but inspected in such detail that they might as well have been. Packages underwent a more rigorous review.

It was to ensure nothing nefarious was sent to the student body. There had been incidents in the past. Three centuries ago, a foreign princess student died after a box of chocolates exploded in her face. Since then, all packages have been thoroughly inspected.

A sudden whoosh cut through the silence.

A figure appeared behind the desk, still mid-transformation. White feathers receded into pink skin, folding and smoothing as they reshaped into a silky beard and head of hair. The wide, golden owl-eyes shrank behind the lenses of round spectacles, and the curved beak pressed inward, reforming into a slightly reddened nose.

The man adjusted his glasses, blinking once.

“Aegus Matrinovo,” the man muttered. “Yes, this was sent to you.”

He reached into his robe and handed Aegus a letter with a dark green seal that was still intact, despite the thorough inspection. It was his father’s signature wax seal. The seal of the Matrinovo family.

Aegus snatched the letter and ripped it open immediately.

Did Father manage to obtain one…?

His eyes scoured the text.

Ever since Luca Frey had become Aegus’ roommate, Aegus had been living on eggshells.

It was entirely unacceptable.

But, he had no intention of continuing to be under Luca’s thumb. The current situation was far outside the norm.

Thus, he had asked his Father for a favor—one that Aegus knew would cost his family a good fortune or some notable political favors. It didn’t matter. Because this was no longer merely about pride. It was about survival.

“Creature secured… Grade A elemental guaranteed…” Aegus read aloud the letter under his breath.

A slow grin spread across his face.

His plea had worked. His father had secured him a creature on death’s doorstep that was considered of the highest grade.

If Grade B was a sapphire, then Grade A was a diamond. The difference was monumental.

However, even within Grade A elementals, there were distinctions, just like how not all diamonds were of the same value. Carat. Clarity. Cut. Grade A elementals had their own sub-grades. Not all were equal.

Aegus could hardly contain his excitement.

The tension that had wrapped around him these past few days—ever since Luca Frey had stepped into his life—began to loosen, unraveling thread by thread.

Finally.

He stuffed the letter in his inner pocket and rushed off to the administration building. There was no time to waste.

***

“Heading home for the week?”

The administrator barely looked up as he flipped through Aegus’s paperwork, his pen already poised above the form. Leaving campus required approval. Always. Especially if it was for longer than a mere day trip.

“Two nights,” Aegus clarified. “I’ll be back by Friday morning, in time for my classes.”

“Mm.” The middle-aged man squinted, scanning the details before marking the form in a couple of areas. A red stamp followed, confirming his approval.

He slid a copy of the form back across the desk.

“Enjoy your trip,” the man said, motioning for Aegus to board the trolley so he could assist the next student.

“You’re leaving? Is it because of your roommate?"

Aegus swiveled his head at the familiar voice. It was one of his two buddies, Glen Hillsdale.

He had been so absorbed in his own thoughts that he hadn’t noticed his friend was heading into town as well.

Glen leaned his thin body casually against the railing as he took a seat beside Aegus on the trolley.

Aegus clicked his tongue.

Tch. That’s what I get for complaining.

Glen was one of Aegus’s closest friends. But their friendship had roots within the hierarchy of their society and their families. Being seen as weak was not optimal.

“I’m not running away,” Aegus said coolly. “Quite the opposite.”

Then, to prove himself, he pulled out the letter from his father and handed it over to Glen.

He watched with smug satisfaction as Glen read the letter and arrived at the punchline. Glen’s expression shifted as his eyes moved across the page. First, there was curiosity, then confusion, and finally realization.

“You’re getting an elemental?” Glen’s mouth fell open. “A Grade A one? How did you even—”

“Yes,” Aegus cut in, gingerly reclaiming the letter and sliding it inside his jacket’s inner pocket. “It’s finally time.”

“But a Grade A,” Glen stammered. “No, it’s not just any Grade A either—how??”

“My father has his ways, you know that.” Aegus smiled, utilizing the situation to raise his family’s perceived value. Especially given how his own position had been destabilized recently, due to Luca’s presence.

The rest of the ride dragged on. Partially due to Aegus’ anticipation, but also because of Glen’s probing questions. None of which Aegus cared to answer further.

***

“I’ll see you on Friday,” he said curtly as the trolley came to a halt. He stepped off before Glen could respond.

Thankfully, his carriage was already waiting for him, so he didn’t need to linger.

“Young master, did you wish to have supper first or—“

“No,” Aegus replied. He didn’t even slow his stride as he climbed in. “We’re heading directly to Glimver Dungeon.”

“Understood,” the elderly attendant nodded and closed the door behind him.

The carriage lurched forward almost immediately after. The senior attendant had understood the tone of urgency in his voice.

Aegus leaned back into his plush green velvet seat, and a faint smile returned to his lips.

Luca Frey has enjoyed his advantages long enough. Soon I'll have something over him.

***

The journey took a long while, despite the use of portal gateways. The reason was that the last stretch of the trip could not rely on magic at all. Glimver Dungeon sat in the middle of the turbulent sea, with anti-magic wards surrounding the skull-shaped island.

By the time Aegus arrived at Glimver Dungeon by means of boat, it was late at night, and he had skipped two of his usual meals. His mood would have normally been in the gutters. However, his anticipation held it all at bay, such that he didn’t even notice his empty stomach.

“You must be Aegus,” a voice called out.

A broad-shouldered man in a dark leather coat approached, his boots striking against the stone dock. He wore a confident smile that hinted at his familiarity with danger.

“You’re the mirror image of your father.”

Aegus could not say the same.

Warden Mathew Lister looked nothing like his daughter.

Paisley had the look of a rebel—piercings, hair cut short, and a defiance in her posture. Her father, by contrast, was the epitome of authority and control. His blonde hair sat in a no-nonsense cut, and his attire was stripped of any ornamentation.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Aegus said politely.

As Mathew stepped closer, Aegus felt it.

There was an air around the man. Literally. The Warden of Glimver Dungeon was contracted to a Grade A wind elemental that had spawned from a Pegasus. Mathew Lister had nothing to fear from the dangerous criminals locked up.

The same could not be said for Aegus. On this island, he felt disturbingly weak, as if his mana had been cut in half. And it likely was given the sheer amount of restraints and embedded black mana stones.

“Stay close,” Mathew said, turning and motioning him forward. “Everyone inside is restrained with black mana cuffs, but don’t mistake that for complete safety.”

They stepped through the iron black gates, the heavy doors groaning as they opened.

“People get careless,” Mathew continued as they walked inside the prison. “A hand through the bars. A sudden grab. That’s all it takes. Magic or not, a man can still kill you with his bare hands.”

“I’ll be careful,” Aegus replied, instinctively stepping away from the walls.

They passed the first row of cells.

Each one stretched deep into darkness, iron bars slick with moisture. Figures sat or stood within, all wearing pink-and-white-striped uniforms. Their sunken eyes followed them.

“This is merely the first floor,” Mathew explained as they walked. “Short-term inmates. Most are scheduled to be released this week. In theory, they’re our best behaved.”

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

“But in practice… It’s still worth being cautious.”

They approached a massive, reinforced elevator. Its frame was forged from metal and inlaid with black mana stones. Dense red runic patterns crawled across it like vines, layered and overlapping, each one reinforcing the next.

Mathew stepped inside, and Aegus followed in.

The gates slammed shut behind them with a heavy clang.

Aegus’s gaze drifted to one of the walls. It was covered in buttons. Numbered all the way to forty-nine, in the basement.

He felt his metal right arm instinctively, wondering what floor the criminals who had threatened his grandmother and took away his arm were on. Given he was able to defend against them as a child, likely not too far deep. But given his family’s position, they were likely locked up lower than they otherwise would have been.

“Which floor are we going to?” Aegus asked, distracting himself.

Mathew pressed the lowest basement floor in reply. A dull glow flared beneath his finger.

“Zippy’s been stationed at the entrance to the fiftieth floor,” Mathew said. “Last of his kind. We haven’t been able to replace him. Your father did us a considerable favor by offering an alternative solution.”

Not knowing the full details of what his father had worked out, Aegus simply smiled and nodded.

Then the elevator dropped, as if in freefall. The floors above them blurred into streaks of dim yellow light as each level flashed past in rapid succession, the glowing floor indicator flickering faster and faster until they became indistinguishable.

Aegus clasped his ears. A sharp pain filled his ears, unlike anything else he’d felt before. Except perhaps when his right arm was ripped off by a fire elemental.

“Agh—!”

The elevator slowed for the final ten floors, but it did nothing to reduce the pressure within his skull.

“Ah. Sorry,” Mathew muttered, glancing over. “Vey, assist him.”

A sudden gust swept through the enclosed space. It brushed past Aegus’s ears, threading through the pressure. The pain vanished instantly.

Aegus exhaled sharply, his shoulders loosening as the tension released.

“I forgot to warn you,” Mathew said, almost offhandedly. “The pressure shift. We don’t bring the uninitiated down here often.”

“It’s… fine,” Aegus replied, though his voice came out weak.

The elevator came to a stop with a soft, final thud. And the gates creaked open.

Aegus stepped out, following the warden’s lead.

The corridor stretched long and narrow, and the walls were etched with thicker, more aggressive runes. The cells lining one side were deeper, the bars thicker, made entirely of black mana stone.

“Be on your guard here,” Mathew warned. “These prisoners are here for life. They have nothing left to lose.”

Aegus adjusted his position, moving slightly to Mathew’s right, shielding himself from the lined prisons to the left.

His gaze flicked from one cell to the next.

Unlike what he had imagined, the prisoners inside did not look any more menacing or imposing than those on the first floor. If anything, several appeared… ordinary. Harmless, even.

Aegus almost wondered if there had been some sort of mistake.

A soft, playful motion caught his eye.

A beautiful young woman leaned casually against the bars of her cell, one hand raised as she wiggled her fingers in a slow, teasing wave. Her hair—dyed a vibrant green—was tied up in a high ponytail, swaying slightly with the movement.

Only the striped pink-and-white uniform and the thick black mana cuffs around her wrists marked her as a prisoner.

“Cathleen City,” Mathew said.

Aegus blinked. “What…?”

“That’s her,” Mathew replied calmly. “She’s the one who flattened it. Ah, that’s classified information, so don’t run your mouth.”

Aegus’ gaze swiveled back toward the pretty lady. He gulped.

She did that…?

The disaster had been infamous. Entirely erased from official records, its perpetrator was buried beneath layers of secrecy. Theories had spread: terrorist factions, rogue mages, even foreign sabotage.

But this… this smiling, pretty lady?

The woman continued to smile brightly and waved again. As if they were exchanging pleasantries on a quiet street.

Aegus swallowed and turned his head forward.

“We don’t usually take criminals from other nations,” Mathew continued, his tone even. “But exceptions are made for individuals who might one day become a problem for us if left in the care of less adequate prisons.”

They passed several more cells, with equally unique individuals, before arriving at their destination. The corridor widened, and the air shifted to one of deep heat.

While Aegus had seen several guards on their way here, this area was filled with them. There were at least forty of them, standing on the sidelines of the large room. All silent and facing the same direction.

“There’s Zippy.” Mathew smiled sadly. “You made it just in time. He’s due to pass at any moment… but he refuses to abandon his post. Such a good boy. As I told your father, the others and I will watch over your elemental contract to ensure your safety.”

Aegus barely heard him. His eyes were fixed ahead, and his breath caught in his throat.

There it was. Standing at least thirty feet in height. A massive, pitch-black beast, its body coiled with restrained power. Three heads shifted slowly, each pair of molten eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. From its jaws, flames leaked and curled into the air.

A Cerberus. The last one in existence.

And it’s elemental is going to be mine.

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