Descent of a God

Widow's Crypt Pt. 1

Arthur POV:

"BROTHER! WAKE UP!!" My sister's voice pounded through my head as she screamed at the top of her lungs directly next to my ear.

"What? What's going on?" My eyes still half-closed, I whipped my head back and forth to see if there was an emergency.

"Sheesh! You suck at waking up, Brother." Ellie probably woke up not too long ago, evident by her bedhead.

"Haha, your hair looks crazy." I shot her a grin as I ruffled her hair.

"Eek! Stop it! Your hair looks weird too!" Hopping out of bed, my sister ran out of my room, reminding me to wash up.

"Aye aye!" I gave my sister an exaggerated salute, making her giggle, before going downstairs. I reminded her to wake up Jude like this of course.

Sylvie woke up on her own from my sister's shouting but her eyes kept blinking slowly as she unstably toddled behind me.

After washing up, I made sure I had a few necessities on me. This included my seal bracelet, my dimension ring with Dawn's Ballad stored inside, the other ring used to signal my mother if I was in trouble, and the feather Sylvia left me that I used to cover Sylvie's bond mark on my forearm.

The feather wasn't necessary to cover the mark, but I liked to keep it on me just as a memento. Having a part of Sylvia with me always comforted me.

Walking downstairs, my nose picked up on the soft scent of a meaty soup. When I reached the kitchen, I spotted my parents and little sister sitting around the table, drowsiness still evident on their faces from being up early at dawn.

"Hope you don't mind. The chef is cooking breakfast for you. We're probably going to go back to sleep after we see you off." My mom gave me a tired smile.

I pulled up a chair and took a seat next to Ellie. "Not at all. You really didn't have to wake up and see me off."

"Be vigilant, no matter how easy you think the dungeon may be. It's called a dungeon because you never know of the dangers inside," my dad warned me, his bedhead ablaze.

Looking at my mother, the strain on her face was hard not to notice as she struggled for the right words. "...Just, please be careful, Arthur. I know how strong you are but I can't stand it every time I see you hurt, it's just that..." Her voice faded at the end.

"Hmm?" My mind flashed back to what my father had said in the hospital room back at Xyrus Academy; the event that made her unable to heal anyone seriously injured.

"It-It's nothing. Just be safe.... and keep your eyes on that girl, Tessia, as well. You have to protect her if things get tough, okay?" Giving me a gentle smile that didn't seem to reach her eyes, she reached forward and patted my head.

I saw Jude coming up, looking completely freshened up already. How does he look like that in the morning? He send me a smirk as if he read my mind and came in to sit with it for breakfast.

The house chef brought in my food at this time, which consisted of dry bread and a creamy soup that I assumed was used to dip my bread in. After Sylvie had a nibble on the bread, she whined and just curled up again. By the time I'd finished, the sun was starting to peek out from the mountains.

"Are you going to be coming home right after your dungeon excursion?" my father asked after giving me a hug.

"No, not right after. I'll be back for a whole week next week though, for break. There's some kind of special festival going on in the city, right?" My professors had all announced it a few weeks in advance that once every ten years, there was a phenomenon that occurred. Supposedly, during that entire week, the mana density in this continent reached its peak, giving mages the resources to make breakthroughs and even allowing non-mages to experience what it's like to feel mana. For that week, cla.s.ses were cancelled and students were allowed to either stay on campus or go back home to meditate and train as much as possible.