Chapter 23: Returned to The Second Floor

The island began to rumble, trees swaying from the force, the ground cracking along the ridges. In the distance, ominous black clouds hung above where the first demon stood. It had begun the corruption process. As it infected the god with pure hatred and evil, the plants started to wilt, and monsters became visible in the distance.

Demons, not just one but many. Too many.

"Jax, we should find somewhere to hide. That demon is about to do something awful, I can feel it."

He could not take his eyes off the horizon, the army headed toward them in unison, running plans and ideas over and over, never reaching the right one.

"Run, Mira!"

The duo bolted like a lit firework, looking for safety, somewhere they would not be seen. Everything around them was crumbling like it was dying in real time. Nowhere to go, let alone hide.

"Shit, shit, shit..."

"Mira, watch out!"

With all his might and speed, Jax threw up a brittle, misshapen shield to protect Mira. It spread too thin, cast with too much haste. Once it formed, he jumped behind it and held Mira tightly.

"Jax, I'm sorry I got us into this. I am so sorry. We are not going to make it," Mira said as a demon went to strike the stone shield.

At that moment, the shield blew apart, spreading dirt and dust everywhere.

"Where are they?" a dark voice barely articulated, sounding like thunder grinding against stone.

Right as the demon struck the shield, the Wardback Turtle sent them back to the dungeon.

In each other's arms, waiting for the killing blow, it went silent. The wind was gone. The heat of corruption vanished. Even the smell of burning earth disappeared, replaced by cold stone and stale dungeon air.

Dust hung in the stillness, undisturbed, as if the world itself had paused.

They opened their eyes to see the familiar layout of the second floor.

For a few seconds neither of them moved. Jax kept his arms locked around her as if the world might change its mind again. His shield flickered weakly and then dissolved on its own.

"Well, you are here, so that rules out a pleasant afterlife," Mira replied, letting out a small smirk with a shaky giggle.

Jax turned toward her, and his heart steadied, his nerves calming as he quit spiraling. Observing the floor, he said, "We're back on the second floor, but how?"

They gathered their composure and noticed something lying on the dungeon floor nearby. A piece of paper written in a language they could not read.

"Who do we go to?" Mira asked, confused by the paper. "If you cannot read it, who can? There is no way the guild is going to believe this."

"They will have to. It gave us proof. It needs our help. I will try to explain it to the guild when we get back. They have to have some answers."

After making sure they were really alive, they headed toward the exit.

This time, the dungeon was not so passive. As they moved, the regular rhythm of the dungeon returned, spawning beasts properly. They made their way with ease. Nothing on the floors above caused any issue. It was like they had been loosed in every direction at once, not even stopping to collect the soul gems.

"Impressive, Mira," Jax said as she flung herself into a double backflip twist slash, obliterating anything in her path and covering the cavern walls in ice and frost.

She responded to his praise with more intensity, digging deeper and moving faster, killing things the second they appeared.

"Slow down, Mira. We are not in danger anymore. You do not have to push yourself so hard," Jax said as he covered her with a barrier.

"I have to make up for my mistake, Jax. If I hadn't run off, we wouldn't have almost died. I cannot believe I did something so stupid," she yelled, tears forming in her eyes.

"No, you really don't, Mira," he said, killing the last of the goblins before wrapping his arms around her tightly. His face twitched, but he held steady. "You are safe. Please slow down. I don't want you to get hurt because you think I am mad."

"If you had not run off, who knows what would have happened? We don't even know what that demon in the dungeon is trying to accomplish," he explained, still holding her close.

Once she stopped holding her breath and relaxed, he pushed her back slightly and looked directly into her eyes.

"You are safe."

At that, she burst into tears like a toddler who had dropped their ice cream. She let out the feelings she had held ever since they teamed up. After she vented her fear and relief, snot and tears mixed on their way down. For a moment, she thought she had lost him forever, that her mistake had cost him everything. The thought clung to her even as she clung to him.

Finally making it to the doors, they pushed their way through, not looking back at the dungeon that held a god inside it.

Outside, they immediately looked up.

The black clouds that had been there before their dive were thicker, darker, more violent. Lightning tore across the sky in jagged streaks, illuminating the rooftops of the guild district and casting the streets in brief flashes of white. The air tasted metallic, and static prickled along their arms.

"Well, that's not good," Jax said, inspecting the formation above. "Wait, how long were we inside?"

"It only felt like it was two days. That island never shifted into a night cycle," Mira added, flinching at the lightning. "We should head for the guild. I don't like it here right now. That lightning is scary."

With that, the duo headed toward the guild.

Behind them, lightning struck again in the same distant direction.

This time, it did not fade.

It was sending a clear signal something was wrong.