Taron watched Eva as she jumped around on her healthy leg, smiling in spite of himself. After her awakening, she’d changed into a new person. Yet he could still see that cheerful, curious girl he’d loved his entire life. And even as she ran this way and that, jumping higher than ever before, she looked back at him, making sure he could see.

  ? “I can’t believe it!” She exclaimed, letting out a noise that was half-giggle, half-whoop. Her yellow eyes gleamed more than ever under the bright sun above. “Taron, look!”

  ? “I’m looking,” Taron assured her, laughing as he came closer. “I’m happy for you, Silver.”

  ? His oldest nickname for her made her frown, but it was a weak attempt to look annoyed. Her joy at being healthy again shone through the mask like a spotlight, and she ran–as if she’d never run in her life before–right into his arm.

  ? “Thank you!” She whispered, her voice thick. “I know you said you’d do it, and that you’d avenge me. But I never… I didn’t expect…”

  ? He put his arms around, feeling both the joy and the sobs of relief that shook her thin frame. After five years of pain and fear that she’d never be able to live a normal life, her awakening had healed her. More than healed her. Now, she moved with an agility and strength that he admired–and envied.

  ? “Anything for you, Silver,” he whispered back, holding her tight to his chest. “This is a new gift for us. We’ll use it to make sure that nobody ever fears the monsters again.”

  ?

  —

  ? Grim’s eyes opened to almost total darkness, the last of his dream… no, the last of his memory fading away. Something about the bloodline that he carried had shown him the truth. But it didn’t explain his current location, or how he’d ended up here. Somehow, he knew it was a dungeon from the feel of the stone beneath him and the faint feel of essence around him.

  ? “Finally awake? I was worried I’d drained too much for a bit there.”

  ? Grim pushed himself up into a sitting position, moving tenderly. He expected to feel some pain or soreness in his body, but in fact, he felt fine. “How did you knock me out so quickly? What did you drain from me?”

  ? “Your essence. Well, the essence that you’ve collected over the years. You know how the Krynth could steal the life essence of its prey? Well, my… our bloodline turned that into the theft of actual essence.”

  ? He looked around then, spotting Silver some feet away on the ground, her back resting against a wall. A torch sat above her, its sconce casting a shadow that made her seem… less real than usual. But he could still make out her eyes with ease. And her smile. So familiar, he couldn’t see why he hadn’t recognized it before. Perhaps because he’d never seen her so healthy and happy.

  ? “You’re Eva Fendross,” he said flatly. “Taron’s…”

  ? “Better half?” Eva said, her smile widening. Again, it had that almost predatory note to it. “I guess you could say that. I did reach level thirteen, after all. He only made it to level eleven.”

  ? “How are you here?” He asked, rubbing his head. The threatening sense he’d gotten from her was muted now. Still present, but he could recognize it as her higher cultivation, not actual hostility. “You lived… I don’t know how many centuries ago.”

  ? She opened her mouth to reply, but he’d already found the answer. “You’re an emissary.”

  ? “Exactly,” she said, beaming as if with pride. Then her smile faded slightly, and she looked down, the glow of her eyes lessening. “I’m sorry for what has happened to you. I-”

  ? “It’s not your fault,” he cut her off in a gruff tone. “You weren’t the one who killed my parents or caused those dungeon floods.”

  ? “No,” she agreed, her voice thick with emotion, he was too tired to understand. He was so tired. “But to know that my descendant is suffering so breaks my heart. This is far from the future that Taron and I had envisioned.”

  ? “Do I really look like him?” Grim asked, staring at his ancestor–the progenitor of his very bloodline–and wondered what she must see when she looked at him. A weak shadow of the man she’d loved? Or an alien creature who merely resembled something familiar to her?

  ? “Very much,” she confirmed. “You’re much thinner, but your eyes are just like his.”

  ? “But my eyes are yellow, like yours.”

  ? “Not the color!” She interjected. “Not even the shape. It’s the joy, Grim. Just like when he found something he wanted.”

  ? “And what did he want?”

  ? Her smile appeared again, slowly. “Everything. Any challenge he saw, he conquered. Any monster that threatened us, he killed.”

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  ? “Sounds like a great guy,” Grim sighed. “So… where are we?”

  ? “Oh!” She exclaimed, jumping to her feet. “Right. As an apology for stealing your essence! Even though I gave it back.”

  ? With a wink, she opened one of the pouches on her belt and fished out an ingot of metal, then handed it over. “It’s velun. I got it from the dungeon boss.”

  ? “Okay,” he said, accepting the ingot. As soon as she released it, he grunted with surprise at the weight. “What level is this?”

  ? “Level eight,” she replied cheerily. “I expected you to wake up right around the time I killed the boss. Thought I’d get to show off. But I haven’t had to use my bloodline for… quite a while.”

  ? “Level eight?” Grim spluttered, leaping to his feet. He looked around, even using Camouflage to try and spot a lurking monster. Even the weakest possible one in this dungeon would easily kill him.

  ? “Don’t be such a worrywart,” She said, cackling. “Everything here is dead. Check your cores if you don’t believe me. All the essence went to you since I can’t cultivate anymore.”

  ? He directed his senses inward and found out she was right. He was… already halfway to level five. From a single dungeon? “But… by yourself? Dungeons from level six to ten require a party.”

  ? “They don’t require it. That’s just the recommended tactics. And like I said, I’m level thirteen. At least… I was.”

  ? “And what level are you now?” He asked, with the sense that he wouldn’t like the answer.”

  ? “Ah… Well, there wasn’t much mana saved up, you see… So Granden could only make me level four.”

  ? Ah. He’d remembered that fact in his delver’s training courses. A dungeon could spawn an emissary, but no matter what, that monster was always the same level as the dungeon. As if thinking he might be disappointed, Eva quickly waved her hands. “Like I said, it took me almost three days! I might be weak in this form, but I still have the experience of fighting much stronger monsters.”

  ? The experience… He remembered what Gerald had said–what he’d truly said about Silver. She has more experience than should be possible. She fought as if she’d spent a century at it. “Three days? The guild is going to lose their shit. I’m sure they’re… no, they’re probably not looking for me.”

  ? “They have no idea you’re missing,” she told him, a smug smile on her face. “I used my boon’s power to pull us into a private dungeon.”

  ? “A private dungeon? There’s no such thing.”

  ? “With dimensional storage and our bloodline, it is,” she said. “Granden told you, didn’t he? We’re very closely linked to dungeons. If we want, we can even use some of our essence to create one.”

  ? As if to demonstrate what she meant, she flicked her staff through the air. A tear opened, revealing the faint light of Ironmarsh outside. He recognized the food stall they’d stopped at to eat. Time seemed to have frozen outside, with people stuck in a look of surprise, staring in his direction. “They can see this?”

  ? “Nope,” she replied, chuckling. “They’re still reacting to us fighting. To them, no time has passed.”

  ? She put her hands on her hips, her head held high as if expecting praise. When none came, she let out a sad little sigh. “Well, regardless. I used up all my essence between stunning you, opening the entrance, and clearing the dungeon to make sure you were safe.”

  ? She ran the end of her staff around the opening, forcing it open wider. “Come on, now. It’s lucky you woke up before I ran out completely, or else I would have had to drag you out unconscious. That would have brought up some awkward questions.”

  ? Laughing, she walked over and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Hmm… if memory serves, I was right behind you. Yeah, I think we’ll pretend I just hit you in the back. Make sure to fall forward. I’ll take off, so they’ll think I just tried to attack you.”

  ? “Uh… What? Wait!”

  ? Instead of answering, Eva appeared behind him, one fist placed against his spine. “Also, I’ll have to disappear for a while after this. I can only regain my strength with Granden’s help. Try not to die until then, okay?”

  ? It all happened in a blur. They were back in front of the food stall, and Eva’s fist was shoving against him. Falling forward wasn’t a matter of acting. He crashed into the chair that she’d just vacated in real time, then let out a loud curse.

  ? “I’ll be back,” she said, just quietly enough for him to hear. Then, loudly enough for the others to take in, she cackled, “You best sleep with an eye open, punk! I’m going to be the end of you!”

  ? She cackled as she ran away, pursued by more than a dozen townsfolk of varying levels. As fast as they’d reacted, they stood no chance of catching up. Grim relaxed his body, slumping across the chair as he heard her cackling fade. It might have sounded like the maniacal laughter of a thug or criminal to the others, but Grim heard the glee and excitement inside the sound.

  ? “Hey, are you alright?” Someone had gripped him by the belt and hauled him to his feet. Letting out a sigh, he lifted his head to look into the eyes of an older man. “What was that flash of light? Did she hurt you?”

  ? “No,” Grim said, hoping his inner amusement wasn’t shining through the act. “Just surprised me is all. I doubt I’ll have anything more than a bruise.”

  ? The other delver looked relieved, though confused. “What was the cause of that squabble? Lover’s quarrel?”

  ? Grim grimaced. The thought that he could ever consider his ancestor a ‘lover’ twisted something in his gut and made him feel ill. “Hardly.”

  ? He brushed off any other attempt to dig into the fight by thanking the man, then quickly striding away. They seemed to accept his curt dismissal, and soon those who’d pursued Eva were back, shaking their heads in bewilderment. “No sign of her. Sorry we couldn’t catch her, lad.”

  ? Grim waved their apologies away, thanking the chasers for their help. “I’ll be fine, really.”

  ? As annoying as the exchange and revelations had been, Grim felt a ripple of amusement at the successful ruse. He wasn’t sure how–or even if–Eva could return peacefully to the city after that debacle, but if anyone could figure out a way, it was her. “Some crazy ancestor I have.”

  ? Chuckling to himself, he made his way back in the direction of the guild hall, only to freeze as he glanced up. Something had felt… off. Now he saw the figure perched on the corner of a building’s roof, her head tilted slightly as she surveyed him. He had no trouble recognizing his captain, Veyra, but her appearance at that moment was slightly alarming. Even worse than that were her eyes. Green. Piercing. Glowing.