Before they even entered the core room, it was already possible to see a sphere the size of an orange, emitting a faint white and blue glow.
It floated above a stone pedestal, connected to the chamber itself.
Matilda entered first, followed by Sabrina, with Arthur right behind.
"Now comes the interesting part," Arthur said.
Matilda walked up to the dungeon core, placed her hand on it, and began chanting a spell. The structure around them started to tremble.
When the incantation ended, the shaking stopped, and the core detached from the pedestal.
"Let's head outside to finish the final step, then we'll return to the village," Matilda said, holding the core.
After a few minutes of running, they stopped in front of a rock formation about two meters tall, resembling the entrance of a tunnel dug by a giant worm.
"Stay alert. This is the part that draws the most attention," Matilda said, pressing the core against the side of the cave entrance.
"Alright. I'll check the surroundings," Arthur said, disappearing into the trees.
Matilda began chanting another spell. The core started glowing more intensely.
Blue lines, like circuits, spread across the entire dungeon structure.
Once they covered everything, they began to retract, converging back into the core.
After a few minutes, the dungeon entrance crumbled into dust, vanishing as if it had never existed.
"All done. We can go," Matilda said, handing the core to Sabrina.
"No. You keep it. Only you can relocate the dungeon. When we find a better place, you'll set it up," Sabrina replied.
Matilda nodded, and the core disappeared from her hand as if by magic.
"The area's clear. No one noticed us," Arthur said, emerging from the shadows.
"Perfect. Let's go. Aron must be worried at home," Sabrina said.
All of them ran back toward the village.
---
Shortly after, Aron entered the house, closed the door, and dragged the chair back into place.
He sat down and began to reflect.
'No one but me seems to see the light in the plant… and now it absorbs mana from my body as if it belongs to it.'
'Tomorrow I'll ask my mother about it. She clearly knows much more than the others.'
'If I want to awaken naturally, without a mana-rich environment… it's going to be extremely difficult.'
'I couldn't feel mana inside the house, but near the plant it was easier.'
'Yeah… that's another question for tomorrow.'
As he was thinking, he heard the door opening.
He looked over. Arthur entered, followed by Sabrina and Matilda.
"How was it? Are you okay?" Aron asked.
"Of course. It was easy," Arthur replied.
"That's good. And the dungeon?" Aron continued.
"It was a standard dungeon, pure mana beast type. It's already under our control," Matilda answered.
"And you, dear, did you miss us?" Sabrina asked with a smile.
"Yes… I was worried, but now that you're back, I'm relieved," Aron said.
"Well, now that everything's settled, I'll be heading out. See you tomorrow," Matilda said.
Before leaving, she looked at Aron and winked.
"See you tomorrow, Aron."
"See you tomorrow, big sis Mada."
After Matilda left, his mother went to clean up, with Arthur right behind her.
'Hmm… now that the dungeon situation is resolved, I can ask my mom about what I discovered.'
A little later, they returned, clean and wearing light linen clothes.
"Mom…"
"No. It's time for you to sleep, dear. Come here. I'll answer any questions you have tomorrow, okay?"
"I know you're curious, but it's late. Tomorrow we'll have the whole day to talk."
"Good night, dear," Sabrina said, kissing his forehead before heading to the bedroom.
Arthur approached.
"Hey, kid. You better watch out for that fox. She's an assassin… and the most dangerous thing about that class is patience."
'Hmm… where is he going with this?'
Arthur leaned in, lowering his voice.
"When you least expect it… bam. She shows up behind you and pins you to the bed."
'Ah… so he heard Matilda's joke.'
"If you think she was joking, you're wrong."
"Your mom wouldn't mind. That's normal in her race's culture."
'Her race…? Aren't they all human here?'
"Beauty is a weapon in the hands of those strong enough to use it. In the hands of the weak, it's a curse."
"It might sound confusing now, but you're smart. You'll figure it out quickly."
"But you're lucky to be my son. Handsome and talented. You don't need to worry about others coveting your beauty… they should be worried about you."
'Modesty is definitely not his strong suit,' Aron thought.
"Well, good night, kid," Arthur said, kissing his forehead before leaving.
'Every day, more unanswered questions…'
With that thought, Aron fell asleep.
---
When he woke up, he was in a soft bed with white sheets. The walls were a very light blue, almost white.
The room had a wardrobe, a bookshelf full of books, a study desk… and a computer.
'Hmm… was I dreaming?'
He grabbed his phone.
7:40.
"Damn, I overslept," he muttered, heading to the bathroom.
He took a quick shower, got dressed, and left with the car he had recently bought.
Soon after, he arrived at work, changed clothes, and went to the lab.
As soon as he entered, he felt something strange.
The same sensation as when he noticed the flax plant.
Even stranger was the silence.
The lab, usually full, was completely empty.
He walked toward the source of the sensation.
And then he saw it.
A familiar plant.
It was part of a hybridization project: a species that produced a healing gel through sunlight, combined with another that absorbed pollutants from the air to generate nutrients with minimal light.
The result stood before him.
'But why am I feeling the same thing as in the dream?'
'…and why didn't I see anyone coming here?'
As he thought, he heard footsteps.
He turned toward the sound.
A man in a hoodie approached.
He seemed… familiar.
Yet at the same time, strange.
"Who are you? Authorized personnel only," Aron said.
The man stopped.
Then he pulled out a gun.
And—
pointed it at him.
"Well… now my debt is paid."
The shot echoed.
---
Aron woke up startled.
"What the hell… is that guy going to chase me even in my dreams?" he muttered.
He looked around.
He was still in the living room hammock.
Now there was daylight, and he could hear his parents talking in the kitchen.
'What a strange dream…'
'Could that plant from the project be connected to my death?'
'But what could it do…? Serve as raw material for healing medicine… and purify the air?'
'No… there's something off about this.'
'Why did I dream about the project… and feel exactly the same thing I felt today?'
'Another unanswered question… at this rate, I'll have to start writing everything down.'
'I hope my mom can answer some of them.'
As he was thinking, his mother noticed he was awake.
"Good morning, dear. How are you? Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, mom… but I have a lot of questions," Aron replied.
"That's fine. Come here. Do you need help cleaning up?" Sabrina asked.
"No, mom. I'll do it myself. Thanks."
"After breakfast, I'll answer your questions. When you're done, come eat."
After walking with his short legs to the backyard to clean up, he went to the kitchen to have his first meal of the day: wheat bread with thin slices of smoked meat and apple juice.
That day, Arthur was responsible for patrolling the forest to prevent predators from approaching the village.
After breakfast, he said goodbye to Aron and Sabrina and left to meet his companions.
"So, why are you so curious?" Sabrina asked.
"Mom… is it possible to awaken using natural mana?" Aron asked.
"Yes… but there's a problem," she replied.
"You become a treasure to everyone."