How To Survive A Calamity

"Hi, Chelsea. I'm Alexander, but you can call me Alex, Ranked 787. It's the first time we're meeting like this in person although we're classmates."

"Ah! I knew you seemed familiar somehow! Hey, Trise, did you know we had such an eye candy in our cla—"

"Ah, i don't think this is the right time for all that now, Miss. Harper." Before Chelsea could continue to embarrass herself, Xavier politely but sternly interrupted with his words.

He looked around warily and cautiously, his eyes narrowing to thinner slits that made his face looke even more uneasy.

"Now that we've gotten the introductions out of the way, i don't think it's best we stay in an open area like this one for too long. This whole place is still crawling with monsters from all over, and I'm afraid we might have attracted a few of them towards this general area over our battle with the King of the desert." As Xavier said this, the faces of the group turned pensive and grim, leaving Chelsea only feeling left out.

"We should get moving. Miss. Harper, we'll explain everything along the way. For now, just come with us and do as we say."

***

"A labyrinth?!"

"Shhh! Shut up!"

As the group of four cadets cautiously and hurriedly moved through the corridors, Chelsea's loud voice exclaimed, only for Trise to knock her violently in the head.

The short haired girls grabbed Chelsea's hair and tugged ruthlessly with her arms.

"How many times have i told you? Are you trying to give away our position and get us killed, huhh?!"

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Sorry, sorry! I'm sorry! Let go, Trise let go! I can feel my roots...!"

Moments after Chelsea's awakening and escaping from the chamber with the Sand Worm, the small unlikely group of cadets comprising of Xavier, Alexander, Trise and Chelsea moved urgently through the obstacles and trials of the dark corridors filled with shadows.

Staying put in a single place in Dark castle was unadvisable as anything could happen.

Anything could pop out of the shadows and lunge at you without warning. Sometimes, unexpected monsters could suddenly appear as if they had just been spawned into that exact same area.

Regardless, the ancient shadows of Dark Castle held within unspoken horrors abd dangers.

Even now, the group ran as Trise sustainable a small light spell to dissuade the darkness temporarily from encroaching closer around them.

As they traversed, they quickly brought Chelsea up to speed about their current situation and state.

"What was the last thing you remember?" Alex, running up ahead with Xavier, said while looking back at Chelsea from over his shoulder.

"The last thing i remember..." Chelsea slowly raised her hand and caressed her neck with a complicated expression. Her voice trailed off uneasily, and Xavier cut in from in front.

"There's no point in trying to hide it, Miss. Asher already told us about your friend."

"Huh? What friend?" Chelsea blinked and asked.

"... Nico."

It was Alex who replied instead.

"..."

"It seems like he might have something to do with this, or know something about all of it." Trise added.

Chelsea, unable to find the right words to refute, remained silent, looking troubled.

"I disagree." A resolute voice powerfully refuted causing Trise to scowl and raise a brow.

"What?"

It was Alexander.

"I know Nicodemus. Nico would never do such a thing." Alex said without turning around and Chelsea stared at his advancing back with wide feverish eyes.

"You... Knew Nico?" She said.

Alex looled back slightly. His lips flashed a dry, awkward smile.

"I mean, we're classmates... But I can't exactly say we're friends? I'm not sure. Nico is kind of a bit too... reserved. Just like..."

"Oohh! Friends, huh! That is so amazing to hear!" Before Alexander's words could fully trail off, Chelsea cut in and exclaimed with joy and relief in her eyes.

"What now?" Alexander blinked, looking stupified.

"You said Nico was your friend, right? That's such a relief! So that boy was able to make a new friend after all! I'm glad... Sniff sniff... So glad..." Chelsea gave a warm smile and sniffled, wiping the corners of her eyes.

Ever since entering the academy, she felt Nicodemus had been growing more distant due to everything that was happening, and the two's relationship was increasingly becoming strained overtime.

She knew Nico was changing, he was retreating into something and locking himself away. Unfortunately, it was a place where even she, his closest friend since childhood, couldn't even near.

...But hearing Nico might have made a surprising new friend — one as handsome and cute as Alex, too, was reassuring.

Alex meanwhile felt troubled and embarrassed. Experience new stories with My Virtual Library Empire

"I-i'm not sure. I didn't say exclusively that we were friends and i don't know if Nico thinks of me that way either. I've just... helped him out and talked with him in a few instances."

"Alright, can we cut it? We're straying further from the point at hand!" Trise sneered irritably. The longer she felt stuck here, the more frustrated and uneasy she became.

"I don't care, maybe Nicodemus has something to do with this or know something. The last thing we saw before suddenly waking up here was him. He's our only possible lead, no matter how small." Trise said, asserting her point.

Chelsea hesitated a few seconds, before responding.

"What if this whole thing is all just part of the exercise arranged by the academy...?"

It was at this point that Trise stopped running and halted, and so did the others.

They turned to her in confusion but Trise ignored their gazes and focused a glare at Chelsea.

"Do you really think so after everything we've seen?"

"..." Chelsea couldn't react or respond.

Hadn't she seen someone die, and probably others?

Xavier shrugged his shoulders and sighed from the front.

"My theory is, whatever this place is, it pulled every one in the dungeon inside, along with the monsters. That would explain why the King of the desert is also here. It's like some kind of labyrinth where we have to survive after being separated. But the motives and intent of whoever is the reason for this aren't clear. We can't contact the academy from here either, and the withdrawal functions of the bracelets don't work. We're on our own. For now." He included at the end.

Then Alex said.

"What are you trying to say?"

Xavier lingered a few seconds before replying. He swept back a few loose strands of his hair and exhaled.

"I don't think this is all part of the exercise and I'm certain something serious has gone wrong. But I'm also sure Aegis — the academy would have noticed this by now," he continued — "We have two options. One is to try to resolve all this on our own and get out ourselves, or we survive and wait long enough for the Academy to find us. None of these options are exactly solid and contain certainty however. We might as well all die trying them both."

"You're saying you think the Academy would send help, like the instructors?" Chelsea said hopefully and Xavier turned to face her deeply.

"No. Maybe, but that's unlikely. Every Dungeon has a wavelength and power capacity limit. Despite everything, Terra Sanguis is still just a Category Four dungeon already filled with over a thousand cadets. If they sent a couple more powerful bodies like Instructors, then I'm afraid the Dungeon gate would crumble and collapse, and we'll be stuck inside here until the Gate reopens again whenever. Haaa. Even from outside, the Academy's options are also greatly limited."

Dungeons and Gates themselves ran on energy that could gradually deplete and accumulate in time. If that energy got too high, it could lead to a Dungeon break — a case where the monster infested world of the dungeon spreads into the world of Aethoria.

And if that energy depleted and fell too short of the minimum capacity or standard, the Gate would collapse and the Dungeon would close until enough energy had been replenished. And this process can take how long depending on the Dungeon.

"If they sent an instructor into the dungeon, then there would be an imbalance in the capacity and energy Wavelength, causing the gate to collapse. Well, but even without me saying any of this, Aegis already knows so I'm sure they're prepared." Xavier gave a small reassuring smile.

Chelsea and Trise, including Alex, made various types of faces at this revelation.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Xavier just smiled, a little strained.

"They'll send the Student Council."