Lumine sat precariously on the edge of the cliff, his legs dangling over the abyss, staring down at the black sand below with a solemn expression.
The wind brushed against his face, and he closed his eyes, sharpening his ears to the sounds behind him.
"Come on! How much longer do we have to stay here!?"
"It's been days already! At least let us return to the surface if we aren't going down!"
"I thought we were free to do whatever we wanted in the dungeon!?"
The cadets' voices rose in frustration, directed at Instructor Alicia, who stood there with a blank expression.
It was understandable; their patience was wearing thin.
One of their own had died—strangely and without explanation—and now they were stuck on this cliff for days.
Of course, they wanted to leave. But they couldn't.
Not with Instructor Alicia guarding the platform. Sure, they could explore the tunnels, but no one was foolish enough to try descending the cliff.
Yes, that summed it up.
This trip to the void dungeon had been uneventful, if not outright disappointing.
He had expected more—more fights, more void creatures—but instead, he was here, trapped on a cliff, waiting for the other two instructors to return.
But they hadn't. Neither had Azriel.
'Even Princess Celestina and Vergil left.'
Lumine's eyes dropped further, his thoughts darkening.
'I should've gone with them.'
Without a doubt, they were having a more eventful time than he was.
A sound broke through his thoughts—footsteps. Lumine's lips curved slightly.
He already knew who it was.
Glancing to his right, he saw Yelena sit on the edge like him, dangerously close.
She tucked a strand of her obsidian hair behind her ear and sighed, her gaze drifting to the blinking stars above.
"They say the most beautiful things are often the most dangerous... I wonder what resides up there."
Lumine followed her gaze to the stars.
"No one dares to find out. Most would rather clear the floors as quickly as possible instead of exploring. Not that I blame them. Anyone can die on any floor—it's just the death rate that increases as you go deeper."
Regret seeped into his voice.
It wasn't that he blamed them, but it was a pity that people didn't explore more.
If possible, he wanted to properly investigate every floor and discover its secrets.
Yelena chuckled, but when Lumine looked at her, her face had turned serious.
"Two out of three instructors are gone. Cadet Kanae died mysteriously. The top cadets of our group are all missing... all except you, Lumine. The cadets need someone to lead them, or they'll start making decisions that could endanger us all."
Lumine pursed his lips, looking down.
"I don't think they'd listen to me. Prince Azriel and Princess Celestina, they have the status—Azriel with his reputation and Celestina with her accomplishments. But us? We're from normal families, unknown to everyone. Who would follow someone like me?"
Unlike Azriel and Celestina, Lumine and Yelena had no prestigious lineage.
They weren't from great clans, and they'd been nobodies until their debut at the academy.
Most of the cadets still regarded them with wary eyes, even though they had grown closer over time.
But that probably wasn't enough.
Yelena let out a soft breath and smiled.
"Yes, we're unknown. But so what? Become known. Show them who we are, and make them listen."
Lumine looked up at her, captivated by the fire in her green eyes. The breeze caught her hair, causing it to flutter gently in the wind.
She was breathtaking.
Her smile, enchanting. Her eyes, shimmering like emeralds. Her hair, swaying with the wind.
Lumine found himself staring for far too long before quickly looking away, gathering himself.
With a deep breath, he looked back at her, smiling.
"If you put it like that, I guess I should try not to disappoint you, Princess Yelena."
Yelena's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh? Since when did I become a princess?"
Lumine stood up, dusting off his clothes.
"In my eyes? Always."
Yelena's expression froze, and Lumine gave her a gentle look before turning away, heading toward the group of cadets gathered in front of Instructor Alicia.
"...That's unfair," he heard her mumble behind him, a wider small smile creeping onto his lips.
As Lumine reached the group, he furrowed his brows.
It wasn't that every cadet was complaining, just the loudest ones.
But naturally, the others had fallen into the same mindset, following the herd.
He sighed audibly at the chaos in front of him.
Without warning, he clapped his hands, the sound reverberating through the air. The cadets in front of him jumped in shock, startled into silence.
All eyes were on him now.
Lumine felt uncomfortable under their stares, but he pushed the feeling aside.
He had to stay composed. He took a deep breath and began to speak, his voice calm but clear.
"I understand how everyone's feeling. You're distressed by what's happening. You're scared. That's normal. Even I'm scared. And I know you all want to return to the surface."
He wasn't scared, not really.
But they didn't need to know that.
What they needed was someone who understood them, and if he had to lie to give them that, he would.
"But we won't get anywhere acting like children. We knew the dangers when we came to this academy. This is just part of it. If we can't handle ourselves now, we might as well drop out once this is over."
His words sank in, and he watched as their expressions shifted—some angry, some ashamed, some resigned.
Lumine, despite his composed facade, was far from calm. His heart raced with nerves.
'How does she do it...'
He didn't understand how Celestina could speak to them so effortlessly, without losing her composure.
But somehow, it worked.
No one raised their objections.
Just as Lumine began to feel relieved, Instructor Alicia's voice broke through the air, pale and tense.
She rushed to the edge of the cliff, and Lumine felt his heart pound harder.
He quickly followed, joining Yelena at the edge.
But it wasn't his heart that was pounding.
When Lumine looked down, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.
The ground trembled beneath him, and his eyes narrowed in shock.
The words escaped his lips before he could stop them.
Below, a horde of skeletons advanced toward the cliff, their bony forms varying in shape—some with elongated limbs and others adorned with tattered wings.
Hollow eye sockets glowed with an unsettling dark light as a few began to claw their way up.
Lumine pressed a hand to his mouth, repeating the same words.
Yet when Yelena glanced at him, she saw something different.
Despite his words, Lumine was hiding a wide, excited smile behind his hand.