Nuel's body plummeted through the darkness, his suddenly unconscious form a helpless ragdoll surrendered to gravity's merciless pull.
The air rushed past him, whipping his hair into a frenzy as he fell deeper into the seemingly bottomless pit.
Suddenly, a brilliant light erupted from within him, illuminating the dark tunnel like a miniature sun. The radiance pulsed and grew, casting eerie shadows on the pit's walls.
As the light reached its peak, a dark, wraith-like wing began to take shape behind Nuel's back.
The wing's formation was agonizingly slow, its twisted, ethereal tendrils unfolding like a living shadow. Nuel's eyes snapped open, and he let out a blood-curdling scream as the wing burst forth, its presence searing his mind with pain.
The wing flailed wildly, its dark components beating the air with a sound like mournful whispers. Nuel's body convulsed, his muscles spasming in torment as the wing continued to take shape.
The light began to fade, leaving only the wing's dark silhouette against the faint glow of luminescent fungi on the pit walls.
As the last remnants of the light vanished, Nuel's screams grew hoarse, his voice cracking with the effort.
The wing's wild flapping slowed, its movements becoming more fluid, as if it were adapting to its newfound presence.
Nuel's body continued to plummet through the darkness, the wing's dark form looming behind him as he continued to fall deeper into nothing, and the force within him trying to create a balance was overwhelming.
Aria has stopped screaming her lungs out and she had probably passed out with her entire being left falling through the bottomless dungeon floor.
Suddenly, the abyss' end became visible in bits as both Nuel and Aria plunged towards it.
Nuel's eyes shone brightly, a very cold aura blazing through as his enormous wings came to a balance with him in control.
The wings flapped dangerously behind him, keeping him one place as he watched Aria fall towards the end of the pit.
"What do I do with that thing?" He asked the walls as he watched her pity self plunge further.
Nuel let out a slight huff before diving towards Aria, his wings following the command of the wind as they flapped continuously to keep Nuel in place.
With a little left of falling for Aria to reach the ground, her eyes fluttered open at the sight of Nuel grasping her in his arms like she was his lover.
He didn't look her in the eyes at first but when he did, he could see a fragment of regret in them— perhaps she could cry in his arms as she hung tight at him.
Finally reaching the end, Nuel carefully stepped on the floor, carrying Aria in his arms like a bride. She was afraid to open her eyes because she had no balls to face Nuel again.
"You're safe now." Nuel's ice cold tone shot a wave of fear into her mind.
"I'm sorry, Nuel." She wept, still not wanting to let him go.
"If you are, get out of my arms. You are quite heavy." Nuel replied.
His wings had started to refurl back into where they had sprouted from. He had.no idea what or why it had happened, but his only guess was resting on the awakening at the Valtor's academy.
Nuel was gentle in placing Aria's feet on the ground, her legs wobbly like spaghetti as she touched the ground.
Her face was fully smeared with tears and she had a thousand words to say to Nuel but didn't have the courage to tell him as she was still in shock.
"Whatever happened up there, you're in it with Kanji, right?" Nuel asked, preparing her for questioning already.
Aria took a minute to respond, her tears coming back in a wild fountain rush. She clasped her hands against her face, sobbing into her palms endlessly.
"I'm sorry, Nuel, I really am." She cried into her palms, her voice hinged with regret.
"I don't need your apology, Aria."
"Kanji has told me you are the reason why all of this has happened. He said all this will probably come to an end if we could end you since that is what the Philikio family are after— killing you and it would be better if Valtor's family annihilated you first." Aria explained.
Nuel scoffed, walking around her in circles.
"And you believed that? What exactly is going on in that peanut sized brain of yours?"
Aria's face shot up, her face falling under Nuel's gaze.
"Yes, I admit it. I was stupid. I shouldn't have believed in Kanji, I didn't know they'd betray me too." Her fists hurled up beside her as she said this.
"Those bastards!" She cursed, gritting her teeth.
"In the end, they were trying to make it seem like you also killed me in this dungeon so they had no choice but to kill you too once the news about this got out."
Nuel's brows furrowed, confusion about Aria's new confession dawning on him. "Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"This dungeon was never registered to the Valtor's academy. Kanji found it by himself and planned to make it your grave and that means we are all alone here by ourselves. No one is coming to save us." Aria said.
Nuel, finally getting the hint in her words, scoffed. He had underestimated Kanji despite the signs he had beaconed at him.
Kanji and Kael had always been speaking to each other countless times as they journeyed through the instant dungeon and he wouldn't be surprised if Kanji was the one who had cleared the dungeon before they all arrived or perhaps, he controlled the beasts as well.
"There's something you need to know, Nuel." Aria spoke up again, fiddling with her fingers.
"What is that?"
"This dungeon is being controlled by Kanji somehow. The fall we all suffered during the second wave was also a plan of his to convince you all of this was real. Kanji is an apprentice of necromancy."