Cid woke to the faint glow of healing magic.
Ria knelt beside him, her hands trembling as the light slowly faded. He stared at her, suspicion clear in his eyes.
"Why help me?" he asked, his voice rough.
Ria looked away. "I just… can't stand by while they do something like this."
Cid narrowed his eyes.
Darius had warned him—Ria could be part of it. A pawn. Someone meant to help him grow… only to be sacrificed later.
His thoughts drifted.
My mother…
I need to find a cure.
"I know you don't trust me," Ria said softly. "But I want to help. You've shown me more respect than they ever did."
Cid exhaled slowly.
"If you're truly on my side… then tell me what Darius is planning."
Ria hesitated.
Then nodded.
"After we cleared the last dungeon, we moved forward," she began. "But it wasn't like this one. It felt like… another world."
Cid listened carefully.
"The sky was shattered," she continued. "Like broken glass hanging above us."
Her voice lowered.
"Our objective was to kill a false god."
A pause.
"One who called himself Aetherion… the God of the Sky."
Cid frowned.
"Wait… I thought Darius's group was at the end of this area."
Ria blinked. "That's what you were told?"
She shook her head.
"You keep calling it a 'section,' but every area on the Walking Continent has a name."
She gestured around them.
"This place is called The Path of the Chosen."
Cid's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The next areas are called Frost Heaven… and Sky Raven."
A pause.
"That's all I know. I've never met anyone who reached beyond that."
Cid clenched his fists.
"What about the guilds?" he muttered. "I don't even know the name of the one I joined…"
His jaw tightened.
"I was a fool. I trusted Ava."
Ria lowered her head.
"Your mother… is she the reason you're here?"
Cid didn't answer immediately.
"If she is… I understand," Ria continued. "It's hard to think clearly when someone you love is in danger."
Cid closed his eyes briefly.
"I need to get stronger," he said. "If I'm going to protect her… I need to understand this place."
He looked at Ria.
"If you trust me… I'll trust you."
There was still doubt.
But she was his only option.
"…Alright," Cid said. "But first—we find a way out of this dungeon."
Ria nodded, helping him to his feet.
"Cid…" she hesitated. "How did Darius know the gods chose you?"
Cid frowned.
"I don't know."
Ria's expression darkened.
"When we faced that false god… we didn't win."
Cid's eyes sharpened.
"…What?"
"We only survived because it let us," she said quietly. "Before we left… it whispered something to Darius."
Her grip tightened.
"We couldn't hear it. We were forced out of the throne room."
She looked at him.
"After that, everything changed."
"We returned to our guild—Gray Hound. Ava left soon after. Everyone was shaken… so no one questioned what Darius had been told."
A pause.
"…But I think it was about you."
Cid's jaw tightened.
"…Yeah."
Ria hesitated.
"Do you remember the boss of this dungeon?"
Cid shook his head.
"We couldn't defeat it," she said. "Even together."
Her eyes met his.
"But if you can use your lightning…"
"…you might."
Cid looked down at his hands.
The faint spark of power flickered—
Unstable.
Uncontrolled.
I can't control it…
A pause.
Then—
But I will.
"How long do you think it'll take?" he asked.
Ria hesitated.
"…Months."
Cid shook his head.
"…Two weeks."
Ria blinked.
"…You're serious?"
He stepped forward.
"…I don't have time."
She watched him for a moment.
Then nodded.
"…Alright."
A small, determined smile.
"I'll stay with you."
⚡ The Training Begins
The dungeon breathed.
Low growls echoed through the tunnels as wolves moved through the darkness—eyes glowing like embers.
Cid stood at the entrance.
Lightning flickered across his arms.
Wild.
Unstable.
Ava's training had failed him.
But here—
Something was different.
Every kill—
The mark on his neck pulsed.
Not pain.
Not power.
Progress.
He told Ria nothing.
Day One
Cid struggled.
His lightning lashed out wildly, striking stone more than flesh. The wolves pressed him hard, forcing him into pure instinct.
When the last one fell—
The mark pulsed.
Faint.
But real.
Day Three
His movements sharpened.
The lightning still resisted—but now, it listened.
Barely.
Each kill fed the mark.
Each pulse… stronger.
"You're improving fast," Ria said.
Cid only nodded.
Silent.
Day Five
Battle became routine.
Blade and lightning began to align.
Not perfectly.
But enough.
The mark throbbed steadily—like a heartbeat not his own.
Day Seven
No hesitation.
Lightning struck where he willed it.
The wolves fell faster.
Easier.
Ria smiled.
Proud.
Cid returned it faintly.
But inside—
He understood.
This isn't normal.
Day Ten
The dungeon responded to him.
The mark glowed faintly after each kill.
A sense of completion filled him—
Unnatural.
Ava's training had taught control.
But this—
This was something else.
Day Fourteen
Two weeks passed.
Cid stood still.
Lightning danced across his arms—
Calm.
Controlled.
The wolves no longer threatened him.
They were steps.
Pieces.
Fuel.
Ria approached slowly.
"…You did it."
Cid looked at her.
Silent.
He had grown stronger.
But not alone.
The dungeon had changed him.
Each kill binding him closer to something—
Watching.
Waiting.
And though he said nothing—
He knew.
This power came at a cost.