The footsteps of Eins Neuro echoed softly through the damp corridors of the Aethelgard Dungeon. The scraping of his shoe soles against the mossy stone floor was the only melody amidst the oppressive silence. As a 20-year-old young man who had dedicated his life to science, Eins was not your typical great-sword-wielding adventurer. His appearance was strikingly out of place in this dangerous location: his short brown hair was slightly messy from sweat, his rectangular glasses constantly slid down the bridge of his nose, and the typical medieval researcher's robe he wore was beginning to soil at the hem.
On his back, a gigantic leather bag seemed to weigh down every step. The bag was stuffed with bottles of ink, sheets of parchment, air pressure gauges, and several chunks of light crystals. For Eins, knowledge was a treasure far more valuable than piles of gold.
"The temperature here has dropped three degrees from the previous floor," Eins muttered, adjusting his glasses. His hand was busy scribbling in a small leather notebook without stopping his pace. "Humidity is rising. There should be an ecosystem of bioluminescent fungi around here..."
However, Eins' concentration shattered when his foot stepped on a section of the floor covered in slick moss mixed with wall seepage.
"W-whoa! Waaaaah!"
Eins lost his balance. His heavy, oversized bag only accelerated his fall. He slid down a steep, sloping tunnel, hurtling like a bullet into the darkness. He tried to claw at the walls, but only received rough abrasions in return. After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, he was thrown into a massive open space and landed with a loud thud atop a thick pile of dust.
"Ouch... my waist..." Eins groaned, trying to sit up while groping for his dislodged glasses. Once his glasses were back on, his blurry world suddenly became razor-sharp. And in that moment, his breath seemed to catch in his throat.
In the center of the vast room, illuminated by cracks of light from the ceiling far above, stood a figure that existed in no encyclopedia Eins had ever read.
It was a woman. But not a human one. She possessed large horns that curled powerfully at the sides of her head, giving an impression that was majestic yet terrifying. Her ears were long and pointed, drooping slightly but occasionally twitching with sensitivity. Her hair was pale gray, matching the color of her eyes—cold, yet gleaming sharply like a freshly sharpened sword.
The woman's hands were large, with long black claws that looked sharp enough to tear through steel. Behind her, a thick-furred tail swept the floor, but the strangest feature was a hard, shell-like carapace protecting the base of the tail. Her clothing consisted only of tattered rags and shorts worn down by the ages, covered by a cloak that had been shredded to pieces.
And most striking of all: her body was bound by mysterious black chains radiating a dark purple aura.
"W... Who?" whispered Eins, his curiosity beginning to override his fear. He crawled closer, his trembling hand instinctively reaching into his bag to grab a pen.
"Do not approach, Human!" the woman's voice boomed, hoarse as if unused for thousands of years.
Without warning, the figure leaped. Her speed was incredible. Her sharp claws aimed straight for Eins' throat. However, just before she could touch the young man, the black chains around her body suddenly glowed bright.
Clang!
The chains pulled taut violently, dragging the woman's body back to the center of the seal with force. She was slammed onto the floor, groaning in pain as the chains seemed to strangle her skin and soul.
"Arrgh! Damn you... cursed thing!" she growled, panting on the floor.
Eins didn't run. Instead, he stood transfixed, his eyes sparkling behind his lenses. "Amazing... These chains react to aggressive intent. This isn't just iron; it's a manifestation of will-suppression magic..." He began writing rapidly in his book, ignoring the fact that he had almost just lost his life.
"You... you aren't afraid?" The woman stared at Eins in bewilderment.
"My name is Eins Neuro. I am a researcher," Eins introduced himself without taking his eyes off the chains. "And you... you are a species never recorded in modern history. Who are you?"
The woman fell silent for a moment, looking at Eins with a gaze that was condescending yet held a hint of curiosity. "I am Lysara. The Ancient Beastfolk. A Guardian discarded and forgotten by this treacherous world."
"Ancient Beastfolk? A thousand years ago?" Eins moved a little closer, this time with very gentle movements. "What happened in that era? Why are you sealed in a place this deep?"
Lysara turned her face away, her eyes staring blankly at the dungeon wall. "Long ago... when the world was still young, a great war occurred. Demons and followers of dark cults tried to erase the existence of other races. I, and my kin, we were Guardians. We fought on the front lines to protect humans and other weaker races."
Her voice trembled with suppressed rage. "But victory brought fear. The human king at the time feared our power. When the war ended, instead of gratitude, I was made a scapegoat. They called me a bloodthirsty monster. They sealed me here, leaving me to rot in the darkness while they built civilization upon the sweat and blood of my people."
Eins fell silent. His hand continued to write, but his expression turned sad. "So the history written in the books about the 'Age of Peace' was built on betrayal..."
"The world is indeed filthy, Little Researcher," Lysara snorted, trying to struggle again, but the chains only choked her arms tighter until she winced.
"Lysara, stop!" Eins shouted suddenly.
Lysara turned sharply. "You wish to order me around too?"
"No! Listen," Eins put down his book and approached until they were only a meter apart. "I've been observing the light patterns on your chains. The more you vent your anger and desire to fight, the stronger the magic binds you. This is a 'Seal of Reflection'. It feeds on your energy to strengthen itself."
Eins looked into Lysara's gray eyes seriously. "Please, trust me. Calm down. Do not view these chains as an enemy. Empty your mind. Stop fighting it, and it will have no energy to hold you."
Lysara looked at Eins as if the young man had gone mad. "You're telling me to surrender?"
"Not surrender mentally, but stop 'feeding' the seal. Try it."
At first, Lysara hesitated. However, seeing the sincerity in the brown eyes behind those glasses, she slowly exhaled a long breath. She relaxed her stiff muscles. She let her body go completely limp on the cold floor. She closed her eyes, discarding all intent to kill or escape.
Silence blanketed the room.
Suddenly, the soft sound of clinking metal was heard. The black chains that had been wrapped tightly began to lose their glow, one by one. The magical iron dimmed, cracked, and finally crumbled into black dust that blew away in the wind.
Lysara opened her eyes. She felt the weight lift from her shoulders. For the first time in a thousand years, she was free.
She stood up, staring at her unbound hands. For a moment, she stood frozen. Then, a sound of laughter broke from her lips. A laugh that was initially loud and wild, slowly turning into heartbreaking sobs.
"Hahaha... So... it was that simple?" Lysara knelt, covering her face. "For a thousand years, I tortured myself with my own anger... I could have been free long ago if only I didn't hate them so much..."
Eins stood beside her, giving the Ancient Beast space to release her emotions. He understood that what was released was not just physical chains, but also a rusted burden on her soul.
After a while, Lysara wiped her tears. She stood tall, looking at Eins with a gaze that was far softer. "You are a strange human, Eins Neuro."
"I'm just a researcher," Eins replied with a faint smile, though his face looked pale from exhaustion. "By the way... there is a small problem. I don't know how to get out of here. I fell from up there." He pointed to the dark, incredibly high hole in the ceiling.
Lysara looked up, then looked down at Eins, who seemed tiny beside her. She gave a thin grin, one that showed off her small fangs but no longer felt threatening.
"Hold onto your bag tight, Researcher."
Without warning, Lysara stepped in and lifted Eins with just one hand, carrying him as if the young man weighed no more than a feather pillow.
"W-whoa! What are you—"
BOOM!
The stone floor beneath Lysara's feet cracked as she jumped. Her leg strength was phenomenal. They shot upward like an arrow released from a bow. Eins could only squeeze his eyes shut while hugging his research bag, feeling the rushing wind batter his face.
In a few agile bounds off the dungeon walls, Lysara managed to reach the lip of the hole where Eins had fallen. She landed gracefully in the upper corridor, which was more stable.
Lysara set Eins down carefully. Eins staggered for a moment, trying to stabilize his legs that felt like jelly.
"Science, huh?" Lysara asked suddenly, watching Eins busily straightening his crooked glasses. "How did you know how to release those chains?"
Eins looked up, smiling proudly as he patted his notebook. "That wasn't magic, Lysara. That was the result of observation and analysis. In a world full of things that don't make sense, to me, knowledge and keen observation are the greatest powers a human can possess."
Lysara fell silent, absorbing those words. She looked around the dark dungeon, then back at Eins. This young man was physically weak, possessed no visible magical power, but he had something that even those who sealed her long ago did not: clarity of thought and empathy.
"The greatest power, is it?" Lysara walked closer, now standing so near that Eins had to crane his neck way back to look at her face. "I like the way you think, Eins Neuro."
Eins blinked. "Eh?"
"The outside world must have changed a lot in a thousand years. I have no place to return to, and I have no one left to protect," Lysara placed her large hand with its sharp claws on Eins' shoulder, but this time the touch felt warm and protective. "Starting today, I have decided. I will come with you. I will be your Guardian—only for you."
Eins' jaw dropped. "Wait, are you serious? I'm just a traveling researcher, my life is boring, I often go into dangerous places just to see new types of moss—"
"And I will ensure you don't die while doing those foolish things," Lysara interrupted with a small laugh. "Wherever you go in search of knowledge, I will be there. Get ready, Eins Neuro. Your journey has just become much more interesting."
Eins looked at Lysara, then at his book. He let out a long sigh, but a smile couldn't be hidden from his face. "Alright... I guess the next chapter of my book will need more paper."
The two of them walked side by side toward the light at the end of the dungeon corridor, leaving a thousand years of darkness behind them.
To be continued...