Once the smoke from both spells starts to fade away, Alex and the others see Bizis's body lying on the ground, looking damaged and defeated. Suddenly, fireworks explode above them, and Alex freaks out.
"Relax, the dungeon is cleared. The gods did this as a sign of completion," T'ae explains.
"Really, *calming down* the gods should have done something different," Alex replies.
Once the urn starts to vanish, returning to the stars, Alex feels a mix of happiness and amazement at the ring's power. Suddenly, a treasure chest appears behind the sacrificial person, who is sleeping due to Brother John's healing.
"Wow, a chest!" Alex says with excitement.
"So, how does this work?" Alex inquires.
"As the party leader, the rule of the dungeon dictates that they distribute items to party members after defeating all named monsters," T'ae responds.
"Okay, is that what the chest is for?" Alex asks.
"Yes, items that the monsters drop are common items that sell pretty well and ingredients for alchemy," T'ae answers again.
"Sounds fair and understanding," Xenos adds as he fills a vial of Blight Water next to the ritual site.
***
Five days later, Alex returns to Crystalcliff's Adventure Guild after completing his first dungeon. T'ae and the rest of the party took his injured friend to a nearby church for healing. Alex is heading downstairs to the main floor. He is surprised to see Xenos sitting and writing some notes.
"Writing something fun?" Alex asks.
"Not much, I'm jotting down notes about the Blight Water," Xenos replies.
"Oh, is that for potion's class?" Alex asks as he sits down at the table.
"No, *Stops taking notes* it's something personal, helping my home for a bountiful harvest this fall," Xenos answers.
"Bountiful Harvest?" Alex asks, as if he's confused since he's a vampire.
Hearing him giggle, Alex wonders if he's missing something, but he is eager to understand why he giggled in the first place.
"Yes, I might be a vampire, but I'm different from the other vampires in my old city, so I left...well, more like I ran away, and now I live with my adopted family," Xenos says.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. So, um, who is your adopted family, and where do you live now?" Alex asks, wanting to know more.
Xenos leans in closer, revealing his bright ruby-red eyes. Alex, slightly blushing, moves back a bit upon seeing Xenos smirking.
"If you're flirting with me, you need to be more into it," Xenos playfully teases Alex.
Alex blushes even redder, shocked that he said that.
"*Giggle* No need to worry; I have someone else in mind. To answer your question, I live in Farmer's Land, and the Greenfields are my new family," Xenos adds, discussing his new life.
"Wow, you live with farmers," Alex says.
"Yes, I do. If you will excuse me, your friend is here to see us," Xenos replies as he resumes taking notes.
"Friend?" Alex asks.
"Alex!" T'ae shouts with excitement.
Alex spots T'ae walking by, looking thrilled about something, and notices a bag that clinks with the sounds of coins in his hand.
"Oh, good, you're here too, Mr. Deathwhisper," T'ae says.
"Indeed, we have business to conclude," Xenos responds.
When T'ae sat down at their table, Xenos began by taking his bag and the job request for the dungeon run they had just completed.
"Since I was the one who assigned this job, for three or four of you, here are one gold and two silver coins," Xenos says with a smile, as he hands T'ae the coins for the job.
"Wow, thank you! For your earnings from the loot I sold, you receive 10 gold coins," T'ae says, handing him 10 pieces.
"Oh, and here are your earnings too, Alex: 10 gold coins," T'ae says, giving the money to Alex.
"Thanks, T'ae!" Alex replies with a warm smile.
"Well, it's time for me to head out. I need to check on my friend. See you around," T'ae says, leaving the adventurers' guild.
Alex smiles as he earns money from monster loot. He has received a reward item for defeating the named monsters, and now he has the collar. The collar itself is crafted from black leather. The tag features a unique design resembling a pink heart, and it includes some chain accessories.
"It looks cool, I'll put it in my room when we return. By the way, what did you get?" Alex asks.
Xenos hesitates before responding, smirking as he completes his notes and retrieves the item he earned from defeating the named monsters.
"I got this rod," Xenos says with a playful smirk, teasing him.
The rod is crafted from an unusual metal he doesn't recognize, but Alex notices it resembles what ranchers use to mark their cattle.
"Anyway, shall we return to college?" Xenos asks as he stands up from his table.
"Yeah, wanting to go on an adventure in this world doesn't mean I don't want to learn more about it too," Alex replies with a smile.
"We can all do that too," Xenos states.
Once Alex and Xenos leave the adventure guild and the town behind, they are headed back to Strasmiara. Alex ponders what lies ahead for him in college and his adventures in Etheria.
***
A month has passed, and Alex notices that the leaves on the trees around Strasmiara are beginning to change color, while the air is growing slightly cooler.
"It seems that Fall is coming, *giggle* I wonder what my brothers are planning for Halloween?" Alex thinks with a smile.
When Alex enters his history class, he sees the familiar term "All Hallows' Eve" on the blackboard. It's an old word he knows, and he's taken aback that it's the topic of discussion.
"I wonder what we'll learn about Halloween?" Alex thinks to himself.
"Welcome, class! Today, we will explore All Hallows' Eve, better known as Halloween. Isn't that a fun name?" Silverstar says with a playful smile as she teases her students.
Most students didn't sound interested in this event. Alex is guessing that since it came from Earth, his question is how this holiday arrived here.
"Professor, I came from Earth. How did Halloween arrive here?" Alex inquires, lifting his hand.
Suddenly seeing her giggling, Alex wonders what made her smile or laugh.
"You're similar to Ms. Diglound, but that's okay. In the 8th century, a Pope established it for Christians. Over the years, other nations adopted it for enjoyment, akin to the Day of the Dead. This led to the birth of legends like Frankenstein and Dracula, as well as the figures that we reject, witches," Silverstar shares some history.
"How did Halloween come to be celebrated here?" Alex inquires, curious about that part.
"It was during Earth's era, around the time of the Salem Witch Trials, when an innocent young witch fled from home after a fire consumed her family. A wizard from Etheria rescued her and brought her here, and she began to spread joy on All Hallows' Eve," Silverstar replies once more.
"And if you're lucky, a dungeon will appear the week before All Hallows' Eve," Silverstar says, piquing young adventurers' curiosity.
At the mention of "dungeon," Alex got excited once classes were finished. Alex gathered his things and rushed toward the library, hoping to find more info on the dungeon coming on Halloween and maybe learn some more spells.
***
The school's library is as expansive as any renowned library on Earth, and, seeing all the excellent spells and history books, Alex has no idea where to begin.
Alex gathered some spellbooks, mainly those for Lux and Infernus magic (Light and Fire). He's happy to see what new spells he can add to his list.
Almost thirty minutes passed, and Alex completed studying his third spell, bringing his total to four spells in both elements. As he stretches, Alex notices the ring on his finger and stands up again. He starts browsing books on summoning, magic, and the corresponding elements.
While looking through the bookshelves, a shadow suddenly peeked in the corner. The shadow resembled a little girl about 12 years old, with long curly hair. Though she's a shadow, her dress is long and wavy.
The shadow trails behind Alex as he searches for a book, struggling to find the light one. She decides to assist him. Navigating through the shadows, she inspects each bookshelf until she locates the correct book. It appears well-crafted, highlighting every detail on its spine. When she picks it up, the cover reveals the title "A Element's Advances in Magic." This is the book Alex is likely seeking, so the shadow gently places it on the desk where he sits.
Alex notices the book and is surprised to find it here. He scans the area to figure out who might have left it behind. Taking a seat, he begins to read. Alex discovers that it discusses a magic advanced line, presenting two options for his Lux and Infernus.
Peering from the corner again, the shadow delights at finding Alex immersed in the book. Abruptly, a hand touches her shoulder, and she is startled to realize she has been found out.
"What do you think you're doing?" a familiar voice asks softly from the library.
As she turns, she notices the familiar voice smiling at her.
"Marcus!" the shadow smiles.
"Shh, we are in a library," Marcus teases.
"I know that," the shadow teases with a pouty face.
"Come, we should leave him be for now at least," Marcus says.
"Oh, are you interested in him?" The shadow asks, leaning close to Marcus.
Marcus blushes from her comment.
"Easy there, dear," Marcus answers.
Marcus leaves the library, and the shadow vanishes. Alex reads about his options for advancing his magic.
"For my Lux magic, I'll choose Summoning, and for Infernus, I'll select Draconic," Alex says to himself.
***
Hours later, Alex notices the sun setting. Just as he reaches for his books, he suddenly sees shadows appearing, busily organizing the library.
"Wow, okay, that's new," Alex says as he heads out of the library.
***
Once Alex returned to his room, he started his homework while memorizing the new spells he had just learned, along with two advanced lines of magic.
After completing his studies, Alex prepares for bed. He showers and puts on his pajamas. Just as he extinguishes the candles and settles down to sleep, he places the collar he received from the dungeon on his shelf. The collar starts to emit a pink glow, and unexpectedly, the markings beneath Alex's belly button light up as well. This causes him to toss and turn as something unusual takes place. Both markings pulse with a pink glow in sync with a heartbeat.
"Badum...badum..."
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