Legacy of the Betelgeuse

I'm running as fast as I can while Azrael is grabbing my cloth as strongly as he can. I don't care about anything that is happening around right now. I need to be there as soon as possible. I don't know why they're killing all the monsters, but there must be a reason why they did that.

I look at my friend list and check where's everyone at. All of them are at the Eynhildr Kingdom. I believe they all died from that attack earlier, but then I realize that Ivonna is not in the Eynhildr Kingdom, she's at the sewer system of the Maryoca Kingdom. I'm so confused how did she manage to survive that attack. I don't know what happened, but I'm glad she's alive. There's more reason for me to go there as fast as possible.

Azrael is hanging on my scarf.

"Master! Are you really going to go there on your own? You can't do anything to him, especially while he's enraged and rampaging. You will die, Master!"

I look at Azrael.

"I know. There's a way for me to buy us some time. I don't know if it's enough or not, but I need to try it."

I stop running and then grab the enchantment stones from my inventory. I give all of them to Azrael. Azrael is looking at me with confusion.

"You want me to eat all of these again, Master?"

I nod in agreement.

"What's wrong?"

Azrael shakes his head.

"If I eat these, I'm going to evolve, right Master? But what if when I evolved I became useless and you're going to hate me and abandon me?"

I furrow my forehead and shake my head.

"It's true that I want you to evolve. You're well-rounded, and you're different from the other Amruchi. It's true that I want you to evolve into something I'm hoping for, but even if you become something else everything is still going to be alright. I'm your master, and you're my companion. As a master, I will take care of you until the end because you're my responsibility and a gift. I want you to remember this. No matter what you will become, you're still important to me. So don't worry about anything and just believe in yourself and I believe in you. I would never abandon you, Azrael."

Azrael is looking at for quite a while and then looks at the enchantment stones. He nods and then munches all of them at once.

[Growth point +10]

[Growth point +10]

[Growth point +10]

[Growth point +10]

[Growth point +10]

[Growth point +10]

[Growth point +10]

[Growth point +10]

[Growth point +10]

[Growth point +10]

[Azrael (Hatchling) has reached the requirement to evolve]

[Do you want to evolve Azrael (Hatchling)?]

[Yes] [No]

...

"Yes."

[Azrael (Hatchling) has accepted the request]

[Azrael (Hatchling) is going to go in a deep sleep for a day]

[Azrael (Hatchling) will not be able to be summoned or called during the evolution]

[The System has a few questions for you. Your answers will determine and affect your companion during the evolution. Answer carefully and be true to yourself]

[First Question: What do you want the most from your companion?]

When I'm about to answer a question, a pop-up appears.

[Exclusive skill [Understanding] has interfered the System]

[Exclusive skill [Understanding] has answered the question for you]

I furrow my forehead and squinting my eyes while staring at the notification with confusion.

[Second Question: If your companion is not just a companion to you, what will he/she be?]

[Exclusive skill [Understanding] has interfered the System]

[Exclusive skill [Understanding] has answered the question for you]

[Third Question: What is your plan to do in the future with the companion beside you?]

[Exclusive skill [Understanding] has interfered the System]

[Exclusive skill [Understanding] has answered the question for you]

[Fourth Question: Nothing lasts forever. What would you say to your companion for one last time before you part away with he/her?]

[Exclusive skill [Understanding] has interfered the System]

[Exclusive skill [Understanding] has answered the question for you]

...

...

...

[The System has collected your answers, thank you for the answers]

[Azrael (Hatchling) is very happy and grateful with your answers]

[Azrael (Hatchling) is evolving]

[24hrs 00mins 00sec until Azrael (Hatchling) evolved]

"What was that? Why is it doing that? I never know a skill can interfere with the System..."

I don't want to think about it now. There's something more important to think about.

(At the sewer of the Maryoca Kingdom.)

Ivonna is groaning while holding her head. She looks around and she's the only one there. She stands up and picks up her shield and lance, but then a groan is coming from under her. She looks down and there's a boulder near her, then she walks toward it and she sees Aspen stuck under the boulder.

"Aspen? You're alive as well?"

Aspen is groaning and then looks up.

"Oh, hi... yeah, I managed to save both of us from that massive attack."

Ivonna is pushing the boulder and then freeing Aspen from it. Aspen stands up and wipes his clothes. Ivonna looks up and she realizes that they're deeper than she thought. Aspen is looking around and checks if there are other players that are still alive.

Ivonna is climbing up the piles of ruins and then she looks at Aspen below her.

"Something is wrong."

Aspen is coughing while brushing the dust off of him.

"What is?"

Ivonna is pointing her ear and finger towards the hole that leads to the surface.

"Don't you hear that?"

Aspen is furrowing his forehead.

"Hear what? I don't hear anything at all."

Ivonna nods.

"Exactly. Where is Shazjae? We should be right below him right now, but there are no sound or no movement at all from the surface."

Aspen raises his eyebrows.

"Oh. You're right. That is weird."

Ivonna messages Francesca and the others, and as soon as she sends the message, Michael replies to her message immediately. Ivonna is panicking while writing the message with a worried expression. Aspen is looking at her and furrows his forehead.

"What's wrong?"

Ivonna closes the screen and then looks at Aspen.

"Shazjae is already at the Cruzm Kingdom..."

Aspen then checks the quest status.

[71% of the Alliance Kingdoms population is alive]

Aspen is surprised to see the population dropped more than 20%. Ivonna is rubbing her forehead while thinking of a solution to this problem, but then she raises her eyebrow and looks at the screen. She then looks around and checks the map.

"Trevor is coming this way. We need to get out of here, but we already destroyed all the tunnels and sewers entrances. How are we going to leave this place?"

Aspen is grabbing a rope with a hook at the end of it from his inventory. Aspen looks at Ivonna.

"I have been in so many situations like this, so I have come prepared. Let me get both of us out of here."

Aspen is swinging the rope while looking up and searching for the perfect spot to hook his rope on. Then he throws his rope and hooks it on a big and sturdy wall. He pulls the rope and makes sure it doesn't come off. After he's confident that it's strong enough and safe enough, he looks at Ivonna and pointing his hand at the rope.

"Ladies first."

Ivonna grabs the rope and starts climbing up while Aspen is carefully watching her while positioning himself if things going bad. Ivonna manages to reach the wall and climb up and stand on the small space. Aspen's hand is covering his eyes while looking up.

"How is it up there?"

Ivonna looks down while hugging the wall.

"You can come up now. It's cramped up here, but I think there's enough space up here for you."

Aspen nods and then starts climbing.

Aspen is standing next to Ivonna and trying to unhook the rope with his foot, then he kicks the hook up to the air and grabs it with his hand. He looks around and checks if there's another perfect spot for the hook to hang on. Aspen peeks at the rocks and walls next to Ivonna, but he can't since he doesn't have anything to hold on to. When he tries to grabs Ivonna's left arm so he can have something to hold on to, but Ivonna immediately retracts her hands and puts it on her chest.

"No, I'm sorry..."

Aspen is startled and then looks at Ivonna with confusion.

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I was just checking the walls next to you, but there's nothing for me to hold on to."

Ivonna shakes her head and then checks the walls next to her.

"There's a flat surface above me, but I can't reach it."

Aspen then overs her the rope.

"That's great. Want to do it?"

Ivonna looks at the rope and then looks at Aspen.

"I don't think I can do it. I'm afraid that I'm going to drop the rope."

Aspen shakes his head.

"It's fine. I have plenty of this."

Ivonna is hesitant, but she grabs the rope and tries to swing it with her left hand. She throws it and it misses. Luckily, she doesn't drop the rope. She tries it over and over until it finally gets hooked onto the rock. Ivonna is smiling and laughing with disbelief. Aspen then takes a peek at it but he still can't see it.

"Now, try to pull it as hard as you can and see if it's hooked properly."

Ivonna pulls it and the rope won't budge.

"I think it's hooked pretty well."

Aspen nods.

"Great! Now you should try to climb it."

Ivonna nods and carefully starts climbing the rope.

"I'm here. You can climb the rope now, Aspen."

Aspen starts climbing the rope.

They both are standing next to each other, and Aspen looks up to see how close they are to the surface. It's only a few meters from where they are at. Aspen looks at the wall and he thinks he can climb it to the surface. Aspen tells Ivonna about it and then he starts climbing.

Aspen is at the surface while looking and panting. He looks down and grabs another rope in his inventory so Ivonna can climb on it. When Ivonna is climbing up to the surface Aspen is looking down at her.

"You're not going to believe what you're about to see."

Ivonna climbs up and stands up in front of Aspen. She turns around and she's shocked by what she's seeing. The west side of the Maryoca Kingdom is flattened with nothing but debris and walls scattered on the ground.

Ivonna is catching her breath and gulps.

"What have we done..."