Julius and Rosalina walked side by side across the soft green adow.
The grass felt cool and springy under their feet.
A gentle breeze carried the sweet sll of fresh flowers and warm sunlight.
Everything looked peaceful, but they knew a challenge was waiting.
They stopped in a slightly open spot, just a short walk from where they had first appeared.
Suddenly, a deep, powerful voice echoed all around them.
[Welco to the 8th floor, future generations.]
The voice belonged to the Lone King. It sounded calm and confident.
[To clear this floor, you will need a partner. Without a partner, you will not be able to pass the 8th floor.]
The voice paused for a mont, as if giving them ti to understand.
Julius and Rosalina stood quietly. They already knew this part was coming, so they waited patiently for the rest.
[Now, you may check the wrist of your right hand. There should be an artifact there.]
Both of them quickly looked down at their right wrists.
Sure enough, a shiny watch-like artifact had appeared on each of them.
It felt cool and smooth against their skin, with a faint glow of mana.
[Once you channel so of your mana into it, you will receive the quest automatically. Good luck on clearing the 8th floor, future generations.]
The Lone King’s voice slowly faded away, leaving only the soft sound of the wind and birds chirping in the distance.
Rosalina stared at the artifact on her wrist.
"What kind of quest do you think we’ll get?" she asked, her voice a mix of excitent and curiosity.
"Hmm?" Julius humd thoughtfully. He kept staring at the glowing device. "
I can’t say for sure. It’s different for every pair of two. But it should be related to a country and war..."
He sounded a little unsure. In the book he rembered, every team got a different quest.
So had to survive as ordinary citizens in a war, so had to kill a hundred enemy soldiers, and others faced even stranger tasks.
But no matter what, everything always revolved around a war.
Rosalina nodded slowly, her eyes still fixed on the artifact.
"Alright then," Julius said with a small smile. "Shall we start?"
He reached his hand toward his right wrist.
"Okay!" Rosalina replied brightly. She lifted her hand and held it just above the artifact too.
"On the count of three..." Julius said.
They both took a deep breath. The air felt fresh and full of energy.
"One..." Julius spoke clearly.
Rosalina’s heart beat a little faster. She could feel the warm sunlight on her face and the soft grass under her shoes.
"Two..." Julius gave her one last quick look. His eyes sparkled with excitent and a bit of playfulness.
He placed his fingers gently over the artifact.
"And... three!"
On the count of three, both of them pressed their hands onto the artifacts at the sa ti.
BEEEEEEEP!!!
A loud, sharp ringing noise exploded in their ears. It was so strong that it made their heads spin for a second.
Bright white light suddenly filled their eyes, washing away the green adow completely.
For a mont, everything went silent and blindingly white.
Beeeeep!
Another loud beep rang in Julius’s ears. He snapped his eyes open.
The bright white light slowly faded as his vision started to clear.
But before he could fully adjust...
"Your Majesty, you must leave with Sir Vatican!"
A deep, urgent voice spoke right beside him.
Julius blinked hard and snapped his eyes open again. This ti, everything beca clear.
"The Duke is right, Your Majesty. Please listen and flee with Sir Vatican. If you stay alive, we can definitely win this war. Please abandon this castle and lead the North Grave Castle!"
Julius looked around in surprise. Blurry faces slowly turned sharp.
He was inside a luxurious palace hall. The walls were covered with beautiful paintings in golden fras.
Soft candlelight and sunlight stread through tall windows, giving the room a rich, royal glow.
Everything felt grand and expensive.
"Please try to understand. If you leave with Sir Vatican, we will have a fighting chance..."
All the blurry faces were now looking straight at Julius.
He realized he was kneeling on one knee.
His body felt big and strong, covered in shining golden armor that felt heavy but powerful.
A long sword rested at his side.
He looked left and right, then turned his head to the front.
The mont he did, he froze.
Sitting on a large, elegant throne was a breathtaking beauty.
Her long blonde hair cascaded down like silk, shining in the light.
She wore a royal robe with deep red linings that looked soft and expensive.
Her face was stunning, smooth skin, gem-like blue eyes that sparkled with confusion, and a tiny mole just below her lower lip that made her even more beautiful.
Julius stared. ’Is she my ancestor?’ he thought in confusion.
Her blonde hair and blue eyes reminded him a little of his own family.
In his previous life, he had blue eyes too.
His mother had once said she recognized Uriel by his bright blue eyes when she saw him at the saint trial.
But her face didn’t match his parents or his own.
Her nose was soft and slightly pointy, and her eyebrows were long and graceful.
In the Hayes family, only his mom and he had blonde hair.
His father had black hair. So it was very unlikely she was his ancestor.
Then Julius noticed sothing else. Everyone was calling him "Sir Vatican."
He was kneeling in front of this lady, and they were talking about escaping the castle together.
’Could the quest be to escape with this lady?’
’But where is Rose?’
He quickly searched the room with his eyes. There was no sign of her anywhere.
’Maybe she also got pulled into a different role... Hmm...?’
As he was thinking, the beautiful woman on the throne suddenly looked around with wide, confused eyes.
"Where... am I?" she whispered. A small frown ford on her face, and her lips pouted cutely in confusion.
The mont Julius saw that familiar frown and pout, he instantly knew.
"Rose?" he said out loud, his voice full of surprise and relief.
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