Mira leaned against the edge of her dormitory desk, holding a softly glowing mana communication orb in both hands. She had positioned it just so, propping it up on a worn textbook so that the orb captured her face without much effort. The rest of the small, modestly furnished room was still. Mira's dorm felt a little lonely these days, but she liked to keep it tidy.

Her mother's face shimmered into view within the orb. Thin lines of faint mana pulsed around the orb's surface, reflecting the strength of the magical connection. Mrs. Lannett's expression was warm and inviting, though concern flickered in her eyes as she observed her daughter.

"Mother," Mira began softly, clearing her throat. "Can you hear me well?"

A slight crackle signified minor distortion, but her mother's voice followed soon after, clear and calm. "Yes, yes, dear. I can see you, too. You look so grown up these days."

Mira mustered a small smile at the compliment. She'd always been slender, with messy brown hair that refused to be tamed, and warm amber eyes that flashed with fierce determination whenever she was in combat mode. But right now, she felt more fatigued than fierce. Life at Interstellar Academy had proven challenging, especially for a Class S student juggling high expectations.

"I'm trying," she admitted. "Classes have been hectic. The workload... the training sessions... sometimes it feels like I barely catch my breath before another assignment or test is thrown at me."

Her mother looked at her with sympathy but also pride. "And how are your classmates? Any new friends since the last time we spoke?"

Mira shifted her gaze for a moment, tapping the orb with one finger. A gentle swirl of mana wavered around her hand. She hesitated before she answered, uncertain how best to phrase the confusion she felt, especially about one particular friend. "I've met a lot of interesting people," she said slowly, "some I wouldn't have imagined crossing paths with if not for the academy. But... I guess I'm not... I'm not hanging out with Noah as much."

Her mother tilted her head. "Oh? I thought you two told each other about everything. Did something happen?"

Mira sighed, the frustration in her posture evident. "We're just in different classes—he's in Class B, I'm in Class S. We rarely get a chance to talk. When we were kids, we spent every spare moment together. Now that I think about it, it might just be growing pains."

"Growing pains?" her mother repeated gently.

"I mean, we used to tell each other everything," Mira said, a hint of wistfulness coloring her tone. "Training methods, secrets, silly gossip, even embarrassing mistakes we made. Now, it's like we're both so busy with our own tasks. He's always running off on some escapade, and I have my advanced Fire Magic sessions and group projects that sometimes last until late at night. I don't even know what he's up to most of the time."

Her mother's face softened into a smile. She remained quiet for a moment, letting Mira gather her thoughts. Finally, she said, "Well, Mira, not everything."

Mira blinked. "Not everything?" She frowned, uncertain what her mother was hinting at. When she saw the teasing, almost smug smile on her mother's lips, her eyes widened. Heat flooded her cheeks in an instant. "M-Mom, what are you implying?"

Mrs. Lannett gave a quiet, playful chuckle. "Is it really so surprising, dear? You said you and Noah used to share everything, but there's at least one thing you haven't told him, isn't there?"

Mira's face ignited into a blush that rivaled her own Fire Magic's flames. She lifted a hand to her forehead, eyes scrunching shut in mortified realization. "I... it's not that obvious, is it?"

Her mother's tone turned indulgent. "I'm your mother. I notice these things, sweet girl. Anyone who pays attention to you would suspect you harbor deeper feelings for him. But if you're worried about him noticing, well..." She gave a tiny shrug. "From what I've heard, that boy can be fairly dense. If you don't take the initiative soon, who knows what opportunities might slip away."

Mira let out a groan, burying her face in her free hand, feeling like the orb's pale glow now highlighted her embarrassment for the entire world to see. "Mom!"

"I'm serious." Mrs. Lannett's expression became gentle but firm. "If you care about him, you shouldn't wait for the perfect time. You should show it. Or you might regret it."

Breathing in slowly, Mira tried to quell the flustered knot twisting in her chest. She recalled various moments from the academy, especially how she had reacted when Lily hung around Noah more often. A swirl of emotion threatened to surface, but she forced it down. She was proud, strong, and not typically one to mope. "I guess I... I need to think about it," she said softly.

Her mother nodded in understanding. "Of course, dear. You're still young. Just don't let your fear stop you from living. That's all I wanted to say."

A few more seconds passed in comfortable silence. Finally, Mira said her goodbyes, promising to focus on her studies and keep her mother updated. The orb dimmed after she ended the call. She cradled it in her hands, gaze distant.

Though the conversation stirred her emotions, Mira felt a certain resolve kindling within. She couldn't remain stuck in the shadows forever. Even if life at the academy was overwhelming, and even if Noah's path seemed to diverge from hers... she needed to at least try to bridge that distance.

Down in a twisting cavern system many miles away, Noah and Lily moved with cautious steps. The novice-level dungeon they had entered was close to its end, or so the steadily intensifying pulses of mana suggested. The rock walls around them dripped with condensation, glowing lichen clinging to the stone in uneven patches. A low rumble resonated, sending vibrations through the floor and up their legs.

The air grew colder with each step. Lily, petite and trembling slightly from the chill, cast a glance at Noah. Although both were fourteen, they carried themselves with a mix of discipline and determination that spoke to the hardships they'd faced.

At the moment, neither had spoken for several minutes. They were on high alert. The tunnel they ventured through opened into a wider chamber, the cavern's mouth gaping with an ominous invitation. Within, a faint, unnatural light flickered, illuminating swirling motes of dust in the cold air.

Noah put a hand out to still Lily. The sword at his hip, Nocturne, hummed with a subtle resonance of shared tension, its slender black blade streaked with white lines that pulsed faintly in tune with his heartbeat. "This is too quiet," he muttered, scanning the chamber's entrance.

Lily nodded, shifting her stance to prepare an ice spell if needed. She sensed it too: something was distinctly off. Before either could explore further, a sudden roar shook the walls, and a monstrous shape lunged forward.

A wave of musty, moist air slammed into them as the creature emerged into the flickering light. It was massive, easily twice the size of any standard reptilian monster they had faced in this dungeon so far. Rugged, mossy-green scales lined its back and tail, each scale reflecting the unnatural light in an eerie sheen. Blood-red eyes narrowed onto the two intruders, and jagged teeth the size of short daggers gnashed audibly. Its body was reminiscent of an enormous crocodile, but twisted—like some darker evolution designed purely for slaughter.

"A... King Thresher?" Lily's words came out in a surprised whisper.

Noah's brows furrowed. "That's impossible. This is supposed to be a novice-level dungeon. A King Thresher is an adept-level threat."

But there was no more time to speculate. The creature's thrashing tail tore across the rocky ground, hurling debris in every direction. Noah yanked Lily backward, the stones ricocheting off the walls with loud clacks. An instant later, the beast lunged.

Noah's instincts took over. He braced himself, channeling mana into his limbs. His left arm, in particular, pulsed with that familiar warm surge—his trademark Strong Left technique—granting him extra force. With a powerful upward slice, he aimed for the thick, scaly underside of the King Thresher's jaw. The sword connected, but the angle was awkward, and the beast wrenched itself sideways with terrifying power.

Lily reacted, stepping to the side. Her pale silver eyes blazed with resolve as she conjured shards of ice in midair, each shaped like an elongated spear. With a quick gesture, she launched them at the beast's flank, aiming to pierce the layered scales. The shards struck, cracking on impact. Most of them splintered, but a couple sank in far enough to draw the monster's attention.

Enraged, it snapped its enormous jaws, tail whipping wildly. Noah dove to the left, rolling to his feet in a fluid motion. Lily, squeaking in alarm, formed a wall of ice to shield herself from the next tail swipe. The tail collided with the barrier in a thundering crash, causing cracks to spiderweb across the frosty surface.

"This is insane," Lily breathed, stepping away from her crumbling wall. "What's a monster like this doing here?"

"We can ask questions later," Noah replied, voice tight with concentration. He lunged forward again, swinging Nocturne. Beneath the swirling mana in his body, he felt the blade's own consciousness. It weighed the morality of its user, but here, in a battle for survival, it offered its acceptance, humming in synergy with Noah's fierce will. His left arm glowed faintly with the swirling sheen of his Strong Left.

The King Thresher roared, opening its maw. A wave of hot, fetid breath rushed out, nearly causing Noah to gag. Its teeth snapped down violently. Noah managed to pivot, but the tip of one jagged fang grazed his shoulder, shredding part of his clothes and drawing a thin trickle of blood. He hissed in pain.

Lily positioned herself for a clear shot, igniting a bright flare of bluish mana around her hands. Her element was typically Ice, but over time she had learned to incorporate enough heat to release bursts of near-freezing water vapor that could solidify in mere seconds. She flung a swirling mass of half-frozen fluid at the King Thresher's side. As soon as it made contact, she condensed it to form thick layers of frost along the scales, hoping to slow the beast's movements.

Her plan partially worked: the King Thresher's left flank stiffened under the creeping ice. Taking advantage of that opening, Noah raised Nocturne high and brought it down with a decisive slash. The pure mana he channeled into the blade resonated, cutting deeper than normal. The creature bellowed in agony.

But it refused to fall, thrashing violently, wrenching free from Lily's ice with a shower of shattered frost. Its tail lashed upward, smashing into Noah's torso and sending him skidding across the cave floor. He grunted on impact, forcing himself to roll to reduce the damage. Lily yelped in alarm.

"Noah!" Her voice echoed off the cavern walls.

He coughed, pushing himself upright with trembling arms. A burning ache lanced through his ribs, but he could still move. Determination burned in his mismatched eyes. He set his jaw, ignoring the pain.

"How do we take it down?" Lily asked, breathless.

Noah steadied himself. "We aim for the weaker spots on its underside. Keep distracting it, and I'll try to get a direct hit."

They exchanged quick nods. Lily rushed to the side, conjuring another ice spear. She hurled it, trying to force the King Thresher to shift position. The monster twisted toward her, jaws snapping in furious arcs. Meanwhile, Noah circled behind it, focusing mana into his legs for an explosive leap.

He sprang upward, flipping midair to bring Nocturne down on the creature's back. The blade met thick scales, but the pure mana-infused strike cracked the armor. Chinks formed along the ridges, trickles of blackish blood seeping out. The King Thresher screeched, shaking violently. Noah clung to its back for an instant, then hopped away to avoid being crushed against the cavern floor.

Sensing its vulnerability, Lily dashed in, eyes flaring with determination. She pressed one palm to the ground, and a frigid wave spread out, forming a slick sheet of ice beneath the beast. Its feet and tail slid, and it lost some traction. The moment it faltered, Lily thrust her hand forward, shaping a large spear of ice that rammed directly into its exposed belly. The King Thresher roared in agony, arching its back.

Noah seized the opening. He lunged in, channeling every ounce of strength into a diagonal slash. The blow connected with brutal force—armor cracked, flesh parted. The monster's roar cut off into a choked gurgle. With a final shudder, it collapsed onto the cave floor. The tremor of its fall reverberated through the ground like distant thunder.

For a breathless moment, Noah and Lily stood there, panting, hearts pounding in their ears. Sweat beaded along Lily's brow, and Noah's arms trembled from the exertion.

"That was... way too strong," Lily whispered, her gaze lingering on the King Thresher's body. "Why was an adept-level monster in this place?"

Noah wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, cautious eyes scanning the rest of the cavern. "I have no idea. This dungeon's supposed to be novice-level. Something must be off."

She nodded, chest heaving. "I-I read in one of Professor Alden Marek's textbooks that abnormal monster appearances sometimes signal a corruption in the dungeon environment. Maybe that's happening here."

"It could be. Either way, we should stay on guard." He paused, rolling his shoulder to test for injuries. The spot the fang had grazed burned, but wasn't debilitating. "Let's keep moving. If something else like this shows up, we'll need to be prepared."

They pressed on, leaving the King Thresher's lifeless form behind. The path ahead led them into narrower corridors, dotted with patches of luminescent moss that provided faint light. Soon, other creatures emerged. The first was a small pack of wolves, snarling and skulking along the edges of the passage. Their eyes gleamed with primal hunger, but after the King Thresher, the wolves felt almost routine to handle.

Noah and Lily coordinated calmly: he reinforced himself with mana to draw the wolves' attention, while Lily conjured frost-laden spikes that pinned the creatures down or slowed their pounces. Within moments, the wolves lay defeated. Next came smaller, standard cave-crocs, nowhere near as large or threatening as the Thresher. Lily incapacitated them with precise ice blasts, and Noah finished them swiftly.

Every fight, however brief, took its toll on their stamina. When they paused for a short break in one of the safer corridors, the two found themselves leaning against a cold rock wall.

As Lily rubbed her arms for warmth, she glanced up at Noah. "You know," she said in a hushed tone, "if this is what it's like in a so-called novice dungeon, I wonder what horrors an actual adept or expert-level dungeon must hold."

Noah exhaled, half in agreement, half out of exhaustion. "It's something to think about. Honestly, though, it's good training. We'll need every ounce of experience for the upcoming Class Placement Exam."

A look of recognition crossed Lily's features. She nodded, recalling the academy's announcements. "Right... We have to do both a theoretical test and a combat demonstration. They'll assess our rank from Novice to Adept, Expert, and so on. I... don't even know if I'm ready for that."

"You've improved a lot since we started," Noah said earnestly, though his expression remained somewhat grave. "You shouldn't doubt yourself. You held your own against that King Thresher. Not many novices could."

Lily brushed a loose strand of blue hair behind her ear, eyes shifting shyly. She appreciated the compliment, but the swirling anxieties in her mind refused to be placated so easily. "I guess. But sometimes I feel I'm still just... overshadowed."

Noah understood the sentiment all too well. For much of his life, he'd been overshadowed by his older sister, Elara Arden, a renowned warrior in her own right. He adjusted the glasses perched on his nose, the frames glinting under the dungeon's dim light. A memory of his family flickered in his mind, echoing that familiar drive to stand on his own.

"You just have to keep going," he said. "We can't wait around for the right conditions; we have to make them. Even if we can't rely on fancy elemental alignments, we can train as hard as possible. That's the whole reason I've pushed myself to learn pure mana manipulation."

Lily's gaze flicked to his bandaged shoulder. "Right. Pure mana's supposed to be more potent, but it's not easy to handle."

He nodded. "It's tricky. Elemental mana can be shaped to a particular element, but pure mana doesn't have that advantage. It's raw. If you slip up, you can lose control, or burn yourself out. But it also means there are fewer limitations if you figure out how to harness it. A powerful slash, a direct reinforcement... it's all about the mana's flow and concentration." He paused, letting out a slow breath. "I used to be so frustrated, thinking maybe I was doomed to mediocrity without a specific elemental affinity. Then I realized that's no excuse to stop pushing forward."

Lily watched him, her eyes betraying a subtle admiration that she rarely voiced aloud. They had come a long way in their training. "I guess that's how you beat that monstrous croc," she said. "I couldn't have done that alone."

He shrugged, ignoring the dull throb in his side. "We both did it," he replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "But next time, I want to try something new."

"Something new?" she echoed, curiosity piqued.

A thoughtful gleam passed through Noah's deep brown eye as he brushed a bit of cave dust from his black tunic. "Yeah. I've been toying with an idea for a more refined slash. If I can properly channel my pure mana along Nocturne's edge, I might be able to extend the reach and power. Sort of like a wave of cutting force."

Lily pressed her lips together in a contemplative line. "That sounds dangerous. But effective."

He managed a small smile. "I'll find out soon enough."

They resumed walking, the corridors eventually widening again into another spacious chamber. Their footsteps echoed, alerting a lone wolf that prowled near a shallow subterranean pool. Its ears perked, and it bared its fangs, letting out a low growl.

Noah lifted a hand to halt Lily. "Let me handle this," he said softly.

She blinked but stepped aside. The wolf's hackles rose as it crouched, muscles coiling in preparation for a leap. Noah inhaled slowly, the flicker of mana surging through him. The broad mana core he possessed allowed him to summon pure mana more readily than others might. He focused on that intangible energy, guiding it through his arms and into the slender black sword. The glowing white lines along Nocturne brightened, reacting to the infusion.

Noah advanced, steps firm. The wolf snarled. In a lightning-fast movement, it sprang forward, jaws parted. But Noah pivoted with a measured elegance, swinging Nocturne in a wide arc. He poured the concentrated mana into the blade's cutting edge, envisioning it unraveling in a deadly crescent.

The technique manifested as a swirl of luminous energy around the blade. The wolf felt the brunt of it mid-lunge; the slash wasn't just a physical cut but a wave that extended several feet from the sword itself. The beast was slammed sideways, blood spraying as if struck by an invisible scythe. It hit the cavern floor with a heavy thud, limbs splayed out in final stillness.

A noticeable groove remained etched in the rock wall behind where the wolf had stood, showing how the slash had carried beyond the immediate target. Noah exhaled, the rush of power leaving him with a faint trembling in his arms. He turned to Lily, a slight grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"I think I'll call that move Master Flourish," he said quietly, testing the name on his tongue.

Lily approached with measured steps, eyes wide at the deep gash carved into the stone. "That was... amazing. And terrifying," she admitted, gingerly laying a hand on the fresh groove. Chips of rock were scattered everywhere. "But, wow, the range you got from pure mana is incredible."

He nodded, wiping a thin sheen of sweat from his brow. "It's not sustainable for long periods. The mental strain alone is—" he pressed a hand to the side of his head, "—something I need to train for. But it works."

A moment of silence fell as they both stared at the wreckage of the brief but intense fight. Then, with a quietly shared understanding, they pressed forward. The deeper they ventured, the more they realized this dungeon was steadily revealing anomalies. Strange scorch marks lined some passage walls, and occasionally they found the shredded remains of lesser monsters, as though something powerful had torn them apart.

Their breath grew shallow, both from exertion and from the growing tension in the air. Finally, they arrived at a massive set of stone doors half-buried in rubble. This had to be the final chamber. A foreboding aura emanated from the faint cracks between the doors, cold air rushing out in small gusts.

Noah placed a hand on the door. The stone felt unnaturally chilled, almost biting to the touch. Lily stepped beside him, clutching her staff close. Her expression reflected caution and worry, but also a trace of determination. They'd come this far.

"Ready?" Noah asked, his voice low.

Lily swallowed. "Yes."

With a combined effort, they pushed on the heavy doors. They slid inward with a rumble, and the draft of cold, stagnant air rushed to greet them. The dark interior was only partially lit by flickers of glowing moss on the walls. In that shifting half-light, shapes lay in wait—but those shapes remained unclear for the moment.

Noah's heart pounded harder with every step he took. He could sense the build-up of mana intensifying. Lily's eyes narrowed, scanning the gloom. Neither of them knew exactly what awaited them, only that it was likely far beyond typical novice-level threats.

A final, ominous glow flickered across the chamber floor. In that dim luminescence, they spotted the silhouettes of twisted forms—potentially more monstrous crocodiles, or worse. The presence was overwhelming, pressing against them like an unseen weight.

Noah glanced at Lily, and she returned the look, each perceiving the other's tense resolve. There was no turning back now, not if they wanted to unravel the mystery of this bizarre dungeon imbalance.

(Please comment any criticism.)