Chapter – 7

Aman woke up the next morning with considerable difficulty.

Not because he was still exhausted from yesterday’s adventure. Between a good night’s sleep and the natural healing of a mage’s body, most of his aches, bruises and minor injuries had already faded away.

No, the real problem was that he simply didn’t want to leave the bed. It was, without question, the most comfortable bed he had ever slept in.

Aman briefly considered closing his eyes for another five minutes. Then another ten. Then perhaps an hour.

Unfortunately, he was an adult with responsibilities.

With a groan that sounded suspiciously like a dying animal, he forced himself out of bed and onto his feet.

The attached bathroom allowed him to quickly wash up and make himself presentable. Under normal circumstances, Aman would have spent several minutes marveling at the various magical conveniences built into the room.

After everything he had seen inside the Pokécenter, however, things like magically heated water and artificial waterfalls no longer seemed quite as impressive.

By the time he descended the moving staircase, Professor Oak was already waiting downstairs.

The old mage had apparently been awake for quite some time.

The smell of breakfast filled the room, immediately assaulting Aman’s senses.

“Ah, Apprentice Aman. Good morning.” Professor Oak greeted him with a smile. “I don’t usually cook much, but I made some breakfast for you. It’s nothing special, but give it a try.”

The meal was indeed simple.

Some fruits and berries, two boiled eggs and a piece of roasted fish.

Nothing fancy.

To Aman, however, it looked like a feast.

Compared to the bland travel rations he had been surviving on for the past several days, it might as well have been a royal banquet.

His stomach chose that exact moment to betray him as a loud rumble echoed through the room. Aman immediately felt his face heat up in embarrassment.

Professor Oak simply smiled knowingly.

Deciding there was no dignity left to preserve, Aman sat down and attacked the food with enthusiasm. Within minutes, every last scrap had disappeared.

Only after finishing did he realize Professor Oak had been quietly watching him the entire time.

Aman coughed awkwardly.

“Sorry.”

The old mage chuckled.

“Don’t be. A cook should be happy when someone enjoys their food.”

After that surprisingly pleasant breakfast, Aman spent a few more minutes talking with Professor Oak and thanking him for his hospitality.

The clothes. The room. The food. The Pokédex.

The more he thought about it, the more absurdly generous the old mage seemed.

Eventually, however, all good things had to come to an end.

Aman still had a report to deliver. His master was still waiting.

And somewhere in the capital, an entire tower of mages was about to collectively lose their minds when they learned about Pokémon.

So after one final farewell, Aman adjusted his borrowed jacket, secured the Pokédex under his arm and made his way toward the exit.

This time, for real.

As the glass doors slid open and the morning sunlight greeted him, Aman couldn’t help but glance back one last time.

Professor Oak stood inside the Pokécenter, smiling and waving him off.

For a brief moment, Aman felt a strange sense of reluctance.

In just a single day, the strange building had somehow become more welcoming than most inns he had visited throughout his travels.

Still, responsibilities called.

Returning the wave, Aman finally turned around and began walking down the dirt road leading back toward civilization.

Behind him, Professor Oak watched the apprentice mage disappear into the distance before the smile on his face slowly widened.

Phase one had been a complete success. Now all Hikaru had to do was wait for the consequences.

---

The distance between the [Unnamed] Dungeon and the nearest town of Brendon was roughly a day’s journey.

Or at least, it would have been if Aman had known what he was doing when he first set out.

Back then, he had spent most of his time cautiously stumbling through unfamiliar wilderness while second-guessing every sound and shadow. Now, however, he possessed both the experience and confidence that came from surviving a dungeon on his own.

As a result, his pace was considerably faster.

By the time the sun began dipping below the horizon, Aman could already see the stone walls of Brendon in the distance.

The fortifications were nothing particularly impressive by the standards of large cities. A simple wall of stone reinforced with a few defensive enchantments surrounded the town. It was more than enough to deter wandering beasts, bandits and other nuisances from disturbing the town’s peace.

Besides, Brendon’s true defense had never been its walls. It was the man currently standing atop them.

Captain Malrick noticed Aman long before Aman reached the gate.

The veteran warrior didn’t bother using the stairs like a sensible person. Instead, he simply stepped off the wall.

The resulting impact sent a cloud of dust billowing outward as he landed directly in front of the young mage.

Guard Captain Malrick, former Tier III adventurer and current head of Brendon’s security, possessed a fearsome reputation throughout the region. His scarred face and permanent frown had reduced more than one troublemaker to a nervous wreck.

That fearsome expression immediately transformed into a relieved smile.

“Oh thank the gods, you’re alive.”

Before Aman could react, the larger man slapped him on the back hard enough to nearly send him tumbling.

“When Sarai told me where that old mage sent you, I was half tempted to go after you myself.”

A second slap nearly finished the job.

“It’s good to see you back in one piece.”

Aman’s legs wobbled as he fought to maintain his balance.

“And it looks like the trip worked out well for you.” Malrick’s eyes drifted toward the clothes and Pokédex. “Mind giving your favorite uncle the details?”

“It’s good to see you too, Uncle Malrick,” Aman replied after finally recovering. “But later. I still need to give my report to Master Aenul.”

Malrick raised an eyebrow.

“Oh?”

“All I can say for now is that there’s actually a dungeon in the Emerald Forest.”

The guard captain blinked. Then he let out a low whistle.

“Well now, that’s certainly going to cause one hell of a commotion.”

He stepped aside and gestured toward the town.

“Go on then. Don’t let me keep you. Go give your fancy tower mages something new to panic about.”

As Aman passed through the gate, Malrick called after him.

“And when you’re done, stop by the house. Sarai and your Aunt Mil have been worried sick.”

“I will.”

With that, the guard captain casually leapt back onto the wall and resumed his watch over the surrounding wilderness.

Aman gave him a final wave before making his way deeper into town.

The streets of Brendon were as familiar as ever. Small stone buildings lined the roads while merchants hurried to finish business before nightfall. The smell of food drifted from nearby homes, mixing with the distant sounds of conversation and laughter.

For the first time in days, Aman found himself surrounded by civilization. It felt wonderful. It felt like home.

Following the familiar streets, he eventually arrived before the Arcane Branch of Brendon.

From the outside, the building looked entirely ordinary. A large two-story structure built from wood and stone.

The inside was another matter entirely.

Master Aenul had personally overseen every enchantment within the building and spared no expense in ensuring it met his high standards.

Though Aman was slightly ashamed to admit that it lacked any automatic doors. Instead, he was forced to push the entrance open like some sort of peasant.

The moment he stepped inside, he was greeted by the familiar chaos of the reception hall.

Apprentices and prospective apprentices ran in every direction like headless chickens, carrying books, scrolls and miscellaneous supplies. Some hurried toward the library with stacks of books threatening to spill from their arms while others rushed to complete tasks assigned by their senior mages.

Meanwhile, the receptionist appeared completely unconcerned by the chaos around her and was currently engaged in an animated conversation with a group of children half her age.

Amidst the storm of activity sat the Tier II mages. Completely motionless. Entirely relaxed.

Each one occupied a chair somewhere around the room, calmly reading, drinking tea or otherwise pretending the surrounding madness didn’t exist.

Aman smiled. He was home.

That feeling lasted approximately one second.

“Oh my gods! Aman!”

A green blur launched itself across the room.

A moment later, Aman found himself under attack.

“Oh thank the gods you’re alive!”

Sarai wrapped her arms around him with enough force to rival Captain Malrick.

“Do you have any idea how worried everyone was? You were supposed to be gone for two days and then you disappeared for nearly a week! I even talked to Master Aenul and he just said you’d be fine. But what if you weren’t fine? What if an Apex Beast ate you? Or worse, what if you actually found a dungeon and decided to go inside it?”

Aman endured the barrage of questions with the patience born of familiarity. This was Sarai, his best friend. Unfortunately, she suffered from a severe inability to remain calm whenever she was worried.

Smiling faintly, he reached over and gently ran a hand through her vine-like hair.

“It’s fine,” he said. “I’m back.”

Had Hikaru been present, he likely would have exploded with excitement at finally meeting another mortal race native to Esalia.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t. So the discovery would just have to wait.

Because Sarai wasn’t entirely human. More specifically, she was half druid.

Her mother belonged to a race of sentient plantfolk, and Sarai had inherited many of her features. Green eyes without visible pupils, hair formed from living vines and smooth brown skin that resembled the bark of a young tree.

Those same eyes were currently fixed on Aman and burning with curiosity.

“So?” she demanded. “What was it? An Apex Beast? A dungeon? A mana crystal mine? Or did the scryers finally go insane from stress?”

Aman chuckled.

He was still trying to decide how much he should reveal when he noticed the rest of the apprentices gathering around him.

Apparently, Sarai wasn’t the only curious person in the building. Within moments, a crowd had formed. Questions began arriving from every direction and Aman found himself quickly surrounded.

Deciding retreat was the better part of wisdom, he quickly raised both hands.

“Guys, I’m sorry, but I need to give my report to Master Aenul first.”

A chorus of disappointed groans immediately followed.

“I’ll tell everyone the full story afterward.”

That earned him a few reluctant nods.

“For now,” Aman continued with a mischievous smile, “I’ll just say that Sarai’s guess was correct.”

The room fell silent. Sarai’s eyes widened. Then the entire reception hall erupted into chaos.

Taking advantage of the distraction he had just created, Aman immediately escaped.

Ignoring the increasingly excited speculation of his fellow apprentices, he hurried upstairs toward the second floor, where Master Aenul’s office awaited.

---

They say a mage’s personal space says a great deal about its owner.

If that was true, then Master Aenul’s office said everything there was to know about the man.

It was a study in efficient organization while simultaneously being filled to the brim with everything he had collected throughout his travels.

Entire shelves groaned beneath the weight of books gathered from across the continent. Some came from the libraries of the capital. Others were handwritten journals acquired from tribal shamans, wandering scholars and fellow mages.

Trophies decorated nearly every available wall. There were monster cores taken from fearsome magical beasts, expensive enchanted artifacts purchased in distant cities and countless odd trinkets with little apparent value.

Among them sat a colorful river stone Aman had once found as a child and proudly presented to his master. It occupied a place of honor alongside relics worth more than most people earned in a lifetime.

At the center of this organized chaos stood a large ebony desk buried beneath stacks of papers and miscellaneous magical items.

Seated behind it was Master Aenul Sol, Tier III Mage of the Arcane Tower of Aereston and Headmaster of the Arcane Branch of Brendon.

Wearing purple robes over his thin frame, with a long white beard and a smoking pipe clenched between his fingers, the old man fit the image of a powerful Master mage far more than Professor Oak ever had.

As Aman knocked and entered the office, Master Aenul’s storm-colored eyes slowly turned toward him. A long plume of smoke escaped his lips.

“You’ve returned.” The old mage gave a small nod. “Good. Some people were starting to worry.”

His gaze swept across Aman before lingering on the unfamiliar clothes.

“And you look different.” A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “So. Did you actually find a dungeon?”

Aman looked down at his new outfit before nodding.

“Yes, Master. But that’s not all. It’s much more than just another dungeon.”

And with that, Aman began recounting everything that had happened. Finding the strange building in the middle of the forest, meeting Professor Oak, his introduction to the wondrous creatures known as Pokémon, his journey through Viridian Forest, the maze, the lake and finally the Pokédex.

By the time he finished, the sun had long vanished beneath the horizon.

“Interesting. Very interesting.”

Master Aenul stroked his beard and finally set aside his pipe.

“These Pokémon truly are unlike anything I’ve ever heard of. Even dungeon creatures usually follow certain patterns.”

The old mage pulled a blank sheet of paper toward himself and began writing.

“Every dungeon possesses unique creations. However, those are typically limited to Guardians, Emissaries or singular boss monsters. Ordinary encounters are generally modified versions of existing creatures or crude combinations of different beasts.”

His quill scratched steadily across the paper.

“Never have I heard of a dungeon populating an entire floor with completely unique creatures.”

Master Aenul paused before looking up.

“And this Professor Oak. If he is truly as powerful as you believe, there should be records of him somewhere. Yet I have never heard of such a man, which means he is likely not native to our kingdom.”

His gaze sharpened.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Are you certain we can trust his judgment?”

“Absolutely, Master.” The answer came without hesitation. Professor Oak might be a stranger, a foreigner and one of the most eccentric individuals Aman had ever met, but he had never once acted with malice. Everything he did revolved around understanding Pokémon and sharing that knowledge with others. Aman trusted him completely.

Master Aenul studied him for a few moments before slowly nodding.

“Very well. I’ll trust your judgment.”

The old mage extended a hand.

“Show me this grimoire he gifted you.”

Aman immediately handed over the Pokédex.

Rather than opening it, Master Aenul spent several moments examining the cover.

“Hmm.”

He turned it over. Then over again.

“It seems you may be correct about his strength.”

Aman blinked.

“What do you mean?”

Master Aenul tapped the cover with a finger.

“I cannot perceive the enchantments.”

Aman frowned. That made no sense. His master was one of the greatest mages in the kingdom. Even if the enchantments had been created by someone more skilled, there should still be traces.

Then he remembered something.

“Professor Oak said the Pokédex uses the dungeon’s mana to function. Maybe the enchantments only activate inside the dungeon.”

Master Aenul considered the possibility before nodding.

“Quite possible. Even so, it may be the most sophisticated enchantment I have ever encountered.”

The old mage chuckled.

“I would love to send it to the capital and have a Master Enchanter properly examine it.”

Aman immediately looked horrified.

Master Aenul laughed.

“Relax. It was a gift, a gesture of goodwill. Sending it away for dissection would be incredibly disrespectful.”

Instead, he focused on the only completed entry.

Budew.

The illustrations immediately caught his attention.

Aman felt a flash of embarrassment. He had completely forgotten to fill out the Pokédex with the rest of the Pokémon he had encountered before leaving.

Master Aenul didn’t seem bothered. In fact, he looked fascinated.

“This Budew is remarkable.”

His eyes moved between the illustrations and accompanying text.

“It resembles a plant while possessing clearly animal characteristics. You claim it guided you through the maze?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

Master Aenul leaned back.

“That level of intelligence should place it somewhere near an Apex Beast. And yet it lacks the size, mana capacity and physical development usually associated with such creatures.”

The old mage copied the entire page onto a separate document. Every detail. Even the illustrations.

“For a dungeon to create something like this…” He shook his head. “It truly is something extraordinary.”

Once finished, he closed the Pokédex and handed it back.

“I’ll have Brim personally deliver my report to the capital tomorrow morning.”

Aman immediately relaxed at the mention of the familiar name. Brim was one of Master Aenul’s former apprentices and an old friend of the family. Though officially affiliated with the Arcane Tower of Brislin, he occasionally helped Master Aenul with important tasks. As one of the Kingdom’s rare Space Mages, he could shorten a journey that normally took a month to only a few days.

“The Aereston Tower won’t waste time debating over this one. Not with a newly discovered dungeon and an entirely new species of magical creature involved. You should expect visitors within a week.”

Aman blinked.

“Visitors?”

“The Appraiser they will send,” the old mage replied. “And yes, you will be escorting them.”

Aman pointed at himself.

“Me? Again?”

Master Aenul sighed.

“Yes, you.”

The old mage gestured toward the window.

“You are currently the only person who knows the location of the dungeon and has established friendly relations with Professor Oak. I would accompany you myself, but these old bones no longer appreciate long journeys the way they once did.”

His lips twitched upward.

“Besides, sending an old man into a newly discovered dungeon sounds like a terrible idea.”

Aman wasn’t entirely convinced that had ever stopped him before.

“You’ll hire a proper adventuring party to provide protection. I hear that brat Crestel is in town.” Master Aenul’s lips twitched upward. “See if you can hire her.”

Before Aman could complain, the old mage simply waved him away.

“For now, go visit your friend. Malrick has spent the last several days pestering me for updates.”

Aman reluctantly nodded and turned toward the door.

“Aman.”

The old mage’s voice stopped him.

“Yes, Master?”

Master Aenul picked up his pipe and lit it with a small application of lightning mana. For several moments, neither spoke.

Then the old mage asked a question Aman never expected.

“Do you hate your master for sending you on a potentially life-threatening mission?”

Aman’s first instinct was to say yes. Very loudly.

Unfortunately, years of experience had taught him that honesty could be hazardous when dealing with Master Aenul.

His silence answered anyway.

The old mage released a long stream of smoke.

“I see.”

There was no anger in his voice. Only understanding. For a few moments, the old mage simply sat there, quietly puffing on his pipe.

Then he spoke again.

“Will it make you feel better if I answer the question you asked before you left?”

Aman paused.