THE GENERAL'S DISGRACED HEIR

The tension outside the dungeon gates was palpable, thick like the humidity that hung in the evening air. Elder Scroll stood with his arms crossed, his normally composed demeanour cracking under the weight of the situation. Beside him, Elder Tyron and Mage Ray were silent, each lost in their own thoughts. It had been five long hours since the group of candidates had escaped the dungeon, leaving behind three others, including David De Gor—the most promising candidate of the entire group.

Elder Scroll let out a weary sigh, his eyes fixed on the foreboding stone gates that seemed to mock their anxious wait. "We have no choice," he muttered, his voice low and strained. "We need to return to the Earl and report this immediately. We'll have to request a mage with a higher circle to come and unseal the gates."

Elder Tyron gave him a sharp glance, understanding the underlying truth in his colleague's words. To break the seal on this particular dungeon gate required immense power, and those still inside had likely perished. The dungeon was a death trap, and without a stronger mage, there was little they could do. "You think they're already dead, don't you?" Tyron asked, his tone devoid of emotion, though his eyes hinted at something deeper—a quiet resignation.

Scroll didn't answer right away, but his silence spoke volumes. "We'll need an execution team to investigate the remains," he finally said. "There's no other option."

Mage Ray, standing a few feet away, clenched his fists, his heart heavy with the possibility of losing not just any candidates, but ones with immense potential. David De Gor was practically a legend among his colleagues, and Ashley, the Spire's most promising student, was an apprentice Mage Yuan had been personally overseeing. His gaze kept drifting to the sealed gate as if hoping it would open by sheer will.

Just as Elder Scroll was about to turn and leave, Ray suddenly gasped. "Elder, look!" he cried, pointing toward the gate.

Scroll's eyes snapped to the tree's archway just in time to see the surface ripple, as though the very air around it was distorting. His pulse quickened as he watched the gate shimmer, the seal breaking ever so slightly. Two figures emerged, stepping into the daylight with a staggering weariness that made it clear they had been through hell.

"By the Goddess…" Ray muttered as he immediately recognized the smaller of the two figures. Ashley! The apprentice from the Spire. She was slumped in the arms of the second person, her body limp from exhaustion.

Ray didn't hesitate. He sprinted toward the pair, his heart pounding in his chest. Noelle, carrying Ashley, gently lowered her onto the ground. Ray knelt beside her, his hands already glowing with soft healing energy. "She's exhausted," he whispered, "but she'll live."

As Ray worked to restore some of Ashley's mana, Elder Tyron approached Noelle, his expression stern but not unkind. His eyes, however, held a mixture of surprise and approval. "You did good, kid," he said, his voice gruff but laced with a rare respect. "Surviving that dungeon is no small feat."

Noelle blinked in disbelief. Was a noble really acknowledging her? She straightened herself, trying to ignore the gnawing exhaustion in her limbs, and shook her head. "It wasn't me," she said, her voice rough from strain. "David De Gor… he saved us. He bought us time."

Both elders exchanged glances, a spark of admiration flickering in their eyes. For all his youthful arrogance, David had proven himself once again. But Elder Scroll's brow furrowed with concern. There was one question left unanswered.

"Where is David?" Scroll asked, his voice taking on a sharper edge. "Why hasn't he come out?"

Noelle bit her lip, hesitating as the memories of their final moments in the dungeon flashed before her eyes. "He stayed behind," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "He was buying us time to escape. He said he'd follow, but… but… we need to go back in! We need to save him!"

Her words hung in the air, but the response from the elders was not what she had hoped for. Both Elder Scroll and Elder Tyron's faces darkened, their eyes growing cold.

"You don't understand," Mage Ray spoke softly, still kneeling beside the recovering Ashley. "The gate… it's sealed from the outside."

Noelle's heart sank. "What do you mean?"

Ray stood slowly, his face pale. "The dungeon gate's seal is unbreakable unless we have a higher-circle mage. We can't just walk back in. David… David is trapped inside."

Noelle's breath hitched. Her mind raced as the reality of the situation sank in. David was still in there. Alone. And no one could reach him. "No," she whispered. "There has to be a way. He's alive. He has to be alive."

Tyron clenched his jaw. "This dungeon has claimed many lives today. If the gate is sealed and David hasn't come out, there's little we can do now."

Elder Scroll, despite his stern exterior, sighed heavily. "Even if we wanted to go back in, we'd need to wait for a higher-circle mage to break the seal. That could take days."

Noelle's fists balled at her sides. She wanted to scream, to rage at the injustice of it all. But what could she do? She was just a potter, a survivor, while David was the hero who stayed behind. Her voice trembled as she spoke again. "But… we can't just leave him there."

Elder Scroll's face softened for just a moment before he turned away, his voice low. "We will report this to the Earl. We will bring reinforcements and return. If David De Gor is alive, we will do everything in our power to rescue him. But for now, we need to retreat."

Ray finished restoring what little mana he could to Ashley, who had finally regained enough strength to stir. "She's coming around," he said quietly.

Noelle looked down at Ashley's pale face, her mind still spinning. The weight of what they had just endured was crushing, but now it felt even heavier knowing that David might still be fighting for his life, alone.

Elder Tyron, seeing the look on Noelle's face, placed a hand on her shoulder. "You've done your part, girl," he said, his voice softer than before. "Sometimes, surviving is the best we can do. Let us handle the rest."

Noelle nodded numbly, but inside, her heart was breaking. She had escaped, but David... David was still trapped in the darkness of the dungeon.

The elders began their preparations to leave, but Noelle couldn't help but look back at the gate, hoping—praying—that somehow, David would walk out at any moment.

But the gate remained still and silent, the foreboding entrance to the dungeon standing as a grim reminder of the battle still raging within.

Ashley stirred weakly, her eyes fluttering open as the reality of the situation settled in. The moment she regained enough strength to understand what was happening, she shot up, her body trembling. "No," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "I'm not leaving without David." Her words were firm, laced with a resolve that startled even Noelle.

Mage Ray, who had just finished restoring a fraction of her mana, placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "Ashley, you've been through enough. You need rest. We have no way of re-entering the dungeon right now," he tried reasoning, his voice soft but urgent. "We'll come back with stronger reinforcements, with the Earl's approval. We'll—"

"No!" Ashley shouted, shaking his hand off her shoulder, tears welling up in her eyes. "You don't understand! I'm not leaving him behind. Not David. He saved us. I can't—" Her voice broke, and the tears she had been holding back spilled over, tracing streaks down her pale cheeks. "I won't leave him there. He's still fighting! He's still alive!"

Ray exchanged a troubled glance with the elders, his heart aching at her desperation. "Ashley, we all want to save him, but the gate is sealed. There's nothing we can do right now."
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Ashley's hands balled into fists. "You're wrong!" she cried, taking a step toward the gate. "There has to be something we can do. We can't just walk away!"

Noelle, standing a few feet away, felt her stomach churn. The thought of abandoning David—after everything—gnawed at her. The only noble who had ever treated her with dignity, who saw her not as filth but simply as someone weak, someone who had the potential to grow stronger. David had recognized her, not because of her status, but because of her will to survive, to improve. And now... she was about to walk away from him?

Her lips quivered as she watched Ashley's desperation, and before she could stop herself, she spoke up. "I... I can't leave either," Noelle said quietly, but her voice grew stronger with each word. "David believed in me. He treated me differently. If I leave him here, I'll be abandoning the only person who saw potential in me." She swallowed hard. "I can't just walk away now."

Elder Tyron's face darkened, frustration boiling over as he stepped forward, gripping Noelle's shoulders firmly. His eyes bore into hers, a mixture of anger and desperation. "Do you think we want to leave him?" he snapped, his voice barely restrained. "Do you think we haven't considered every possibility? We are bound by the limitations of this dungeon's magic. None of us—" He paused, his voice softening, "None of us are happy about this, but sometimes, there's nothing you can do."

Noelle flinched under Tyron's stern gaze, her resolve wavering for a moment. But before she could respond, something strange happened. The dungeon's gate, which had been sealed shut, began to emit a soft, golden hue. It shimmered, as though the very air around it was bending under some unseen force.

Mage Ray's eyes widened in disbelief. "What in the world...?"

The golden glow intensified, and the dungeon's gate rippled like water. Then, from the shifting light, a figure emerged.

David.

He stepped out of the dungeon gracefully, his silhouette bathed in the golden light, his white hair billowing behind him like an angel. He was unharmed, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Did you miss me that much?" he asked, his voice casual, almost teasing.

Ashley froze, her tear-streaked face a picture of disbelief. "David...?" she whispered, her knees threatening to buckle.

Noelle's breath hitched, her heart racing as she watched him approach, the weight of relief crashing down on her like a wave. "David!" she gasped, her voice breaking with emotion.

David's eyes glinted as he reached them, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. "You didn't think I'd let you have all the fun, did you?" he teased, glancing from Ashley to Noelle. "Now, what's with all this talk about leaving me behind?"

Both girls could barely respond, their minds reeling from the shock of his sudden appearance.

Ray, still in disbelief, stared at the now-closed gate, the golden light fading into nothingness. "But... how?" he muttered. "The gate... was sealed..."

David simply smiled, a cryptic gleam in his eye. "Let's just say... I had some help," he said softly, casting a glance at the now-silent dungeon.

Elder Scroll, watching from the back, exhaled a long breath, a smile tugging at his lips. "He did it," he murmured, almost to himself. "The boy did it."