The Dark Ascendance

The cold wind brushed against Kazuki’s face as he trudged along the worn road to Florentia. His footsteps echoed in the stillness of the wilderness, accompanied only by the faint rustle of leaves and the distant calls of birds. His mind, however, was far from serene.

The events of the past few days still lingered in his thoughts, like shadows he couldn’t shake off. The faces of Aiko and Yuki, kneeling before him, haunted his memory. The look in their eyes—a mixture of fear and awe—was something Kazuki was growing far too accustomed to.

As he walked, his eyes scanned the horizon, and he began to think aloud to himself.

“If I reach Florentia,” he muttered coldly, “I’ll need to get a mask. I can’t afford to have anyone recognize me, especially if the authorities get involved in any future fights. They’d know exactly who to arrest.”

Kazuki's voice was calm, but beneath that surface was the weight of everything he'd endured—everything he'd become. He was no longer the same person who had been summoned to this world with his classmates. Now, he was something far more dangerous. The wind howled, a sharp gust, almost as if it was agreeing with his dark musings.

He pressed on, walking for days, barely resting. Each step brought him closer to Florentia, the country renowned for its herbal medicine. A place known for healing. Yet, Kazuki was painfully aware that no herb could heal the scars—both physical and emotional—that he carried.

Finally, the gates of Florentia loomed in the distance. The clang of metal armor sounded as two guards stood at the entrance. As he approached, one of them raised a hand.

"Wait!" the guard barked, his voice firm. "State your name and where you're from."

Kazuki's cold eyes met the guard's gaze. He hesitated for a brief moment, then spoke.

“Kazuki. From Aldoria,” he said, his voice emotionless.

The guards exchanged glances, but after a few questions and a long pause, they let him pass.

As he entered Florentia, Kazuki couldn’t help but think, "This place reeks of false serenity," noting the peaceful atmosphere that starkly contrasted his inner turmoil.

Now inside, he murmured to himself, “Just need to pass through here... then Nocturnia awaits.” Nocturnia, the land of cursed magic, was his true destination—a place far removed from the herbal calm of Florentia.

He walked for hours, his body aching from the long journey, but his resolve unyielding. As the sun began to set, casting an orange hue over the horizon, Kazuki arrived at a city called Veridonne. The distant murmur of bustling crowds and the sound of market bells ringing welcomed him.

Veridonne was massive—almost as large as Aldoria itself. Kazuki’s eyes flickered with slight surprise, though his face remained expressionless. He quickly made his way to an inn, paying for a room with the few coins he had left.

The moment his body hit the bed, he let out a low, tired sigh. The bed creaked under his weight, and the darkness of sleep took him in an instant.

The next morning, Kazuki awoke with a renewed sense of purpose. He needed two things: a mask to conceal his identity, and money to continue his journey.

His first task was simple enough. After washing his face and donning his tattered cloak, he set out into the city to find a vendor selling masks. The chatter of the market filled the air, mixed with the clinking of coins and the laughter of children. The normalcy of it all seemed so foreign to him now.

Kazuki approached a vendor, his eyes scanning the various goods displayed.

“You got any masks?” he asked, his voice as cold as the steel of his blade.

The vendor, a portly man with a wide grin, nodded eagerly. “Oh yes, lad! We’ve got all sorts of masks. But judging by the look on your face, I think you’re after something... unique.”

The vendor rummaged through his collection and pulled out a white mask. It had a sleek, smooth finish, but what caught Kazuki’s attention was the neon red pattern etched across it—a striking, almost unnatural design.

“This one,” the vendor said, his voice lowering conspiratorially, “is special. One of a kind. No one else in Veridonne has a mask like this.”

Kazuki reached out, running his fingers across the mask’s surface. There was something about it that resonated with him—a sense of danger and mystery, much like himself.

“I’ll take it,” he said flatly, tossing a few coins onto the vendor's counter.

As he walked away with the mask in hand, he could feel the weight of the eyes around him. People glanced at him curiously, but none dared approach. There was an aura around Kazuki that kept them at bay, an unspoken threat that hung in the air.

Once the mask was securely in his possession, he knew it was time to deal with his dwindling funds. He made his way to the local guild, a place where adventurers took on quests for rewards. As he entered, the heavy door creaked open, revealing the boisterous atmosphere inside. Adventurers of all ranks filled the hall, exchanging stories of their latest conquests.

Kazuki walked to the quest board, his sharp eyes scanning the papers pinned to it. Most quests offered meager rewards—escort missions, hunting basic monsters—but none of them caught his interest. He needed something that would yield real profit.

Then, his gaze landed on a poster.

“Raid this mysterious dungeon that appeared a few months ago!” it read in bold letters.

Kazuki’s lips curled into a slight smirk as he tore the poster from the board. A dungeon raid meant treasure, and treasure meant money. But more than that, it meant a chance to grow even stronger.

He approached the guildmaster’s desk, slamming the poster down. The thud echoed across the room, drawing a few eyes toward him.

“I’ll take this one,” Kazuki said, his voice cold and resolute.

The guildmaster, a grizzled old man with a scar running down his face, raised an eyebrow. “Alone? That’s a dangerous quest for one person.”

Kazuki’s eyes darkened as he put on the white mask, hiding his face. The room seemed to drop a few degrees in temperature.

“I’m not just anyone,” he said, his voice now muffled behind the mask, but no less menacing. “If I find any loot, it’s all mine. This time, no one will hold me back.”

With that, Kazuki turned, his cloak billowing behind him as he left the guild. He was ready. Ready to face whatever awaited him in the dungeon.