CHAPTER 45: FINDING THEA

Arthur, Dumar, and Julian jump out and stand at the front of the gate. They have been ready for hours.

The crowd stirs. Reporters and media crews ready their cameras, all facing the gate.

The gate continues to rumble, sending lightning bolts into the sky. Beneath the arch, the mist begins to swirl — a sure sign the gate is opening.

A group of people is about to enter when someone shouts, "Look! Something’s coming out!"

Arthur grips the hilt of his sword, ready to strike. He stands firmly at the front of the group.

A man supporting another appears through the swirling mist. As the pair step closer to the light, Linus. who is suddenly standing beside Arthur, no one quite sure when he moved there, exhales sharply.

"Liam!"

Liam hears his father’s voice, looks up, and sees Linus’s unreadable expression. He can only respond, "Hi, Dad."

He turns to the Captain, recognizing his uniform. "You’re going to need medics. There are six other survivors behind me." He shifts his grip, handing over the man on his shoulder.

The Captain signals to the medical personnel, who rush forward immediately.

Linus says nothing. He scans his son from head to toe, looking for injuries. When he finds none that seem life-threatening, he exhales quietly in relief.

"Liam." Arthur steps forward. "Have you seen Thea?"

"Thea?" Liam repeats, frowning. He remembers the name but doesn’t recall seeing any white-haired young woman among the survivors. He shakes his head.

Arthur and Julian pale. Without a word, Arthur turns and steps through the gate. Julian and Dumar follow close behind.

"Sir, is the dungeon cleared?" the Captain asks Liam.

Liam nods. "Yes. It’s safe now."

"Captain," he calls as the man turns to give orders. "I’m going back in. I need your team’s help to retrieve the bodies of the fallen explorers."

The Captain nods and heads into the dungeon with his unit.

Liam turns to Linus. "How did you know I was here?"

Linus smirks faintly. "You already know the answer, so why ask? Besides, that’s not what’s important. Look around, son. Do you know where you are?"

Liam frowns. "Of course I know, Dad." He turns anyway. "Why wouldn’t I—" His jaw drops.

"Why... why am I here? The gate I entered was at the outskirts of Arvion." Then he notices the size of the gate.

"Holy shit! No wonder!" He whips his head toward Linus, but his father raises a hand, stopping him. "Later," Linus says. "For now, finish what you started."

Then he turns and heads toward the mayor.

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Arthur enters the dungeon in haste. Once inside, he freezes, stunned by the sight before him. Behind him, he hears Julian and Dumar stop as well.

"What is going on?" Dumar breathes out, eyes wide.

Julian can only stare silently for a moment. Then he pulls out his tablet. "This dungeon is huge. I think this might be the biggest dungeon ever discovered." He looks again at the data. "Jeez. It’s almost half the size of Arvion."

Dumar shakes his head. "Look at the size of those Heartstones. And the number of them." He whistles softly. "Young Monfort is one lucky bastard."

Arthur exhales. "Let’s just find Thea. That’s what we’re here for."

He lowers his gaze and activates Thea’s tracker. A red dot appears on the screen. He turns to Julian. "Can you detect her life signs?" His heart pounds loudly in his chest. He’s terrified of hearing the answer.

Julian nods quickly. "Yes! Yes, I can see them. Art, she’s alive!"

Arthur exhales, a sound halfway between relief and disbelief. "Let’s go get her."

Julian takes the lead, with Arthur and Dumar close behind.

Behind them, members of the DEU follow cautiously, whispering in awe at the sheer scale of the dungeon and the overwhelming number of Heartstones glittering around them.

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Julian runs as if something deadly is chasing him, eyes flicking between his monitor and the ground. Arthur and Dumar sprint behind him.

After what feels like forever, Julian suddenly yells, "We’re close!"

They find Thea lying unconscious on the ground, surrounded by dense rows of Heartstones. Arthur spots her first. "Thea!"

He rushes forward, kneeling beside her, checking her vitals. Julian scans her again. "Nothing major. Just exhaustion."

Arthur feels tears sting his eyes. "We need to get her out of here."

"Guys," Dumar says suddenly, his voice low. "Look at what she’s holding."

Both Arthur and Julian look down. Thea is curled in a fetal position, clutching an azure Heartstone as big as her head.

Julian scans it. His eyes widen in disbelief. "Fifty-one percent purity!" He looks up at Arthur and Dumar. "This is the first!"

Arthur glances at the stone, then back at Thea. "We’ll deal with it later. For now, Thea is more important."

Even as he says it, his heart tightens. He can’t help thinking about what this means — sixty percent and the azure Heartstone will go to Monfort, since Liam was the one who officially cleared the dungeon. The thought saddens him.

But Arthur shakes the thought out of his head. He gently scoops Thea into his arms and stands, carrying her in a princess hold.

Dumar looks at her muddy hair, face, and clothes, then sighs. "Poor girl. She must’ve experienced something terrible to end up in this muddy state."

Arthur doesn’t care about the mud. Holding Thea’s fragile body in his arms, he can feel his throat tighten and his eyes sting.

I’ve got you, Thea. We’ve got you.

"Should I try to take the Heartstone from her?" Julian asks uncertainly.

Arthur looks down at her serene, sleeping face and shakes his head gently. "No. Don’t disturb her. We’ll give it to the Monforts later, after she’s safe at home."

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On their way out, they meet Liam, who is searching for the bodies of his fallen comrades. When he sees Arthur carrying a woman, his eyes widen.

"Is that her? You found her? Is she okay?"

Arthur nods. "Thankfully, she is." He’s about to leave when he notices Liam’s eyes fixed on the azure Heartstone in Thea’s arms.

"I don’t want to disturb her," Arthur says calmly. "I’ll return the Heartstone later."

"Hm?" Liam looks up and meets Arthur’s gaze. "Is that the Heartstone King? Wow... it’s azure in color! That’s got to be rare, right? Have you checked its purity?"

Julian doesn’t answer. He finds it strange that Liam hasn’t already scanned it. The first thing any Sentinel would do is measure a Heartstone’s purity.

And another question forms in his mind: How did Thea end up holding it?Liam doesn’t seem to knowabout it. Why?

Liam is still watching Arthur, a puzzled look on his face. "You said you’ll return it to me later. Why?" Then, realization hits him.

"Ah... you thought I cleared the dungeon!" He shakes his head and smiles faintly. "Nope. It most definitely wasn’t me." His smile turns quiet, almost mysterious.