UNMEI: Pantheon's Game-Chapter 137: Rise

The sun had begun to sink behind the towers of Rendely, its final light casting long shadows across the stone streets. It was the kind of evening that carried weight in the air, where the silence wasn't peace, but pressure. Finality. Dune felt it with every step.

He had already passed through the Rodeny estate once, almost running through its open halls, past finely dressed nobles and carefully trained servants.

He searched with quiet desperation. The gardens were empty. The family chambers too quiet. Every corner of the estate felt sterile, distant, as if Ned was no longer part of it, or maybe he had never belonged here at all.

His heart sank.

Maybe he didn't come.

Maybe the Rodeny name had finally rooted itself too deeply into Ned's chest.

He turned back, the city's pale torches flickering around him as he moved quickly, heading toward the only place that still felt familiar; the tall, iron-banded gates of Bloodrose Academy. Where this journey had begun and would continue.

As the academy came into view, Dune's pace slowed.

And then he saw him.

A lone figure stood at the gate, back straight, arms behind his back. The uniform was different now, tailored in the sleek, dark colors of the Rodeny family. His hair was neater, swept to the side, eyes calm and distant.

But it was still him. Still Ned. His own brother.

Dune stopped a few steps away, staring.

"You... came."

Ned's lips twitched into the faintest smile. He gave a small, respectful bow, more formal than it used to be. "You're my brother. Why wouldn't I?"

That small sentence shattered the doubt Dune had carried in his chest.

He laughed, quietly, and stepped forward. "You scared me. I thought... I thought you weren't coming."

"I had to finish something first." Ned's voice was even. Steady. "They didn't want me to leave. But I insisted. I'm here now."

Dune opened his mouth to reply but Ned didn't let him.

He reached forward and pulled his hand into a handshake, It was so unlike him, so unexpected, that Dune stiffened.

"Don't die, Dune," Ned said, voice low, rough.

"Come back. Come back stronger. I don't care what trial they throw at you gotta survive it."

"I will," Dune whispered. "I promise."

They stayed like that for a moment, the noise of the academy fading behind them, just two brothers clinging to what time they had left.

"And you... stay safe too. I know they'll try to twist you into something else. But I know who you really are, Ned. You're stronger than them."

Ned nodded. He didn't reply, but his jaw tightened slightly, as if holding something back.

Dune raised his fist and tapped it gently against Ned's chest, their old signal from when they were kids. A goodbye without words. One that said everything that couldn't be said.

Then he turned and began to walk away.

Ned didn't move.

He stood there, watching his brother's back grow smaller with each step, the night swallowing him slowly. His fingers twitched. His mouth opened.

But he didn't speak.

He just stood there, heart pounding.

Then, as Dune passed beyond the torchlight, something cracked.

Ned blinked, and a single tear slipped down his cheek.

"...Don't go," he whispered. "Stay. Brother..."

But Dune was already too far.

The words were lost in the wind.

And the gate stood open behind him, the darkness of tomorrow waiting ahead.

Dune made his way back across the academy grounds, the sky dimming into a warm twilight hue. Most students had already scattered, off to spend their final night with family or friends.

The stone path crunched quietly under his feet as he approached the far end of the garden, where the cracked fountain still trickled faintly.

That's where he saw her.

Mindya stood alone, ike always. Arms crossed, eyes fixed on the clouds above like she was waiting for them to pick a fight.

Everyone else had avoided her since day one, and she seemed perfectly fine with it.

Dune raised a hand and waved. "Hey."

She turned her head just slightly. "Hey," she replied with that same unreadable calm.

He stopped beside her. "What are you doing here? Is everything okay?"

She nodded once. "Mhm."

Dune sighed. "You know... you don't have to bottle everything up. I'll be there for you in the trial. You're not alone anymore. There are others, too. We'll look out for each other. I promise—"

Before he could finish, her fist snapped up and smacked him on the shoulder.

"OW! What was that for?!"

"Idiot," she muttered, glaring at him. "Shut up already."

He spun to face her, rubbing his head, but couldn't help laughing. "That's how you say thank you now?"

"You were getting too emotional," she grumbled, a faint smile tugging at her lips despite herself. "It was gross."

"Oh really?" Dune grinned. "Then why are you smiling?"

"I'm not."

"You are."

"Shut up."

For just a moment, everything stilled between them.

But then without warning, Mindya stepped forward and hugged him. Tight.

Her arms locked around his middle, fingers clenched in the fabric of his jacket. Her face pressed into his chest like she was trying to disappear. Her usual energy, the sharpness, the bite, it all dropped away, replaced by something raw and silent. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Dune blinked, stunned by the sudden embrace.

"What... what are you doing?" he asked softly.

She didn't lift her head. Her voice came out quiet, almost unsure. "It just... seems like the right thing to do."

"I don't want you to die, Dune."

Dune stood there for a second longer, before gently wrapping his arms around her. "I'm not planning to die," he whispered. "We'll make it back."

Mindya didn't answer. She just squeezed him tighter.

"If you die," she murmured, "I'll kill you."

He chuckled under his breath. "Deal."

The sky above Rendely had turned gold, bathed in the setting sun. Streets that once bustled with daily merchants and voices now echoed with cheers and cries of farewell.

The long road to the arena stretched wide and proud, paved in pale marble, lined with banners of Bloodrose Academy and the crest of Sanatria.

Thousands lined the edges. civilians, families, nobles, all waiting to witness history.

Dune walked with the rest of the students, all clad in their personalized uniforms, armor, or robes.

Guards marched beside them in formation, their weapons glinting under the evening light. The air was heavy with tension, but louder still was the tide of voices.

"Good luck!"

"Make it back alive!"

"We're proud of you!"

"Don't die!"

Children waved flags. Old warriors saluted. Parents cried into the shoulders of their loved ones.

Dune's eyes shifted from the faces to the sky above. It felt like the air itself held its breath.

Beside him walked Atlas, his usual confident posture a bit heavier than usual. The weight of what was to come settled on both of them, yet neither said anything for a moment. Just the sound of footsteps and cheering.

"You better not die before we meet in there," Atlas said suddenly, flashing a smirk without looking at him.

Dune grinned. "Same to you. Otherwise, who'll pay my taxes?"

Atlas laughed and they bumped fists mid-stride, the sound sharp against the roaring crowd.

As they continued down the path, the walls opened into the monumental Bloodrose Arena. Tiered seats rose like waves around the central platform, packed with thousands.

Lights shimmered from enchanted crystals above, casting a glow over everything. It was a sea of voices and colors.

In the royal booth sat the key figures of the realm.

King Aramir stood tall in dark, polished armor adorned with crimson lining, his crown gleaming under the firelight.

At his side, his two sons, James and Damion, stood with hands clasped behind their backs, both expressionless. Their mother, regal and silent, held her hands tight on her lap.

Magma Rodelyan stood not far behind, his fiery golden cape billowing without wind. His molten eyes scanned the arena.

The great families watched from their own balconies, Sarazel Rodeny with a proud but heavy look, Richard Amellia seated with his young daughter Ana on his lap, her voice piercing through the noise.

"Dune!!!" Ana Amelia called, waving wildly with a bright ribbon in her hair. "Come back safely!! Good luck!!!"

Dune caught her voice through the crowd and turned. He smiled and waved at her, his heart aching with a strange warmth. "I will," he whispered to himself.

Students around him smiled nervously, some crying softly as the weight of it all became real. A few held hands. Others clenched their weapons tighter. Laughter mixed with silence.

Among them, Dune spotted Lucius Neville with his hair neatly combed back, offering nods to everyone around.

Seraph Neville beside him had her eyes closed, muttering what seemed like a silent prayer.

Hazel stood tall, her brows furrowed, she was in deep thoughts.

Leonard Amellia, calm as ever, gave Dune a firm nod from across the crowd.

And then, Lady Silvie Ceresey.

Seated in her place among the noble spectators, cold and graceful. Dune's eyes met hers for only a moment. He gave her a small, respectful nod. She returned it, wordless but deliberate.

As all the students gathered at the heart of the arena, a hush fell over the crowd. The energy shifted.

King Aramir stepped forward onto the raised platform, and with one lift of his hand, the entire arena silenced. His voice boomed, laced with power and authority.

"Today marks one of the most important moments in Sanatria's history. The future of our world steps forward from these very grounds. The Trial, born from the ashes of the old, fueled by the dreams of the new, begins now. You are not just students. You are warriors. Legends waiting to be written."

He paused, sweeping his gaze across them.

"Many of you will fall. But some of you will rise. And those who do... will reshape this world."

His sword ignited in green flame, and he drove it into the marble stage.

A roar exploded from the crowd.

Green fire burst from the ground, swirling into columns that danced like ghosts around the arena. One by one, the students began to vanish within them, swallowed by the trial's calling Neba.

Some screamed. Others laughed. A few fell to their knees in fear. Families cried out names. Parents sobbed. Lovers reached toward vanishing bodies. The world blurred into fire and emotion.

Dune stood firm, his eyes searching the chaos for one last glance.

He saw Atlas ahead, already being engulfed by flame. They locked eyes one more time, and Atlas grinned, raising a hand in farewell.

He turned, and saw Mindya. Standing motionless, her green eyes glowing faintly.

And the green fire finally took him.

Then, silence.

Dune was gone.

[ Welcome to your first Trial, Dune - The Trial of Truth ]

[ Current number of Nebas taking the Trial with you: 44.560 ]

[ Mission: Defeat The "Dragon Slayer" reach the Castle Of Lost and survive the destruction. ]

Dune's eyes snapped open. His breath came in ragged gasps, chest rising and falling like a storm-tossed sea.

"Where am I?" he asked himself, looking around.

For a moment, his mind struggled to place where he was, but the moment his gaze took in his surroundings, every certainty shattered.

He was standing on a platform so narrow, it seemed barely there, a slender thread suspended in endless void. His knees buckled; he dropped to them as vertigo slammed into his core.

He was in the middle of a sky.

Thousands of meters below, a thick blanket of clouds stretched endlessly. Yet above him the sky, the vast blue expanse he had known, was nowhere to be found.

Instead, above him loomed something impossible.

A colossal ocean. A boundless sea hung upside down, churning, furious, alive. The waves crashed and swelled against gravity's defiance, droplets sparkling like stars suspended in midair.

Within that great inverted abyss, ancient behemoths glided, leviathans larger than castles, krakens with endless tentacles, and monstrous forms older than time itself.

Their eyes, glowing dimly with ancient knowledge, flicked through the liquid expanse like watchers from another realm.

Dune's voice was barely a whisper, trembling between awe and dread. "This place... i have seen it somewhere..."

This was a world warped by unseen forces, where knowing truth was the main weapon.

Every step here could mean the difference between life and death.

[ End of part three: Paths To Growth ]

[ End of Volume 1: Rebirth Of Whisper ]