Aric woke up in pain on a stretcher, with Lysandra on the neighboring stretcher. He tried to sit up but felt a sharp pain in his ribs.

  —You shouldn't move so soon, leader —said Lucien, who was sitting in a chair reading a book.

  —Are you alright, Lucien? —Aric asked, lying back with a groan—. How are the girls and Serpensq’i?

  —I'm fine, and the girls are fine too. The orc is at an inn nearby, he hasn’t left in these three days. He just said to let him know when you wake up —she said, closing her book and lowering her feet from Aric's stretcher—. You still want to go after the boss on the fifth floor, don’t you?

  —Yes, I still want to do it —he said with a determined expression—. Could one of the girls come here and heal my wounds?

  —That can't be done, because Serpensq’i's curse prevents healing of the target until a week after the rebound is triggered. So, you'll have to stay here and suffer for at least four more days —she said, standing up. Then she coughed a bit and held her stomach—. I think this rest will be good for everyone. Using elements I'm not used to affected me more than I thought. Other than that, Lysandra hasn't woken up yet. The damage she took was a bit more severe than yours. We just have to wait for this week to pass, then we can heal them and continue with the raid. We're lucky we helped the reconnaissance team; they're covering all the recovery expenses, and we have plenty of food and places to rest. Anyway, I'll go tell Serpensq’i you woke up.

  After Lucien left, Aric stayed thinking about what they had gone through, a great enemy that posed a threat to many people and took many lives appeared so unexpectedly. He tried to understand what was happening to anticipate it, but it was beyond his foresight.

  —You're probably wondering what caused this incident —said someone, surprising Aric—. It won't be long before you figure it out.

  After saying that, the person sat on Aric's stretcher, giving him their back.

  —Who are you? Do you know me? —Aric asked, a little uneasy—. How do you know what I’m thinking?

  —The Naas labyrinth is a dangerous place. There's a reason no one has been able to go beyond the sixth floor in over 100 years —the mysterious figure began to explain—. That reason is directly related to The First. I imagine you know this, but I’ll say it anyway. That monster was not normal, it didn’t belong in the labyrinth. There’s no logical reason or explanation for it to be there. It was a levitating monster, a descendant of the extinct cyclopes. Its venomous lancets could indicate a blessing from the Scorpion King of the Wastelands, but... how could such a creature go unnoticed and cross the vast sea to reach the Naas labyrinth?

  Aric looked at him, suspended in thought, realizing everything the mysterious figure was telling him.

  —Even if it had crossed by land, the high orcs would have stopped it, or your people in Alkias would have annihilated it. You’re strong, but there are many stronger humans than you. Even the prince of the dark elves had little trouble defeating it, —he said while putting his hands in his pockets—. How do you think a creature from the Wastelands made it to the depths of the fourth floor?

  —I don’t know, maybe with teleportation magic? —he wondered—. But if it had had that magic, it would have escaped when Ulric launched his attack.

  —Exactly. And on top of that, the sheet of paper...

  —How do you know that? —Aric asked, agitated—. Were you spying on us?

  —It dropped a single sheet of paper that conveniently leaves many clues for you, especially for Ulric, —the mysterious figure commented—. This creature... “The First” is also explicitly saying that it is the first, so we can assume that more will come.

  —Were you in the labyrinth? —Aric continued asking, his breath quickening—. If you knew so much about the monster, why didn’t you help us?

  —You’ll find out eventually, —said the mysterious figure as he stood up from the bed—. By the way, those rings the bosses dropped, you should give them to the support mages; it’ll improve their performance.

  —As if I could trust someone I just met, —Aric groaned.

  —Ah, sure, that's no problem, Aric, since you've known me for a long time, —he said as he left.

  Meanwhile, in the war room of the Naas Guild, Sulfias and the other leaders gathered to assess the situation and plan their next move. The guild leader, an old elf named Thandor, listened carefully to Sulfias’s report.

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  —We’ve never faced anything like The First, —Sulfias said—. Its appearance was completely unexpected and much more dangerous than we had imagined.

  Thandor nodded, his wrinkled face showing concern.

  —The fact that The First had that ancient script suggests that there is something deeper at play here. We need to know what that text said.

  —There’s still no news from the high orc, —Sulfias replied—. We must wait for him to decipher the text.

  —What will we do in the meantime with the labyrinth? Ulric hasn’t stopped insisting that he should be in control of the kingdom, not the guild. He claims that he had to come himself to clean up the mess, —complained Thandor—. Anyway, it’s true. If he hadn’t appeared, who knows how many high-level warriors would have lost their way that day.

  —There’s something that doesn’t let me fully trust Ulric, —revealed Kardeniam, who had remained silent throughout the meeting—. More than 100 years ago, in Alkias, a monster tried to escape the dungeon. The inhabitants of the village near the dungeon were massacred, and help took so long to arrive that it was impossible to stop the disaster. That monster was a...

  —Kardeniam, —Thandor interrupted—. You may be older than this elf, but you need to control what you say. I will not tolerate high-level information leaks in a meeting like this.

  —But Thandor, this must be related, —insisted the old Kardeniam—. We can’t let things happen again.

  —Perhaps you’ve been my advisor for too long, —Thandor stated—. We will continue with the meeting after you and I speak privately.

  Sulfias and Valerian left the room together, leaving Thandor and Kardeniam alone. After leaving the facility, they began to converse.

  —There’s something strange about all this, Sulfias, —commented Valerian—. That monster, its characteristics were totally incongruent with the ecosystem of the labyrinth. It’s not normal for such a monster to appear, and the number of boss monsters that appeared.

  —It’s true, my dear friend, —Sulfias nodded—. Something tells me that Thandor is hiding something. Kardeniam was about to reveal something that Thandor didn’t want us to know. For now, let’s wait for things to calm down and see what resolution Lord Thandor reaches. Don’t forget where the loyalty of the reconnaissance unit lies.

  Elsewhere, specifically at the inn where Serpensq’i was staying, we see many leaves on the floor and on the wall a mural with many notes, a copy of the leaf The First dropped, and threads connecting with other writings.

  —Liberation Spell, —Serpensq’i read—, and this is the strangest part... time magic.

  Serpensq’i was observing the sheets and placing them on his board to organize his thoughts. Suddenly, he approached one of the characters on the sheet and fell to the ground, searching through his notes until he found an old book. He opened it and began flipping through it quickly, comparing the characters, and sat on the bed. He breathed in and started taking notes. After a while, he had deciphered the text.

  It would correspond to a spell to annul another spell, an annulment. This spell had to be at least a high-level one, like the ones documented in the records of the Great War. And what kind of spell would they be trying to annul with such force?

  Serpensq’i didn’t waste any time and contacted Ulric, who, satisfied with the situation, asked him to inform Thandor and the others.

  Meanwhile, Aric was reflecting on his encounter with the mysterious figure when, suddenly, Lysandra regained consciousness.

  —Uh, —she complained as she tried to sit up—. I’ll never let anyone curse me again.

  —At least we’re alive, —Aric replied—. We have four more days until they can heal us completely.

  —I suspected as much, —she sighed, reclining back again—. How are the others?

  —Everyone’s fine, —he responded—. Once we’re healed, we’ll return to the labyrinth to continue the raid. Are you still in?

  —... —After thinking for a moment, she decided—. Yes, we had a strange start, but maybe if we manage to get through the fifth floor and get ahead of the Reconnaissance Corps, my family might start taking me seriously... sorry, I shouldn’t be talking about this.

  —Don’t worry, we’ll surely get even further, —Aric reassured her.

  After a while, Lucien returned with Serpensq’i. They had taken longer because they stopped by the war room to give their report, and they had news for the injured.

  —Aric, Lysandra, it’s good to see you awake, —he said, greeting them—. How do you feel?

  —Like crap, —Aric replied—. We have to deal with this for four more days. Don’t you have any blessing that could make us sleep through it?

  —Hahaha, —the orc laughed—. Unfortunately, the curse I placed on you involves an “unbreakable contract” that can’t be broken. I can’t use any other curses or blessings on you after the damage rebound.

  —That sucks, —Lysandra complained.

  —Tell me about it, —Lucien complained—. This reckless fool made me use an element opposite to mine, and then that heartless woman forced us to use another extra element.

  Lucien didn’t notice, but behind him, the heartless woman stood, her expression grim.

  —I don’t understand how someone like her can be the leader of the Reconnaissance Corps, —Lucien continued grumbling while everyone stared at her in terror—. Her mages must be going through hell because of her. I hope I never have to obey her orders again.

  A heavy silence fell in the hospital. Lucien, noticing no one was saying anything and seeing their pale faces, grew alarmed. Feeling a tingle on his back, he mechanically turned around.

  —For a dark elf, you sure have a sharp tongue, —Sulfias said with a forced smile. He pushed Lucien aside and sat on Aric’s bed—. I bring a request from the guild leader for your group. Old Thandor heard about your performance during the emergency. You were the only group that made it to the Reconnaissance Corps and not only that, but you were of great help in combat.

  —That’s something anyone should do in a situation like that, —Aric replied, a bit embarrassed.

  —Well, apparently you’re not just anyone, —Sulfias retorted—, so this request isn’t only from the guild leader, but also from the Reconnaissance Corps. Please, join the Reconnaissance Corps!