The four of them stood stupefied. The multiple spiderweb cracks on the floor and walls of the grotto, corrosive vapor still rising from the melted wall, blood splattered on the floor and the lingering pressure in the air were clear signs of a battle to have happened a few moments ago.
"Did someone enter before us?" Aeron asked, confused.
"I don’t think I saw anyone. And...if this was not done by a team, then there are a very few who could solo a dungeon, like..."
"Like Grey?" Lenore cut in between, completing Blaze’s sentence.
No one was shocked on Grey’s mention. But it was till hard for them to believe it.
It was Grey himself who had given them this test. Why would he help them, and how did he moved past them, all these questions were making it hard for them to trust this claim.
"There’s another door there." Zenon broke the silence, pointing at the opened double doors at the distance, bringing all three of their attention towards it.
"Let’s check." Blaze stepped forward, putting aside this confusion and doubt as the others followed him.
Just when they reached at the threshold, bright, intense light welcome them. They had to cover their eyes for a second to save their eyes from the sudden and blinding light, making it difficult to adjust after coming out of the deep darkness.
The series of surprises continued when they moved inside. The sanguine wellspring at the center of the room grabbed their attention.
The bright light being reflected all around and the sounds of water dripping from the stalactite gave them an otherworldly sight against the constant dark eclipsed world. A pristine and holy feeling was calming their minds.
"W-What is this?" Aeron asked, surprised.
Blaze and Lenore were as much confused as Aeron, they didn’t have a single ounce of information about the wellspring in front of them.
But then, for the first time, Zenon showed an intense reaction, his eyes opened wide, mouth agape in shock.
"T-That’s a wellspring. H-How can this be here?"
All three of them turned towards him almost instant. More then the wellspring, Zenon’s expression shocked them more.
"What is a wellspring?" Blaze asked.
"It’s...the divine water it holds can awaken one’s bloodline and hidden potential. The Ashborn family has one in their ancestral grounds, as well as the other major families." Zenon explained.
Blaze and Lenore were shocked at the revelation. Immediately, they turned their gazes towards Aeron, hoping to confirm Zenon’s words.
"O-Our ling family is not that big. We’re just a small clan. I’ve never seen one in our family." Aeron said, a bit embarrassedly.
"Have you awakened your bloodline then?" Lenore asked Zenon.
"No. Not everyone gets the opportunity. I would have to pass the family test, and only the top genius is given the opportunity, since one person can awaken at a single time. The wellspring then takes twenty years to refill again." Zenon said.
The three of them nodded in understanding. Silence descended among them, all of their gazes locked on the wellspring, multitude of thoughts running through their minds. Finally, Aeron stepped up and broke the silence.
"This is too good an opportunity to pass through. We should decide as to who among us should use this wellspring."
"I don’t need it. I have different conditions for awakening." Lenore rejected immediately, her stance stern.
"I am going to take the family test. I need to prove myself there. I don’t need it." Zenon announced.
"We dragons awaken over time. It will just hasten the process and nothing else. I don’t need it too." Aeron said.
The three of them then turned towards Blaze. He was the only person left, and probably the person who needed it the most.
But he stood with his brows furrowed. The three of them waited for him to speak up, but he was lost in thought.
"I...I mean, we think you should be the one to take it Blaze." Aeron whispered softly, trying to get Blaze’s attention.
"Grey is the one that truly deserves this." Blaze said with a determined expression.
"This moron!" Grey’s face twisted with annoyance, standing a few meters behind them, hiding his presence.
"He’s the strongest first year. The first to ever defeat a shadowheart all alone in just his first year. He’s a hero. The future hope of the unified races, just like your uncle, Zenon." Blaze lips parted into a wide smile, his eyes burning with respect as he kept explaining.
"You have my full support in this!" Lenore agreed instantly upon mention of Grey, showing her playful smile.
"I agree." Zenon nodded.
"I guess you have a point. The C class is not scoffed at like earlier, only because of him. This could make him even stronger...I agree." Aeron gave him approval too.
"These fucking...Tch! No choice left now."
"I don’t need it since I’ve used it awaken already."
The four of them were taken aback, immediately turning behind hearing Grey’s voice, who was walking towards them with slow steps, his mask now removed.
"GREY!!" Lenore couldn’t hold herself back, screaming in excitement as she jumped at him with her arms spread out for a hug.
With two fingers pressed against her forehead, Grey kept her at a distance, clicking his tongue in annoyance.
"How come you’re here? Then...the fight in that room..."
"I dealt with the beast in the boss room." Grey said, not letting Aeron complete his words.
"I’ve been keeping an eye out on all you. You all were great. I’m impressed!" He said with a smile.
"Then about the boss?" Blaze asked, confused.
"The last time, it was a scourge class in the boss room. But today, I was getting an ominous feeling, so I entered before to check. And as I feared, there was a shadowheart class, a peak one."
"So, I dealt with it. Couldn’t let you all die you know!" He said with a smirk.
"But how come we couldn’t detect you at all?" Blaze asked.
"It’s because of an item. It hides my presence."
"So, you were the one I saw then. I knew it." Lenore exclaimed.
Grey was a bit surprised hearing Lenore being able to see him. But he immediately accepted the fact, since he knew what she was.
"Man! And I thought it was a ghost. Hahaha!" Aeron laughed embarrassedly.
"I had already used the wellspring to awaken my bloodline. That’s the reason I could grow strong this quickly. I asked you all to come here with the same reason, that is to awaken yourself."
"But I didn’t know that only person can awaken at a single time. Since it has come to this, I think the others are right, you should be the one to awaken Blaze." Grey said solemnly.
"But how could I? We all worked together to reach here. If I take all the rewards alone, I wont be able to forgive myself."
"Just accept you bastard! I need to unlock the rewards." Grey cursed inside wile maintaining a stoic face on the outside.
"I told you already. I have a different condition for awakening. This will not help me." Lenore rejected again.
"I see. The three of us can awaken then. Let’s share it between us." Blaze turned towards Aeron and Zenon.
"It won’t be effective. This will be a waste." Zenon said.
"No worries. At least we’ll unlock a small part of our potential right? I just want all of us to grow strong. I can’t march off ahead, stepping on all of you."
"But, this will be a..."
"I wont use to alone, no matter how much you throw it towards me. Either we all take it together, or else I won’t take it alone at all." Blaze folded his arms and stood adamant, refusing to bend.
"This shouldn’t be happening! If he doesn’t awaken, my months of hard work will go down the drain. Don’t accept you two!" Grey maintained an indifferent look outside, but inside, he was sweating buckets.
"Alright, let’s take it together. I don’t mind even if it goes to waste." Aeron sighed, helplessly accepting the proposal.
Zenon nodded as the three of them then moved towards the wellspring together.
"Shit! Why do the heroes have such selfless personalities? Can’t these motherfuckers be just a tiny bit selfish? Tch!" He was helpless. Nothing could be done now. He just hoped that by some miracle, Blaze awakens his bloodline, so that his rewards wouldn’t stay locked.
"Take a sip of the water first." Zenon instructed.
They dipped their palms inside the stoup and took a handful of the wellspring water. Bringing it close to the lips, they gulped the water down their throat.
The water passed down, inducing a cool and serene sensation.
They closed their eyes, immersing themselves within that feeling of calmness and purity.
The water from the stoup then moved up and started surrounding the three of them in a whirlpool.
Their bodies started floating up. They were now floating inside a ball of water, from the sanguine wellspring.
The water seeped inside through their pores, their bodies started glowing bright. Intense light radiated out, like a sun had formed inside the dark spaces of the grotto.