Sinbad, this is Crystal.

Chapter 7

"It's a little chilly, isn't it?" Crystal asked.

She and Sinbad were huddling close to a fire as the sun began to rise..

"Yeah, but it'll be warmer when the sun comes out," Sinbad responded.

"Sinbad!" Pipirika ran to Sinbad and Crystal with a piece of paper in her hands.

She looked broken and distraught.

"It's my brother..h-he says he's going to prove himself, so he's going to the dungeon!" She exclaimed with a face of hurt and worry.

Pipirika's eyes teared up and Sinbad gasped.

"The dungeon kills any and everyone who isn't worthy of being a king's candidate. Tens of thousands of men have lost their lives because of their greedy ambitions," Sinbad explained.

"Then..my brother..." Pipirika trailed off sadly.

"Don't worry. I refuse to let him die." Sinbad said.

He stood up and walked ahead of Pipirika.

"Sinbad!" Pipirika yelled. "How are you certain you'll make it out of there in one piece? For all you know, both of you could die!"

"I just know, I'm not going to die," Sinbad said coldly. He had this intimidating and cold bravado about him now that wasn't his normal self.

Crystal walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"I know you're not going to die. Just, be careful, okay Sinbad?"

Sinbad hesitantly put his arms around her waist but soon tightened comfortingly around her body.

"I promise, Crystal."

They pulled away and Crystal smiled at him, seeing the warmth in his eyes fully restored.

~

Hina ran to the entrance of the colossal tower. He had in his hand Father's Abarae Narwhal horn that he stole.

"This is it," he said to himself.

The entrance began to glow with a powerful light as it opened. Hina burned the image into his memory.

Stand strong, his mind said. I can do it. If I obtain the dungeon's power, I can become a true warrior. And gain everyone's respect.

With that, he walked into the dungeon.

He immediately came across the glowing red orb. As Hina reached out his hand to touch it, he got pulled in by it and entered a completely different environment. 

He was in a crystal cave. There were blue, purple, and pink glowing crystal jutting out nearly every corner of the cave and a huge waterfall diving into a lake. Butterflies were flying around.

"It can't be," he said as he glanced around. "This is a dungeon?"

There was nothing in this room that seemed dangerous or deadly at all. Perhaps Sinbad was simply exaggerating those stories.

Little did Hina know, Sinbad was following close behind, entering the dungeon minutes after him.

The wandering Magi, Yunan, watched from afar.

"Once again, you seem to be guided by the power of the dungeon. I'm curious though; what is it that your eyes are able to see, that they rest of ours cannot?"