Theo jumps, but not fast enough. One of his feet is caught, and the haelion lifts him into the air, hanging him upside down by the ankle.
"Thea!" Julian shouts, firing his Heartstone gun. The shot hits the octopus-like haelion's tentacle, the one gripping Theo.
Theo drops, but before his head hits the floor, he tucks and rolls away, protecting himself.
"Thea!" Julian rushes toward him. His face is pale — terrified that Theo might be hurt.
"I'm okay!" Theo calls back quickly. "But it's not over yet. It's still alive." He points at the Haelion.
Julian turns, eyes sharp. "Not for long."
He fires two consecutive shots, both hitting one of the creature's eyes — its weakness.
The octopus haelion lets out a high-pitched scream before slowly dissipating into shimmering light.
Julian looks back at Theo, still not convinced he isn't hurt. "Are you sure you're okay? I'm sorry — I shouldn't have distracted you."
"Yes, I'm fine," Theo assures him, grinning. He's been enjoying his first dungeon exploration. It's exhilarating — something that's been missing from his life as Thea.
I can already tell I'm going to get addicted to this, he thinks, unable to stop smiling.
Seeing his sister smiling — truly smiling — without an ounce of fear or pain, only pure joy, Julian feels a smile forming on his own lips.
He lightly taps Theo's shoulder. "Not bad, Sis. Not bad at all for your first time. Looks like you're enjoying it. I'm not wrong, am I?"
Theo grins. "Nope. You're absolutely right."
"Okay, calm down, Warrior Princess," Julian chuckles. "Not to burst your bubble, but this is one of the least dangerous Haelions. It's slow, practically stationary. But its tentacles are heavy enough to kill you if you get hit. They move fast too — but you were faster."
They both grin like fools. Then Julian's expression shifts. "That is, until I distracted you. Was the interior designer really that bad?"
The mention of interior designer brings back an image Theo's been trying hard to erase. He shivers unconsciously.
Julian notices and bursts out laughing. "That bad, huh? Tell me — what made her so terrible? Her designs?"
"His," Theo corrects quickly. "His designs. At least, I think he's a he. Although, I might be wrong…" Theo closes his eyes. "Don't bring him up again. If you're that curious, ask Mother. She can explain it better."
Julian laughs again, shaking his head.
"Alright," he says. "Now, can you repeat what I told you so far?"
Theo rolls his eyes. "Jules, I got it."
"I'm not saying you don't," Julian insists. "I just want to hear you repeat it."
Theo sighs. "Fine. The dungeon gate's size corresponds to its danger level. The taller and wider the gate, the more dangerous the haelions inside. Sometimes it's not just their strength, but their numbers too."
Julian nods at Theo's explanation. "Excellent. Now, I think that's enough for today. And don't even think about protesting," he adds quickly when he sees Theo about to speak.
"You already exercised this morning, and now you're at it again. You just recovered, Thea — don't push it. Besides, you have an appointment with Claudia, right?"
He glances at his watch. "If you get out of HB now, you'll have plenty of time to shower and get ready."
------------------------------
"I can't believe they let you go alone," Claudia says to Theo.
Both of them are licking their ice cream cones as they walk along the beach sidewalk. The weather is perfect, the breeze is soft, the sunlight gentle, and the scenery stunning. And, of course, the food is fabulous.
Even though it's a bit more crowded than Theo would like, he's enjoying himself. Back in his world, he had rarely seen the ocean, let alone visited one. Over there, nature was never friendly. He always had to stay alert whenever he ventured into forests, mountains, or lakes.
He never knew when tree branches might suddenly attack, or when the ground would open up and swallow someone whole. Mother Nature in his world had grown hostile toward the people who lived there. And in its final decades, it became so violent that it chose to destroy itself rather than coexist peacefully.
"I can't believe it myself. I thought I'd have to fight for it, but they just let me go. Maybe because they know I'm going with you, and that your parents would never let you go out alone," Theo says, still enjoying his ice cream. This time, it's chocolate chip.
Claudia glances back at the black-suited man walking a few paces behind them, looking completely out of place. She sighs. "Yeah, I guess. This is why Liam disappeared. He never liked the constant monitoring. He just wanted to be left alone."
Theo turns to her. "Your brother disappeared? And you don't sound very concerned."
Claudia chuckles. "This isn't the first time. Though he rarely disappears for more than two days. It's been almost four now, and it's driving Mom nuts."
"Can't they track him? I know my family can track me." Theo dangles his wrist, showing the Montrose watch.
Claudia shakes her head. "Like I said, this isn't his first time. And he's getting better at avoiding being tracked. This time, there's no trace of him."
"And yet, you don't look worried," Theo comments.
"Yeah, because I know my brother. He's more than capable of taking care of himself. He's an excellent Sentinel." Claudia's voice carries clear pride.
Theo bites into his cone. "What's a Sentinel?" he asks, blinking innocently.
Claudia whips her head toward him. "You don't know what a Sentinel is? How could – Oh." She pauses, her tone softening. "I'm sorry. That was insensitive of me. You… don't remember?"
Theo shakes his head lightly. "No. I'm guessing it's an exploration term? I don't recall anything about exploring. I guess I wasn't very interested in it before." Then he grins, eyes gleaming. "But now? I'm very interested."
He still remembers this morning's HB session vividly and he's eager to go back.
"A Sentinel is essentially a bodyguard for explorers," Claudia explains. "You know exploration is dangerous because of haelions, right?"
Seeing Theo nod, she continues, "Most explorers can fight haelions themselves, but you never really know what kind you'll encounter. That's where a Sentinel becomes useful. Their sole job is to make sure the haelions die. If any are still alive, the heartstone mining process can't proceed smoothly."
Theo nods thoughtfully. "I see. And your brother is a good Sentinel, meaning—"
"Excellent," Claudia cuts in. When Theo looks confused, she grins. "My brother is an excellent Sentinel."
"Right, sorry," Theo says with a small laugh. "He's an excellent Sentinel, meaning he's really good at fighting haelions?"
"Yes! He's—"
BOOM!
"ARGH!"