The Invincible Young Master

Leon, feeling the cool air on his face, removed his helmet for a moment to take a breather. The night air was refreshing, a welcome change from the stifling heat of the day.

"Are we there yet?" one of the armored men asked, his voice tinged with impatience.

"Soon," came the reply from the front, calm and authoritative.

Before leaving the city, they had discussed the plan for the ruins and the kinds of dangers they needed to be wary of. The city lord had provided Leon and the other recruits with these armors, just in case. Besides a few recruits, most of the men were from the city lord\'s army and the white-armored soldiers.

They had been walking for some time, and in the distance, a faint speck of light marked the city from which they had departed.

Leon\'s gaze was fixed on Reynold, the leader of their group, clad in white armor. His thoughts drifted back to the conversation he had with his master, Merlin, in the guild hall before their departure.

"Be cautious of Reynold," Merlin had advised.

"Why is that, Master?" Leon had inquired, confused.

"I sense an ominous aura from him."

"Really?" Leon had responded, glancing at the white-armored leader. "I don\'t sense anything."

"You\'re still inexperienced," Merlin had retorted. "Just remain vigilant."

"Is he strong?" Leon had asked, still unable to sense Reynold\'s energy.

"I can\'t sense it either; he\'s using some form of concealment, much like you," Merlin had explained. "Once he reveals his abilities, I\'ll be able to assess him."

Back to the present, Leon sent a voice transmission to his master. "Master, "Did you find anything yet?"

"No, I still can\'t sense anything," came the reply.

Leon glanced at Reynold, who marched at the front, his golden hair catching the moonlight. There was indeed something about him, an air of mystery and power that Leon couldn\'t quite place.

The group continued their march, the sound of their armor clinking softly in the quiet night. The desert stretched out endlessly before them, but under the guidance of the white-armored soldiers, their destination was clear.

As they marched, one of the recruits pointed towards a direction. "Hey, look, that dune is moving."

Skeptically, everyone\'s eyes turned towards the direction the man had pointed. Under the moonlight, they too saw a tall dune slowly shifting.

"Is that the ruin?" speculated one man, but his thoughts were soon interrupted by a loud commanding voice.

"Stay alert!" a sharp voice commanded, reaching everyone\'s ears.

The white-armored soldiers and the city lord\'s army immediately formed a battle-ready formation. Before their eyes, the large dune began to level down.

"The dune disappeared," one of them shouted, wariness in his voice.

The earth beneath them showed signs of trembling as the sands appeared disturbed. The soldiers looked around, vigilant.

Leon and the group of recruits positioned farthest from the danger, also took their stances with weapons ready in hand. Leon gripped a staff the city lord had provided him.

"Maybe it\'s just a false alarm-"

The man didn\'t finish his sentence, when all of a sudden, the earth beneath them opened up, and their group, at the farthest, began free-falling. Four of them, including Leon, were swallowed by the earth.

As Leon was falling, he quickly attempted to use his flight technique to escape, but before he could ascend, the light above him vanished, closing the opening.

"What the—" he could only mutter those words as he continued to free-fall in the darkness.

The descent seemed endless, the darkness around him pressing in like a suffocating shroud. He reached out with his senses, trying to detect anything that might help him regain control, but the abyss gave no hints.

Suddenly, the ground rushed up to meet him. Leon landed with a thud, the impact jarring but not debilitating thanks to his training.

He quickly scanned his surroundings, his eyes adjusting to the faint glow emanating from the walls of the cavern he found himself in. Strange luminescent stones embedded in the rock provided just enough light to see.

"Is everyone all right?" Leon called out, his voice echoing through the dim space.

A few groans answered him.

"We\'re okay, I think," one of the recruits replied, pulling himself up from the ground.

"I think I broke my arm," another said.

Leon quickly moved to the injured recruit\'s side, inspecting the arm.

"Try to stay still," he instructed, his tone calm but urgent. "We need to splint this."

Although they were strangers, now that they had fallen into the same pit, as the strongest in the group, he felt a sense of responsibility to look after them.

He glanced around, spotting a few loose pieces of wood among the rubble. He fashioned a makeshift splint, using strips of cloth from his own tunic to secure it. The injured recruit winced but remained silent, his breathing heavy.

After treating the injured, Leon stared up at where they had fallen from, but there was no opening, only an old stone ceiling with intricate markings that spiraled across the surface.

"There\'s no way back up," Leon muttered to himself, his gaze shifting to the path ahead. The only other option was to move forward or retreat into the darkness behind them. Seeing more lights flickering ahead, Leon made a decision.

"We need to find a way out of here," he said, looking at the other recruits. "Stay close and keep an eye out for anything unusual."

The recruits nodded their faces a mix of determination and fear. The air was cool and slightly damp, a stark contrast to the dry heat of the desert above. They moved forward, the glow from the glow stones casting eerie shadows on the walls.