In a hauntingly desolate landscape, the remnants of a once-proud civilization lay in ruins.

The castle, now but a crumbling shell of its former glory stood as a solemn testament to the passage of time and the devastating aftermath of a cataclysmic event.

Its walls, once sturdy and majestic now cracked and weathered bearing the scars of the disaster from time past.

Even though barely standing, towering turrets stretched into the embrace of the grey sky. Despite the castle's state, it's architecture evoked an amazing sense of grandeur.

Beneath the castle wall, was a cluster of settlement, equally given to the disaster, the terrain was fractured in several areas, some buildings were without roofs, many more were abandoned… perhaps because of the darkness that looms there.

Closer to the base of the castle wall, a people could be seen, going about their activities.

It was like every fantasy city, only with a significant touch of a post apocalyptic event.

The people wore ragged clothes, and sold skewered monster meat. Others just sat on the floor, displaying not-too-attractive items for sale, with desperate expressions to sell on their faces.

Tents torn and sewn together from flags could be seen nestled here and there and some group of people actually lived there.

Entering there castle wall, more tents and makeshift shelter built from woods decorated the compound.

A wide staircase from the point of the castle compound led to a large door with intricate patterns that barricaded the interior of the castle.

And in the castle, a bustling community thrived, defying the odds of the post-apocalyptic world.

The once abandoned halls and courtyards now teemed with activity, revealing the resilience of the human spirit.

Each structure bore the marks of resourcefulness and adaptation, a testament to the survivors' determination to create a sanctuary in this harsh reality.

Within this improvised settlement, life pulsed with a quiet vibrancy.

Children played in the shadowed corners, their laughter echoing through the corridors. Groups of people gathered, sharing meals and stories, finding solace and camaraderie in their shared struggles.

Stalls and tables were set up, displaying an array of meager goods. The air was filled with the scent of cooking fires and the lively chatter of bartering, as the survivors inside the castle traded what little they had managed to salvage or scavenge—although with a better expression than those of the outer settlement.

In the smaller throne room of this place—as the larger one has been used to accommodate more people—a group of people sat around a rectangular table.

They were not the finest of faces…well, except some exceptional few… but each and every single one of them exuded an ambience of resilience.

Overall, an air of power and cogency occupied the room.

At the head of the table was a familiar brown beard man, wearing a white shirt, its sleeve rolled, the white couldn't as much be called white anymore.

His waistcoat was now tattered and sewn in different areas but he did not seem to care.

Despite his unseeming appearance and tired face, his eyes burned with a flame of resolve that seem to ignite everyone in the room.

There were familiar faces too.

Such as a lady overflowing with thick twisting vermilion hair, one of her eyes was covered by an eye patch and even in this desolate part of the world, she still held a bottle in her armpit.

Opposite her was a young lady, with scarlet red eyes that seemed to pierce into anyone she looked at. Long flowing black hair cascaded down her shoulders.

She was captivating despite the stern and enigmatic look on her face. The air around her commanded a presence that demanded attention without asking.

There were other notable people in the room too, such as a green haired boy, a white haired girl with golden eyes that glowed ethereally, a dark blue haired boy with trouble lurking in his tiny but vibrant eyeballs, a scrawny boy in glasses that kept trembling… and more.

All their attentions drew towards the person standing as he started, his thick voice rolling into everyone's ears:

"We have all been away for the past four months, gathering information about this place… the dark continent."

He paused looking at all of them.

"They were so inexperienced and childish when they came here six months ago… but now, they all look like dependable drifters." For a second, it was like he wanted to cry but he shook it off and continued.

"...thank you all for staying alive. But this is just the beginning. Now, I will call upon us one by one to share the things that we have all managed to put together from our expeditions."

The man said, his eyes swung gently across to a young man with a well groomed ginger hair, stood up, bowed his head and scanned everyone with calm eyes before speaking.

"As you suspected Sage Gilbert… there was another rift in the far west of Sloria… survivors also existed there…" his clenched hands trembled, "But their gates were locked to outsiders. I think they are what is left of the Sloria nation and are being sponsored by Luinngard Empire."

Gilbert nodded at the boy, giving him the permission to sit. Then he turned around to the lady closest to him on his right.

Annette sighed and stood up, nonchalantly gulping down her throat for a couple of seconds before she talked.

"Well, its just as the little guy said… except that there was no survivors." Her eyes creased with seriousness, her voice almost trembled as she added after a breath. "It was a tier IV gate."

Immediately all of them in the table widened their eyes.

Even the scarlet eyed girl who had remained expressionless frowned slightly.

Gilbert could not contain the shock of realizing it.

Of course they had expected something of such, in fact more. But after interacting with the survivors that were barely keeping themselves together somethings were made clear and Gilbert began to think… 'maybe the situation is not as dire as we think it is'

Six months ago, a large group of students suddenly found themselves in the heart of a desolate city, headless monsters, with neck ending in sharp jagged teeth racing towards them with vicious hunger.

The students were left in the heart of danger and were forced to fight for their lives.

That was the stage where some people made a distinct name and reputation for themselves.

When all of them fell apart in dread and horror, a single lady suddenly stood out, endlessly fighting the monsters without saying a word.

She protected as many as she could why they wall cried and shook like babies. Seeing her resilience despite their stupidity began to light the flames of resolve in others.

With her at the forefront, the students were eventually able to break through the horde of savage rank monsters—which wasn't hard considering that they were all drifters—and encountered a refugee settlement of some sort.

Upon reaching the settlement they encountered Gilbert, Annette and a twin ladies who also got transported according to them—against their knowledge.

Gilbert led an interaction with the survivors of the dark continent whom miraculously had been surviving for over thirty years now.

The stories he heard… wowed him and gave him hope.

Perhaps, they could save the dark continent and rid it of monsters.