"Alice! Alice!"

Slowly her weary eyes opened from all the fuss. The rustling sounds of things being pushed and pulled around, along with the chattering of many voices.

She had fallen asleep on the ground without realizing. The dream about her father had been so vivid that she thought she had gone back in time.

To be honest, it would've been easier to accept her current life as the dream instead.

"I'm awake," a yawn escaped her lips as her hands reached out for the ceiling, allowing her senses to return. A few joints of her body made a little sound as her arms stretched.

"The primordials have returned," one of the villagers pointed at the exit of the floor, one of the pathways Alice knew well. That's where she placed some guards, mimicking the way her father did things.

Kids learned the most through observation, especially when they were motivated by an emotional goal.

It seemed five out of seven from the primordials had gone somewhere. Someone had made their own decision, which to Alice was a relief. The least she wanted was people who needed to be ordered all the time. Her father had always told her how important it was to think first and then act. Followed by finding others who could follow through this same behaviour: talented people.

As they reached the core room and were about to kneel on Alice's way, she faced her right palm at them, "you must be tired. You should rest."

Despite her words, Katherine reached out for her, placing a small crystal on her hand, "if we're on the fifth floor then, the fourth floor is filled with mushroom monsters."

The girl's eyes understood then what the rustling noise had been: a corpse of a far bigger mushroom than what she imagined possible.

Alice took the crystallization of experience, furrowing her eyebrows at the name she used. Did food suddenly grow to the point of devouring those who eat it?

'What an insane world,' she yelled to herself, not knowing what else to say. This place was surely something special and definitely not in a positive way.

However, to Alice inner satisfaction, they had managed to beat the creatures. That was clearly good news. Perhaps acquiring experience would come easy like this, or so a hint of hope grew within her.

"Were they strong?" 

"A bit but the legs of the spiders came in hand as my lady advised," she smiled triumphantly, believing the matriarch plan had brought a clever advantage.

Quickly, Viktor knelt on Katherine's side, "my lady, if this is the fifth floor, then the one above is far too dangerous."

The man quickly shuttered at Alice's disappointed expressions. The way her icy eyes looked hollow and her pale self spoke on a frozen tale. The way her silvery hair ceased all the villagers of believing they were older than her.

Worse yet when her cherry lips opened very slightly only to close again.

Viktor felt his heart being grasped by the unease within him, caused by the silence of the matriarch. 

It made him feel useless, cursing himself in his solemn mind, 'if only I could use her gift.'

With a whimsical movement of Alice's fingers towards her own chin and an even smoother leaning of her head, that it looked to others she was devising a new plan.

I remained hidden within her clothing, hearing their news.

'Pandora what you think?'

'From everything you've told me so far. Maybe conquering the lower floors could get you enough experience to level up Theseus heritage.'

A little mumbling left her, causing the villagers to become even more curious of what wonders were dancing in the wonderland that was Alice's fascinating mind.

They enjoyed how the girl had managed to lead them this well despite her young age. How she had created a new villagers specie in a single day. That was the first miracle. The second had been the defeat of the monsters who slew the guardian, even if this second one had been Katherine's lie.

But for all it mattered, it had allowed the residents of the fifth floor to embrace her presence with respect and dignity.

Slowly they started to see her as more than just a kid.

Instead, it was more like a special child filled with wonders.

And who didn't like surprises? Especially when living in a cavern had all they did in their entire lives.

'Alright, help me with the speech.'

'Sure!'

And my words became hers.

"Clearly we are weak. Viktor made sure to find it out for us. Many of you don't know but Theseus left us with a blessing."

Her feet hastily took her to the special ore, showing them how strangely it opened and the distinct way it consumed the crystallization of experience, burping at the end.

Their shocked gazes said everything.

"This way, we'll manage to increase the level of this blessing," which she hoped it would reward them properly.

A possibility which may or may not work. Yet, to these cavemen, something as small as that, was enough motivation for them to move forward with expectations of their future.

"The villagers can eat these."

From all the rooms she had checked, there was one food related where they stored the corpses of things they'd find. It's smell was horrid as the appearance of the meat that rotted in there. There was also a hole where they did their physiologic necessities, but also where they threw the leftovers of food they didn't need.

It was very deep, perhaps it connected to a different floor. It was wide enough for a child to pass through, but the odds of returning were likely zero.

For centuries they threw the leftovers of the food the guardian had gathered while defending this floor. 

It was unthinkable to the other species to attempt to take this place for themselves. Yet, it seemed they had tried for a long time. 

Alice had once question them what did they eat. 

And the answer had been, 'anything that the guardian hunts.'

Now the villagers were hunters, just as much as they were prey.