The swordswoman disappeared in a whirlwind of smoke... and eventually, I found the willpower to look back at Venefica. Who still didn't look that fazed, as she simply rested her hands on her ample hips.

And all I could say was... "... What have I done?"

The rest of our stay in the now empty cave passed like a blur to me. I helped Elly up, who seemed even more astonished by what had happened than I was. I caught Venefica glancing at me... with what almost seemed like disappointment.
I couldn't get out of there fast enough. There wasn't much to say, anyway. In spite of how she'd handled the situation, Venefica didn't seem like she had any more knowledge of exactly why it had gone down like this. And obviously, we were all unharmed. So we made our way back up to the surface.

The cave was even darker, now that the faint glow from the Seal had disappeared. Venefica and Elly headed one way, towards the candymaker's shop, while I took the other route. Climbing back up to the Mountain.

There was someone I really needed to talk to. Someone I honestly should have considered earlier, if she didn't make me slightly anxious - in spite of how much I cared about her.

Someone who had been living in the Will-Power Temple for a long, long time.

Location: Will-Power Temple

I leaned against the temple wall, taking a moment to breathe and rest from the climb, facing the doorway to the decorated blue room. Before heading to a home I'd visited often by now. I pushed open the small door, the fox mask hanging off it moving as I did. And found myself smelling a familiar scent of lavender incense.

And seeing a more than familiar kitsune sitting in front of her circular table, surrounded by her floating balls of blue flame.

Seeing me come in, Kotone flashed her beautiful, mesmerizing smile at me.
"Fufufu, welcome back to my hypnotic domain, darling.~ Did you come back to have your mind melted all over again? Or are you just here to visit me~?"

As usual, it took some effort to do anything but simply stare at the kitsune's luscious body, listening to her sweet voice... But it was easier than usual. That experience in the cave... still had me shaken. Just remembering the woman's gaze as she'd stared as us was enough to get me to focus.

And Kotone certainly noticed. Her soft smile slowly faded, and became a pensive look as she got up and walked over to me, her bountiful cleavage jiggling in her kimono as she did.
"... Are you okay? You usually look happier to see me. Did something happen?"

I slowly tilted my head from side to side, trying to get a handle on the whirlwind of thoughts flowing through it.
"... Yeah... you could say that."

10 minutes later... twenty? More, less? I didn't know. We were both sitting on her plush, pillow-covered bed. Kotone's soft, curvaceous body was pressed against me, holding my hand, making it much more relaxing to tell her the whole story than it would have been otherwise. But even her beauty couldn't shake off the feeling... that I'd made a dreadful mistake.

Especially since, once I had finished... Kotone looked just as worried as I was feeling. She let go of my hand, got up... and began to pace around her room, her tail nervously swishing back and forth behind her.
"W-what's wrong?" I asked, surprised.

Eventually, she turned back to me, but kept glancing around at the floor, her face slightly twitching. "... You should have told me about this! An ancient dark spell, cast beneath the Mountain... It could be what those scrolls were talking about!"

Perhaps I looked a bit too confused, for when Kotone glanced back at my face, she looked almost... frustrated. "The "Ancient Evil"! The one sealed away, that I read about! For all we know, that could be it! It matches perfectly! And you said she attacked you physically? That would make perfect sense, if the barrier didn't exist when she was sealed! I can't believe you didn't talk to me before heading down there-"

My mind hazed over as Kotone kept talking. But not the nice kind. Certainly not the sweet, blissful haze I went into when she hypnotized me. No.
A haze of fear, guilt... and anger. For the first time since coming to Lucidia... I felt pure, genuine regret. I'd done something I wish I could take back.

And she was saying it was my fault-

"Well maybe if just being near you didn't turn my brain to mush, I might have remembered that! But letting people know what they get into before they do isn't your strong suit, is it?" I burst out. My face suddenly flushed.

Kotone stared straight into my eyes... with a completely stunned look in her own blue ones. Her tail rested upon the floor, completely motionless.
All my worry about this situation, all my nervousness about being with her, despite how far our relationship had gone... All laid bare in one instant.
And much like what had happened in the cave, I could take none of it back.

Seconds passed. A minute? I didn't know... And before I could say anything else, tears sprang from Kotone's eyes. And with a choked sob, she collapsed onto the floor.