Chapter 52: Lost Souls
"And that completes my report."
"I see, you have done well, Fels."
Ouranos thanked his friend and servant before turning back to his guest.
"Does that satisfy you, Hestia?"
"Well, more or less," Hestia replied with a nod. "Though its going to be tough going ahead if that Gros can't trust us."
"It will take time, as it always has," Ouranos replied. "But…while the three of us can wait as long as it is required…"
"The Xenos and my Children can't," Hestia finished with a nod of agreement. "And so the first thing we need to do is dismantle the Monster Trade going on under our noses. Thankfully, I'm on the case."
"Truly?" Ouranos asked, sounding rather surprised. "You, of all people, have already taken the initiative?"
"I hate it that that's the first thing you have to say about this," Hestia replied with a pout. "And okay, I might not be the one doing something about it, but I think that's what my Captain is doing."
"You think? Or you know?"
"Well, my Captain said he was going to, and I quote, 'Clear out the trash,' by which he's most likely talking about Evilus or whatever they're calling themselves. The way I see it, it's most likely that the traffickers are using the same resources as they are right? I mean, how many ways in and out of this city can there be? If they aren't using the same ones then they would be fighting over them and that means less chances and resources for them to destroy Orario or fill their pockets or whatever, right?"
"That…is certainly true," Fels admitted as they glanced up at Ouranos who had simply closed his eyes in thought.
"So the way I see it, my boys are going to be cleaning up two of your messes in one go," Hestia finished, proudly puffing her chest out.
"If that is the case then it certainly will be a boon," Ouranos admitted. "And am I correct to say that the other reason for you to come visit me in my shrine is to keep yourself hidden while all of your Children are away?"
"Yeah well, everyone knows that we gods and goddesses are the biggest weak points of our Children, right?" Hestia pointed out. "And I wasn't going to risk Hephaistos, Take, or Miach by hiding out with them. So that just leaves you and your secret hidey-hole."
Ouranos let out an amused huff but did not say anything else to that.
Not that he had the chance to as the chamber began to shake violently around them.
"A ground quake?" Hestia asked, placing a hand on the steps leading up to Ouranos's seat to steady herself.
"…Not a natural one…" Ourano muttered, turning toward Fels who nodded and quickly disappeared to investigate. "It would seem your Child's 'cleaning' has begun."
"Let's just hope he doesn't get too overeager with it…"
And that he didn't destroy the city along with it.
X-x-X-x-X
When the shaking started, Bell and the others had been on one of the paths connecting the rooms of the Twenty-Second Floor together. Being on a narrow path over a cliff where monsters could swoop in from the sky or climb up from underneath while a quake was happening was quite the scare.
Thanks to the efforts of Fia and Rei, who had the capability of flight and thus were able to continue operating without trouble, no monsters came up upon them during the duration of the quake.
"W-what was that just now?" Primo asked as Welf helped her and Gina to their feet. "A groundquake?"
"No, the only time the ground shakes around here is because the Dungeon is mad at something," Lily said as she looked around. "Lily proposes we cut the Expedition short and leave the Dungeon immediately."
"We didn't finish collecting the required materials though," Emma pointed out.
"Then at least back to Rivira and regroup! Either way, it's far too dangerous to keep staying here!"
"Then it might be best if we part ways here," Rei said. "It's a bit of a shame but I do not think Arles and I can join you if you return to where other surface dwellers reside."
"But the man at that inn was okay with letting me stay there," Fia pointed out.
"Yeah but you kept yourself hidden and he didn't ask any questions," Welf pointed out. "We might be able to hide Miss Rei the same way but I don't think we can hide Miss Fluffy Bunny."
Arles let out a soft sigh of regret as Assassin gave her a big squeeze, not wanting to part ways again so soon.
"In any case, let's get out of here before something crazy happens!" Lily urged once more.
"R-right," Bell said. "Everyone, let's fall back…Miss Rei, Arles…are we splitting off here then?"
"I'll see you off at the stairs to the upper floor and then the two of us will return to our hidden village," Rei replied.
"I understand."
As they rearranged the formation to retreat, Bell noticed Lancer and Rider were staring at the distant wall. When Bell did as well, he realized that four familiar lights were moving from within the wall.
"…When did they enter the Dungeon?" Bell wondered before a chill ran down his spine.
Almost as one, Bell and the others turned their gazes upward, just in time to see cracks form in the ceiling.
"…A mass birthing event?" Welf let out a gasp as his face turned deathly pale.
"A what?" Karen asked, turning toward the smith in horror.
"It's a Monster Party!" Gina shouted. "Run!"
Bell immediately started shouting out orders.
"Rider, take the front! Lancer, the rear! Girls, the center! Go, go, go!" Bell shouted as Rider took the vanguard position and started charging back toward the entrance of the Floor with Bell, Arles and Assassin right behind her. The two flying Xenos took the flanks, covering the Level 1 girls plus Lily then Gina and Welf with Lancer taking the rear.
No sooner did they start running then did the walls and ceiling break open, allowing dozens of monsters to rain down upon the Twenty-Second Floor.
X-x-X-x-X
Impossible!
Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!
Knossos had been stolen.
There was nothing else that could be said about it.
No…not only had it been stolen but also…
Completed.
There was no other word to describe it.
Its massive halls, carved out of the stone that laid below Orario and beside the Dungeon had been removed and reshaped into the perfect specimen they were in right now. One that the great ancestor Daedalus had always dreamed of.
The adamantite lining the walls and the orichalcum doors were removed and relocated into new areas and in some places used to make new ones.
And to top it all off, the Labyrinth no longer responded to the keys, rendering them nothing more than useless trinkets.
Impossible. Impossible!
He had known the moment the second set of intruders arrived at one of the doors of Knossos and opened them with a key of their own. One that must have been taken from one of the Evilus groups that moved in and out of the Labyrinth completing various tasks like the moving of the violas and other monsters or was it taken when they lost Olivas Act?
Either way, he watched them bring a minotaur into Knossos and then…
Impossible…how could a mere minotaur cast a spell powerful enough to do such a thing?
He knew that it clearly was one of those monsters that Dix and his Familia had been so enamored with but…
Impossible…unforgivable.
A thousand years of work…generations of slaving away in the darkness cannot be undone by a single monster.
Unforgivable… unforgivable… unforgivable…unforgivable…!
This would not stand.
No matter how beautiful it was. No matter how complete it was.
Knossos was to be built and completed by mortal hands, not by some monster.
There was only one way to rectify that.
He dove into the Labyrinth without any fear of losing his way.
For its foundations and plans of the entire Labyrinth had already been cursed and burned into the very soul of Barca Perdix through the notes written in Daedalus's Notebook.
X-x-X-x-X
Ais stared in shock at the pristine stone walls in front of her.
One moment she had been reaching out for Lefiya and the next she was here.
On the plus side, at least she was not alone.
"Well…I suppose this means Hestia Familia is here."
She glanced to her side as Finn held up the cylinder object he had been fiddling with the entire time they were in Knossos.
The golden cylinder lit up as golden characters that were different from the common language of koine and the god's language written in hieroglyphics. The characters shined and seemed to burn away the golden casing, allowing a stream of parchment to fall out.
"That's…" Ais breathed as Finn held up the parchment with one hand while keeping hold of the cylinder in the other.
"A map," Finn said with a nod. "Probably of this 'new' Labyrinth considering it just now opened up."
Ais tried to read the map over Finn's shoulder but its design only served to make her head hurt. How did anyone draw this in the first place?
"Was it like this?" Finn suddenly asked.
"What was?" Ais asked back.
"When Archer completed his Spell on the Fifty-Ninth floor," he clarified. "The two of you vanished from our eyes and then came back without the Demi-Spirit. Was it something like this?"
Ais thought back to that day.
She thought back to that wasteland where nothing existed but a field of swords planted into the ground like grave markers. A land of rust that kept on moving like the gears that hanged overhead and the lone Hero standing upon a hill of swords.
"No," she replied as simply as she could.
"Is that so?" Finn asked, turning toward one of the bull statues. "It's probably someone else then."
The minotaur?
Could such a thing be possible? Were Hestia Familia sheltering a Monster Spirit of their own?
Impossible. A monster couldn't become a Hero. That just wasn't possible.
Every fibre of Ais's being told her to go find it and strike it down but even so, she knew it would be a futile effort as it would require not only fighting the minotaur but also Archer, Caster, Lancer, Rider, Argonaut and her Teacher as well.
Worst case scenario, she would involve her entire Familia in a war that neither side would come out unscathed…especially not if the minotaur could create something like this.
Were she her old self, the balance of the two Familias would not have even come into consideration. She supposed she was growing up in some ways.
"In any case, we won't be moving completely blind anymore," Finn said, shaking Ais out of her thoughts. "But even with a map, it won't mean anything unless we have a clear idea where we are in the first place."
"Right."
Finn rolled up the map and carefully deposited back into his bag.
They had no idea if they had simply been warped or simply dropped somewhere when the Labyrinth changed. They didn't even know if they were on the same "floor" as they started from. And so, the only way to find out was to look for some sort of landmark that was obvious to the map itself.
With that settled, the two Level 6 Loki Adventurers set off…whether deeper into the heart of the Labyrinth or away from it, neither of them could say.
X-x-X-x-X
Berserker and Archer ran down the halls of the Crete Labyrinth with their weapons at the ready. Archer with his black bow and Berserker with his twin axes.
The two of them, along with the rest of their Familia, had shed any sign that they were from Hestia Familia…not that it mattered much in Berserker's case. The entire world probably knew of the minotaur with white mane and its tiny elven rider thanks to the War Game but it was for the best that he didn't wear his blue sash bearing the Hestia Familia Emblem anyway. He wouldn't want it to get dirty or torn after all.
As the master of the Labyrinth, Berserker had an intimate knowledge of its inner workings and had a decent idea of where everyone and everything in the Labyrinth resided.
Which was why as he was leading Archer to the closest group of people that carried the same smell as Primo's friend, he suddenly stopped and glanced down a different road.
"What's wrong?" Archer asked, stopping beside his fellow Servant.
"…Something else…here…" Berserker replied. "Fia…Fia's comrades…"
There was a slight hitch of breath as Archer understood what Berserker was trying to say.
"…I see…" Archer muttered as he glanced down the path they were originally headed down before shaking his head. "Then let's help them first."
Berserker stared at Archer in surprise. As a "Human Spirit," Berserker was sure Archer would want to prioritize the lives of humans rather than monsters like the Xenos.
"From what the God Hermes said, the Xenos are being kept in awful conditions where they're unlikely to survive, right?" Archer said. "Then if we aren't quick, they might not have much longer…or in the worst case…in that it's too late…we can end their suffering."
Berserker understood.
Being trapped in a Labyrinth like this was its own form of torture and no one should have to suffer from it. That person had saved him from that darkness and it was up to Berserker to share the same freedom to others if need be.
However…
"Far…" Berserker told him. "Far away…from other humans…"
If both of them went then there was a chance they would not make it back to save the humans.
"Yeah…I understand," Archer replied. "That's why we should hurry and-"
Archer's words died in his throat as both of their heads snapped toward the path leading toward the members of Loki Familia.
"…Sorry, looks like we're splitting up here…" Archer said. "Don't worry about me…I know where I'm going."
Berserker kept his gaze on Archer for a moment before nodding his head.
The Servant of the Bow then disappeared down the corridor, leaving Berserker to make his way down to the depths of his Labyrinth.
Along the way, Berserker encountered several people wearing white robes; enemies as they were described by Caster.
As such, Berserker knew that they would detonate themselves if they got too close and while he did not think such a thing would injure him, it was best to be careful.
As such, it was best to kill them without giving them a chance to react.
He used his inhuman speed to run right through them, crushing their bodies against his own before they could even move a finger. He swung his twin axes at them as well, cleaving massive grooves into the surrounding walls and floor as their limbs were separated from their bodies.
Blessed by a god or not, his enemies were still "human" and Berserker…
"▂▂▃▃▃▃▄▄▄▄▅▅▅"
"H-heeeek!"
"GAAAAAAH!"
…Was a monster.
His size, strength, and Howl was enough to even shake the hearts of those who had did not fear and even actively sought death.
The Servant of Madness was a demon even amongst monsters.
There were few that could stand before him and not falter under his presence, especially not so deep within his own lair.
To do so, one would require a will of a Hero.
And as such, there were no heroes here.
An inhuman breath sounded from behind him and Berserker turned to see another monster standing at a distance. A pale blue deer-like monster with a golden mane and antlers of steel, which were currently dripping with red blood.
The moment Berserker turned his body completely however, the monster had already disappeared. It had appeared alongside the Labyrinth, mindless as it was, its instincts would not allow it to bare its horns against the maze's master. To enter a fight it could not win.
"Strange."
Yes, it was strange. They were much more intelligent than usual. But that was all it was. In the long run, it did not matter to Berserker as it simply meant he did not have to waste time.
With that out of the way, Berserker continued his descent deeper and deeper into the Labyrinth.
However…
With every life extinguished in front of him; whether crushed underfoot, cleaved in two or took their own lives in a flash of flame, Berserker felt no joy.
On the contrary, it only served to remind him of the dark days of his life.
Yet he chose to do this. Even though he had been asked by Caster to lend his strength, Berserker acted on his own will.
It might have been rash, but he would endure for the sake of a future for Fia and her comrades. Although his time under the sun was limited, he would be able to carve a path for the future Xenos to reach the same light he had yearned for, yet turned away from, for themselves.
But even so…
Was such a future possible?
Although his master and the younger girls had no problem with Berserker, occasionally, he would notice the others avoid his gaze or flinch when he turned toward them.
It happened less and less as the days went by, but with the addition of Karen, it simply brought the topic back to the surface. It just reminded him that he was a monster.
And as he stood here, within his Labyrinth, covered in the blood of humans once more…the more his natural demon shown through.
And thus did the demon descend deeper and deeper into the Labyrinth…until finally…
In the previous Knossos, it must have been a storage room of some sort, meant to house and move merchandise.
Several crates containing had been shifted and upended during the takeover, with the less secure crates spilling its contents all over the floor. This included metals, ores, supplies…
And monsters.
Monsters, did not disappear into ash immediately upon death. Their bodies remained on the earth just like humans did. It wasn't until the Magic Stone was removed from their bodies did the rest of the body crumble away to return to the Dungeon to be born once more.
The same could be said for the Xenos.
The smell of death soaked deep within the room, even more than any other place in the Labyrinth.
An exaggeration to be sure, but the sight of monsters wrapped in chains, covered in wounds and even missing limbs ignited a deep rage within his heart, equal to the Madness the Berserker class bestowed upon him.
It was as if a dark miasma formed from the resentment and hatred of the Xenos had filled the air. The lingering curses of not just the corpses in this room but the ones that had been stolen away from the Dungeon were crying out, seeking vengeance upon humans. Not just the ones who tortured them to death, but all of humanity.
Eat.
A curse wormed its way into Berserker's skull. A shadow of his former self.
Eat them.
The darkness whispered into his ear to carve out the Magic Stones of the dead Xenos and devour them.
Monsters gained strength upon eating the bodies and Magic Stones of other monsters and the Xenos were no different.
Eat them. Then kill!
The curse told Berserker to devour the stones of the fallen and take up their hatred and resentment and turn against humanity for rejecting those who merely wished to see the sky.
As a monster, he was to kill humans.
To deny that was to reject everything about himself. To reject his very existence was to condemn himself to something worse than death.
What reason did he had to hesitate?
Did he not kill and devour humans before? Did he not choose to resist dying of starvation and instead chose to feast upon children to prolong his cursed life?
He was The Minotaur…and nothing else.
If the world was going to reject them, then he would reject the world in turn.
"…"
"…!"
A soft whine, quieter than a mouse's breath caught his ears and he quickly ran over to its source. Carefully stepping around the corpse of a large goat-like monster, Berserker ripped out the bars of a cage and carefully lifted up the body of a blue feathered siren.
Her throat had been crushed, an eye had been torn out and her wings had been bent in horrible directions in multiple parts to keep her from flying.
But even so…she was alive.
Pulling out a bottle that was smaller than one of his fingers, Berserker carefully poured some drops over her open wounds, allowing them to close. He didn't know how the potion worked, but Caster had told him not to apply it to broke bones as they would not heal properly and would simply increase the damage done.
Still, it was enough to heal the damage done to her throat.
"Ah…ahhhh…?"
Even so, she could not speak properly yet, if she knew how to speak at all to begin with.
But it was enough for her to open her eyes and gaze upon Berserker.
And what she did next was enough to still Berserker's heart.
Despite being so weak that she could barely breathe under her own power…the corners of her lips inched upwards into a small smile.
A smile of relief…a smile of one that thought she had been saved.
For the first time in his life…someone smiled upon meeting him.
For the first time…someone greeted Asterios at their first meeting with a smile.
And then…he remembered.
He remembered the words of that person. The words that person spoke to him before that person killed him.
He had asked for his name. The same name he gave to his Familia when they asked.
"I…Asterios. Not Minotaur."
And so long as there were people to call him that, he would reject himself and his resentment against humanity. As long as there were people like his Master and the small elf girl, he would find a place for himself.
Ah…AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
And so, he rejected the curses.
He rejected the monster.
He rejected himself.
He was a monster meant to kill humans.
But he was also a Heroic Spirit meant to defend Humanity.
As such, his existence will be one to defend monsters that wanted to cling onto their newfound humanity from the cruelty of humans.
This was his punishment. This is his atonement.
Finding a large tarp, he used it to secure the body of the siren against his large form, making sure not to injure her further.
As for the rest of the Xenos…
He carved out their Magic Stones and the parts of them left behind and stored them in his small pouch.
He would return them to the Dungeon and allow Fia's comrades to do with them as they wished.
As such, it was time for him to leave.
"…Ah…"
Placing an arm around the siren's body to keep it from shaking, Berserker moved to leave the Labyrinth behind him.
What he did not expect as he lifted up one of the massive metal doors with one arm was to find a large group of people staring slack-jawed at him.
Certainly, a minotaur close to three meters tall with a siren bundled up against his chest would definitely cause people to double-take.
The mutual staredown lasted for two seconds before both sides drew out their weapons.
"WAIT! STOP!"
A lone human voice caused them all to freeze as a man stepped out of his group and placed himself between Berserker.
"You're…Hestia Familia's Berserker, right?" The man asked.
Berserker looked at the man and a memory clicked into place. It was the human that he had seen back in the elf village. A member of Lefiya's Familia.
Berserker nodded before looking amongst the group for the elf that Primo wanted him to protect.
"Ah…if you're looking for Lefiya, she's not here."
The man, Raul, seemed to figure out what Berserker was doing, causing him to feel a bit embarrassed.
Thinking quickly, he dropped to one knee and set his weapon aside.
The members of Loki Familia stared at Berserker, confusion apparent in their eyes as he pulled out the small piece of thread and held it up.
As he did, the rainbow light extended from the ariadne thread to connect it with its opposite end at the entrance of the Labyrinth.
"What is that? Some kind of Magic Tool?" The chienthrope of the group asked only for Berserker to nod and surprise them all.
"Then if we follow this, it'll lead to the way out?" The dwarf that had been leading the group asked and Berserker nodded again. "Hmm…guess Finn was right about you lot joining in."
Berserker had no idea who Finn was but he supposed it didn't matter. He extended his hand with the thread resting in his giant palm toward Raul, who timidly reached out and took it.
"Are we really going to follow that?" the cat person asked, looking at the thread with suspicion in her eyes.
"It's either that or we keep walking blindly," the dwarf replied before turning from the direction the ariadne thread indicated toward Berserker. "Sorry, but you mind taking the lead? The young ones would be too nervous if you were to walk behind us."
Berserker nodded his head in agreement even as the siren's body shook in fear at the voices of humans.
Using his arm to hide as much of the siren from view as possible, he squeezed his way past the group and took the lead.
It was unlikely they would attack him from behind. The dwarf might be a problem but he would not want to risk the other members of his group, each of which Berserker could crush easily.
Berserker also hoped it would not come to a fight as he had to protect the siren no matter what.
If he couldn't protect the small life in his arms, he had no chance in protecting the future of the Xenos.
X-x-X-x-X
"Are we…still in Knossos?" Lefiya asked, placing a hand on one of the stone bull statues.
"I…believe so," Filvis replied, her brow scrunched up, allowing her agitation to show pass her usual stoic mask.
It might have been because Lefiya had been reading a bunch of old legends and myths, but the sight of this new Labyrinth and bull statues brought to mind Argonaut's story where he delved into the Dungeon to save the princess from the minotaur.
"In any case, something definitely has changed," Filvis said. "Whether or not it's the same Knossos doesn't matter. We're still trapped here and separated from the others. For now, let us try to find an exit and link up with your goddess and Lady Riveria."
"R-right…" Lefiya found herself agreeing with that logic as she followed Filvis down the hallway. However, all thoughts of escaping the new Labyrinth died when they reached the end of the corridor where a set of stairs awaited them along with an "impossible" view.
In front of them corridors were heading up, left, right, down…every direction possible. Stairs were heading up to paths that ended and had an opposite staircase heading downward on the bottom side of the same staircase. Some corridors were enclosed while others were exposed to the open "air" despite them being several hundred meters below ground.
Forget escaping, could they even find any of the others in this maze?
"Impossible…" Filvis said aloud what Lefiya was thinking. "How could something like this exist? What insane mind could come up with something like this?"
"…Daedalus?" Lefiya asked out loud causing Filvis to look at her in confusion. "It reminds me a bit of Daedalus Street, doesn't it?"
It was almost as if someone had taken the insane maze-like structure of Daedalus Street and brought it underground into this hollowed out underworld and made it a thousand more times confusing.
"Maybe…" Filvis admitted. "Although I doubt we'd find anything as convenient as the ariadne arrows pointing to the exit…"
If they moved on, it might only lead them deeper into the impossible maze but if they simply remained here then they would never get anywhere in the first place.
Thus the only way forward was to proceed.
Whether they find one of the split up Party members or the exit first doesn't matter.
Nothing could be accomplished if they didn't move.
The two elves glanced at each other and nodded before Filvis descended the stairs first, acting as the vanguard with Lefiya right behind her.
Even so, as they maneuvered through the twists and turns of the strange new Labyrinth, Lefiya couldn't form a mental map of the place at all. It was as if they were back in Daedalus Street where Leene had tried to make a map of the place only to give up in tears.
In front of her, Filvis also looked completely bewildered and lost and seemed to second guess herself each time they took a turn.
At the very least, Lefiya was glad Filvis was here. If she had been all by herself in this place, she probably would have doubtless remained frozen in place, too afraid to make any move.
Finally, they came into a large room, empty save for several statues. It was similar to the place where they encountered that mad woman with an obsession for Finn from before except it had been changed like the rest of Knossos.
It appeared to be a large alter of some sort, perhaps used in a ritual sacrifice of sorts.
"Lefiya…look at that," Filvis pointed out the wall behind the large.
It seemed like a mural of some sort, depicting beings standing upon the clouds dropping a chain of some sort that was then wrapped around a large bull. Next to it were several figures wearing crowns kneeling before the bull with a pile of discarded crowns next to it.
"Royalty perhaps?" Lefiya suggested as Filvis nodded in agreement. "Probably ritual sacrifices if we take in the room we're in."
Old history texts often referenced the practice of offering young maidens to monsters or the Dungeon in hopes of appeasing or restraining their hunger.
"Offering members of a royalty to a minotaur to restrain it?" Filvis gathered. "And from the looks of things it was something the gods helped to do?"
Like this, it brought to mind Argonaut's tale, where the princess had been taken by the Minotaur before he went to try and save her…only to be saved by the princess in return. But the stories didn't say anything about the gods…
"Ahh, come to think of it, there was something like that, wasn't there?"
Both elves quickly turned around as someone stepped out from behind a statue.
"It was way back in some forsaken kingdom of some sort," the god muttered. "It was known by you Children as the last sanctuary, untouched by the monsters of the Dungeon as other countries fell to them. It got to the point that other countries would wage war against it…only to be defeated by their powerful secret weapon."
The god had long hair like a woman that stretched down his back with features that seemed to be molded by the shadows itself. Though he had the graceful aura of all gods, it was filled with noxious decadence and despondence.
"That secret weapon was a chain that one of us dropped onto Gekai," the god continued with a cruel sneer. "It was then wrapped around a minotaur and the kingdom used it to kill monsters and other humans alike to protect its perfect sanctuary. But for it to work, they needed to sacrifice members of its royal blood to it. Splendid isn't it? Using monsters to protect their livelihoods and sacrificing their lives to do so…it was a great concerto of blood and death as other countries tried to invade only to be devoured by the thousands by the minotaur. Then some clown had to borrow the Great God's power and ruin it all."
…Did he mean…
"Who are you?" Fillvis demanded.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, ladies. I am called Thanatos. The patron god of these dregs you call Evilus. Though, honestly, it's more a pile of those the Guild once deemed 'Evil.' Those of us who are left, that is," the god continued with a laugh. "At any rate, I won't deny I 'lead' them in a way. True, I picked up dear Valletta and the rest of her crew, bereaved as they were after their guardian deity was finished off, and certainly I've been accumulating a number of children these past five years…Why, I'm even the one who decided to accept their invitation to join them in their evil plans and lay waste to Orario. It was aaaaall me."
It sounded as though hadn't been part of the group that assailed Orario years ago and simply picked up the pieces from where they left off.
"Then…are you Enyo?" Lefiya asked, nervous at the answer she might receive.
She'd once heard one of the Creatures use the name in reference to their leader. The name Enyo meant "Destroyer of Cities" in the language of the gods and Loki Familia had come to believe this entity was the puppet master pulling all the strings.
"Me? Enyo?" Thanatos asked before letting out an amused laugh. "No no no, it certainly is not me."
It was an answer Lefiya hadn't been expecting, and one that made her look toward Filvis in confusion. The two were at a loss as the deity in front of them continued to chuckle.
"I've never even seen or heard of Enyo. I'd be hard-pressed to provide evidence that such a god even exists!…God? Mortal? Who knows. But most definitely not me."
"You…you've never seen or heard…?"
The answer only made them even more confused. Of course, Lefiya had no way of knowing if Thanatos was telling the truth, but judging form his amusement, it didn't seem like he was lying.
But wasn't Enyo the one commanding the Evils? Utilizing the power of the creatures below ground? How could Thanatos, currently allied with the Creatures and the Evils, not know the true form of this "Enyo" entity?
Truly, this mysterious name was becoming the cause of sheer confusion.
"That I haven't. What I do know, however, is that Enyo is the mastermind behind our current plot of calamity and intrigue, at least according to my dear Levis and our masked friend. That, and the one who brought in all these murals from some ruin or another," he responded with a shrug. "We even got a brand new toy recently though it's a little unruly. Last I heard it escaped and its rampaging around killing everything in its path. Such a shame, it was such a unique little toy too. You'd think it was a machine made solely to kill if it wasn't made out of flesh and blood like any other mortal. Still, I can't really complain. Seeing this new Labryinth is quite a joy even though it popped me in the middle of nowhere. I wonder how it was made so quickly…"
"That sounds troubling…" Filvis muttered and Lefiya agreed as Thanatos rambled on about how 'that person' was probably fuming right now..
The last thing they needed was some uncontrollable beast wandering around this strange Labyrinth.
"But where are your manners, I introduced myself and yet you girls have kept silent on your own names…" Thanatos said before looking closely at them. "Wait…no don't tell me…I think I know your names…ah yes, Thousand Elf and…Maenads, right? Wait, does this mean Loki Familia took in a stray?"
He definitely seemed confused at Filvis's presence.
"Oh wait, I remember now," Thanatos said as he smacked his fist into his palm, his lips curling into a smirk. "You met with a terrible fate during the Nightmare on the Twenty-Seventh Floor didn't you? You even received such a cruel nickname too."
"Miss Filvis!"
Filvis's shoulders gave a sudden tremble. As her scarlet eyes widened, she was left speechless.
"Let me just put this out there now, but…I had nothing to do with that, I promise you," Thanatos said quickly before shrugging his shoulders and adding, "For what its worth."
Lefiya quickly stepped in front of Filvis, one of the few survivors, protecting her from Thanatos's ridicule.
"Why?!" Lefiya demanded. "Why would you want to lay Orario to ruin?! You're a god, aren't you?! Why would you want to wreak havoc across the mortal realm?!"
"Erm, well…we all have our reasons, I suppose. Even among us 'evil' gods, our motivations have varied," Thanatos answered, his earlier smile still playing on his lips. "Some are simply bored; others wield a natural distaste for order; still others, like that busybody Erebus, considered themselves a necessary evil for the heroes of this world to overcome…While it's true that some wouldn't even apologize for the suffering they've wrought, we're not all the epicurean sadists you seem to think we are."
Lefiya flinched at those words.
It was just like with Kali down in Melen. The gods simply were beings with thoughts and morals completely unfathomable to to mortals.
"For me, it's simply because I'm a God of Death. Why wouldn't Death desire the lives of as many mortals as possible?"
The sneer flashed and formed a curve like that of a reaper's scythe, causing a chill to run down the backs of the two elves. Did they touch upon a void of madness? Where no emotion or reason could break through to the core?
"Hahaha, just kidding, just kidding," Thanatos said, discarding the chill as if it was nothing. "Honestly, I was just another drone up in Tenkai. I did my job, diligent as they come. Quite the workaholic actually…I think only Ereshkigal worked harder than I did. I don't know anyone else who would actually trade their place in the ticket line to come down here just to work a bit longer. Anyway, all I did was manage you kids' souls when you ascended and then sent you right back down to start anew."
"…So you manage the cycle of reincarnation?" Lefiya asked.
"Exactly. Gave them a metaphorical spit-shine and rub some elbow grease until they're as pure as newborns before sending them back down…ahh the good old days. Souls kept on coming in one after the other…until Orario changed things."
It was clear the god was referring to the Ancient Times before the greatest of the gods descended and built Orario to seal the monsters and Dungeon away, giving humanity a chance to fight back and survive with the Falna.
"To be honest, I don't really blame Zeus and Ouranos and the others for doing so," Thanatos continued. "Letting the monsters run roughshod over you Children definitely wasn't right but that doesn't mean I didn't miss the busy times. The lower world's teeming with life, now that they've received the thoughtless gift of the Falna. Life and death are two sides of the same coin, you see? Without souls ascending to Heaven, the cycle, well, stops. Which is why I developed a new little outlook on life myself…"
At this, Thanatos gestured with his index finger and thumb, letting out a brief chuckle.
"It would be all right if just a few more of the children die."
The realization that struck Lefiya was electric.
A thrill of horror, like the deepest of despairs.
This wasn't an "Evil God," intent on the destruction of order, and neither was this a seeker of the unknown, committing crimes of sadism and schadenfreude.
No, this was a god with a sense of moral obligation, who felt it was his duty to correct the world in the only way he knew how: rampant death. He, himself, had said he was nothing but diligent, earnest, loyal, and fair. The concepts of "good" and "evil" meant nothing to him.
He truly epitomized death itself.
"…Then…your followers are…" Filvis started slowly, as though just having realized something.
Thanatos nodded, his eyes narrowing.
"Exactly. I offer my children a path after death."
"Wh-what does that even mean…?" Lefiya demanded. "How do you promise such a thing?"
"Come now, Lefiya dearie," Thanatos said softly, like a teacher trying to help a child come to their own conclusions without giving away the answer. "Do you remember all those Evilus bumpkins down on the Twenty-Fourth Floor Pantry? The ones who blew themselves up without a care in the world? Why do you suppose they would kill themselves without hesitation."
Lefiya did remember them.
The white-robed Evilus members who strapped bombs made out of fire stones and detonated them against herself and members of Hermes Familia in their efforts to defend the Pantry that had been turned into a monster breeding zone by Evilus.
They had tears in their eyes as they blew themselves up, calling out for the names of various people.
If the god in front of her was a God of Death who actively worked hard with the cycle of resurrection…
"You promised them passage onto the next life?" Lefiya gasped in realization.
"That I did. One by one, I forge their contracts. One by one, they sacrifice themselves to my will. Then…once Orario's been destroyed…and once I've returned to Heaven…I'll restore their lives, as well as those of any loved ones they've lost to death."
For those who'd lost someone precious, when they were overcome with grief at the loss of a family member, friend, lover, or partner, it was nothing short of the deal of a lifetime.
For Thanatos, however, they were easy pickings.
With sweet words, he lured them in.
He enticed them with the thought of being reunited with their loved ones in the next life.
"How…how could you do such a thing…?!"
And thus did the god reveal the truth behind his army of the dead. Mortals who had lost their loved ones in this life willingly did evil in the vain hopes of reuniting with them in the next. There were no shortage of those who found such poisonous words sweet to the ears.
"You think you can just do whatever you please with human life? These are our lives! Even if your followers are reincarnated, they won't have any memory of their pasts…!"
"And that's exactly what I tell them," Thanatos countered. "It is something we gods revealed to you Children since we first descended along with the rest of the rules of reincarnation. But none of them seem bothered in the least. They all tell me the opportunity to see someone so precious again outweighs the memory loss that comes with it, Everything is their choice. I don't coerce them any further than telling them that I'll reincarnate their souls in the same place. There are even a few who believe they'll be different. That their love for their lost one is so strong, they will be the special exception that remembers, even if no one else ever does…Heh, the Goddess of Love might get a little chuckle from that."
The God of Death found genuine amusement from the woes of his Children.
"That being said, I do root for them," Thanatos said with complete honesty. "Perhaps a miracle will occur? Maybe they will retain their memories once they reincarnate. Such love stories are one of my favorite after all."
"That's-" Lefiya began only to stop in her tracks. The image of the hilltop against the setting sun burned in her mind's eye.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Thanatos asked, looking slightly concerned. "Weren't you going to continue spewing venom at me? Or…maybe you saw a vision of your own past life."
"That's…"
It was clearly a memory of the Spirit that had taken over her body and granted her a powerful Spell not unlike one of Riveria's…a Spirit that Argonaut had said Lefiya herself resembled.
If they were truly Hero Spirits…ones that existed centuries ago…was it perhaps…
Before the thought could finish, a black light shot forward, causing the god to scream in pain as he stepped back, blood spilling from a cut in his arms.
"Well well well," a melodious voice rang out. "I came across an appetizer on the way to the main course."
A young boy with golden hair and blood red eyes stepped into the room, a finger raised up in the air as a blackened blade hovered above it.
Both Filvis and Lefiya's eyes boggled at the new arrival.
A mortal had dared to injure a god.
Although the gods could be killed, no mortal would dare risk injuring one directly due to the fear that it would doom their soul to hell if the god sought them out when they died. And yet the one in front of them did so without a care in the world.
"You really shouldn't leave such dangerous things lying around, God Thanatos," the boy said taking the blade into his hand, revealing a trail of blood on its edge. "Someone could get hurt."
"…You…you actually…" the god gasped as he clasped a hand over its wound which showed no sign of bleeding.
"…A cursed blade," Filvis realized.
"Exactly," the boy said with a smile. "One that leaves wounds untreatable by all but the most powerful of magics and potions."
The boy then stopped and turned his head toward Filivs.
"Oh my, fancy meeting you here again."
"Do you know him, Filvis?" Lefiya asked, finding herself more on guard against the new arrival than even against Thanatos.
"No…I don't believe so," Fivlis replied with a shake of the head.
"Aww, really? And we had such a memorable first meeting," the boy said with a false frown. He then tapped his fist against his palm; an idea forming in his mind. "Then, how about this?"
The boy's smile turned fierce with his pupils contracted into slits like that of a snake as he reached behind his back and pulled out a familiar black mask.
"Arrogance only applies to the weak," the boy said as the mask cracked and shattered in his hands, causing Filvis's eyes to contract in horror. "Ah, you do remember."
The next instant, the blade disappeared within a golden light only to appear right between Filvis and Lefiya.
"Gaah!"
"Miss Filvis!"
The blade sliced into Filvis's side, causing the elf to fall to the ground. The wound wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been as Filvis twisted her body away at the last second. Still, it was a still a debilitating strike, one that left a cursed wound to boot.
"My, so you aren't just all talk," the boy said as the blade reappeared in his hands. "I think the curse would disappear if this thing broke right? Guess I'll put it away so you can't break it…hmm?"
The boy looked back up, just in time to step back from Lefiya's attack.
Lefiya had picked up Filvis's sword and move to strike the boy, only for her attack to go wide.
"Give it back!" She said as the boy dodged left and right before pulling out a different blade to counter her strike and knock her back. "Give it!"
"Why do you care?" The boy asked, taking a step back. "That woman, and I use that word lightly, is responsible for the death of countless people. She is nothing but a ghost. Leaving her alive will bring you nothing but sorrow…for you and her. It is a mercy to end her life."
"Miss Filvis is nothing of the sort!" Lefiya shouted back. "She's my precious friend! I won't have you call her a Banshee!"
"Lefiya…" Filvis's voice called out as she tried to stem the blood.
The boy glanced between the two elves as he tapped the side of his head with a finger.
"You realize that if I break this sword, that god will survive as well?" The boy asked, reminding Lefiya that Thanatos was still there. "In fact, I'm surprised you didn't kill him on the spot once he revealed himself. If he dies and returns to Tenkai, the Evilus movement grinds to a halt and Enyo loses his base and his army, leaving him only with the Creatures. You'd damn your soul in the process but in return save every other life on this planet. Is that not a sacrifice worthy of a hero?"
"He's got a point," Thanatos agreed, causing Lefiya to wheel around back at the god. Despite the wound on his arm, the god seemed to genuinely be enjoying the turn of events. "As part of the rules of our game, we can't use any of our divine power here without being booted back upstairs. If I disappeared here, all of my Children will lose their blessings once more and be at the mercy of the monsters and the rest of Loki Familia hidden within this Labryinth. They'd lose everything. Of course, I'll be on the lookout for your soul when you eventually die so best prepare yourself when the time comes."
"It's a good deal," the god seemed to say as he shrugged once more.
"I…I don't care about something like that!" Lefiya said. "Right now, I only care about Miss Filvis! I'm not someone who can sacrifice my friend's life for that!"
"Oh really?" The boy asked tapping the side of his head again before turning toward the downed Filvis. "And what does the dead woman have to say for herself? If you stopped here, you would spare both of yourselves a great deal of grief."
"I…can't…" Filvis said defiantly. "I…promised him…that I would come back…"
"So your love for your god is greater than your love for yourself and your friend," the boy muttered with a deep sigh, like he was disappointed in her choice. "Why do morta…ls always choose the path of thorns?"
"That's what makes them so interesting to watch, don't you think?" Thanatos asked before quickly ducking as the boy flung his blade at where his head was. "Whoop!"
"Quiet, god. Do not make me test that theory of what would happen should a god die in the Dungeon," the boy threatened.
"Ahh, scary scary…"
Thanatos quickly hid himself behind a statue once more.
No mortal knew exactly what would happen if a god were to perish within the Dungeon and the gods were rightfully tightlipped about it.
The greatest rumor was that the Dungeon would prevent the god from returning to heaven…that the god would be devoured by the Dungeon instead.
It was all the more reason Lefiya couldn't let someone as dangerous as the boy in front of her get away.
"Will you not change your mind?" The boy asked, turning his attention back to Lefiya. "If you let her live, you will only suffer in the future."
Despite everything, the boy sounded genuine. He legitimately sounded as though he was concerned about Lefiya's wellbeing in this matter. Though this was someone who made his contempt obvious, he also made his concern clear as well.
"Isn't that obvious?" Lefiya asked. "I won't listen to any 'maybes' of an uncertain future! I trust Filvis with my life!"
"Lefiya…"
"Is that so?"
It was a deep sigh before the boy covered his mouth, hiding his expression while he fell into deep thought.
"I see…I suppose bad habits start at an 'early age,'" the boy muttered to himself, a flash of a sneer appearing on his face. "Very well then."
The boy then retrieved the cursed weapon, only to hold it against his palm and slice it open.
"W-what are you doing!?" Lefiya asked to his unfathomable actions.
"If I did not do this, you would not trust anything I give you, correct?" The boy asked as he tossed the blade in the air, where it was then crushed between two massive hammers that appeared from nowhere, reducing it to mere shards.
The boy then pulled out a potion and poured it over his palm, closing the wound immediately.
"See? There's no problem," the boy said before corking the bottle and tossing it over toward Lefiya who quickly dropped Filvis's sword to catch it. "Use it as you wish."
"Why are you doing this?" Lefiya asked.
One moment he was hellbent on killing Filvis, the next he stopped caring about it.
"This is the decision you made, correct?" the boy asked. "I suspect nothing more I can say will change anything and there is no need to overly antagonize a member of Loki Familia when we are not enemies at this time. I believe there is a saying that 'Bottomless kindness and bottomless stupidity are separated by a paper-thin wall.' Whether this ends with you being validated in your trust or with your broken mind and body will be a sight to see."
With a chuckle, the boy glanced to the side and then back toward Lefiya.
"As it seems that our appetizer has fled, I will take my leave as well," the boy announced. "My true target lies at the bottom of this maze. I have no need for someone as inconsequential as Thanatos or the two of you. Do understand that because of your hesitance, any further death and destruction will be on your head for choosing to save your friend over destroying the core of Evilus."
"I won't sacrifice my friend for a goal," Lefiya said definitely as the boy simply chuckled with a shrug.
"I wonder if she feels the same about you," he said.
And then, like a ghost, the boy seemed to fade away into particles of golden light. As he disappeared, Lefiya spared him no further thought and instead ran to Filvis to treat her wound.
"Lefiya…you…"
"I don't care," Lefiya said. "I already said I don't care about 'maybes.' Right now, all I care about is helping you, Filvis."
"…"
Filvis could not find the words to reply with.
X-x-X-x-X
"Captain! Captain! Where are you!?"
"Will you just fucking SHUT UP!? Worry about your own hide before you worry about Finn's!"
Tiona covered her ears as Tione and Bete's shouts echoed in the strange hallways they found themselves in. It was just the three of them here and while she was glad that she didn't suddenly find herself alone, she wished it had been someone other than Bete that got stuck with them.
Not to say she wasn't glad it was another strong member of her Familia with her, she just hated his guts and the two of them never got along.
"Can't believe I'm stuck with you two…" Bete muttered, making it clear that the feeling was mutual. "Least it wasn't with any of the weaklings…"
"Guys, can we get a move on?" Tiona asked. "We're not going to find Finn, Ais, Lefiya, or anyone else if we just stand around screaming. Can't you smell any of them, Bete?"
"I got nothing," the werewolf growled. "There's something wrong with the air in this place. Nothing seems to be traveling around here…I can barely smell you two even though you're right next to me. This place is more unnatural than the last one."
"Do you think it's a magic trap of some kind?" Tione asked, having finished calling out in vain for Finn. "Something designed to separate us."
"If it was, it's too different. Even back when everything was green instead of white, I could at least smell the violas and other monsters…here, nothing."
"Geez, what good are you then?" Tiona asked in annoyance as Bete glared back at her. "Then we'll just have to walk until we find someone or something right?"
Saying that, Tiona took the lead in walking down the hallway, only to stop and boggle at the expanse of emptiness, staircases and hallways jumbled up into a metaphorical ball in front of her.
"…I can't believe I'm going to die down here with you two idiots," Bete grumbled as he and Tione also stared blankly at the scene in front of them.
"Oh shut up and keep moving," Tione said as she pushed Tiona forward.
But just like before, not a soul, human or monster, came out to meet them.
At least, not until they heard screaming just ahead.
The three of them shared a look before rushing forward, stopping at a corner. Bete was in front and glanced around the corner before quickly pulling his head back as an explosion filled the corridor around them followed by a screeching noise that could only be made by a monster.
Once the dust cleared, Bete peered around the corner once more.
"…What the fuck is that?" He asked.
Taking a chance, Tiona and Tione peered around as well.
There, they saw what looked like a mantis-type monster that walked on four legs and had two long scythe-like arms. The majority of its exoskeleton was a dull gray color but its torso and head were a dark purple color and it had three pairs of green insect wings on its back.
Littered around it were the corpses of the strange spider monsters they had seen earlier as well as several human corpses that had been scattered by the explosion.
Evilus suicide bombers no doubt…which were quickly becoming a feast for the gray mantis.
At least it wasn't anyone they knew.
"What do we do?" Tione asked.
It was a new species that none of them had ever seen before and considering all the weird things that had been happening probably came into existence alongside this Labyrinth for all they knew. Normally, all three wouldn't hesitate to charge it, New Species or not, but considering all the irregularities, they all decided to wait and see what it would do next.
However, they didn't get the chance to see if the New Species would take a different path.
Bete's ears twitched and he turned back to look down the path they came from, prompting the twins to do the same.
Large maggot-like monsters were crawling on the ceiling, right on top of them.
"MOVE!"
Bete's shout came not a moment too soon as the monsters, the poison vermis spewed out a wave of toxic liquid at the three Adventurers. The toxin they spewed from their mouths and secreted from their pores was powerful enough to afflict even upper-class adventurers, who had strong status resistances. Though their attack power itself was decidedly low, the small beasts had a tendency to spring forth from carcasses in droves, much like actual maggots, garnering them the nickname "poison graveyards."
However, they were usually only found in the Lower Floors.
"Why are these things here!?" Tione shouted.
"Those Evilus guys probably brought them up here!" Tiona replied as the three burst out and away from the encroaching liquid.
Unfortunately, this led them into the path of the mantis-like monster.
With a screech, the monster turned toward them and extended its scythe-like claws outward before swinging them downward.
Immediately after, the three Adventurers separated as a slice of razor sharp wind cut between them, even cleaving two lines straight through the poison. Even so, the three of them kept moving forawrd, avoiding the monster's scythes as they slipped past it.
The toxins enveloped the monster as well as the corpses of the Evilus members and the other monsters.
Bete then drew out a Magic Sword and swung it at the oncoming wave, releasing a large ball of fire and burning up all the toxins in a flash of flames.
"Think that got that mantis thing too?" Tiona asked.
Her answer came via a screeching half melted monster coming out of the flames and swinging its one foreleg down at her.
"Woop!"
Tilting her head back, she managed to avoid the attack before swinging her beloved Urga and batting the scythe away. The moment she did, Bete came flying in and delivered a powerful kick at the mantis's head, knocking it further off-balance before Tione lunged forward and stabbed one of her kukri knives into its chest and using that as a point to kick the monster further back.
But even though half of its body was gone and the remaining half was slowly turning black with decay from the poison, it still wasn't going down without a fight.
"Is its Magic Stone not in its chest?" Tione asked in surprise.
"At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the thing didn't have one…" Bete muttered.
"Hah? Don't be stupid!" Tiona said. "Everyone knows monsters have a Magic Stone in them."
"And everyone knows fucking mazes don't pop up outta nowhere and yet here we are!"
"Ladies, please! Can we concentrate on the-"
"That body is made out of a blade."
The words were the only warning the trio had before they leaped to the sides of the room once more.
Bang!
Something small and fast flew past them, going through the spot where Tiona's head had just been moments before. The object collided with the monster and it froze with not even a gasp of air escaping its mouth.
Even though there had been an explosion of flame moments before, Tiona suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, as if something horrible was about to happen.
The answer came when the monster began convulsing, as if something was forcing itself out from inside the creature.
With a horrible and sickening snap and crunch, the monster's exoskeleton cracked open revealing a pointed piece of metal covered in blood sticking from it. Cracks then started forming all along the monster from that single point before half a dozen more shards of metal erupted from the monster's body. From its open wounds, to its stump of a foreleg, to even the monster's eyes, shards popped out all over its body…
And then, it burst.
Like a balloon filled with nails, the monster popped and sent the shards flying everywhere, including at Tiona and the others.
With a roar, Tiona quickly spun Urga around like a shield in front of herself and the others, knocking the shards away.
Tiona only stopped spinning her blade after she was sure all the shards had stopped flying in their direction.
The mantis monster was clearly dead and the poison vermis that didn't die to the magic sword igniting their toxins had been turned into pincushions.
But, what was that?
Tiona had heard stories from Gareth that dwarves often used blasting powder to blow open rocks when they were mining and that it could also be used to launch projectiles or bullets out of weapons called guns like how one could use a crossbow instead of regular bow to fire arrows. But she never heard of anyone firing something that turned a living being into a mass of swords.
But she did know of someone who had no problem firing swords.
Tiona turned around to see both Tione and Bete on guard as someone was walking up toward them.
Once he stepped under the torchlight, his scowling face and golden eyes were clear for them to see. It was a man wearing a black mantle that covered most of his body but left his chest and back exposed, showing off his dark skin and muscular body for all to see. However, it also revealed strange orange lines around his neck and his still visible hands like someone had used orange plaster to fix a broken statue…as well as one directly in the center of his chest where his heart would be.
"Who the hell are you?" Bete asked as the man tapped his weapon, a strange weapon that looked like a barrel with a blade underneath it, against his shaved white hair. "Another Evilus punk?"
"Evil?" The man asked in a gravelly voice like that of a dead man. "Ahh…I suppose so."
In a blink of an eye, the man raised his weapons and fired several bullets at them. Bete drew his Roland blades and blocked them while Tione did the same with her knives only for the latter's weapons to shatter on impact with the bullets. Bete's weapons remained unscathed only due to being made out of orichalcum and thus possessed the unbreakable Durandal attribute.
Seeing this, Bete tossed Tione one of his blades as they prepared themselves for another attack.
Through all of this however, Tiona didn't move.
She was staring at the man's face, mouth agape with Urga hanging loosely in her fingers. She hadn't even moved to block one of the bullets that flew in her direction, causing it to graze against her cheek, causing a trail of blood to flow out of the wound.
"Tiona, what are you doing?" Tione shouted. "That's an enemy!"
But Tiona only shook her head in response.
Ever since that night, she had paid close attention to that person in order to not make the same mistake twice. Taking advantage of the War Game and cooking class, she made sure to burn his features deeply into her mind so that no matter what, she would be able to pick him out of a crowd.
"Why?"
That was why, she recognized who it was that was currently attacking them.
"Why are you here…Archer!?"
