Thunk.

"And…"

With great effort, Kirito pulled back his arms once more and released a powerful swing.

Thunk.

"500!" He exclaimed before abruptly releasing the precious axe in his hands and collapsed where he stood.

He closed his eyes and leaned back on his arms, trying to catch his breath after such a strenuous work out. He was so completely vulnerable that Alice couldn't help herself.

She poured a little water in her hand and flicked it towards her dark haired friend. She giggled lightly when the other teen jerked back in shock, almost falling off the tree roots. Fortunately, he has quick reflexes saved him from the fall.

Kirito clutched his chest with wide eyes as his heart pounded. It felt like it was about to jump out of him! Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he turned to his blond haired friend with a glare.

"I'll get you for that!" He pounced but missed her by an inch.

Alice's laugh echoes within the forest as she jumped from one root to another, their source of water still in her hand. She twirled to face Kirito -- her blue dress fluttering behind her -- and stick out her tongue in a childish gesture before flicking more water on his face.

Kirito released an exaggerated roar before launching himself towards her.

Crunch.

He froze when he heard a sound and abruptly turned towards the noise. His eyes caught a flash of yellow and his curiosity emerged. He focused his sight between the trees and felt disappointed when a yellow bird flew away.

He had thought that someone --

Kirito reeled back in surprise when he felt more water splashed on his face. He glared at the blond standing beside him with an innocent look on her face.

He grinned viciously. "You aresoasking for it."

Kirito screamed and Alice laughed.

The two spent almost half an hour playing their impromptu tag. The result left them both with no source of water which caused them to fetch some more from the river.

Alice took off her shoes and soaked them in the cold water. She leaned back on her arms and allowed the sun to bathe her skin. The birds sang not far from where they were and it felt so serene that she could easily take a small nap.

She opened a single eye and found Kirito on his back stretched out on all four with a very satisfied look on his face. She smiled at the sight.

Why was she not surprise.

She glanced at their water containers and found them filled. At least he completed the task before laying on the grass.

It's been a week since Alice found Kirito lost in the forest. They did not separate much since then. In the morning, he helps her with the Gigas Cedar and in the evening, he helps around the church as payment for his stay. Considering that she mostly stayed within the walls of the church to begin with, they always see each other.

Shockingly, the week had been the most fun she had in awhile. Kirito loves to find something interesting to do. He's very curious about the world around him, it almost seems like she's watching a child exploring a new territory. Although she would discourage some of his more…mischievous adventures, she usually just follows him to ensure that he would not come back unharmed.

She could not deny that by the end of it, they always had fun.

It reminded her of when she was younger. She had always been curious and that trait of hers sometimes caused her friends alot of trouble.

But it's not like most of those mischiefs were caused by her! Half if not most of them were caused by him. Eugeo is the only innocent one among them really. He always got dragged around by them.

She giggled as a flash of her friend pleading for them to reconsider their plan appeared in her memory. If only he knew that one of the reasons why they always insist on doing such crazy things was because his reaction was so cute. They just could not help themselves but to tease him.

"What are you smiling about?"

The voice brought Alice out of her musing as she turned to find Kirito watching her curiously.

"Just a happy memory."

"Hm. That's good then. What is it about?"

"It was during my childhood."

"Childhood?" He prompted.

"Hm. My friend and I always dragged Eugeo in our adventures. We --" Alice abruptly stopped her utterance.

She blinked down at the reflection of her face in the water and note the confusion in her expression. What had she been saying?

Friend? My friend and I?

Why had she thought that? It has always been just her and Eugeo. There was no one else. Selka would sometime join them but since their ages differ quite a bit, she couldn't follow them as much as she wanted. So it had always been Alice and Eugeo.

But where had 'friend' come from?

The abrupt way she cut her words off caused Kirito to misunderstood her silence. He cursed himself for accidentally stepping on a land mine once again. He had known that Eugeo was a sensitive topic for his new friend, but he just could not help himself. He was so curious about the mysterious friend that sometime left Alice's lips. After hearing more stories from Selka, his curiosity peaked. But he should have known better then to breech it so early. They had only known each other for a week after all.

"Hey," He called out hesitantly. "You don't need to tell me if you don't want too. The world won't end if you didn't tell." He added teasingly.

Alice turned her gaze from the water to Kirito. She couldn't help but to smile at his effort to cheer her up. Even she doesn't know the reason for her sudden shift in mood. She knew she had wanted to tell Kirito about her best friend, but another thought had chased her good mood away.

What was it again?

Kirito saw her small smile and released a sigh of relief. He didn't want to be the cause of Alice's sadness so he immediately changed the topic of their conversation.

"Ma, I wonder where Selka is…didn't she say that she was going to come by with lunch?"

"Something must have caught her. She's not as free as you are, Kirito." Alice added the last line teasingly.

"Hey! I reject that notion!" He cried out indignantly.

"Hmm. I remember just the other day someone slacking off to nap under a tree."

"Uh…the sun was too nice, I couldn't resist." Kirito replied in defeat.

Alice burst into giggles at the sight of her friend's face. At the topic of Selka, another thought surfaced.

"So Kirito, I heard that you were with my sister last night when she had to spend the night there."

Kirito sputtered at the sudden question. A look of panic swept over his face. "It-it's not what it sounds like!"

Alice glance at the dark haired boy in puzzlement. "What?"

"I swear I didn't do anything! We just talked."

Her brows furrowed, head tilted in her confusion. "What are you talking about? I was just about to ask you the topic of your discussion that requires the two of you but not me."

Kirito snapped his gapping mouth shut, hesitantly making eye contact with the blond. "Uh-huh? So you weren't worried or mad?" He said.

"What for?"

Kirito scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I dunno…for being alone with your sister at night in my room?" He replied before cringing at his own words. "Damn, now that I say that out loud, you have every right to be suspicious."

Alice blinked. Sometimes it seems like the other teen spoke another language that she could not comprehend. "Should I be? It is taboo to do any coupling until marriage. So I doubt you can do anything before then."

"Oh…" Kirito dropped his hand and stared at Alice.

His gaze was so intense that it further confused Alice. "What are you thinking so hard about now?" She asked, wondering what could have brought on such a serious expression on his face.

"Hm? Oh nothing, just wondering what you were about to ask me." He diverted her question dismissively.

Alice frowned slightly but conceded to answer his query. "I was about to ask what you were talking about with Selka."

"Oh…uh…"

"Is it something that I should not know about?" She turned back to the river and grabbed a paddle.

"Uh, no. It's just that…you seem like you didn't want to talk about it so I asked Selka."

"Talk about..." She paused and thought over what could have caused him to feel the need to talk to Selka instead of her. A flash of greenish blue eyes appeared in her minds eye and immediately she understood. "Ah, so you went to Selka about Eugeo." She threw the rock she was fiddling with and felt a small amount of satisfaction to see it bounced once.

"Sorry…" Kirito fiddled with a paddle of his own and tried to imitate Alice but failed horribly. "I know it's none of my business but…" He glance at her, a silent apology in his dark eyes.

Alice shook her head. "No, it is fine. I should have known the more I hide the topic, the more you'll want to find out. I would've done the same." She smiled weakly.

"No, it's still wrong of me to talk about it behind your back. Sorry."

"You can just ask me next time." She searched the ground and found another suitable rock to throw.

"But…"

"I don't know why but talking to you about Eugeo…" She stood from her spot and made her way towards Kirito. "It is not as painful. Infact, my heart felt lighter." She gently placed the rock on his hand as he accepted it.

"Is that so? I'm glad to hear that," He grinned. "I can't wait to meet this friend of yours when we find him." He pulled his arm back, ready to throw the rock in his hand.

Alice rolled her eyes as she adjusted his grip on the stone. "Yes, you two would get along very well…" Her hand paused on his as she looked at him in the eye, almost in surprise. "Wait, find…him?"

Kirito tilted his head in puzzlement. "Don't you want to find him?"

Alice straightened her back at the question."Of course!" She had uttered the words without hesitation, but once her mind processed it, she paused hesitantly. "...But…"

"Is it your calling?" He questioned in curiosity.

"…"

Alice didn't need to utter a single word for her silence told Kirito enough. However, he needs more information about the situation to truly understand his new friend's situation.

"Hey, Alice," He started once again after the silence had stretched long enough. "From what I understand about 'Calling', yours is sister apprentice right? Then why are you trying to chop off this tree?"

If Kirito hadn't paid extra attention to Alice's body gestures, he would've missed the way her shoulders seems to slump in defeat.

"It's the least I can do." She whispered, as though she was afraid that others would hear her.

"For what?"

Alice paused for a moment, taking the time to sit next to Kirito in a more comfortable position. "My mistake and crime." She finally uttered.

"Alice…" The answer sent a pang of concern through his heart.

Her gaze seemed to strengthen in determination as she continued to speak. "This personal task I have taken upon myself is my atonement."

"…It's that important..."

"Yes. For him, it's the least I can do." She replied resolutely.

Kirito didn't know what to say after that statement. He could see that she was determined in her task but…although they had known each other for only a week, he could also see that behind those determined gaze is the desire to search for her friend. The longing in her eyes just at the mention of Eugeo's name told him as much. He wanted to help her move forward but it seems like the only way to do so was to see that huge tree fall.

His thoughts coming to a conclusion, he threw the rock, only to find it sink immediately. He groaned in disappointment.

"Really now Kirito, after I've just fixed your grip."

He glance at his friend and chuckled sheepishly. Hopefully they could search for that sword Alice had mentioned the other day. Maybe that sword could be the solution to their problem.

"What?"

Alice's voice trembled slightly as she uttered those disbelieving words. Kirito glanced at his friend for a moment before turning back to the Sister.

When they finally came back to the village, Sister Azariya had approached them with a look of worry painted all over her face. To say they were shocked and worry at the news she brought them was an understatement.

Selka was missing.

"Maybe she went out to buy something?" Kirito tried comfortingly.

Alice shook her head. "No. She promised us she would bring lunch. There's no way she would've gone shopping…"

"Oh, yeah you're right." Kirito reached over and placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't get too worked up about it. How about we try to find her first before we panic, sounds good?"

Alice clenched her shaking hands into fists and nodded. "You're right," She turned to the silent Sister. "We'll search for her, Sister Azariya."

The Sister nodded hesitantly. "Please do. Do not be reckless."

"I'll try."

"Sure."

The Sister left the two alone as Kirito thought over their future actions. "How about we look at your house first? Even if she's not there, your parents might know?"

Alice's body tensed slightly before she conceded to his suggestion with a stiff nod. "You're right. This way."

Kirito wondered if there was another reason for her tensed posture. Considering the slight hesitation she showed him at visiting her parents' house, he could speculate the reason. It seems like he has more to learn about his new friend.

Alice took a deep calming breath before raising her hand to knock on her parents house's door. To say she was nervous was an understatement. But it was not the time to deal with her feelings, Selka was missing and she needs to make sure her little sister was well and safe.

It took her another two tries before someone finally opened the door. Foolishly, she hoped it was Selka but instead she was met with the surprised expression of her mother.

"Alice…What a wonderful surprise!"

Her mother's welcoming smile and hug slightly settled the butterflies in her stomach. She returned the gesture and hug she received.

"Oh! And you must be the young man people have been mentioning about."

Kirito returned the greeting politely but stayed quiet otherwise, allowing Alice to do the talking.

"Please come in --"

Before her mother could open the door wider, Alice shook her head. She was not there to visit.

"I'm sorry Mother, but we won't stay long." Alice's heart clenched tightly at the fall of her mother's expression.

"Is that so. Then what can I help you with?" She responded gently, a small smile now sporting her face.

"Do you know where Selka is?"

"Oh? You haven't seen her all day?"

Kirito and Alice shook their heads in unison.

Her mother's brows furrowed in concern as she tries to recall the last time she had seen her youngest daughter. "Hm, if I remember correctly, she woke up very early to see Sister Azariya. Something about a permission to move her studies after lunch."

"Is there something more you can recall?" Alice pushed, because although the information was important, it did not give them any hints on where she had gone. It only further prove that she had not been seen since this morning.

"Anything…out of the ordinary, maybe?" Kirito added.

Alice nodded in thanks.

"Ordinary?" Her mother thought it over and her eyes sparked in realization. "That's right, she said something about making pies. She was also worried about it going bad. Although I don't know the reason for it…"

Alice suppressed a gasp of shock when she heard that. Her stomach fell like stone in unease. She could already piece together the puzzle but there's one thing missing. Selka shouldn't have known about the cave. So how?

"Thank you Mother. You do not need to worry, we'll bring her back home." She bowed slightly and quickly turn to leave.

However, her mother's voice stopped her for a moment.

"Alice, please come visit from time to time. I'm sure your father misses you as well."

Alice bit her lip and silently nod without giving a verbal answer. Kirito followed her lead, his eyes shining with understanding. She was grateful for his silence because she wasn't ready to talk about her parents.

"Did you figured out where she is, Alice?" Kirito asked once they were far enough from the house.

She looked grim, evident concern painting her beautiful face. Her steps paused and she turned to Kirito slowly. Kirito stopped his walk and stared back at her in worry.

"Kirito…"

"Yea?"

"Did you perhaps told Selka about the cave?"

Kirito slowly blinked his eyes as he recalled the talk he had with Selka that late night. There was a mention of it. Considering the main topic was Eugeo, it was bound to come up. He learned alot about the mysterious friend but he also learned alot about Alice. Their adventure into the cave had been the last point of their conversation, causing it to take a darker tone than he had expected. But now that he thought about it…it does seem as though--

Kirito grimaced as he stared at Alice with a large amount of guilt. "She didn't know about the cave." He stated plainly after realizing his error.

Alice nodded grimly. Her face pinched in worry after having her assumption proven right.

Kirito immediately knew where the younger girl had gone. "Dammit! I thought she knew! I am so sorry --"

Alice raised a hand to stop his apology short. "The fault is not all on you. I should've noticed it earlier when she was excited to bake a pie again. I had finally shown interest in eating it after 5 years. After Eugeo…"

She trailed off but Kirito understood her comment. He remembered something about Alice and Eugeo going to the cave to get ice for the pies she had baked. Wanting to prevent the pies from going bad.

Considering how eager Selka had been to make her sister happy again during their talk, making the pies in memory of their friend after Alice herself had said she wanted to eat some gave her the shining opportunity.

It made sense.

Nonetheless, it was still reckless.

"So what are we still standing here for? Let's go!"

Kirito sprinted towards the village border, Alice right by his side. Hopefully, nothing bad happened to Selka.

Kirito paused when he stopped hearing Alice's soft footsteps. He turned to his friend curiously before an uncomfortable feeling raised from within his stomach at the sight of her expression.

"Is something wrong?" He placed a hand gently on her shoulder, bringing her back from whatever horror her mind was conjuring.

Her eyes flickered from his face to the entrance of the cave. He resisted the urge to turn and look at whatever was making her have such an unsettled expression.

"Do you not feel that?" Her hand clenched tighter around the bone axe they had retrieved for this excursion. Just in case, Alice had uttered at the time.

Kirito didn't questioned her as he tried to concentrate on using his senses to be more aware of his surroundings. He frowned at the feeling of uncomfortable silence but other than that, nothing.

Alice must have seen the confusion on his face as she began to explain. "A dark presence…something vile." Her face tightened, concern and anger swirling within her blue eyes like a raging storm.

Kirito didn't know what to say after such a statement. He had hoped that they could retrieve Selka without a scratch. But it seems like someone preferred to make everything difficult for him,them. He took a deep breath to calm his raging heart before turning hastily.

"That means we don't have any time to lose. Selka might be in danger."

"You believe me?"

There was something within her tone that he could not quite decipher. But it nonetheless caused him to answer without hesitation.

"Of course! You're not the type to lie or jest at a time like this Alice." He hoped that she heard the truth in his tone even though she could not see it on his face at the moment.

"Thank you."

The statement was so sincere that for come odd reason, Kirito felt his heart clenched tightly in phantom pain.

Why does he feel so guilty in the face of such sincerity directed towards him, he wondered as they entered the dark cave.

TL : Hello! It's been awhile. I hope you like the chapter. I intended to do the cave scene on this chapter as well but like always I didn't realize my word count has exceeded 3k lol. So I guess the next chapter will come faster.

On another note, since I can see it will bring some questions up, I will answer it here. In this story, Alice still does not possess a sacred task because her father wanted her to focus on her study with the sacred arts. (She still see herself as a sister in training because she thought her father would give her that calling in due time.) It's said that talented children could postponed it...I could be wrong though.

Alice also took it upon herself to do Eugeo's task. It is said that "they can't take too many sacred task" but they can still help others.

Alice does her cutter task at an ungodly hour in the morning while training her sacred arts in the evening. She does half the routine Kirito n Eugeo does.

That's all for now! Tq for reading, any questions just ask. Sorry if I butchered something though, feel free to comment on it if I do.

Thank you for reading. Please leave a follow, favorite or comment. It is highly appreciated.

Ciao!