"A specific race?"

Once Nevra scanned the room and gestured for her to follow, Klein almost sprinted to his side. Circular, runic patterns covered the ground and walls. Meanwhile, their reds and blues and pinks and greens failed to ease her discomfort. Was it wrong to say Klein liked rainbows before she entered the room? She rubbed her temples. A taste of steel plagued the mouth, and she gulped; the room blurred for a moment.

"You think once these weapons landed here that we'd allow just anyone to swing them around?"

Klein pinched herself. "Well, no...Wait, other weapons have special requirements?"

"Yes. Rhongomyniad, Excalibur, Carnwennan...All sealed behind these doors. The number of precautions taken...hah, well we already look more than paranoid to you."

Both their gazes rested on the object in the room's center. A spear...or lance stuck out of the ground. The surrounding air appeared as if it swirled around the item; there was an inherent allure. Unreadable characters decorated the shaft while gold and silver designs decorated the spearhead. The girl blinked, and Rhongomyniad's appearance continued to switch between a typical spear and a lance.

"Nevra...I'm not hallucinating, am I?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. I guess it's true appearance won't be revealed unless someone wields it," he said.

Klein continued to gaze in wonder at the weapon while the vampire grimaced. His gaze flitted between her and the weapon.

"What's wrong?" She looked at him.

Nevra then tackled Klein to the ground; he groaned and rolled off of her.

"...Huh?"

"Take the weapon and go!"

"B-But didn't you say-"

Before she said anymore, a mix of red and black flashed past Klein. The woman blinked, and the sound of clashing weapons screeched. Armor rattled. A person thrust a sword toward the vampire, and Nevra blocked the attack with one of his knives.

"H-hah...It's like I'm in a vacuum..." Klein took a great effort to get to Rhongomyniad. It were as if someone attached cement to her legs. But Nevra continues to buy time as he and the other person exchanged blows. One look in their direction showed evident exhaustion. Her knees threatened to collapse, yet she managed to close the distance and reach her hand toward the weapon.

Nevra readied another set of knives to throw; however, a painful scream interrupted his focus. The armored figure then slammed the vampire into a wall and headed in the direction of Klein who lay on the ground. It was then the palace shook as the person took Rhongomyniad out of its place. Its appearance materialized as a a spear. A spear whose appearance could not be called elegant. The mere word tarnished, insulted it.

"Alea iacta est," the person said.

Rhongomyniad impaled the ground. Cracks in the floor manifested; walls started to crumble. Nevra struggled to stand, but the last image he saw was that woman's unmoving body. Lifting his hand, he reached out of...desperation? Futility...?

She opened her eyes to a dull pain in her hand, and the realization that her head rested on something soft. Someone's lap?

"Ah, you're awake...That's good."

"Nevra? What happened?"

The vampire sighed but continued to twirl her hair around his fingers. When Klein tried to sit up, he helped. Her head rested against the crook of his neck, and she listened to the sound of his breathing.

"You're not hurt anywhere?"

"Luckily, our supplies survived the event, so first aid wasn't an issue. However, I can guarantee I'll have severe back pain once these painkillers run out," Nevra said. "You?"

Klein wiggled the fingers on her left hand. Only the thumb remained still. The vampire frowned.

"...What happened when you tried to grab the spear?"

"It felt as if I placed my hand directly into fire," she said.

"Tch...That person. He must have put a curse on it. Though, I suppose we can't focus on that now. I can only imagine Miiko's reaction."

"You're...so noisy..."

Klein's eyes began to droop; she nestled toward his warmth and closed her eyes. Talking stopped, but he continued to play with her hair. The sensation of golden strands wrapped around his fingers calmed the vampire's nerves. Meanwhile, the remains of a magnificent crystal palace provided a form of shelter. And the sentinel moon watched from the sky.