Thoughts and memories fill his head. They are disjointed, fragmented. Bits and pieces, snippets and shots. The only thing that's truly clear are the names. Particularly, the names of people and places. He can't remember the faces of the people, or the landmarks of the places. But they feel so familiar, so close. He tries piecing them together but he's still left confused.

Then, images begin to flash in his mind. The faces all stare at him, accusing and incensed. The places all catch fire, until they are left nothing more than ash. And then, he is left all by his lonesome.

He doesn't understand. He doesn't fully remember. But he knows one thing. Something terrible has happened. And it's his fault.

.

.

.

Bell trudged forward, holding an unconscious Ryu. Her arm was slung over his shoulder as he trekked on, trying his best not to stumble. He didn't want to put any pressure on her mutilated leg. But the burned state of his flesh made it difficult.

His skin was red and raw. The remains of his armor and most of the clothes had been melted by the Lampton's stomach acid earlier. His right eyelid suffered the worst of it. It had been melted and was now fused shut, leaving him half-blind. The goliath scarf wrapped around his left forearm seemed to be the only thing that hadn't suffered much of any damage. Despite his injuries, he carried himself and the elf girl onward, stumbling deeper and deeper into the dark.

The roars and growls of nearby monsters lurking in the dark caverns were drowned out by his thoughts. Thoughts that were not necessarily his own. At least, he thinks?

No, why is he thinking of such things? But he couldn't help himself. He was far too exhausted to reign his thoughts under control. His subconscious did as it pleased, whispering names, flashing images, all of things so close yet so far. It felt like he was trying to recall a dream he had once, but his mind was too drowsy and fogged to comprehend it.

Stop. Please. Focus on the here and now. Focus on what matters. Survival. For both himself and the elf girl.

Running away again, are you?

Bell's blood suddenly ran cold as he felt bits and pieces of rock fall on top of his head. He looked up to see just how great a gash the Lampton left on the floor's ceiling. His instincts warned him to flee as fast as possible. Mustering up whatever strength he had left, he fled down the carven. Then, a deafening boom rang out from behind him. He froze for a moment as he felt a looming presence staring him down. The low, guttural growls, the scent of sweet blood, the frigid whispers of death in his ear. They were all too familiar to him.

He spun around, despite already knowing what he would see. Maybe he's wrong! Maybe it's just some other kind of monster—! Please let it be some other monster. Please… let him be wrong… But his naive wishes were only mocked by the ferocious roars of the Juggernaut.

Without thinking, Bell turned his heels and continued to flee, hobbling as fast as he could. He knew that he wouldn't last a second fighting the Juggernaut. Not in the current condition he was in, and certainly not when he was caring for Ryu. He had to try and put as much distance between the two.

Seeing its quarry try to pathetically flee, the Juggernaut gave chase. It would not let the boy that had caused it so much ire and vexation escape this time—! It sprang forward, raising its remaining claw. Sensing the impending strike, Bell pivoted and turned back to face the beast. He extended his hand and cried out the word to invoke his magic. Only, it wasn't the word he usually used.

"Infernum!"

He didn't know why he said that word. He had never said it before. And yet, he spoke it as if it were the most natural thing to do. It felt no different than sucking in air for his lungs, or holding his breath underwater.

A fierce, dazzling sapphire flame burst from his hand. A swirled and spiraled, forming a cyclone-like shape. The sheer force of the blast sent his body flying back from the recoil. Bell felt his shoulder buckle, nearly becoming dislocated from its socket. The smoldering heat made him unable to breathe for a few moments.

Luckily, his shot hit its mark. It wasn't meant to target the Juggernaut. Instead, he aimed just above its head, causing the ceiling of the cavern to collapse. The Juggernaut hissed as the rocks and rubble came crashing down. It tried reaching out with its claw as far as it could, but its prey was just beyond its grasp. It let out one final, furious roar that could be heard even amongst the collapsing debris.

Bell was blown back onto the ground, unintentionally bringing Ryu with him. He reeled in pain as he slowly picked himself back up. As he placed his right arm on the ground to support himself, he winced, feeling the bones and tendons grind against each other, an unintended consequence. Across his skin, he could feel a burning sensation. Bell brought his arm up to see wisps of steam rising from his fingertips. The cuts and scars glowed and pulsated a deep Egyptian blue. Bell clutched his arm. Unlike his firebolt magic, he could still feel the growing heat of the fire. It gnawed at the tissue as if it were trying to escape the confines of the flesh. Bell clenched his teeth and tightened his hold on his arm.

Calm down, calm down, calm down, calm down—!

Finally, the heat began to dissipate, seemingly simmering itself down. Bell huffed a sigh of relief as he let go of his arm, letting it flop limply at his side. He looked back at the damage he had caused. The entire cavern behind them had been caved in. He stared at the blockade he had made.

He… did that. With a single spell. A spell he had never before cast. Upon looking at it closer, he noticed that some of the rocks had fused together while others were still glowing red hot. The rocks forming the base of the wreckage had seemingly melted and congealed, giving it a texture akin to sludge and goo. Remnants of ash and soot still fluttered down from the ceiling, peppering the pile.

What was it that he even said to invoke that fire? It all happened so quickly. Everything he did was instinctual, reflexive. Bell closed his eye, trying to recount the word.

What was it? In… infer… infernu—

Surprised you didn't burn everything in sight around you. Including her.

His thoughts ceased as a voice whispered to him from within his mind. It taunted him from the depths of his psyche. The word he wanted to recollect hung on the tip of his tongue. But he held it there. The word seemingly invoked and triggered more than just magic. His hands began to shiver and shake. His heart began pounding against his chest as his breathing quickened to the point of hyperventilation.

He didn't understand. Why was it that he was reacting like this?

His ears began to ring as a sharp stinging pain began to grow on the optical nerve of his left eye. The ringing pain became so loud, he couldn't hear his own quickened breaths, or Ryu calling out his name.

Still afflicted by her mangled leg, she crawled her way to him as she continued to call to him. It was only until she placed a hand on his lap. She squeezed gently, feeling his rapid heartbeat pulsating throughout his body. Slowly, Bell's body began to calm itself back down.

Focus. Back to the task at hand. Back to her. And their survival.

He turned to face her. Ryu's eyes widened, despite her face having fresh blood smearing over it. Perhaps she was delirious from her blood loss and her mind was playing tricks on her. But she swore that she saw Bell's left eye color turn a sapphire blue before flicking and fading back to its original ruby color. She wanted to press him about it. That, and the change of his hair color. But she was far too exhausted for seemingly pointless questions. The boy was alive. That's what ultimately mattered.

Bell dragged himself and Ryu up against the wall. Ryu winced as the upright position had incidentally put pressure on her broken leg. She looked around, recognizing the certain foreboding darkness that shrouded the entire floor around them. The way that the darkness seemingly manifested itself as a thick fog. They had been taken to the deep depths of the dungeon.

So, it's gonna to be like that then.

"Ryu-san—! Please, you need to heal. I ran out of items... Use your magic on yourself."

She looked at him, her expression unreadable. Even after all that he's been through, he's still as selfless as ever. She wishes she could be like that. Perhaps, long ago, she could have been. But that time has long since passed.

Ryu brought her hand up and focused her magic.

"The song of a now faraway forest… the comforting melody of life… Noah Heal."

Before the boy could react, he felt the warmth of her magic wash over his body. The fused flesh over his right eyelid parted as it became healed, granting him sight once again.

"—! Huh? No, not on me!"

Why…? Why do you cast yourself aside so easily?

"You need treatment soon, or else you'll—"

"It's for the best…"

Her words were eerily content. She closed her eyes, not wanting to look upon the boy's woeful face.

"I'm too far gone," she whispered. "I'll only slow us down."

She was broken. Far too broken. Broken beyond repair. She was a burden, clinging to a past riddled with blood and vengeance.

"That spell was the last of my magic. It makes more sense to heal you instead…"

Yes, that was a sound excuse. The excuse of logic and rationality.

Bell clenched his teeth as he shook his head.

"That doesn't make sense at all!"

Still so foolish. Still so naive.

"How can you say that at a time like this?!"

It's because it's a time like this that she's saying these words.

"Cranel-san," she murmured. "Go on without me. Leave me."

Bell's eyes widened at her grim resolve. As if he could do that, especially willingly. He aided her against the Lambton when Jura had summoned it when his plans had been exposed. He defended her against the wrath and viciousness of the Juggernaut, going so far as losing his arm, only to regain it and continue the fight. He defended her name while the rest scorned her and hunted her down.

Don't you wish you had someone like that?

He wouldn't leave her. That would be far too hypocritical and cruel for him to do.

The dungeon, in all of its cruelty, sought to test that. The rattling and crackling of bones immediately caught the pair's attention, making them abruptly end their discussion. They turned to see two crimson orbs glaring from the darkness deep in the cavern. They moved closer, revealing the horned skull that framed them. Bell recognized this kind of monster.

Skull Sheep.

It was a monster that dwelled in the deep floors. Its head resembled that of a sheep's skull (hence the name), while the rest of its hunched body was veiled under a dark cloak.

Bell instinctively went to grip the hilt of his Hestia knife. Running was out of the question. There was no possible way he could grab Ryu and flee before the Sheep would close the distance and strike. Fighting would be the only choice he was left with.

Should he try baiting it? Should he take the initiative?

Before Bell could formulate a viable strategy against the Sheep, it suddenly leapt forward, coming directly face-to-face with him.

"—!"

It was no more than two inches away from touching his nose. He barely even had time to process it had moved before it darted away as if to mock him. Bell's reflexes kicked in and he slashed at the Sheep only to find himself pathetically swatting away at the air.

He was slow. Dreadfully so.

His eyes began darting around, looking for the monster. But it had already cloaked itself in the surrounding darkness. Bell's heart began racing again. He internally chastised himself.

Calm down. Breathe. Focus.

"TO YOUR RIGHT!" Ryu yelled.

Ryu's heightened senses, in tandem with her experience in the deep floors, was able to sense the incoming attack. But her warning was far too late.

Bell spun to the right, only to have a chunk of his right arm torn off. He cried out in pain as he turned around to see the Skull Sheep chewing on his flesh, fresh blood dribbling from its jaws. It leaned slightly forward as four spiked appendages began rapidly growing and protruding underneath the cloak on its backside. The spikes—no, stakes—shot out, tearing holes in the cloak as they did so. They appeared to be made of bone.

Springing to the left and the right, Bell dodged and weaved past the first two incoming stakes, but the third managed to slit his left shoulder. As he reeled from the pain, the fourth stake slashed open his side. Taking the initiative, the Skull Sheep pounced forward, brandishing its teeth once more. Bell just barely had enough time to bring his left arm up to block the attack. He flew back a few feet as the Sheep tackled him to the ground, its teeth clamping down on the cloth it had wedged in its mouth.

"C—cranel-san…!"

Ryu could do nothing as she helplessly watched the monster thrash the boy's arm in its mouth. She tried forcing her body forward, only for her muscles to give way, causing her to slump back onto the wall.

Feeling his energy being rapidly drained, Bell did the only thing he could. In desperation, he began stabbing the side of the Sheep's skull. It wasn't heroic, or impressive, or cool. They were frantic, pathetic even. The way he kept stabbing it over and over again, only for it to barely even react was laughable.

Where is it? Where is it?!

For as frenzied as they were, the stabbings served a purpose. Bell wasn't blindly stabbing at the Sheep. He was looking for its core. But he was running out of time. Despite his forearm being protected by the Goliath's scarf, he could still feel the force of the Sheep's jaws threatening to snap his bones like a stick.

Where, where, where, where, where—?!

Finally, after the eighth consecutive stab, the tip of Bell's knife pierced the gemstone that was the monster's core. A sense of relief washed over Bell as he heard the familiar, distinct crunch of the core shattering. The crimson light in the Sheep's eyes flickered and faded away before its entire body imploded into wisps of smoke.

Bell laid on the ground panting heavily. The relief he felt was a fleeting one. That was just one fight. With one monster. And he barely had managed to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat. A chunk of his right arm was missing, his side and left shoulder had huge gashes running across them. Despite Ryu sacrificing the last bits of her mind in order to restore his health, it only took a single monster to leave him gored and bloody once again.

He stared up at the ceiling as the harsh reality of how truly dire their situation became clear in his mind. This place, despite entering it with his dreams on his shoulder, a smile on his face, and his friends by his side—this was still the dungeon. He had run into this place countless times with little thought or abandon. He had forgotten what it truly was. A deathtrap of a labyrinth, known for its certain ruthlessness and cruelty. Such a sinister thing, to promise such wondrous fame and fortune only to snatch it all away without a thought.

It did not favor anyone. No, it did the opposite. Those who naively thought they could conqueror its floors had their lives suddenly, viscously snuffed out.

Yes, this was despair. This was the dungeon. The giver and taker of hopes and dreams.

Bell dragged himself back onto his feet. There was no time to rest. Such a luxury couldn't be afforded. There would be more monsters who were sure to be attracted to the sounds of combat. It was best to keep moving and avoid any skirmishes if it could be helped. Perhaps, there could be a slim chance he could avoid all of them.

No, that was just wishful, naive thinking. Despite his pension for being unnaturally lucky, it would be foolish to try and push it.

Clutching his wounds, he made his way back to Ryu. She stared at the boy. She winced and quietly clenched her teeth as looked at the gashes and bruises he suffered for her sake.

Why was he still here? Why was he still protecting her?

"Ryu-san…"

"Leave me behind and go."

She kept saying those words. Hoping that he might listen to her for once.

"I'm dead weight… at this point, I'll only get in the way."

Instead, he bent down and gently grabbed hold of her. His jaw was clenched as he fought to contain his anger towards her self-loathing. He looked at her and gave a warm smile. It was strained and he gave it through cracked lips. But even still, it was so bright, so brilliant. It did not belong in this place. Nor should such kindness be wasted on her. But she could do nothing as he bent down and slung her arm over his shoulder.

"I need you," he said softly. "I'll die in a matter of minutes by myself. I need your skills and your experience."

It was logical, it was rational. It left little room for the elf to argue.

"You're not 'dead weight'."

In this moment, she was more valuable than anything in his life.

"I need you to survive."

Really? Survival? Is that the only reason?

Ryu let out a quiet sigh as she leaned into Bell, allowing herself to be supported by him. She had forgotten how persistent he could be. An endearing, if not, irritating quality. But she would not voice her feelings.

Yes, his survival. That ought to suffice.

And so, together, they began to traverse the depths of the thirty-seventh floor.

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.

.

Bell proceeded as he did before, only this time Ryu was conscious. She acted as his guide, his eyes and ears. He acted as her legs, stumbling onward into the dark unknown. It was quiet. Far too quiet for their liking. In a different time, on a different floor, they might have basked and enjoyed the silence (such as they did on the eighteenth). But they knew that it could be broken at any moment.

While his vision was still hazed from blood loss, Bell peered into the darkness to see a faint glimmer of light. His breath hitched with hope as he trudged towards it, almost in a trance-like state.

Other adventurers! Help, salvation! Perhaps, they might finally find rescue!

Alas, it was not meant to be. Bell's heart sank as he drew closer to the light, finding it to be little more than a cruel trick. The light was like that of a lure atop an angler fish's head. Only, the fish in question feasted upon hope.

The light, fixed inside of a lantern, belonged to little more than husks and bones.

How long they had been there, who was to say? Adventurers go missing all the time. It was a grim fact everyone simply accepted. Occupational hazard and what not.

"Adventures shouldn't go adventuring," was what Eina always said.

Bell averted his eyes as if his gaze served to further desecrate their remains. He felt a tinge of sorrow from within himself. He may have not known who they were, but no one deserved to go out like this.

He winced at how their bodies were propped up, fully displaying how they felt in their final moments. They way they held one another, seeking nothing more than one last moment of comfort. It disturbed him, oddly, more than it should.

You ought to be used to the sight by now, wouldn't you?

Ryu gave no indication of emotion. Remorse, pity, sympathy, she felt nothing. Perhaps she was far too exhausted or was it because she simply didn't care? Not even she knew.

Finished with its trickery and fuel, the light dimmed before snuffing itself out.

Just then, Ryu heard the unmistakable chattering of bones coming down the hall. Her head jerked towards the direction she had heard the noise, prompting Bell to also be on guard. A pack of three Skull Sheep emerged from the darkness, their bloodthirsty eyes glinting with sadistic glee. They lunged forward with their jaws ajar.

"Firebolt! Firebolt! Firebolt! Firebolt!"

Bell began rapid firing his quickcast magic towards them. He didn't necessarily care if they hit their marks.

"Firebolt—"

He felt himself become suddenly fatigued, languid, and weak. He barely was able to keep his arm up to fire one last shot. He knew exactly what these symptoms foretold.

Mind down.

Shit. Not now…

Thankfully, the last of his fire magic was enough to drive the trio away.

Feeling his knees begin to buckle, he slumped back onto the wall. The jagged rock face nicked and scratched at his back as he slid downward. Ryu managed to slip out his grasp as he collapsed onto the floor.

"Cranel-san."

She knelt down to meet him.

"Sleep for five minutes. I'll keep watch."

He didn't have the energy to agree or disagree with her. He simply let his eyes shut themselves as he slipped into oblivion.

Ryu stood back up and unsheathed her Kodachi. She fixed her gaze firmly down the hallway where the Sheep had been. She would protect him. No matter the cost.

.

.

.

He dreams. After first, he is unaware. He is surrounded by darkness. Then, a blinding light bursts into existence. He covers his eyes, feeling the heat sear and char his skin. After the light dims, he looks to see himself untouched and unharmed.

The light is coming from a blazing sapphire-colored fire. The flames form a silhouette resembling a boy.

No, wait. It's him.

The flames look as though it's averting its gaze from him. It seems almost as if it's ashamed or contrite. Then, it speaks.

"Why do you hate me?"

What? He doesn't hate it. They've never met. At least, not that he remembers.

"You hate me. That's why you left me behind."

He doesn't understand. He would never leave anyone behind. It would make him a hypocrite.

He opens his mouth to speak but his words are swallowed into the void of darkness. He can only listen.

"...I hate you," the flames whisper.

"...I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you."

Its words grow louder and louder.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"

Its flames flare and roar as it screams with pure hatred. It hates him, it loathes him, it scorns him. But he still does not fully understand why.

Suddenly, it dashes forward towards him with its arms outstretched. He shuts his eyes tight as he wishes nothing more than to be taken away from this place. He can feel the heat growing hotter and hotter as the flames approach him. It reaches out and—

.

.

.

He jolts awake screaming. His eyes frantically dart around him as he flails his arms about. Ryu immediately spins around and grabs hold of him. But she can't stop his eyes from shaking and shuddering in its sockets.

Everything is a blur. His ears are ringing. He doesn't even realize he's screaming.

SLAP!

His screams cease as he feels the stinging pain across his cheek. His vision clears to see Ryu's face mere inches away from his own. He looks around to see specks of ash dissipating in the air, remnants of slain monsters.

That's right. He's here, he's back. He's in the dungeon. He's no longer dreaming.

Panting, Ryu slowly begins to loosen her grip on his shoulders. She looks at her hand to feel a strange pulsating heat from when she grabbed Bell. She looks back at him to see his left iris flickering a sapphire blue before reverting back to its natural ruby shade.

"Cranel-san… What's happening to you?"

"...I don't know…" he whispers through quivering lips. "I don't know…"

You don't know? Or are you just too scared to remember?