You all have no idea how long I have waited to release and write this chapter. I am so happy that it is finally here.

Big thanks to Qinlongfei for beta reading and making sure everything was alright with the chapter.

With that said, let's get it started!

Chapter 35: Shadows Past

They actually ended up staying the night at Jonas's mining camp, Ake's old friend had much catching up to do with him. While slightly annoying and delaying their journey, it did provided the opportunity for Naofumi to unlock some new shields from the ore Jonas's team had been collecting. Jonas allowing them to take some as a favor to Ake.

Mein managed to absorb some of the precious ores, but obtained nothing of particular use. Though Naofumi did state that he managed to unlock some kind of 'Geo Shield' which was actually a large round shield that looked like polished stone. He said that it was heavier than some of his other shields and changed it out because he wasn't used to the weight difference. It made Mein remember that its been quite some time since Naofumi has properly trained, perhaps she could take that opportunity to get a bit closer to him.

She put those thoughts on hold though as they neared their location, herself riding on Jun like normal while Ake lead the wagon with Filo. Like Jonas said it was half a day's travel, but in actuality it seemed even shorter than that. Upon approach, she could see that the entrance to the heretical laboratory turned monster dungeon was in the side of a mountain. She had to hand it to the insane cultists who worship the Outsider, they could certainly be ingenious when it came to their hideouts.

They parked their carriage by the entrance and Mein got off Jun, as their two animal children reverted back to their human form, they all stood at the entrance of the dungeon. Mein was unable to see further into it due to the darkness. The dungeon's mouth of darkness looking like a large mimic monster and they were about to walk straight into their doom.

" Well...I guess we can classify this as our very first dungeon crawl. Want to take a memento ? " Naofumi said in an attempt at humor, but from his stiffness alone she can tell that he was unnerved by the darkness of the dungeon.

Raphtalia for her part stuck close to Mein, clearly afraid of the darkness as well. She gently patted her on the head as she took a step forward, chanting a spell " Candlelight " She threw the basic fire light spell down the dark tunnel, which showed that there were no immediate threats waiting for them.

" I got a bad feeling about this " Naofumi said out loud.

" We'll be fine Naofumi " Mein reassured him.

To be frank, she had a bad feeling about this place too. She had no idea what kind of monsters or threats awaited them here. Whether the mad cultists from before had traps laid out to keep out unwanted visitors, which was more than likely for places like this. And unfortunately, she wasn't skilled enough in the art of detecting and scouting out more subtle and advanced traps, especially in an unfamiliar tight place like this, with no reconnaissance being done beforehand. She should really consider investing in a disarm traps kit, if they survive this.

What kind of monsters awaited them ? There could be any number of powerful and wild beasts that inhabit a place like this. They would have to keep their wits about them for anything they encounter.

" We'll stay close together in order to avoid losing track of anyone, and we'll be able to easily subdue any threats that come our way " Mein suggested.

" Sounds good to me. I'll be at the front with you Mein " Naofumi agreed.

Filo audibly grumbled, grabbing Naofumi's arm and pulling him away " Filo doesn't want to be close with the smelly Dragon Lady !"

Almost on cue, Jun grabbed her arm as well and pulled her away " Well, mother doesn't want to be around a stupid fat bird like you !"

Mein sighed as both Jun and Filo got into another insult throwing contest with each other. While she appreciates Jun's courageous efforts to defend her against the impunity of the dumb bird,she could quite frankly care less at this point. Their frequent arguments have honestly gotten annoying and she worries that if she doesn't put her foot down soon, this could disrupt their journey.

" That is enough ! Both of you " Mein shouted, which shut up both Jun and Filo. Naofumi and Raphtalia as well looked surprised at her sudden outburst. " You both don't like each other, I get it, that has been firmly established. But like it or not, you will both listen to either me or Naofumi " Filo grumbled and glared up at Mein, but the princess returned with a much angrier glare that made the little bird girl look away grumbly.

" Good job mother !" Jun happily said, before Mein turned to him.

" This applies to you too Jun " Mein said sternly to his shock " I don't expect you to get along with Filo as a sister, but I do expect both of you to behave yourselves before or during a quest. Is that understood ? "

Mein at that moment realized that she did indeed sound like a stern mother, scolding her two children for fighting. Is this what some parents feel like at times ? She's not sure, its a strange feeling if nothing else.

"...Okay " Jun quietly said.

" Wow. Already starting to take your motherly duties seriously, I'm impressed " Ake smirked at her.

" Shut up. Get the torches ready " Mein said as she used her fire magic to light up some torches. Once the torches were ready, one was given to Naofumi and another to herself and Ake.

With one final deep breath, their group walked into the monster dungeon, ready to face whatever awaited for them inside.

As they made their way deeper and deeper into the dungeon, Mein couldn't help but feel the hairs on her neck stand up. The shadows illuminated from their torches did little to put her mind at ease, her paranoid mind already anticipating some sort of ambush of monsters made out of tentacles and cursed black magic. The thought alone made her tense and she kept one hand on her sword's hilt the whole time. Her senses keeping an eye out for any threats to their little group.

She glanced over at Raphtalia, who had changed back to her adult form in order to be able to carry around her rapier on her right side in order to balance herself out. Mein didn't say it out loud since she didn't want to hurt Raphtalia's feelings but she was genuinely doubtful that Raphtalia could really do much with her rapier at this point. Her movements were still to clumsy and she wasn't used to the weight of the blade. Still better have it out than not, if nothing else she can use it as a last resort to defend herself.

The tunnel is dead quiet, the only noticeable sounds Mein can pick up is the sound of their footsteps and breathing. She briefly activates Dark Vision to confirm that there was nothing hiding in the shadows.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached a large oval room with three different pathways.

" You've got to me shitting me..." Ake sighed " Don't tell me we have to clear all these paths to find the gem we need "

" We might not have to, hang on..." Naofumi seemed to take a minute and changed back to his Geo Shield " I remember seeing that this shield had some kind of exclusive skill called Terrain Prospect. I think it lets me survey the environment around me for deposits of ores "

" You think it'll work ? "

" One way to find out. Terrain Aspect !" The shield let out a strange pulse of green energy that Mein physically felt for a brief second. The next moment some kind of...floating blue diagram projected from the shield.

It looks like the sandbox from father's war room. But based on how the diagram strongly resembles a mountain, with a forest like area in the surrounding environment, she's going to guess that this is an accurate representation of the mountain they are in.

" Impressive..." Ake muttered, while Raphtalia stared in amazement.

" Pretty..." Filo poked the diagram but her finger went right through it.

" Real life hologram. Cool " Naofumi messed around with it for a bit, twisting it around and zooming in on a specific area which seems to be inside the mountain, where 6 green dots were located. Mein was guessing that was their party.

" Looks like we are right here..." Ake pointed at the green dots " And the gems we need look like to be on this side of the dungeon " The knight pointed at a white shade which covered a part of the inside of the dungeon " So we should go left here "

" Alright, let's get the gem and get out " Naofumi said, changing back to the Light Metal Shield.

" Agreed. Stick together and-" Mein was stopped when she felt a familiar beating come from her pouch. Some part of her both annoyed and intrigued at the same time.

The princess turned heretic took out the Heart in all its disgusting glory, the center of the strange device glowing a dim white light. Which meant that there was a rune nearby, most likely in this dungeon.

" Mein, what's going on ? " Naofumi asked, noticing the Heart was out.

" There's an Outsider rune in here " Mein explained, she should have anticipated that there would be a rune in this place. She moved the Heart around to try and figure out a general direction and found that it was beating faster towards the right pathway "...It seems to be down here "

" Great. Should we circle back after we get the gemstone ? " Naofumi suggested.

Hmmm...that would be preferable. Although I really don't want to spend more time in this dungeon than we need to...and from the looks of it, Raphtalia doesn't either.

She should be able to quickly snatch the rune and get back with the rest of them while they get the gemstone. Simple and easy.

" No need for that Naofumi. I can just go grab the rune and rejoin the rest of you later " Mein said calmly.

" You sure its a good idea to split up while we're in the middle of a monster dungeon ?" Naofumi questioned worriedly.

" Calm yourself. I can take care of myself, you just take care of the kids and get that gemstone for us " Mein threw him a smirk as she began walking down the pathway " I'll be right back !"

" Every horror movie I've ever seen has a rule that you should never say 'I'll be right back' !" Naofumi shouted but she was already gone.

Naofumi's POV

" You sure it was a good idea letting Mein go off on her own ? " Ake asked as they walked down the left path.

" She's got the power equal to that of a Cardinal Hero...and she's undoubtedly the best fighter in the group, so I think Mein will be okay " Naofumi tried to wave Ake's concern away, but he couldn't deny that he felt some of those worries too.

Then again, he had to remind himself that Mein was a hell of a lot more dangerous than she looked. Even without the Mark, she was a force to be reckoned with that was for sure.

" That's not what I was asking...do you trust Mein, Sir Naofumi ? " Ake whispered to him.

Did he trust Mein ? That was a good question to ask and honestly one that he's wondered himself on more than one occasion since he met the red haired adventurer. It wasn't an easy one either. Sure, he trusted Mein with a lot of things, but could he trust her as a person ? There's still a lot about her past that she hasn't opened up to him about and he has the feelings that there are darker things at play with Mein. He hasn't worked up the courage to ask her about it to her face yet though...

So does he trust Mein ? He doesn't quite know the answer to that question yet.

" I...I-"

" You don't need to answer if you don't know yet " Ake interrupts him before he speaks " I just want you to take into consideration who she is at her core and what that would mean for you two going forward "

" Going forward ? " Naofumi asked with a slight blush.

" Don't tell me you don't have a crush on Mein ? " Ake asked blankly, surprising Naofumi.

" I...well Mein is certainly attractive-"

" Stammer like that when she's around, not to me. Just don't think with your dick and you'll probably be fine..." Ake commented but there was a strange distant and sad look in his eye when he said that.

" Sounds like you have some experience ? " Naofumi pointed out.

" I've dated before, but...there was this one girl that-" Ake stopped himself, shaking his head as they continued on " Nevermind that, let's just stay on mission Sir Naofumi "

No argument there. They continued down the path, Naofumi and Ake ready to defend the party if they encountered anything...but nothing showed up, much to Naofumi's relief.

" That's strange..." Ake muttered.

" What is ? " Naofumi asked.

" We've been in this dungeon for like 10 minutes and we haven't encountered a single monster so far "

" That's...bad ? " Raphtalia sounded confused.

" The fact that we haven't encountered any monsters so far, either means that the adventurers who came before us killed a lot more monsters than anticipated...or something else scared off all the small fry " Ake warned them all, making them tense as they proceeded further down the path.

Naofumi grip on his shield was tense, not steady in the least. Every shadow he was almost jumping, ready to throw an Air Strike Shield but no shadowy monster appeared.

But instead his ears picked up something much worse.

" I hate Master Naofumi..."

The Shield Hero stopped when he heard what sounded like Raphtalia's voice, glancing at the raccoon girl, he couldn't see her mouth due to the darkness but he could hear her voice.

Raphtalia ?

" Its because of Master Naofumi that Keel is dead. I hate him so much ! I just want to kill him !"

Naofumi was in shock, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was enough to make him step back from the raccoon girl.

" The Shield Hero is so foolish, Mein and I have been working behind his back and he doesn't even realize it. Now he just needs to drop his guard and we'll be able to finish him off "

Ake ?

Naofumi flat out stopped in his tracks, the light from his torch suspiciously starting to flicker and he looked around himself not sure of who to trust.

" I HATE YOU !"

" I HATE YOU TOO, BIRD BRAIN !"

Out of nowhere, Filo and Jun started attacking each other. The two rolling on the ground, crashing into Naofumi and causing his torch to go out.

" Filo, Jun, what the hell ?! " Ake shouted.

" He called me fat ! "

" She called me stupid ! "

In the midst of their loud arguing, Naofumi suddenly felt something cut his right arm.

" Agh ! Something just cut me !"

" Master Naofumi, are you okay ? " Raphtalia tried to help him, but Naofumi backed away fearfully, worried about a blade in his ba-

Wait...Ake and Raphtalia still have their weapons sheath and the damage done barely even dropped his HP bar by a smidge, which means...

" Something's attacking us ! Its mimicking our voices !" Naofumi shouted as he changed to the Two-Headed Dog Shield.

" Cover me ! I think I have something to deal with them, god I hope I remember this right..." Ake muttered before he chanted " Fast-Anti Blind !"

A bright blue light erupted from Ake's hand...and in that light, Naofumi saw multiple bat like creatures flying around and in front of them.

" Get them !"

" Zweit-Chain Lightning !" Ake released a bolt of electricity that connected with several of the bats due to how bunched together they were.

Filo and Jun seemed to stop rolling on the ground fighting, and turned their combined wrath towards the bats. Easily one-shotting all of them and causing the smell of burnt flesh to flood his nose.

Within less than two minutes, all the bats around them were dead. Naofumi was legitimately impressed. He couldn't help but imagine the frightful headway they would make if Jun and Filo were able to work together like that all the time. After absorbing one of the bats, he unlocked the Gengur Bat Shield which resembled a bigass microphone shaped like a bat.

" Well...that was terrifying..." Ake let out a breath.

" Yeah, it was mimicking yours and Raphtalia's voice. You said that you were secretly working with Mein to kill me or something..." Naofumi nervously chuckled.

" Huh, that's weird " Ake stood up straight with a blank expression " Well, let's not dawdle around, let's get moving "

Their group, now a bit more cautious about their surroundings and what they were hearing.

Naofumi hoped Mein was doing better than them.

Mein's POV

The heretical princess took in a deep breath as she proceeded down the dark pathway by herself, only now wondering that perhaps this wasn't the best idea. It was too late to go back now though, and the Heart was beating exponentially fast which meant that she was nearing the location of the rune.

She wondered if she would have yet another oh so wonderful talk with the Outsider, the Black Eyed Bastard in all his glory but she pushed that thought away. Hopefully whatever new power she gains from this rune will be well worth it.

As she proceeds down the dark pathway, she can't help but wonder what kind of experiments took place here, the insanity and dark magic that drove the cultists to do such wicked things here. She had heard all the stories from the Church, about how many cultists would go mad with the black magic they so desperately seeked. She even heard that some madmen would forcefully shove black magic artifacts into their souls to gain strange abilities.

It almost makes her feel like she belongs here, that it feels fitting that she has come to this place, makes her wonder if she will one day go mad.

A sound from behind her, makes her instincts flare up and she unsheathed her blade and turned around to see absolutely nothing but darkness staring back at her.

Mein tried to calm her nerves as she refused to jump at every shadow she passed. She proceeded down the path until she found herself entering a new room of some kind.

The room was actually quite large, it had multiple long benches on both sides, the kind you would see in a chapel. But the wood was rotten and dusty, indicating that nobody had been here in a long time. On the walls were drapes adorned with heretical symbols...and upon closer inspection she could see that there were carvings on the wall and she instantly recognized it.

The Mark. The Outsider's Mark. Her Mark.

" Very interesting..." Mein mumbled to herself.

Was this the area dedicated to worshipping the Outsider ? Looks likely.

Mein moved forward, up to the podium where she assumed the mad cultist preacher would give sermons and such. She could see that there was a backroom behind the chapel, she kept a hand on the hilt of her sword just in case.

She passed by bookcases filled with dusty old books, closer inspection revealed that the books had been eaten from the inside out by bugs or something else. She wondered if this ruin had once been a treasure trove of information about the Outsider cult...all lost now.

Mein walked a few more meters before she reached the very back of the room, the Heart beating extremely fast as she came into view of a shrine with a rune placed on it. There weren't any cryptic purple lanterns this time around, no doubt having gone out long ago.

She smirked as she put the Heart away and approached the shrine, her hand just inches away from grabbing the rune-

When the floor beneath her feet opened up and she didn't even have time to scream as she fell down into the abyss.

Naofumi's POV

After a few more minutes of walking, Naofumi could see a light starting to come up ahead of them. Their group entered what looked to be a large cavern with dozens of bluish crystals and gems protruding out of the walls. It reminded him a lot about the greenish metal ore they found back in the mine near Lute

" Sir Naofumi, look over there " Ake said in a hushed tone.

The Shield Hero took a second to look further ahead and see a large monster, from the distance he could see it had the body of a lion, the furry head of a monkey and a snake tail.

From this distance, his HUD activated and confirmed the creature just a few meters ahead of them.

Nue, Level 47

A nue...a monster straight out of japanese mythology. Never thought I would ever actually see one in person. Its level is pretty high though, not sure if we can take it without Mein backing us up.

Naofumi turned to the rest of the group in a hushed tone" Alright, it hasn't noticed us yet, maybe we can just grab the crystal and get out of-"

" Don't worry daddy ! I'll take care of it !" Filo shouted, changing to her filorial Queen form and charging straight at the Nue.

" Filo no !" Naofumi shouted but it was too late as the Nue was already quickly alerted to their presence.

The Nue roared at them and charged to meet Filo halfway, Filo ready to kick the nue straight in its face, but the Nue was faster than she expected. It dodged her attempted kick attempt and tried to slash at her with its claws.

" Air Strike Shield !" Naofumi quickly summoned the green shield to protect Filo and allowed her to jump back " Help Filo and kill this thing !" "

" With pleasure, Zweit Thunderbolt !" Ake released a bolt of lightning only for the Nue to dodge it and end up blasting some crystals " Shit, I missed !"

" Raphtalia stay back !" Naofumi shouted at the young girl, before going in to try and defend, changing to the Iron Shield to try and get a stun in " Shield Bas-!"

Before he could hit the Nue with his shield, it let out an angered roar and the Shield Hero didn't see the sparks of lightning until it was too late- and he felt himself get pulled back by the edge of his green cloak.

He felt his body fall back on the ground as he saw the Nue release some kind of AOE thunder attacked that shocked everything around it. Even the ground looked scorched around it.

Naofumi looked back to see Jun having been the one to pull him back to safety. The rest of the others had also regrouped.

" Naofumi ! Are you okay ? " Raphtalia asked in concern.

" I-I'm fine...thanks Jun " Naofumi nodded in gratitude.

The dragon turned his head away, which gave Naofumi the impression that he did it more for Mein than for him.

" So it can use lightning...great " Ake mumbled under his breath " What do you think Sir Naofumi ? "

Naofumi took pause as he realized he was for once the one giving the orders. It was usually Mein or Ake really giving out all the tactical orders, but now...it was on him to figure it out.

He didn't have to think long since he could only come up with a basic idea.

" We need to attack it all at once and overwhelm it " Naofumi said " That's our only chance "

" How do we even get close enough to attack it ? " Ake questioned.

" Let me handle that..." Naofumi said changing to the Chimera Dragon Shield that he had unlocked a while ago. The shield itself made out of dragon scales and the center of it was made out of dragon teeth, it had a special skill that should help them in this situation " Just be ready "

Ake nodded as they got ready to attack. Naofumi taking a deep breath before he charged at the Nue with full speed.

The Nue accepted his challenge and charged at him, trying to strike him with its claws again which he blocked with his shield. He struggled to hold up the defense for a few seconds as he saw the Nue growl at him and sparks start to form.

Hope this works...

At the last second, before the Nue released its attack, Naofumi pushed the attack to the side and released his skill.

" Thunder Call !" Naofumi shouted just as the Nue unleased its lightning field...only for the lightning to get sucked up into the shield itself, the dragon teeth opening up and taking all of the thunder into it.

That was the exclusive ability of the Chimera Dragon Shield, Thunder Call, to absorb lightning attacks and redirect them. Though the counterattack itself had very little damage output, but it still worked like a champ.

" Hit it now !" Naofumi gave the signal.

Filo and Jun didn't miss a beat. Filo moving so fast he barely followed her movements, landing a harsh kick to the torso which he could hear bones break followed up by Jun slashing it across the face. Its HP bar dropping by about half from those two attacks.

" Aaaaahhh !" Ake yelled as he stabbed his sword straight into its side, causing it to howl in pain.

He didn't even notice the snake tail bare its fangs and lunge at Ake.

" Air Stri-"

" Ake, look out !"

Before Naofumi could summon an Air Strike Shield to defend, Raphtalia was a step ahead of him. She blinked right in front of the snake and without hesitation, shoved her rapier into the mouth of the snake. The viper recoiling back in pain with the rapier stuck in its throat. Raphtalia falling back and losing balance as a result.

Ake immediately catching wind of this, cut the tail off before finally killing the Nue. Stabbing it straight through the side of the neck before it could jump back.

Naofumi let out a breath of relief that showed an EXP notification confirming the kill.

" Well that was intense..." Ake let out a tired sigh before he turned back to Raphtalia " Thanks for the save, kiddo "

" I-I...didn't want to see you get hurt " Raphtalia said quietly.

" You did good Raphtalia. You did good..." Ake said softly as he looked at her sword still stuck in the throat of the viper, pulling it out he could see that it was rusted to hell from the venom " At the cost of a sword, but we can easily replace it..."

" Sorry..."

" Its fine, its not even your fault, that being said..." Ake turned his gaze to Filo who had changed back " What the hell were you thinking Filo ? "

Filo didn't back down but instead glared back up at Ake " It was weak ! I could have killed it easily !"

" Well, you didn't and you put the whole team at risk with that mishap " Ake scolded the bird girl " Do you even realize the kind of danger you put yourself and us in by charging in like that ? "

" Well, maybe if you all weren't so weak..." Filo grumbled.

" Filo that's enough " Naofumi stepped in " And Ake come on, she's just a kid...we'll make sure it doesn't happen again, okay Filo ? "

" Okay !" Filo said all too quickly. Sticking her tongue out at Ake, who glared down at the girl.

" You shouldn't just let her off the hook like that Sir Naofumi " Ake grumbled " That reckless nature could get herself or others hurt one day..."

" She's just a kid Ake, not a soldier that's had years of training " Naofumi retorted " We can teach her to be better "

Ake looked like he wanted to argue some more before letting out a sigh " Fine whatever, let's just get the damn crystals and get out. Hurry up and absorb the Nue so we can leave "

" Got it " Naofumi nodded.

After setting some of the pieces of the Nue away for Mein, Naofumi went about absorbing the Nue, managing to unlock two new notable shields. The first one was a roundish shield which had the face of the monkey on it.

Nue Shield

Skills: Lightning Shield

Effects: Thunder Resistance( Small)

Exclusive Skill: Night Terror

Its stats were kinda sucky, the defense wasn't that great...but reading about its exclusive skill, made Naofumi think it would be a useful shield if they ever fought against any more humanoid enemies.

The second shield which he got from absorbing the viper tail was much more powerful. It looked a lot more fancy than his usual shields, it was pretty light and had a greenish color to it. With two golden snakes crossing to form an X.

Chimera Viper Shield

Skills: Change Shield

Effects: Antidote Compounding Up, Poison Resistance(Medium)

Exclusive Effect: Venomous Fang

It was a pretty good shield and its defense rating was almost on par with his Chimera Dragon Shield. Along with its lightweight made it perfect for him.

" Nice piece..." Naofumi commented on the shield.

Ake was busy carefully breaking apart the crystal using an ice pick and hammer, tools he had borrowed from Jonas before they left. He took several large pieces before handing them to Naofumi.

" Why did you take so many ? " Naofumi questioned, eyeing the number of gems.

" These things are worth a fortune. We can sell these for some extra cash if we need to " Ake explained.

Naofumi couldn't disagree with that logic. More money wasn't something he would disagree with.

" Alright, we have what we came here for...but where the heck is Mein ? " Naofumi wondered out loud where their missing companion was doing.

Mein's POV

The princess didn't have time to scream before she felt her body crash onto a floor. Her body aching from the impact, but she couldn't feel that anything was broken. A 20 foot drop at the most, but it still hurt like hell when she hit the ground.

" Oww...fucking hell..."

Mein grunted as she got up, only realizing now that she was stuck in complete darkness. The torch that had been providing her light having gone out due to the fall, which left her looking around in darkness.

As she got up, she heard the sounds of something moving around in the darkness...and she realized that she wasn't alone here.

She instinctively conjured a small ball of fire into her hand, providing her a little light but not strong enough that she could actually see around her. Her sword already out, prepared to strike down whatever monster arose from the darkness.

You don't care about anyone but yourself. At the end of the day, everyone is just a tool to get what you want.

Mein's eyes widened and she turned around to see something she never thought she would see...Lesty standing at the very edges of the darkness. Just out of the light. Dressed in the same dancer clothes she remembered her wearing and she had an angry expression on her face.

" Lesty ? "

" You have no love, compassion, mercy or sympathy in your heart. All you have is anger and bitterness about your past " Lesty glared down at her " If I was not the daughter of a powerful noble house, you would not have paid me anymore mind than you do the starving commoners on the streets you pass on the streets "

" That's not true ! I do care about people ! I care about you and others-"

" You care about people when they are useful to you...or make you feel good about yourself. If I hadn't stuck by you after the incident, you would have pushed me away just as easily as you do everyone else you 'care about' in your pathetic life " Lesty let out a cruel chuckle " The funniest part...is that your anger and hate isn't even yours to begin with. Its his "

She was about to retort back when Lesty disappeared into the darkness. A searing pain in her heart from what Lesty had just said to her.

I hate you. You're the reason Keel is dead.

Mein turned around to the next shadow that has come to haunt her.

" You only ever saw me as an obstacle to getting in bed with Naofumi. You never cared about me or Keel at all. You were just waiting for an opportunity to get rid of us " Raphtalia's voice was laced with hatred and her innocent eyes were filled with bitterness.

Mein felt as though she had been stabbed, recoiling back in pain, hearing those cruel words from Raphtalia, the girl she had grown to care for had her more than she would have realized.

" I-I may not have cared about you at first, but I do now and-!"

" Because I'm like a little sister to you ? The little sister you always wanted ? " Raphtalia sneered at her " Don't lie. You may like me now, because I'm the little sister you wanted to have, the one that is just weak and pathetic enough that I'll never stand against you or pose a real threat. The one with a blank slate that was just stupid enough to look up to someone terrible like you " Raphtalia turned away from her " You're no different from the bastard who tortured me and Keel... you just use different methods to get what you want, but you're still the same at heart "

Mein opened her mouth to try and say something to defend herself from these accusations...but she found herself speechless to say anything as Raphtalia faded into the darkness. Mein pathetically reaching out to try and stop her from leaving.

I'm not a friend, lover or even someone you remotely care about. I'm just another tool for you to get your revenge.

The voice of the Shield Hero pierced her ears and she saw him step out of the darkness.

" What am I to you Mein ? Just another tool in your bitter quest for revenge against your mother " Naofumi spat at her with malice in his tone, another gut punch that knocked the wind out of her " You didn't help me because you cared, felt bad or even loved me...you did it because I was your best chance at getting your precious throne. You're horrible and you know it. You don't see people as people...you see them as targets. Prey for you to hunt in your neverending temper tantrum against the world that you feel wronged you"

" Naofumi no..."

" You're a monster Mein...and you will die like one...just like him "

Tears started stinging her eyes as she felt her knees give out, only barely able to keep herself up from the emotional pain she was experiencing.

Some part of her realizes that this is no doubt some kind of sick illusion conjured up by her mind, that these people are not real...but the words they speak, the voices...they feel all too real and hit her in weak spots that she didn't even knew existed.

" Why are you looking so down ? Get up...that's no way for a little princess to look "

Mein felt her body freeze as she heard the next voice, one that she had not heard in over a decade...was ringing through her ears like a goddamn mantra.

She raises her head and sees him standing there.

He was not donned his gear, his clothes weren't bloody or tattered, he was actually donned in his original modified knight captain armor...and his face was the same as she remembered it.

An older-ish man, with some stubble on his face, bluish eyes that looked like they could pierce into your soul.

It was him.

" Hey, kid...been a while..." He smiled that same smile he used to give her.

" O-Oh my god...Thomas..."

Thomas Cross had been her teacher. Thomas had been her bodyguard. Thomas had been her first real friend and the one who gave her all the tools she needed to survive.

He had also been the Shadow Demon who reigned terror over Melromarc for over a year...while she watched everything he did.

Mein was frozen in place as she stepped back and Thomas took a step forward.

" Malty...what are you doing ? Are you afraid of me ? "

" Thomas no, I...no... you're not real, you're not real !" Mein shouted.

" Kid, please don't let me die a second-"

" No no no no no NO NO ! YOU'RE NOT REAL ! " Mein shouted as she raised her hand, tears staining her vision " Fast Fireball !"

Thomas didn't have time to react as the fireball connected and burned him to crisp-

And in the light of the fireball, Mein spotted the truth of this room.

There were several shadowy monsters around the room, all of them looking like a collection of shadows that the closest resemblance she could think of was a large dog. Only much larger and had several shadow tentacles across their body.

They were the ones who had been messing with her head. Controlling the ones she loved. Spitting their cruel words to torment her.

Big mistake.

Mein rubbed her eyes and activated Dark Vision, now able to see the monsters that had tormented and used those she had cared about against her.

One attempted to jump at her and attack her, but she ducked under the attack and rammed her blade straight through the chest and into the ground. Before another one could react, she blinked behind it and push her sword straight through its back, the creature letting out a deafening scream of pain that was music to her ears.

Anger, sadness, bitterness and hatred buried deep in her heart were the driving factors behind the slaughter she was committing.

" Lion's Roar !" Mein lit her blade in flames as she directed it towards a group of shadow beasts that were too slow to escape the powerful attack. The flames forming into a lion and swallowing the beasts whole as if it was a personification of her hatred.

She was using Blink as naturally as she was breathing, as if it had become second-hand nature to her. It was if her mind was already thinking of her next destination and taking her there, killing a shadow beast before taking out another.

" Mein ! Stop this !"

Mein turned to some of the last shadow beasts, but these one was different...it was the ones that had quickly changed back into the form of Naofumi, Lesty and Raphtalia in a desperate last minute act to try and stop her.

Unfortunately for them it just pissed her off even more.

" Big sister ! Stop this now or-"

The fake Raphtalia was cut off when Mein ran her through with her blade. Piercing her heart the same her words had pierced Mein's.

Fake Lesty didn't even get to speak as Mein decapitated with a clean arc of her blade.

And the fake Naofumi tried to escape but Mein was one step ahead of it, as she blinked and cornered it. Vengeance and anger laced in her voice as she spoke to it.

" I don't like being reminded of my past..." Malty hissed as she shoved the fake Naofumi against the wall, holding him up by the throat as she slid the blade in to his heart.

The fake Naofumi gave her a rueful smile.

" But you will never...escape it..."

With those haunting words, the illusion faded and the fake Naofumi reverted back to the shadow beast form.

Mein took a deep breath as she felt her knees give out and blade clatter to the floor.

Rage, disgust, sadness and a whole whirlwind of different emotions flooded her senses, enough for bile to rise in her throat and cause her to spill it out in the darkness.

She felt so damn tired and exhausted...physically and mentally. She hadn't expected to be attacked like that. To have all her weaknesses and failures be put on display for her to gape like a fool at.

Keep it together, keep it together, keep it fucking together...

Mein swallowed a breath as lit up another Candlelight so she can start navigate her way out of here. Before she did, she absorbed one of the shadow beasts and a notification told her she unlocked a new power.

Shadow Walk

To yourself into a shadow-like beast, hide in the shadows and tear enemies apart.

Mein was indifferent to the ability she had just gained, as she looked for a way out. Thanks to the light source, she saw that the trap door that dropped her down here was still open and was just in range enough that she could blink back up.

Performing a simple wall-run and jump, timing it with a blink allowed her to escape the hellhole she was in.

Gazing down into the dark abyss where she was just emotionally and mentally taunted, she gave a spiteful spit down it before carelessly snatching the rune and tucking it away for later absorption. She waited for the Black Eyed bastard to make his appearance...only for nothing to happen.

Strange. Usually he shows up when I take these runes, better for me then.

Mein was definitely NOT in any mood to deal with the Outsider today, after what she had just been through.

The princess pulled her hood up and walked away, determined to try and leave the past behind her.

But you can never escape it...

The words of the fake Naofumi ring through her ears as she walks away.

Naofumi's POV

" We need to go after her " Naofumi said after the first few minutes passed.

They had returned to the oval room to wait for Mein to return to them, but the Shield Hero was becoming increasingly worried with each passing minute that their resident redhead didn't return to them. It shouldn't have taken her this long to just grab the rune and come back, leading the group to fear the worst may have happened to her.

Naofumi glanced up at her status on his HUD, it showed that she was still at full health and he was pretty sure that if she was dead, she would have been removed from the party but...he still can't help but feel worried that something bad may have happened to her.

If there was anything he learned about Mein in all this time, it was that she valued punctuality above a lot of other things.

" Agreed, let's be quick and figure out what happened to her-"

Ake stopped when they all heard the sounds of footsteps coming down the path that Mein took, Naofumi feeling hopeful that it was their teammate returning to them.

A figure stepped out of the shadows, purple cloak with the hood pulled up and the black cloth pulled up as well to cover part of her face. Naofumi at first was relieved to see Mein come back to them, until he noticed something.

The way she walked was different, it was slow, distracted, almost purposeless...call him a creep, but he knows how Mein walks and it is always with direction, diligence and precision.

Mein tilted her head at them and Naofumi couldn't help but take a step back as a result.

She almost looked like a zombie. Staring at them with those eyes of hers.

A silence washed over them before it was broken.

"...Did you get the gemstone ? " Mein said suddenly breaking the silence.

" U-Um yeah, we got it " Naofumi nodded.

" Good, let's get out of here " Mein said nothing more as she walked towards the exit.

Naofumi couldn't help but feel like there was something wrong and reached out to her " Mein, did something happen-? "

" CAN'T WE JUST LEAVE FOR FUCKS SAKE !? "

Naofumi recoiled back at the sudden shouting, the rest of the party did too. And the Shield Hero looked Mein directly in the eye when this happened.

Mein's eyes...they looked different too. There was something wrong with them.

Cold, distant, disconnected...and there was something hiding just beneath the surface. Something dangerous hiding underneath it.

Mein seemed to quickly realize what she just said and her eyes showed recognition over what she just did.

" Shit I..." Mein looked like she wanted to apologize but couldn't find the right words as she turned away from them " Let's just go "

Naofumi and Ake gave each other worried glances, as they followed Mein out of the dungeon. Raphtalia holding onto his hand out of sadness of what had just happened, even Jun seemed solemn about the whole situation.

Naofumi didn't know what happened but he knew that something bad had happened to make Mein like this. But Mein was clearly not in the mood to talk about anything.

But that didn't mean Naofumi wouldn't try to find out later once she's cooled off.

Okay, so before any of you ask, I did take inspiration from Qin's ' Mad world' chapter where Malty is told how much she sucks from the dungeon's boss monster illusion that conjured up the illusions of people she hates and I could not resist the temptation of having something similar like that happen in my story too, since I just love having my main cast being told how much they suck in a nightmarish sequence or illusion.

:P

But my personal twist on that scene, is that the illusions that Mein sees, are people that she genuinely cares about and loves. You may have noticed that Mein was desperately trying to defend herself against the illusions, while Qin's Malty returns the taunts with anger and spite.

And the ending where Mein releases some of that anger towards the real Naofumi and Raphtalia was on point, since she's just been through something that genuinely got to her.

On one my more important notes, we have FINALLY been able to put a name to the Shadow Demon. I was getting sick and tired of using vague as hell pronouns to keep his identity a secret and I am glad that I don't have use them anymore going forward.

As it has already been made abundantly clear from the badly and poorly placed flashbacks, Thomas has an integral role in Malty's backstory...and her present.

I apologize if her backstory has been confusing to follow but I promise it will all make sense by the end. Probably, maybe.

Now let's answer some reviews shall we ?

To guifarroc889:

Sure, I don't mind if you want to write a reaction story about mine.

If I had to make a choice, I would probably choose either chapter 3 or 27, since those are some of my personal favorites.

To Caspian123:

Consideringly how incompetent I tend to be when it comes to be, I can make no promises that I won't fuck it up.

I will try though.

:P

To codywhite162:

Thank you ! I'm glad you're still enjoying the story so far.

:)

With that said, I will see you all in the next one.

Angel Out.