"So? What are we doing?" The Fire Spirit asked.
"I-"
[We're going in, killing it, and getting out of here.]
"Are you serious?" Elisa asked, visibly shaken.
[Of course.]
[I'm not sure what you expected.]
"She's in pain."
[She?]
"All Harpies are females."
[It's a Monster.]
"Just like you are."
[Just like I am.]
[Which is why I'll do my best to kill it, and it'll do its best to kill me.]
"What if it doesn't have to be this way? She's constantly suffering because of the Corruption. You could help. The same way you helped me."
[I see what this is.]
[You're feeling guilty.]
"I am. But that doesn't matter. You can help ease her pain. And if you do, maybe she'll even join-"
[Maybe?]
"Yes, maybe. If you could at least try to fix-"
[I can't fix that.]
[Even you should know that much.]
[I can't, and I won't try to.]
"Why the hell not?"
The white-scaled Monster stood impassively for a bit.
[I'm going in there, with or without you.]
"You're not even open to discussing it?"
[There's nothing to discuss.]
Elisa rested her elbows on her bent knees and placed her palms against her face.
She remained silent for a bit.
"It's unfair. She's just like me. The only difference is the degree to which the Corruption has-"
[That's not your call to make.]
Her voice grew weaker and weaker.
"She's not the enemy. Why won't you understand?"
[Once again, that's not your call to make.]
"She's not the enemy..."
Mark turned towards the huge doors.
'Levi, Spirit, Light, Grey, Fiery, Krista.'
The Underlings stood at his side.
Levi kneeled.
Krista looked at Elisa for a bit, before walking towards Mark.
"Why won't you understand...?" Elisa whispered.
[There's nothing to...]
"SHE'S JUST LIKE ME! JUST LIKE YOU DAMMNIT! SHE WAS BROUGHT HERE AGAINST HER WILL! SHE SUFFERED SO MUCH FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG! THE SAME AS YOU! THE SAME AS US! SHE..."
Mark quietly stared at the outburst of anger.
His eyes were cold.
[There is no us.]
Grit-
She lowered her gaze.
"Why won't you even consider..."
Mark opened his mouth.
He closed it a second later.
[I'm sorry, Elisa.]
She raised her gaze towards him.
[In a way, she is just like you.]
Mark took a step towards the Boss Room.
[You've suffered a lot here and even before you were brought.]
"So you get it! I knew you would-"
He placed his hands against the large doors.
[But there is no us.]
"What? What do you-"
[The reason I am here.]
[And the reason you were brought here.]
He pushed them wide open.
[Are completely different.]
Puzzled, perplexed, and confused.
Elisa stared at their backs as they walked into the Boss Room.
The large doors started moving slowly.
A bone-chilling screech resonated, and the entry was closed shut.
"Why didn't he try to kill me then? Why am I still alive? Am I only here because the Corruption hasn't completely destroyed who I am? Is that why? Or is it because those bastards didn't fuck with my body the way they did to the Harpy? Because I'm still me? Because I'm still pretty? Is that it? Is my life really hanging..."
Her whispering voice shook, as tears started flowing down.
"By such a thin thread?"
...
Hundreds, if not thousands of miles away.
"Aghh! I can't figure out." A red-haired woman shouted as she let her head fall on the wooden desk in front of her.
A dozen papers were scattered on that desk.
Some seemed to mysteriously glow.
"After his discussion with her, I thought going back to Magic Circles would be a good idea but... I still can't figure most of them out." She whispered.
Knock- Knock-
She turned towards the intruder.
"Anything on your mind, Nia?"
"Just the usual. Working on Magic Circles."
"Can't help you with that. I'm more of a straightforward kind of guy."
"A brute, you mean?"
"I've been called that a few times."
"And those calling you that didn't live long enough to tell the tale." Nia chuckled. "Rare to see you, Cyd. What's on your mind?"
He rested his back against the door.
"Your Candidate is about to leave the Dungeon."
"He is."
"Mine has a Floor and a half to go."
"Did you come to ask for advice of some kind?"
"Mm. Something like that."
"Can't help you." Nia's gaze returned to the papers on her desk. "The Lord assigned you that Candidate. I'm sure there's a good reason. Whatever you see fit will probably work."
"If I'm honest, that's why I'm here."
"Do tell. I'll help if I can."
"My Candidate and I are similar. He seems to enjoy training and getting stronger that way. More than others usually do."
Nia chuckled.
"Yes. I can see the similarity between you too. So? Guide him through it how you would yourself."
"Well, that's just it. I'm usually not of much help. He trains just as thoroughly as I would have him train. In general, he-"
"Acts the way you would?"
"Yeah. And I'm not sure if that's the way to make him grow. If we think similarly then-"
"There's not much for you to do?"
"Right."
"It was the same for me. I didn't interfere much."
"Okay... Good. So your Candidate is, in some way, similar to you too?"
"Not at all. Couldn't have been less similar."
"Huh..."
Cyd left the room a minute later.
Draconia found returning to her Magic Circle study particularly difficult.
Her fingers felt restless, and her mind wandered a bit too much.
Nia walked up to a window and stared outside.
Since she was assigned her Candidate, this was the first time she couldn't watch and judge his every action.
For the first time, she couldn't tell what was going on, how he was doing. Not even whether he was alive or not.
'I'll have to leave in a couple of days to meet up with him and Raven...'
Nia let out a tired sigh and took a seat once more.
'Provided everything goes well...'
Her fingers nervously tapped the desk.
'Though things do have a strange habit of not going well...'
