A young girl with black hair and brown eyes stood in an alley. She wore grey tattered clothes that had holes in it. The girl's hair was incredibly messy and her face was also marked with numerous black spots. She was chewing on a piece of bread. In front of her was a boy black hair and brown eyes who was crying. "Are you all alone?" asked the girl.

The boy looked up and nodded. His face too was messy and he was wearing dirty brown clothes with holes in it. "Me too," said the girl. "I'm Cici, what's yours?"

"Calvin," said the boy as he stared at the bread in the girl's hands.

"Nice to meet you," said the girl as she handed the boy a cookie.

"What is this?" asked Calvin.

"Lunch," said Cici.

Calvin stuffed the cookie in his mouth. He felt the strong taste of peanut butter and other nuts mixed with chocolate in his mouth. He began to smile and the inside of his mouth could not stop producing saliva. It was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten.

"Let's go," said Cici.

"Where?" asked Calvin.

"To find dinner," said Cici. She grabbed Calvin by the arm and led him to a busy street. It was the market. This was where people setup stores every day and displayed what they had for sale.

The two ran through the marketplace. Calvin watched as Cici grabbed a loaf of bread and two apples while running through. If you were not looking at Cici when she grabbed it, it would have been impossible to know what she was doing. When she made it through the marketplace, Cici made a sharp turn towards an alley between two buildings. Calvin turned into the alley and saw no one there. "Where are you?" Calvin shouted.

"BEHIND YOU!" shouted Cici as she tried to hug him from behind, still with the bread in her hands.

Calvin jumped from the surprise. "You scared me," said Calvin.

"That's the point," said Cici. "Here." She tore the piece of bread in half and gave half to Calvin.

"Thank you," said Calvin. "But why?"

"There's not many of us left," said Cici.

"Us? Who's us?" asked Calvin. He had no idea what she was talking about.

"Many of us homeless kids are being taken somewhere by the guards," said Cici. "They say it is too dangerous for us to run around and one of us might wander into the Crypt."

"What is the Crypt?" asked Calvin.

"The Crypt is located under this town," said Cici. "The entrance is over there," she said pointing to a tall tower located at the center of town. "Beneath it lies an endless series of tunnels and caverns where and endless number of monsters roam the streets."

"Don't they attack us then?" asked Calvin. "All the other monsters do."

"They don't leave the Crypt for some reason," said Cici. "People think that they are protecting something. One day, I want to see for myself."

"You plan to go in there?" asked Calvin. "Isn't it dangerous?"

"Only if you don't have the Gift," said Cici.

"Gift?" asked Calvin. "What Gift?"

Cici lifted the back of her shirt and showed Calvin her back. There was something that was either a tattoo or a birthmark. He was unsure of what it was. It looked like a circle with a hexagon in it. "What is that?" asked Calvin.

"That is proof that you have the Gift," said Cici. "If you are born with a circle with a hexagon within the circle in it on your back, it means you have it."

"What does it do?" asked Calvin.

"If you have the Gift, you monsters you kill will give you essence, allowing the Gift to change and making you stronger," said Cici.

"Do I have it?" asked Calvin. He turned around and lifted the back of his shirt.

"You do!" said Cici. "We can go together!"

"Do you promise?" asked Calvin.

"Yes," said Cici. "I promise that we will go together."

Cici taught Calvin how to steal from the market. What to aim for, what to avoid, and how to quickly grab food. The whole time there, they only saw one other child who was doing the same. The number of them had decreased significantly, but no one knew where they were going. Some went to the orphanage, others disappeared. The two always stayed together, side by side.

Then one day, it finally happened. "You two, stop!" shouted someone.

"Run!" shouted Cici.

The two ran through the market. They could hear the sound of heavy metal footsteps behind them. Someone had seen them stealing.

"What now?" asked Calvin.

"We have to outrun them," said Cici. "If we get caught, we're going to disappear too."

"This way," shouted someone. It was a young man with white hair and glasses in a long brown robe. He was pointing them down an alley. He was pointing down a side street.

"Do we follow them?" asked Calvin.

"We have no other choice," said Cici. "It's better than trusting those guards."

Cici and Calvin ran down the side street as the young man continued to walk normally as if nothing happened. The two saw a young woman with white hair and glasses pointing them inside the house. They ran inside and she closed the door. "Are... we... safe?" asked Calvin who was out of breath.

Cici stood between him and the woman. "Let's find out," said Cici. "Who are you?"

"I'm Sillia," said the woman with white hair. "The man from earlier was Silvio, my brother."

"What do you want with us?" asked Cici.

"To keep you safe," said Sillia. "This is an orphanage. Come."

Sillia led Cici and Calvin down some stairs under the floor. It was where that they discovered how big the house really was. The house above was just for show. The entire underground was connected to several houses with numerous smaller rooms and other children.

"What is this place?" asked Calvin.

"We're technically an orphanage," said Sillia. "But what we really do is hide these kids from the wealthy."

"Why hide them?" asked Cici.

"You know how children from the streets have been disappearing?" asked Sillia.

"Yes," said Calvin.

"That's because they're taking in homeless children with the Gift," said Sillia.

"Why?" asked Cici.

"A few people are willing to pay top dollar for children who have the Gift," Sillia explained. "They believe that at the bottom of the Crypt lies valuable treasure, and they want to enslave as many as they can for a chance to obtain what is down there."

"What is down there?" asked Cici.

"No one knows, but with what is happening down there, a lot of people think it is some kind of treasure," said Sillia.

"So what now?" asked Calvin.

"I would like for you two to stay here," interrupted someone. It was Silvio. "I won't force you, but I think you should."

Cici looked at Calvin and pulled him closer. "I think this is a good idea," whispered Cici. "What do you think?"

"As long as I am with you, I don't care," said Calvin.

"We'll stay," said Cici. "We get food right?" That was what she cared about most.

"Yes," said Sillia. "The girls stay on that side," said Sillia as she pointed down the hallway to her left.

Cici began to walk down that hall. Calvin followed. "She said girls," said Silvio.

"NO!" shouted Calvin. "I'm staying with her," said Calvin as he grabbed Cici's arm.

It was clear to Silvio and Sillia that they were not going to be able to separate them. Calvin and Cici watched as the two were talking. "He's my brother," Cici interrupted. "And I'm not going anywhere without him either." She wanted to take advantage of this chance.

"Fine," said Sillia. "You two can stay together."

Calvin and Cici stayed in Silvio and Sillia's orphanage for several years. In their room was too separate beds and a desk. For an orphanage it was fairly nice. All they had to do was help cook and clean. Silvio was the one who earned money for all the children. A few of the others who stayed with them left. When they did, there was often another to replace them almost immediately.

One night, Calvin overheard a conversation that Silvio was having with one of the older boys. "Are you sure about this?" Silvio asked.

"Yes," said the boy. "I'm heading to the Crypt."

"It's dangerous in there," said Silvio.

"But I want to help you guys, and selling items from the Crypt is valuable," said the boy.

"I know I can't change your mind, but you must remember to stay safe," said Silvio.

Calvin felt someone grab his waist from behind. He turned around. It was Cici. It was her way of showing that she was behind him and she listened to the conversation as well.

"Remember that we will have a place for you if you wish to stay and help," said Silvio.

Calvin and Cici returned to their room. "What was that?" asked Cici.

"It seems like one of the boys wanted to go to the Crypt," said Calvin.

"Do you remember your promise?" asked Cici.

"I'll go with you if you want," said Calvin.

"I know," said Cici as she hugged Calvin.

The two were growing up and Sillia objected to them sharing the same room. However, Calvin was adamant about staying with Cici. He threatened to leave if he could not. He noticed that Cici's body was changing and his was too, but it did not bother him at all. He watched every day as her face changed and her hair grew longer. There were times when he noticed that her overall body shape had changed, but it did not bother him. "Is something on my face?" asked Cici.

"No," said Calvin as he turned away. He did not know what he was feeling, but Cici took every chance to tease him.

"Do you like what you see?" asked Cici as she used her hands to move her hair out of her face. She moved closer to look at Calvin and looked up to his face. She was just a little shorter than him and only reached up to about his nose, but she did it in order to act cute and try to tease him.

"It's what I usually see," said Calvin. "There's nothing all that different."

"I'm just messing with you," said Cici as she hugged Calvin before hopping over back to her bed.

All of this behavior made Silvio and Sillia nervous. But, Calvin felt more comfortable with her than ever before. The two had spent nearly all the time since they met together. To Calvin, it would be weird if he woke up and Cici was not there to greet him good morning or was not there to hug him when he felt bad.

"We want you to live in separate rooms," said Sillia.

"No," said Calvin. "She's my sister, and I'm staying with her."

"At your age, you two are too attached to one another and it's not good for you," said Sillia. The fact that they called each other brother and sister and were living like that bothered Sillia even more.

"Why not?" asked Calvin. "Who should I be attached to? You?"

"It's better than her," said Sillia.

Calvin argued back fiercely. "That does not make sense," said Calvin. "She was the one who was there with me all the time. She is the one who took care of me when I needed it. You did not come into my life until she had taken care of me for a long time." He stormed off and back to his room.

"That did not go well," said Sillia.

Silvio was listening from the other side of the door. "Have you tried talking with Cici instead?"

"Do you think she would even listen?" asked Sillia. "By comparison, Calvin seems like the calm collected one."

"What can we do?" asked Silvio. "They're too co-dependent on one another."

"We could try to force them apart," said Sillia. "But we need an opportunity first."

When the two thought they turned fourteen, they talked to Silvio. "We want to go to the Crypt," said Cici.

"You too?" said Silvio. "Kids these days." He had already seen the markings on their back, proof that they would be able to fight and collect essence.

"I know you're going to try to persuade us," said Calvin.

"You,re right," said Silvio. "I've seen many people go in there and some of our own have died in there."

"But you let them go," said Cici.

"It's the only way we can survive," said Silvio. "Without the sales of those items, there's no way I can support all the children by just selling medicine."

"I've wanted to go since forever," said Cici.

"And I'm coming with you no matter what," said Calvin.

"How old are you two?" asked Silvio.

"I'm not sure," said Calvin.

"I think fourteen," said Cici.

"How can you not know?" asked Silvio.

"I've been running around for as long as I can remember," said Calvin.

"Same for me," said Cici. "I'm just taking a guess."

"Fourteen is the minimum age requirement to enter the Crypt," said Silvio. "Take this with you." He took out a small bag of silver coins and two swords.

"But the orphanage does not have any money," said Calvin. "We can't take this."

"Every person who enters into the Crypt and returns brings back something like this for us," said Silvio. "That way we can send in more people."

"Do we have to do the same?" asked Cici.

"I would like if you did, but I care more that you two return safely," said Silvio. "I do this so that if you enter, you are at least prepared."

"Thank you," said Calvin. "I promise we will return."

"Remember, stay safe," said Silvio.

In the morning, Calvin and Cici headed out to the center of town. On the way, they checked what they had. Each of them had a fairly low quality sword, but it was a start. It seemed to have been made of scrap iron or something like that. There were a few chips and dings on the swords, but it looked like they would at least last for a while. What they needed was armor.

As they made their way through town, they were glad that they no longer had to steal for food. This was also their first chance to work for it. Items from the Crypt could be sold to people in the lobby who bought the items for fairly good prices. The deeper that someone went into the Crypt, the more valuable their loot was. Few people ever made it past the first floor, which was populated mostly by skeletons. The second floor was mostly goblin types. The third floor was populated by lizard like creatures. Beyond that, few people knew what was inside and it was mostly kept as a secret.

At the center of town was the large tower. It was at least ten stories tall and there were numerous smaller shops around. "Let's go there," said Cici as she pulled Calvin by the arm.

The store had the picture of a plate mail on a sign that hung above its doors. There were several more along the way, but they decided to look at this one since it had fewer people. It was to tell people what kind of store it was. The two browsed for anything that they could use and afford. "We can only afford this," said Calvin as he pointed to leather armor. One designed for men and one designed for women. It was light brownish in color and consisted of several parts. It almost looked like they matched. They each had a chest piece that was like a jacket meant to be worn over other clothes, pants, boots, gloves, and a bag that went over their back. It covered the entire body. The price of each was 20 silver.

Between them, they had 50 silver which was just enough to pay for it. Cici walked over to the counter. "One male and one female leather full body armor," said Cici.

"Size?" asked the man.

Cici went and pulled Calvin over. "One for him and one for me," said Cici.

The man went to the back and pulled out a medium for men and a small for women. "Here you go," said the man. "Try it out in the back."

Cici put down the 40 silver and watched as the man counted it. When he counted to 40, she went to the back and picked out a room to change. "It's kind of tight," she said.

"I know," said Calvin who was changing in the room next to her. After a few minutes, he was done changing. It was zipped up from the front. The gloves were a little stiff, most likely because it was still new. There was only a little room to move, but as he flexed, the leather begin to loosen and he could move more easily in it. The pants loosened up more easily then the top and soon, he was able to jog in it.

"Come out already!" shouted Cici. Calvin walked out of his changing room.

"You look good," said Cici as she looked at his chest and poked at it.

"You think?" asked Calvin. "It feels a little too tight still, but it's loosening."

"Probably cause its still new," said Cici.

"What about me?" asked Cici.

Calvin looked at Cici. He saw that the leather armor narrowed around her waist a little before widening at the hips. Her top covered up to her neck and he saw two small bumps on her chest. "You look good too," said Calvin.

"Thanks," said Cici. "Now let's go!" she said as she pulled Calvin by the arm. "I've been waiting years for this."

Calvin and Cici stood in front of the tall tower. The entrance to the Crypt below. "Are you ready?" asked Calvin.

"Yes," said Cici.

"Scared?" asked Calvin.

"Not as long as I'm with you," said Cici.

"Then let's go together," said Calvin. The two of them stepped forward together and entered the tower for the first time.

The inside of the tower was a lobby. There were many people. The front consisted of several sections. Reception, Transactions, Requests, and Other. At the reception was people filling out paperwork, they would have to register there first. Transactions consisted of people who were selling things they found from the Crypt. Requests was where there were numerous cards posted on a board. People submitted requests for certain things from the Crypt. Retrieve it, and they will pay you. Other was for anything unrelated to the three above.

"We have to register," said Calvin.

"If you don't know any information, just guess," said Cici.

When the two made it to the front of the line, they had to fill out some paperwork asking about their names, age, physical description, and who to contact in case of emergency. After filling it out, they turned it back in and each received a Guild Card. On the card was all the information that they filled out on the form. "Don't lose that card," said the receptionist. "It's how we keep track of who you are." That meant, in case they died, the card would help them be identified, no matter when they were found. "We will pay you for any magic stones or magic items you collect from the Crypt."

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"What are magic stones?" asked Calvin.

"They're small red crystals dropped by some of the creatures that wander in the Crypt," said the receptionist. "The bigger it is, the more valuable it is."

"Thank you," said Calvin.

"Don't forget that you can return to the safety area in the back at the entrance of any floor from the second on," said the receptionist.

"I won't," said Calvin.

Cici was surprisingly quiet. "Is something wrong?" asked Calvin.

"I'm just surprised that I'm finally here with you," said Cici.

"It seemed like a dream that was out of reach didn't it?" said Calvin.

"Yeah," said Cici. "But now we're finally here."

As Calvin and Cici headed towards the center of the tower, they saw the entrance to the Crypt. A spiral staircase that descended deep into the ground. "Together," said Calvin.

"Together," Cici replied.

The two walked down the stairs together. When they reached the bottom, they saw the Crypt for the first time. It was a series of tunnels that spread out from their location. There were walls placed all around. It was like a maze. In the distance, they saw the first enemy. A human skeleton. It was frigtening to see for the first time, but it was not a significant threat. It was very slow and easy to outrun. However, they could hit fairly hard if you were not prepared.

The two drew their swords and marched straight ahead. There were numerous other people there who traveled in small groups, often five or six. Calvin and Cici were the only ones that were entering as a duo. There were a few that entered alone, but they appeared more like seasoned warriors than beginners.

They saw the first skeleton. It walked slowly towards them. "It's slow isn't it?" said Cici.

"That was obvious from the beginning," Calvin replied.

"Hiya!" screamed Cici as she smashed her sword against the head of the skeleton. The skeleton's head shattered and it crumbled onto the floor. It dropped a tiny crystal.

"That's it?" said Calvin. "I thought this place was supposed to be scary and dangerous. These things look like they would fall apart if they touched you."

"But if they hit you it would still hurt," said Cici. "So don't take them too lightly."

"What is that?" asked Calvin.

"I think this is the magic stone," said Cici. "Let's hold onto it for now," she said as she stored it away in her bag.

However, the two were able to smash their way through and eventually saw stairs. "Is that the path to the next level down?" asked Calvin.

"Let's go look," said Cici as she pulled Calvin along.

When they arrived at the bottom of the stairs, it was one long hallway. Halfway through it was a circle on the ground. A sign next to it said "Exit to Tower" that was left by someone. It was a shortcut to the entrance. At the end of the hallway, the path split up into three. It was no longer an empty maze.

"What is that noise?" asked Calvin.

Cici tried to focus and heard what sounded like grunting of some kind. "Kya!" screamed a shrilled voice.

In the distance, Calvin saw two greenish brown figures with clubs in their hands run off into the distance. A small group in armor chased after them. "Is that a goblin?" asked Calvin.

"No idea," said Cici. "Let's go."

What made the goblins so dangerous was that they had weapons that could kill and appeared in groups instead of individually. However, they were still fairly weak. With their small frames, they had difficulty lifting the clubs. Calvin was easily able to stab them in the chest while they were trying to lift their clubs. Most of the goblins had to use both hands to lift their club.

They saw five types. A green colored, a greenish brown colored, a yellow colored, a red colored, and a black colored. The green ones were unarmed and only wore a brown helmet. They tried to punch them and were generally aster than the others. The greenish brown ones used large clubs. The yellow ones carried knives. The red ones carried torches that they swung around. The black ones carried swords and were the most dangerous. Luckily, only the ones up to yellow traveled in a group.

As they went deeper, they saw a red colored goblin in the distance carrying a torch. "I got it," said Cici.

"Wait," said Calvin as he grabbed Cici by the arm. "Check if there's any others near by first."

Cici tiptoed over and Calvin followed right behind her. She turned her head around the corner and saw another green goblin. She tapped Calvin and pointed to the right. She snuck up behind it and stabbed it first. "KYA!" screamed the goblin. It was loud.

Calvin could hear footsteps approaching. It was more goblins. "We need to get out of here," said Calvin.

"I know," said Cici. The kill had alerted the nearby goblins somehow. They ran towards the entrance to the floor where there were at least more people.

Calvin saw another group of people. "We need help over here!" he shouted.

"What are you doing?" said Cici.

"Saving us," said Calvin.

It was the group of six from earlier near the entrance. "First time?" asked one of the two women in their group.

"Yes," said Calvin.

"How many?" asked one of the armored men.

"At least one red and many more," said Calvin.

Two of the armored men formed a front line. "We will lower our shields after the first impact, climb on top of us and attack," he said.

"Okay," Cici said.

There was at least twenty of them. One red, two blacks, and a mix of greenish brown, and yellow goblins. CRASH. They collided with the two men in front who bore the brunt of the attack with their giant shields.

Calvin watched as the two slowly lowered it. "Now!" shouted a woman from the back.

Cici stepped on the back of one of the two men in front and stabbed a goblin in the head. One of the woman from the other group used her staff and poked through the wedge between the shields. The group was using a formation to deal with the large numbers. As long as the two in front could hold out, the goblins could not breach the narrow hallway to attack them. They slowly whittled down the numbers and annihilated the goblins. The only thing left on the ground was a pair of swords.

"You two should take these," said the woman with the staff.

"No you should," said Calvin. "Thank you for helping us." He noticed that some of the bodies began to turn into dust.

"We have to keep an eye on each other down here, it's dangerous in the Crypt," said one of the armored men.

"You two need it," said the woman with the staff. "We will take the magic stones instead," she said pointing to the sparkling red stones on the ground.

"We will gladly accept then," said Calvin. He nudged Cici with his elbow.

"Thank you," said Cici.

"Now get out of here," said the other armored man. "Stay safe."

"We will, thank you again," said Calvin as he accepted the swords. "Come on let's go," said Calvin as he pulled Cici along.

"Thank you," said Cici. "I was too full of myself again."

"It happens," said Calvin. "That's what I'm here for," he said as he hugged Cici.

"Hey, don't do that in public," said Cici as her face turned red.

"I'm glad you're safe," said Calvin.

"Me too," said Cici. She returned the hug.

The two headed back to the entrance and activated the exit. With a bright flash of light, they returned to a similar looking spot in the tower. Cici took out the crystal and traded it in at the Transactions area. "Look at this!" said Cici. She showed 10 silver coins.

"It's only 10 silver," said Calvin.

"But it's our first 10," said Cici. She pocketed the money.

"Let's go back," said Calvin.

When the two returned, it was only the afternoon. It had felt much longer. They took out the 10 silver and returned the swords to Silvio.

"I'm glad you're safe," said Silvio.

"We'll pay you back," said Calvin. "Just give us some time."

"I just want you two to return safe, that's all I ask for," said Silvio.

Cici was unusually quiet when they returned to their room. "Is something wrong?" asked Calvin.

"No, just thinking," said Cici.

"About what?" asked Calvin.

"When you grabbed my arm today, I felt something strange," said Cici. "Something I have never felt before."

"It's just the rush going to your head," said Calvin. "Considering how fast we were trying to run, I think that's it."

"Maybe you're right," said Cici.

The two changed back into their regular clothes and continued the day like any other, helping around the orphanage. At night, Cici wanted to walk with Calvin again. "Hey take a look for me," said Cici.

"At what?" asked Calvin.

Cici lifted her hair and the back of her shirt to show the mark that showed she had the Gift. "Did anything change?" she asked.

Calvin took a close look. There was a symbol. It looked like a fish swimming upwards, but it was very light. "It looks like a fish," said Calvin as he traced the line on her back.

"Hey what are you touching?" shouted Cici.

"I was just showing you what yours look like," Calvin responded.

"Let me see yours," said Cici.

Calvin lifted the back of his shirt. There was a symbol there as well. It was just a vertical line. "All I see is a straight vertical line," said Cici. "It's no fish, but it's something."

"I was hoping for something more," said Calvin.

"It doesn't happen immediately," said Cici. "It takes time," she said as she wrapped her arms around him from behind. "Just like everything else."

"Do you ever think about me?" asked Calvin as he held Cici's hands in his.

"All the time," said Cici. "After all, we've spent many years together. It's hard not to think about you."

"I think I love you," said Calvin.

"I love you too," said Cici. "You'll always be my brother."

"I mean I love love you," said Calvin.

Cici suddenly struggled to get her hands out of Calvin's. "Let me go!" she shouted. She immediately moved back to her bed and covered herself with her blanket.

"What's wrong?" asked Calvin.

"I need to sleep and think about this," said Cici. She was surprised to hear those words and could not believe it. It rang throughout her head over and over again. She thought about all the times that she had grabbed him by the arm and dragged him along. Every time she hugged him, he felt warm to the touch. "Is this love?" Cici thought. She shook her head. "Yes it's familial love," she thought. "He's like a brother." Today felt different. When he grabbed her to run, her heart was thumping loudly and it was not just because they were running. It was something else. She could not sleep at all that night and kept thinking about what Calvin had said to her. Even though they described their relationship as brother and sister, the way they acted was very different. "It was more like husband and wife," she thought to herself. She was up all night thinking about this before she fell asleep.

When Cici awoke the next morning, Calvin was already gone. "Where did Calvin go?' Cici asked Sillia.

"He went out early," said Sillia. "He did not say where he was going."

Cici ran back to the room and checked his clothes. His leather armor was missing. He had gone down to the Crypt. Cici immediately changed into her leather armor. "I'm going to the Crypt to look for him," said Cici. As she descended the stairs into the crypt, she saw other people. "Hey has anyone seen a young man with black hair and brown eyes in a leather armor like mine?" Cici shouted.

The people all looked at each other and acted confused. Cici headed deeper into the Crypt.

Meanwhile, Calvin was walking through the marketplace. He was trying to get used to the leather armor. It still felt tight in some places, but loosened as he continued to move around in it. When he returned to the orphanage, Cici was missing. "Where's Cici?" asked Calvin.

"Didn't she go looking for you?" said Sillia.

"Where did she go?" asked Calvin.

"To the Crypt," said Sillia.

"She said we would only go together," Calvin thought to himself. "What was she thinking?"

"I need to talk to you about your relationship with her," said Sillia.

"I don't care what you think, I only care what she thinks," said Calvin.

"She's your sister, you can't live like that," said Sillia. "That type of relationship between siblings is forbidden."

"And you're going to stop me?" said Calvin. "She is the only one who can stop it," said Calvin. "If this is what you think, then there's no place for me here. Once I pay off my debt to you and Silvio, I will leave."

"That's not what I meant," said Sillia.

"That's what you do not understand," said Calvin. "She is not just a sister, she's more important to me than anyone in the world. And if I have to stare down the rest of the world as they try to stop me, I will. At least I will at least be honest to myself."

Calvin immediately ran to the Crypt. As he descended the stairs, he looked around to see if he could see Cici, but it was impossible to tell. "Has anyone seen a girl wearing similar armor to mine with long black hair?" shouted Calvin.

A man carrying a cane of some sort walked up to Calvin. "There was a girl who shouted something similar when she ran straight down the hall," said the man.

"Thank you," said Calvin as he took off.

Calvin was easily able to smash his way through the skeletons to the second floor. As he entered the second floor, he had to be a little more cautious, but he continued to run through. The only thing that could stop him was if the goblins all gathered and formed a wall around him. There were only a few people around, so he started asking. "Have you seen a girl with long black hair in armor like mine?" he asked.

No one had seen her. "Did I miss her?" thought Calvin. As he turned around, he saw someone he recognized. It was one of the men in heavy armor from yesterday.

"Have you seen my friend?" asked Calvin.

"You mean that girl who was cutting her way through the goblins?" asked the man. "She bolted straight for the third floor."

Calvin immediately ran off. As he went through the main hallway, he was able to easily push aside the goblins and kill them without coming to a stop. His Gift had increased his strength and endurance. Eventually, he arrived at the stairs to the third floor. As he descended, he heard shouting. There was hardly anyone from this point on. The third floor was where the Crypt was believed to start becoming dangerous. The theme was lizard creatures. What made them dangerous was the fact that they regenerated their limbs, so you had to strike the heart or the head to kill them.

In front of them stood a single girl with long black hair in leather armor, who was cutting her way through the lizards. "I'll kill you all!" she screamed.

It was Cici. "What are you doing?" shouted Calvin.

Cici turned around and saw him. "You're okay!" shouted Cici as she ran back towards Calvin. What was left behind her were numerous corpses of lizards that had their heads sliced or their chest cut open. She immediately hugged him. "I was worried about you so I came looking for you."

"I only went around the market to loosen up the tight leather," said Calvin. He could see the tears forming in her eyes.

"What?!?" shouted Cici. "I thought you went in here alone, so I came in here looking for you. When I did not see you, I moved on to the next area. Before I knew it, I was already down here."

"Don't you remember our promise?" said Calvin. "If I go to the Crypt, I'm going with you."

"I remember," said Cici. "I guess I kind of forgot. You feel kind of warm."

"You were acting weird yesterday too," said Calvin.

"That's right," said Cici. She pushed him away. "You said those words!"

"I love you?" said Calvin. He was confused, but that was probably it since Cici started acting weird after that.

"Yes those words," said Cici. "Why did you say it?"

"Because I realized that's the truth," said Calvin. "I had no one else at that time, but you appeared and took care of me when I needed it most." He started walking closer to Cici.

"Stay back," said Cici. She was conflicted. She definitely felt something towards him, but was unsure what it was. She had blocked out the tought whenever it came up. "I don't know what I feel," said Cici. She then paused to think about it.

"But if it's staying with you, I think I'll be okay," said Cici as she walked up to Calvin and grabbed his arm.

"What about Sillia?" asked Calvin. "She's bothered me several times about it."

"Would she have a problem with it if we were married?" teased Cici.

"What are you saying?" said Calvin. "I thought you did not know what you felt."

"You said you love me," said Cici. "But how much do you love me?" she asked.

"I don't know that yet," said Calvin.

"That's not good enough," said Cici. "I want an answer."

"How about we find out together?" asked Calvin.

"What do you mean?" asked Cici.

"Promise me that you will help me find out how much I love you," said Calvin.

"I promise," said Cici. "Let's do this together," she kissed Calvin on the cheek. "That was weird."

"First time for anything is weird," said Calvin.

"You're right," said Cici. "So let's take the next step together."

"Next step to where?" asked Calvin.

"Into the Crypt," said Cici. "We're already here, we might as well continue." She pulled Calvin to the beginning of the hallway. They stared into the darkness that was the third floor of the Crypt.

"Together?" asked Calvin.

"Together," said Cici.

They both took their first step together into the third floor. "Wherever you go, I will go with you, no matter what the world thinks," said Calvin.

"I know," said Cici.