The soft touch of sunlight filtered through the curtains, illuminating the details of Mary’s face as she peacefully slept.

Her blonde hair was spread out on the pillow, messy but somehow charming.

Leonar, still half asleep, carefully sat up, trying not to wake her.

The air was cool, and the faint creak of the bed as he moved barely disturbed the peaceful atmosphere. His bare feet touched the cold wooden floor as he stretched, letting out a small sigh.

In front of him was the white bag Mary had brought. Curiously, he approached and opened it, finding a simple but elegant set of clothes: a gray cotton t-shirt and black sweatpants.

The soft texture made him pause for a moment.

‘How far did she go to get this?’ Leonar thought, his fingers brushing over the fabric.

There was an obvious care in the choice, something that made him smile faintly.

As he changed, he recalled Mary’s words from the night before.

“Check the pockets of my skirt, I have something for you.”

Leonar furrowed his brow and turned his head towards the skirt that was tossed aside.

Upon examining it, he noticed something peculiar: there were two pockets.

In the first one, he found a white phone with a bunny case that made him chuckle softly.

‘Definitely hers,’ he thought as he carefully set it aside.

In the second pocket, however, his fingers found something different: a black box with a label that had his name on it.

Leonar.

He opened it carefully, revealing a black phone that practically gleamed from being brand new. He held it for a few seconds, admiring it, before bringing it to his face.

The unmistakable smell of a new device made him laugh quietly.

“Mary, what the hell are you doing with your money?” he muttered to himself, noticing the brand of the phone.

It was from a company known for its exorbitant prices, and the accessories were neatly arranged in the box.

A small piece of paper inside caught his attention.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

He unfolded it and saw a handwritten number.

‘Definitely hers,’ Leonar thought, recognizing the gesture as something very much like her.

For a moment, he considered waking her up to thank her, but something stopped him.

A faint tremor ran through the floor.

Barely perceptible at first, but enough to catch his attention.

Leonar frowned, leaving the phone on the table. Without waiting any longer, he headed for the door. Outside, hotel guests were starting to become restless, leaving their rooms.

“Shit…” Leonar muttered as he quickly returned to Mary’s side.

He gently shook her, and she began to slowly open her eyes, letting out a small groan.

“What’s going on…?” Mary asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

“Get up and dress quickly. I think it’s a dungeon break,” Leonar replied urgently.

Mary blinked several times, trying to process what he had said.

“Another break? That’s impossible…” she muttered as she looked for her clothes. Still slow from sleep, she managed to put on her skirt and jacket.

Her hair, however, was a mess, with strands sticking out in all directions.

“A break just happened recently… and the other one was just an anomaly that—“

The sound of an alarm interrupted her words.

The robotic voice of the emergency system echoed throughout the room:

“Attention: All civilians are advised to evacuate immediately. A dungeon break has occurred. Please proceed to the nearest shelter.”

Mary’s face went pale as she turned to Leonar.

“This can’t be happening…” she whispered.

Leonar, now more alert, grabbed his bag. Then quickly shoved his new phone along with his hunter ID into his pockets. He looked at Mary, who still seemed dazed.

“Let’s go, we need to leave now.”

She nodded slowly, adjusting her jacket as she followed him down the emergency stairs.

The hallways were filled with people, just like them, trying to evacuate.

Some were running frantically, others were shouting orders or looking for family and friends.

“Watch out!” a man shouted as he passed, pushing them.

“Where’s the shelter? Someone tell me where it is!” a woman shouted, holding a child in her arms.

Leonar clicked his tongue, making his way through the crowd with Mary right on his heels.

The chaos was palpable; the sound of the alarm continued to ring in their ears, along with the hurried footsteps and nervous voices of the people.

Once outside, the scene wasn’t any better.

The alarm kept repeating, and the streets were filled with people running in every direction.

However, the nearest shelter was only a few blocks away.

“This way,” Leonar indicated, grabbing Mary’s hand to make sure she didn’t get lost in the confusion.

When they reached the shelter, a large metal door was being opened by two guards who were urgently directing civilians.

“Get in quickly! Don’t stop!” one of the guards shouted, with a rifle slung over his back.

Leonar stopped suddenly, looking towards the entrance with a furrowed brow. He released Mary’s hand and turned to her.

“I have to do something.”

“What?” Mary asked, confused.

Leonar handed her his bag and gave her a serious look.

“Stay here. I need to check something.”

Mary stared at him incredulously, clutching the bag to her chest.

“Check what? You can’t leave me here alone!”

Leonar sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“I don’t want to put you in danger. Please, go into the shelter and wait for me. I’ll be back soon.”

She watched him silently for a few seconds, her expression wavering between indignation and worry.

Finally, she nodded with resignation.

“You better come back, got it?” Mary said, looking away as she gripped the bag tightly.

“I will,” Leonar gave her one last glance before turning and walking away quickly, blending into the crowd that was still moving through the streets.

The voice of Eleonora came to his mind, calm as always.

“Want me to handle this?”

Leonar shook his head, quickening his pace.

“Not for now.”