Helena and Qiang gaze at the man in the cave in silence, trying to not make even the slightest sound. The man has a strange aura around him, he apears to be in his twenties with long blond hair that touches the floor as he sits while petting the scorpion.

This enigmatic man gives the two a thousand question, who is he? Why is he petting a scorpion? And what is a young man doing in a cave, alone? They try their best to not move an inch or even breathe too loudly, afraid of the man's misterious character.

The man suddenly stands up, his happy smile dissapearing as the scorpion leaves in a startled hurry.

"I can see you." The man's voice deep and echoing, "its useless to hide."

Helena suddenly tenses up in fear and only Qiang comes out from hiding to greet the man's gaze, Helena thinks with a fearful expression, 'Qiang, you're either brave or foolish!'

"Are you the observer that has been watching me from the shadows like some sort of night hunter?" The man turns his body to face Qiang, his expression is stern and cold.

"Nope, you got the wrong person." Qiang's lies are very obvious although he tries to conceal them with confident expression while crossing his arms across his chest.

"I see... Then perhaps it was the girl that is still hiding behind that bush?" He turns his head while still keeping a cold glare.

Helena's body stiffens even more as she robotically exists from the bush, sweating prefusely and waving nervously.

"You should calm down, i wish not for harm to befall you, unless, you harm me or the creatures of this cave." He says plainly and turns around, writing something on the wall of the cave.

"What are you writing...?" Helena gives a nervous smile.

"Nothing that concerns you." He says, coldly still.

They stand in the tunnel, unable to move either forward or back as the air itself feels heavy, like a boulder is on each of their shoulders, the man still writes on the wall his aura immense enough to drill fear and dread into their bones.

"It apears you can't withstand it..." The man says with a slight chuckle.

"Wh- what...?" Helena begins to sweat, both out of fear and out of the pressure on her body and lungs.

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"I used a spell just now, it converted my battle spirit into a phisical aura... I was testing the two of you to see if your strength..." He releases the spell and they both fall forwards on the ground as their legs give out from beneath them, "you still can't stand up to him..." The man murmurs under his breath.

Qiang looks up, his sense of manna distorted, as everything around him apears to be waves of floating manna, 'what is this...?' he thinks to himself, "who are you?!" He yells out.

"No need to yell, i am no one important." The man says softly.

"What is your name?!" He yells out again.

"Watch your tone, you don't want your tongue to be cut short."

"Answer me..." He lowers his tone slightly fearfully.

"Raziel is my name." He starts writing again, "allow me to ask a question." His tone becomes slightly sterner

"What?" Qiang asks rudely.

"Why are you here?"

"We came to find a way to revive a friend of ours... There is said to be a doctor on the border between Archos and Seelvia..." Helena speaks only to be cut off.

"Respectfully, that is not what my question was... Why are you here? What is your real purpose?"

"I travel to prove myself to my family, to prove my usefulness..." Qiang says after getting up.

"A noble goal, and yet equally foolish..."

"What...?"

"It is a pointless goal... Prove yourself? For what? You know as well as i do that your family wouldn't accept you either way, Qiang Jin."

"H- How do you know my name...?!"

"I know all there is to know about the both of you, at all times... Your deepest, darkest secrets and all of your desires..." He turns to Helena and gestures for her to stand up, "what is your goal...?"

"My goal is to atone for my past crimes, to help people for all the times i've hurt others..." She sits up on the ground.

"A selfish goal..." He stares at her with a disaproving glare.

She looks shocked and slightly annoyed, "how... Is that selfish...?"

"I see you don't understand so allow me to help you... Why are you trying to help people? It is clear you are not doing it so you could help them, you're doing it for yourself, so you could actually live with the guilt of murdering innocents, Helena Alexadris."

She stares blankly in shock, unable to speak or even move a muscle, his words hurt Helena like a bullet to the chest but she knew that his words had truth in them, however little she hated to admit it.

"So, why are you lingering here? You should leave or you might overstay your welcome." He says in a non-threatening tone, it felt like a warning.

"We wanted to ask you... How do we leave...?" She asks him with a hurt tone.

"There is an exit so long as you find a tunnel forward, it is nearly impossible to miss." He gives a slight smile that fades after a second, "but beware, you will not be welcomed warmly on the surface..."

They take notice of his words and begin to leave, he waits until he can no longer sense their presences in the cave and takes a deep sigh.

He turns and writes some more words on the wall before throwing the chalk away, following the chalk falling to the ground, footsteps can be heard entering the tunnel.

"How kind of you to pay me a visit..." Raziel turns to face the new arrival.

"Of course, i couldn't forget you, especially since you have something i want."

"You know as well as i do... That i mustn't allow you access to that gem, Lucifer..."

TO BE CONTINUED...