Still inside the Cavern of Mordsgard, Maven opened her eyes. Vaguely she could see the sweet expression that belonged to Sophia.

“Ah, Maven, you’re awake?” said Sophia.

The elf only stared, forcing a weak smile. Her body was still aching and numb from the lightning torture she suffered previously.

“I must admit, you’re pretty strong. Were I in your shoes and received that lightning strike, I would’ve died. You are really blessed with fortune,” Sophia commented while rubbing on Maven’s arm and checked her condition.

Curious, Maven looked elsewhere. She found Reyl and Declan still lying amongst the piles of monster carcasses.

“Reyl! Declan…! What… what has happened? Have they…?” Maven was aghast.

“They’re not dead, Mave. Don’t you remember? Reyl saved you, charged on Udmelekh with manifold strength and finished her. But he kept running amok and attacked Declan. The next moment, an army of monsters came down on him, and now he’s passed out from exhaustion. I got rid of the other monsters with my magic and scared away the rest."

“Reyl, he… cannot be that strong….”

“Never mind, Mave, don’t talk anymore. Just rest for now, let me keep on watching around here,” Sophia told Maven as she put her partner to rest on the cavern wall.

Regaining her vision, Maven observed her surroundings. Her eyes were locked on the Fat Lady's carcass. Its monster head was already scattered all over, spreading a foul stench. She then drowned in her own thoughts….

The time kept rolling…

“Ah, Declan? You’re awake, too,” Sophia exclaimed.

Maven was startled from her daydreaming, then she turned towards the stray cleric who sat, shaking and rubbing his head.

“How long did I pass out?” Declan asked.

The witch helped him to rise up. “I don’t know. It’s hard to discern time inside this dark cave.”

Declan turned around, “Ah, Maven is also awake? How strong can she be? She suffered worse wounds then I did."

Sophia commented, “Sometimes I wonder whether all elves share her excellent regenerative power, and why they have all those gifts and not us, humans. Ah, no, forget it. What matters now is that only Reyl that has not woken up. We must get out from Mordsgard before those monsters come again.”

“Reyl? Wait…” Declan forced himself to stand up, approaching the black-haired young man. He turned his facing down body up while pointing. “Sophia, look at that glowing pendant! We must take it off from him, or else he’ll go berserk again when he wakes up!”

Declan then extended his hand. But Sophia suddenly cut him short and pulled his hand. “No, Dec! That is Crylionel, the crystal pendant I gave him as a birthday gift.”

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“Is that so?” Declan turned at her. “Do you prefer him to kill us all over losing a birthday present? Think about it!”

“But, Teacher Lei said…”

Ignoring her excuses, Declan reached for the Ice Spirit Pendant.. But suddenly it beamed a blinding light and threw Declan back. “Aargh!”

“What? How…?” Baffled, Declan shook his head.

Sophia was about to get near Reyl when Maven stretched her hand before her love rival. Maven then pointed. “Halt, Sophia. Look.”

All eyes were on Reyl, more specifically on the crystal pendant which was floating on its own above his chest. The pendant kept floating higher in the air, even pulling its wearer along with it. Then it floated still.

The next moment, the said pendant glowed the brightest. Maven covered her eyes with her hand, so did her two friends. After then, the light disappeared and Reyl fell again on the ground. Sophia could not bear any longer from rushing to her lover’s side.

“Sophia, no!”

Maven’s warning came too late as Sophia had already put Reyl’s head on her lap, then calling for him as she wept. “Reyl! Reyl! Please, don’t leave me alone! Oh, Vadis, please spare him! I cannot possibly live without him!”

Her tears fell on Reyls’ face without her realizing it. The young man began to blink his blue eyes, then opened them slowly. His lips began to move, then uttered very weakly, “….Sophia?”

Hearing Reyl's call, Sophia immediately hugged him tightly. “Oooh, Reyl! You're awake! I though you were dying because of the explosion! Ooh, I thank thee, Vadis!”

Her hug was tight enough to suffocate Reyl. “Uugh… Sophia-ackk… let go… can’t breath…!”

“What? Oh, I’m sorry Reyl, sorry…” Sophia immediately let go of her embrace.

A moment later, the tip of Declan’s tri-pronged trident was already pointing at Reyl’s neck. “Try moving an inch, my trident here will pluck out your life, Reyl Adelant,” the stray cleric coldly warned.

“What the hell, Declan?" Reyl scrunched his forehead.

“Don’t play dumb, Reyl! Whether you realized it or not, you went berserk uncontrollably before and almost killed me. I must make sure that won’t happen again.”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about!”

Maven then interceded by pulling away Declan's trident from Reyl. “Hold it, Dec. Reyl isn’t running amok now, let me talk to him.”

“But, Mave… Ah, suit yourself!” Declan scoffed.

Reyl interrupted, “What are you…. talking about, Mave, Dec? The last thing I saw was… Maven was caught by Udmelekh, and then… I… I can’t remember.”

Maven looked at Reyl firmly. “All right then. Let me tell you the whole story…”

==oOo==

Reyl grabbed upon the pendant over his chest. When he tried to take it out, the snowflake-shaped blue crystal instead clung itself tightly onto him.

“Damn it, I can’t pull it off! What should I do? Bound for life by this thing? I won’t accept this!” Reyl beat up his own chest in frustration.

Sophia held onto her lover’s hand. “D-don't! Don’t be reckless, Reyl, I’m sure there’s a way out from this problem! Don’t take a shortcut!”

Rubbing his aching hip, Declan interrupted, “Speaking of a way out, I heard from Sophia that that pendant is a present from her, and she also mentioned about Madame Lei. Are they connected with each other?”

“Ah, right.” Maven clapped. “Since it was a birthday present from Sophia and that pendant looked too expensive for an ordinary monster hunter to afford, it makes sense that someone else gave that necklace to Sophia be later given to Reyl, so that someone must have been…”

“Madame Lei," Sophia admitted. “She helped me to find a present because I didn’t want to lose to Maven.”

Reyl glared. “So I’m just a competition prize for you? I’ve never felt so insulted before!”

“No, no!” Sophia panicked. “I truly love you, Reyl. It’s just that I have to prove to Maven that you are mine, so that she’ll never bother you again.”

“In other words, you’re jealous,” Declan commented.

Sophia didn’t answer, she simply looked down. Reyl was about to speak when Declan interrupted again, “Hey, I know this is not my business to interfere with your problem, but can you postpone your fight for later? We have more pressing matters, like getting out from here.”

“And Reyl,” Maven added while staring sharply at that man, “Keep yourself from getting to emotional, since your anger will trigger the pendant’s reaction again.”