"Enough," I said firmly and took a step forward, having enough of the whole charade. "I'm done speaking with you."

A heavy sigh escaped from my lips not long after I turned the corner. My legs buckled, and I had no choice but to press my back against the smooth wall behind me. Slowly, my knees almost reached up to my chest. It was tough keeping myself together after all that.

"...but it was necessary," I whispered to myself.

I had already obtained what I wanted. There was no logical reason for me to stay in the Underworld even for a second longer, yet I found myself doing something needless that simply delayed my departure.

I had to make things painfully clear and rip off all the strings I had linked to this place, or else I knew I'd drown in it like everyone else.

A commotion occurred right in front of my eyes. Some guys assaulted a woman who seemed to be in her forties. A coat covered her tender shoulders, hiding most of her figure. I stood there, listening to her calls for aid as the larger of the two pinned her to the ground. There were several raised eyebrows, similar to mine, but no one seemed to care.

The one above, with a gleeful grin and a heavy breath, tore off her garment. It revealed a sleek armless dress neatly wrapped around her slim frame. A bit too slim, actually. Her sleepy brown eyes attracted my attention as she looked about, desperate and sunken in terror. Her gleaming lips parted, some lipstick smudged all the way to her cheek, but that detail was barely comprehensible from this distance.

I locked eyes with one of the attackers. Not the one standing on top of her, because he was too preoccupied with ogling her bruised skin, but the one standing alongside them.

Someone finally approached them with a long stride, having had enough of it. He only gave the individual who stood there without moving a finger a disapproving glare with his jaw gritted. He strolled past, and what happened next didn't elicit a reaction from me.

The skinnier of the two kicked him behind the knee before pulling something from his sleeve. A reddish line appeared around the savior's throat before he could even gasp. As he fell face-first onto the ground, blood gushed out, part of it staining the gray edge of the pocket-sized knife.

Then it appeared as if time had come to a halt.

Any evidence of his twisted ambitions vanished when the oily-faced one stood up and began looking through the corpse, but he wasn't the only one who had radically changed his conduct. The woman also stood up and watched everything unfold with interest. Her face was devoid of visible fright, replaced only by an inscrutable expression. If you told me it was merely a ruse on her part, I'd be inclined to believe you. Her acting was outstanding in and of itself.

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Compliments aside, they grabbed his wallet, phone, keys, and the badge used to enter the Underworld. The skinnier one flaunted out an ID. His name, address, and any other pieces of information regarding his private life were all discovered.

The damsel in distress attracts gullible guys with her cries as she is assaulted, but it turns out that she has been collaborating with her assailants all along. They would undoubtedly visit his home now that they had access to his private details in order to acquire a little more loot.

Quite smart.

My attention was drawn to the woman's injuries as she knelt to pick up her coat. They were largely dispersed around her arm and were tiny in size. I strained my eyes as I observed something similar on the body of the fatter thief.

As for the slimmer one, I couldn't tell. He donned a loose cloak to hide his figure, but he was most likely in it as well.

Addicts, I thought to myself. That much was evident.

It was the kind of swindle that could only happen in the Underworld.

As I pressed my palm against my face, a chuckle escaped my throat. Everything seemed... absurd all of a sudden.

Seeing anything like that happen just after my disagreement with the other two proved my case. You really can not put your trust in anyone, regardless of their appearance. It was necessary to talk sense into them or they'd be in a lot of trouble later on.

Yes, even if it means jeopardizing our relationship. That'd help them to survive for a little longer.

Before I arrived, Lavender was already a part of the Underworld. She was an enigma to me, but the waitress was undoubtedly sympathetic to those around her age. Despite this, she acted as though nothing could harm her. There had to be some reason for her confidence, but I didn't have time to figure that part out.

Lucas, on the other hand, was bound to meet even more troublesome people. Melody's presence would be a hazard in and of itself, but because of his attachment issues, he'll deliberately put himself in danger's way to defend her. Since I knew so much, I had to take him down a notch or two. Otherwise, he'd run into a megalomaniac like that dwarf, and... well, let's say horrible things would happen.

His naivety might be the reason behind his downfall, but I'm sure that with time, what transpired in the restaurant was enough to cement that truth in his mind.

They'll understand I was right, eventually.

That was all I could do to support those who gave me a sense of normalcy within the Underworld, but perhaps I shouldn't have been so harsh with my language. Or maybe I should have sought another approach to accomplish what I had in mind.

"But it's too late for that," I grumbled.

I never expected to meet someone whom I might argue with about something as hazy as trust in the Underworld, though.

I knew I was correct, and I knew it had to be done, but I still felt bad about it. It was difficult to interact with others, let alone trust them.

"Trust," I whispered, tapping the clarinadryl through my jacket and cloak.

What if I should've said those words to myself all along?