They had been walking for quite a bit. Yoru was still a bit unsteady on her feet. She used the walls as a crutch. The resonance from before made her nose bleed, but it also granted her knowledge.

“It’s down here.” She pointed to a fork. “The right one will take us to where the Seal is.”

She had explained to him what happened to her when the resonance hit. He had been the only one of the four of them to stay standing. Aria had screamed, and the two of them had collapsed. It had left him to protect her and Aria. Subaru had been too far away to save.

Yoru tripped from the unsteady ground. Kenichi caught her.

“Thank you.”

“You alright? I can carry you if you need to?” Kenichi offered.

“I’m alright.” Yoru pushed herself off his chest. “Really I am. I just tripped because of the ground.”

He looked at her skeptical.

“I’m fine,” she said more firmly.

From his eyes she could see that he did not believe her. He was right, but she also had her own pride. He understood it, and gave a curt nod. He looked back to the direction they came. No spiders had followed them.

“I’ll go ahead and scout the area first. Make sure that it’s safe.” He put Aria down next to her. “I need you to watch her, since you’re the strongest.”

Before she could even protest, he ran to the right fork, his back devoured by the darkness. Yoru shook her head and sighed. She fell to the ground, leaning her back against the wall.

“You’re too kind for you own good, Kenichi,” she mumbled to herself. The wolf had known Kenichi for years. The man, no matter what, was a pious man. A steadfast supporter of the Goddess of the Moon. He was duty bound to protect her, but more than anything, he desired to protect Aria.

The winged woman’s eyes were slightly closed and her mouth open. Yoru took out a handkerchief and cleaned the drool dripping from her lips. Aria did not react to her. She cared not what Yoru was doing. If she stabbed her in the leg, she wouldn’t react.

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Her heart ached. She had once been a radiant presence, but she was a husk of what she had been.

Aria turned to her. Her eyes wide and glowing a deep blue. Her face wrinkled and dry. Her mad grin cracked her dry lips, blood dripped from them.

“Death!” She informed her, pointing to the tunnel Kenichi went down to. Then she barked a hollow laugh, before her head fell, and her eyes returned to being unfocused.

Kenichi screamed, and that was enough for her to barrel into the tunnel. She focused her energy in pulling out Shadow Heart. The black blade emerged from her shadow, the hilt dripping shadow like ichor. She wrenched the blade free and came to a halt when she emerged in an open area.

Unlike the tunnels she came from, this place was well lit with an ethereal pool of water in the middle, giving off a soft azure glow. She heard his scream again, and she scanned the area, finding him near another exit struggling against a spider double his size. His face gripped with pain, as he held onto a leg that skewered through him.

Yoru rocketed across the room with an aura infused jump. She lifted her black blade high above her head ready to slay this monster.

For a paused moment, she saw a thread float in front of her.

Her blade was deflected from her hand, and the blade spider turned its gaze towards her. It opened its maw, and just like the shitty merchant, light gathered.

She felt like a cat clawing the air for safety.

If she was on the ground, she could have sunk in her own shadow. Her abilities did not work too well in the air. The best she could do was infuse her body with aura in an ill attempt to defend against the beam.

But no doubt, this would gravely injure her.

A familiar scent tickled her nose, causing her face to scrunch.

A figure passed underneath her, running towards the spider. No one but her noticed the figure. When the spider did, it was too late.

The man slammed his fist, turning the spider’s maw. Its beam released, blowing a hole in the wall.

As Yoru landed on the ground, she saw the spider swipe its leg at the man. The golden haired man smoothly dodged underneath the leg, making a straight dart to Kenichi. With another swing of his fist, the man broke off the spider’s leg that pinned Kenichi.

She stood up, her eyes wide. Her nose did not lie.

“It can’t be.”

But it was.

Cedar Oswell, the Flame Prince, a man known for using swords, had pulled the leg skewering the monk, and throwing him over his shoulder with relative ease. He ran towards Yoru, and in instinct, she readied her sword.

“Come this way!” He called out to her.

She stood still for a moment, wondering if he had recognized her. She pulled her hood over her face, and followed after him. Behind her, she heard the cry of the giant blade spider.