"Long time no see."

Whisper came from darkness and entered Hildebrant ear and right into his brain. There it echoed more than it was supposed to, so much so that he had no choice but to take a deep breath to calm his buzzing mind while continuing to stare at the unilluminated unknown.

"Don’t be afraid."

Said the being but it did not show itself it just stretched its crimson hand that held the corpse of the blood demon boy and began to show it to him as if it was a living being. Shaking it he even tried to imitate the voice of the boy while it began to move as if the body was still alive.

"I just want to help you, my lordness may hunt you but I will not."

Boy's smiled but Hildebrant was sure its eyes were dead. They were white and no life could be found in them and even the boy's arms moved irregularly, twisting in a direction they were not supposed to be.

"I want to help you."

"Me too."

Came a woman's voice that surprised even Hildebrant and then a girl came out of darkness. Her face also showed a smile, but it was the dead smile of a puppet and not a human. There was also a crimson hand grasping the back of her head and blood vessels that spread from the place the crimson hand touched and grew inside of her flesh.

"You don’t need to be afraid."

Hildebrant stagnated back with cold sweet falling from his back.

Did Icarus sense him the moment he jumped into the tunnels? Was it possible for him to arrive so fast or was it a coincidence? The act of living was so easy to see through he did not know if the crimson monster made fun of him by showing him its collection or if Icarus really thought he would fall for it.

As the boy and girl took a step closer so did the crimson monster behind them.

"We can escape if we are fast enough, now come we will help."

"Yes, don’t worry about others they are safe."

Hildebrant shuddered and flames in him already circulated through his body. Even If he died, he would fight until his body collapsed.

Clenching his fist, he was prepared to fight but his body still involuntarily stagnated further back from the bloody duo. There was primal fear in the back of his head telling him there was no chance of defeating this being.

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The closer the two people came wider their smiles and the more harrowing feeling in back of Hildebrant brain.

There was the moment when he wanted to crawl away but then an unhuman melody began to travel through tubes right into Hildebrant's ear and all worries disappeared. Fear, anger, worry, disappointment in himself, and even anger all were gone replaced by only desire to enter the water and submerge into the depths of the ocean.

Hildebrant stopped moving prepared to find and submerge into the closest source of water but when he raised his gaze both corpse's faces were twisted in fury and anger. There was no positive emotion on them only a will to kill and slaughter.

As if it was not enough to shock him, crimson hands grasping their bodies then hammered their faces and retracted them into darkness.

Then the roar of the beast passed through all corridors and halls and when it stopped the tunnel Hildebrant stayed trembled, and second on that melody turned into a scream that made Hildebrant grasp his head.

The pain he never imagined he could feel made his memories mangled and unnatural and even the ones that were missing began to be twisted by unknown forces but then they all returned to normal.

Shock passed through Hildebrant soul that made him unable to do anything other than stare into darkness from where two figures came back walking to him with bloodied faces and wide happy smiles while he kept grasping his head in pain.

"Don’t worry we will protect you."

They said and the boy threw something he was holding on the ground.

It was a hand.

White beautiful human hand cowered in fish-blue scales and with blue blood coming out of its veins.

Just looking at it sent a shiver down Hildebrant spine and made his mind fall into a disorder trance and almost lost his mind. If not for the pain coursing through him and his high mental defense, he might even kill himself just to drown himself in some liquid.

"Let us help you."

"We want to help you."

Both said together now talking through their mouth.

Was Icarus also learning how to control these dead bodies through their blood? Or was it blood vessels in their bodies that supported and replaced their death muscles?

Anything it was Hildebrant had no choice but to take another deep breath and then watch as crimson hand turned both heads to him.

"Where are you going let us go together."

"We can help each other."

"Can we?"

He asked with a shaking voice. His hands kept trembling when he remembered what Icarus attacked just a second ago.

What was he thinking at that time? He didn’t remember, his mind refused to remember all that came to his mind was water but even then, he could not remember a dam thing!

But both girl and boy or more so the monster controlling them didn’t notice his distress and both their face beamed with happiness and eagerness.

"Yes, we can."

"Surely."

They were already standing before him, and both grasped one of his hands.

Blood vessels poured from their skin and began to crawl into his own but Hildebrant had no idea what to do.

Should he burn it? Should he let it consume him?

His mind was in a mess and his entire surroundings began to twist becoming an unfamiliar forest full of living trees.

In the distance man was shooting an arrow at the antelope, a common beast he could observe in the village where he grew.

Man's features were distorted but Hildebrant knew who the man was.

It was his father and the only memory he had about him.