During the time Chella makes a new friend, Nova finds a hidden pathway that allows her to evade the crystal monsters. Despite the path itself doesn't seem natural, she feels grateful for an escape from having something sucked dry from her. Maybe it's the survival instincts that notify a human with impending danger. Nova knows to well about science to know that lightning doesn't work on those creatures, maybe not with the amount of watts that she could generate.

"*Huff huff* Thank god...I'm almost out of breath."

Nova takes a deep breath and tries to assemble the recent information in her mind. While she's deep in thoughts, something touches her from behind. She turns back with her hands charged only to find out that it's the girl from before that saved her and Chella the other day.

"It's you!"

"Why are you here in the deep underground?"

"I want ask you the same thing. Also, did you see those monsters earlier? Where did they even come from?"

"I don't know either. I only came here in search for my savior."

"Your savior, down here? Seeing how things go, he might be dea-"

Nova can feels an intense glare at her and she realizes herself to be almost badmouthing someone. She shuts her yaps. The girl does not say anything and continues on her way. Nova decides to follow her due to not being able to handle the situation on her own. With the opportunity at hand, Nova tries to get to know her better.

"Thank you...for saving our butts back then."

"It was nothing, really. I'm just not fond of those who abuse their powers to oppress others. Conveniently, they were in the blacklist of many people across the region."

"Still, you were awesome back then. I guess you're an Apex, too."

"So that was why you guy boldly headed straight in the enemy's territory. You seemed to have some combat experiences."

"Nah, we were just newbies. Chella and I weren't too familiar with our abilities."

"Reckless as it was, you 2 fought well."

"Wait...you were observing us the whole battle?"

"I was deciding if you were friends or foe but you turned out to be the former."

"Well, we might end up meeting each other more frequent so I'm Nova. You?"

"I go by Panda."

After such a brief talk, Nova and Panda discover what seems to be an old mine. The surround area has crystals glimmering all over. When they approach the crystals, they feel warm and energized. Piqued, Nova puts a few pieces inside her backpack for further studies. Panda is also harvesting some and put them in a blue box. However, some monsters crawl out from the dark corners. These creatures don't tolerate having their territory stepped in and their resources taken. Hence, a fight ensues but Nova won't be able to do much.

Panda cause the rocks to bury the path so the monsters won't be able to chase them but now they're caved in. Both of them have no choice but to go further inside the old mine, hoping to find an alternative exit. There are no other sounds aside from footsteps, Nova attempts to break the ice with another talk.

"So, how does your guy look like? I could help you find him if you want. Maybe you could come along with us, it's better to travel with someone."

"I appreciate your suggestion but I want to find him on my own, just like how he saved us when nobody did."

"Sounds like you had a rough experience. Wait...you were with someone?"

"Yes, I was with my only friend back in that hellhole."

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"I won't pry if you don't want to. Sometimes there are things better of forgotten."

"Is that from your experience?"

"Yes..."

They find a strange metallic door next to a minecart. Panda knocks off the door with a punch, revealing a room inside surrounded by white walls with a hole in the center. Nova sees a ladder leading downward, suggesting there's more below. Both of them climb down the ladder and discover a large door with a valve next to it. Nova turns the valve and the door opens. They walk forward and see a strange room old technology. The place seems to have been left for years, dust is everywhere. Panda finds what looks like a projector and tries activating it. Suddenly a video recording plays.

"Uh...it is on? Alright, if there is anyone left in this kingdom at all, I want to tell you that you should leave this hell. All the time I spent on my research was a mistake. My curiosity had led the kingdom to its demise. I should've never...used human blood on a crystal."

""!!""

"I've created a parasite. Initially I only wanted to see if one could create organism with the current energy at their disposal by donating fresh and blood. I just couldn't reject the chance offered by the sultan to launch the project. At first, the amount of energies that a crystal could create significantly increased by having both tangible and intangible material which would go to the accumulated energy and blood."

"..."

"This discovery gave birth to a new type of crystal dubbed blood gems. They could increase the user's energy output. However, they would also drain the user's blood. Despite the discovered parasitic nature, the experiments went on with people missing mysteriously due to the sultan's quick work. He himself planned to use the red crystal to obtain the ability only accessible to those of royal bloods. In other words, the current princess was his target."

"..."

"He gave the princess one and I gave him another. He even asked me if a human could become one with the crystal. With my knowledge, I believe if the crystal could create organism then it could also become an organism. Only when I gave it another thought that I realized my mistake. The sultan intended to transcend himself by literally fusing with the red crystal, mixing his blood into it."

"The heck is this? Those monsters were people?"

"The underworld truly has all kinds of darkness underneath."

"It was frightening even for me to see the parasite spreading its infection from victim to victim. One again, if anyone survived at all, leave when you still have chance. I need to see my family one last time, even though they might already be infected. I'm going to spend my last breath facing the consequences of my actions. over."

The record ends with Nova in shock and Panda in complete silence. Both of them have just learned the cause of the crystal monsters across the once prosperous land. The people of this land have suffered for years, trapped inside bodies with endless bloodthirst.

"Is there...anything we could do to save them?"

"They have been in such state for years, the only way is to put them to rest, permanently. But they could drain your blood upon contact so having to maintain distance to fight a horde of them is too much."

"If only we could kill all of them at once somehow..."

"There might be a way for that."

"What? Please tell me. I'd do anything to end all this."

"We must seek the very source of those monsters, which means the very one with the parasitic crystal inside them."

"The sultan?"

"Yeah, but the problem is how to we find him without encountering the monsters."

Unexpectedly, they hear footsteps in the mine that aren't their own. Nova closes the huge door, hoping whatever it is doesn't notice them. But Panda claims that the footsteps sound rather paced, as if someone is wandering in the mine beside them. Both of them agree to climb of and have a closer look. They see a silhouette of someone, it's actually old man Gilbert that somehow ends up in the mine.

"Noelle, there you are. And who might you be?"

"She saved us from Ryoga and Boarman the other day."

"Are you her relative?"

"I am her grandfather, Gilbert Hawkins."

"!"

"Have I seen you before, girl?"

"No...I've never seen your face."

"Anyway, I'm glad to see you again grandpa. Did you see any monster on your way here?"

"No, apparently. Actually, there's something you must know-"

"The monsters were humans?"

"You knew?"

"We found an old record belonged to a researcher. He said it was the blood-sucking crystal that turned everyone into what we saw."

"So it was true, the monsters seemed to work under a single entity. If we track their route, we could find their king."

""!""

"Looks like you 2 have the same idea in mind. With that, we should depart from this mind and head to the hive or should I say, the castle."

Nova and Panda nods, the 3 of them go back to the way Gilbert came from in order to exit the mind. They notice a horde of monsters walking on the road below and sneakily follow them from where they all. Eventually, they reach what was once a castle. Now it's the lair of whatever ruling this ruin from the top floor.

"How do we go pass them?"

"We go straight to the upper floors."

"How exactly are you planning to do that?"

"Using this."

"A rope, but won't it snap?"

"It won't, just climb."

Panda throws a rope on a window meters above. The other 2 have no choice but to go along with the idea. Expectedly, they reach one of the upper floor inside the castle. They continue going up through the stairs, reaching a big door in a large hallway. When they enter, a large figure is sitting on a crystal throne, seemingly expecting their arrival.