DAY ???

DAY FIVE OF THE HELL PIT BOND EVENT

THREE HOURS UNTIL EXTRACTION

“Alright, let’s go over the battle plan,” Selene shouted for the fourteenth time today. Seiji started keeping count after the fourth.

After drinking that terrible healing elixir and healing from most of his injuries, Selene had led him and Cora to a cave in the moat of the tower. It gave them access to the ruins and rubble of the Hell Pit’s tower, which, thankfully, still had valuables and supplies left intact from the Pit Demon’s onslaught. The goat-headed creature wasn’t a proactive hunter, preferring to sleep and eat either the few remaining demons or building-sized chunks of debris from the destroyed tower.

Whenever Seiji and the rest of the group would hunt for battle supplies or elixirs, the Pit Demon would sometimes spot someone and spit fireballs at them, forcing the entire group back into the cave. On the third day, Seiji suggested provoking the Pit Demon to learn what it was capable of doing. Since the monster was apparently a Tier 10, they had to do so as a group. The monster had the fireballs they’d already seen, but it also had a unique technique that froze everyone in place and then shot missiles of igneous rock at everyone in range. It was enough to force them to spend the rest of the day recovering and planning. After a few more rounds of trial and error, they’d come up with a plan to defeat the Pit Demon that could essentially be boiled down to ‘blast the hell out of it until it’s dead’. Selene tended to go over the plan whenever she was nervous.

When Selene finished going over the plan for the fifteenth time, Cora, thankfully, changed the subject. She sat beside Seiji on the floor with her head buried into her knees.

“Selene, what do you think about the Valkyries?”

Cora had badgered Seiji about his take on Alexandra’s proclamations about the Valkyries each chance she got, but she hadn’t brought it up to Selene out of fear the girl would ridicule her for it.

“Is this about Alexandra?”

Cora nodded.

Selene sighed deeply, and Seiji felt a bit of annoyance growing in his gut. He decided to wait for what she had to say before he said something to her.

“Cora, you’re aware of the nature of this Bond Event, correct?”

When Cora shook her head, Selene continued. She stood from her bed, a black mattress she’d stolen from the tower’s rubble, and paced about the dim maroon cave.

“This is a simulation. If the state of the world is any indication, it’s a recreation of a famous Search and Rescue mission from the Halo Era. The local cult had managed to capture the loved ones of the Valkyries so they could transform them into creatures like the Pit Demons.” Selene stopped underneath a torch, frowning in disgust. “Truthfully, I find it pitiful that they’d keep that information from us. If I’d known there were survivors, I would’ve prioritized finding them on the first day.” She spun a finger in the air, gesturing to the entire cave. “I suspect this cave was put in the simulation as a place to keep them safe while we fought the Pit Demon. Too bad those idiot Twins ruined that opportunity.”

Lirio nodded. Apparently, he’d been the one to realize this mission was a simulation. He’d been quite interested in learning about Haven’s history from Selene and managed to put two and two together when the Pit Demon showed up as soon as the Twins killed the hostages.

“So, they’re alive?” Cora asked, not raising her head from between her knees.

Selene’s eyes softened. “Yes, Cora, they are still alive.” She sat beside Lirio on their mattress and scoffed. “Though, I imagine Sir Lasko isn’t too pleased with them right now.”

Lirio laughed, and Seiji joined. Cora, meanwhile, started crying. He placed a comforting hand on her back. It made him happy that Cora still had a level of purity, even after taking a life. Sure, it wasn’t a real life, but she’d still attacked Alexandra with the intent to kill and followed through with that intention. Cora was a good person. She didn’t need to be like him.

The Pit Demon roared at the same time Cora finally managed to collect herself. It did that a few times each day, right before it hunted for a meal. Selene squeezed her horns, but tried to play it off by running her hands through her hair.

“Alright,” She began. “Let’s go over the plan one more–”

“You know,” Seiji interrupted, unwilling to hear the plan again. He pointed two fingers, aiming one at Selene and Lirio. “I’ve never gotten to know you two. We’re teammates now, are we not?” Seiji stood from his and Cora’s mattress and leaned on the flattest part of the cave wall he could find. “Tell me about yourselves.”

Lirio and Selene shared awkward glances for a bit before Lirio stood from his spot beside Selene and faced Seiji and Cora.

“There isn’t much to tell,” He began, scratching at his cheek. “I lived in poverty and died of starvation. Though I was an orphan, I had a family,” He smiled softly, his eyes growing distant. Lirio stood a few feet before Cora and bowed. “Thank you, Princess Cora, for the hospitality your family has shown me.” He turned to Selene. “And thank you, for all you have done for me.”

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Selene blushed and stammered out appropriate gratitude. Cora spoke as orderly as ever, though he could sense a bit of awkwardness in her tone. The last time Lirio thanked her for her family’s hospitality, she’d used it as an opportunity to get under Selene’s skin. Thankfully, Selene showed no reaction to her far more genuine words of gratitude.

Lirio sat beside Selene and stared at the floor, ears redder than normal. Seiji understood. He’d felt far worse after speaking about his own past with Cora, though for much different reasons.

“I’m next, I suppose?” Selene said, rising from her seat. “There isn’t much to it. My family and I live in the world below, closer to the dangers of the world around us. I will not be sharing my past with you today, so I will instead tell you why I have chosen to become a Valkyrie.” She folded her arms behind her back, closing her eyes. “The families of Valkyries are well cared for, and I wish to provide them with the safety and peace that comes with life in Upper… in Haven.”

Cora sat a bit straighter. Seiji turned to her, surprised to see she looked offended.

“If that’s all you needed, then could you not have spoken to me? I am both capable of and willing to provide your family with anything they need.”

“I appreciate your charity, princess,” Selene said, opening her eyes. “However, goodwill is not a safe enough thing to bet my family against. Besides,” She smiled. “I’m entitled to my pride, no? I want to give them a spot in Haven myself.”

Cora tilted her head. “Could you not have joined the Royal Guard if that’s all you want?”

Selene shrugged. “The Royal Guard accepts applicants at 18, whereas the Valkyrie Cadets must be 17.”

Cora stared at Selene for a long, quiet moment before the two burst into laughter. Lirio joined, and Seiji found it hard not to join himself. He enjoyed that moment, sitting and laughing with three people he considered friends. On second thought, Cora was his only friend here. Selene and Lirio were simply colleagues in this relationship. Even still, he liked the moment. It was a sight reserved only for Servant Seiji. The Seiji from the second day of the Hell Pit would never have the privilege of living in a moment like this.

“Okay, okay. I’ll go next.” Cora said, wiping a tear from her eye.

Cora had already talked to him about her past privately. There was nothing she could say that he hadn’t already heard. Even still, he leaned forward from his seat beside her.

She stood from her seat and adjusted her black dress. “There isn’t much to it. I was born, I was trained to become a Valkyrie, and I was expected to be great.” She grabbed her left elbow and looked away. “I think a part of me relates to Alexandra. I want to become a Valkyrie so I can experience life on my own, but I want to do it for the good of others. Is that bad?”

Selene shook her head. “As long as you’re using your power to protect, there is nothing wrong with how you live. Look at Endora! To me, she is the ideal Valkyrie.”

Seiji had always wondered how Endora was viewed by the general public. He knew from Cora that those with status seemed to fear her due to how unique she was, but he’d never known whether the citizens of Haven felt the same way. Seiji had been taught to interrogate whenever he didn’t have answers, but knew that was way too much. He’d just ask Thea about it whenever he had the chance.

Slowly, everyone in the room began to Seiji. Cora, having sat down, looked at him with a sympathetic smile. He knew why, but he decided to stand anyway. If everyone else could talk about their pasts, he could do it too. Besides, he was the one that started the conversation – and it certainly beat going over battle plans again.

As Seiji gave his backstory, he made a point of not looking anyone in the eye. He wasn’t emotional like he was in the Grand Garden, but he still felt strong emotion as he recalled certain bits of his story. Seiji found himself thinking about why he did what he did.

“You eat, you kill, you sleep. It was just another thing you did.”

In truth, he wasn’t sure why he’d begun to find killing or fighting to the death as fun as he did. Perhaps it was his way of coping with his actions? Then what did that mean about the whole ‘Fate Has Decided’ mantra? Seiji wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he didn’t want to be a frenzied killer, and he didn’t want to be a ‘cultist weirdo’ as Cora put it. Even still, Seiji couldn’t help but believe that Fate was an active force in the universe. If Fate wasn’t real, how could he possibly explain the sequence of events that led him to this very moment?

Seiji finally happened upon the topic of his death and reincarnation, or more accurately his transport. He still had difficulty discerning the truth from his perception.

“When I first met Cora, I thought she was obnoxious and annoying,” Seiji said, pointedly ignoring Cora’s sharp glare. Selene laughed softly, and Lirio smiled. Seiji shrugged. “I grew to love her, though. Every time I think about our first meeting, I find it hilarious.”

He sat back down and laughed as he recalled Cora slamming him against the wall. She’d clearly been holding back. A touch of Dragon Fury and he would’ve been a corpse in Sir Lasko’s office. Seiji turned to Cora, who’d gone back to hugging her knees and burying her head in them. He’d played back what he said before he could ask why. Cora was as red as a tomato, and Seiji could feel himself joining her. Graciously, Lirio came to his rescue.

“I must admit, you had the face of a dead man when I first met you. It was quite offputting.”

“Didn’t we all?” Seiji scoffed, a weak smile tugging at his lips.

He knew what Lirio meant, but he didn’t want to get into it. Lirio clearly saw the understanding in his eyes, though. He stood from his seat and stopped before Seiji.

“You no longer have that look.” He gestured to Cora, whose head was still holed away between her knees. “I know Princess Cora must be proud of how far you’ve come.”

Lirio left his hand out, extending it to Seiji. Seiji stood and shook it. He smiled.

“Thanks, Lirio.” Seiji glanced between him and Selene. “Also, sorry about the Ceremony. I didn’t have any Decorum Training in The Ardor.”

“They should have,” Selene muttered, not meeting his eyes. Seiji shared a look with Lirio and the two shared a laugh. Cora laughed in a way that sounded forced, and Selene stayed silent. Lirio quieted himself and practically ran to her side.

The Pit Demon roared again, debris and rocks rolling around their cave. It never roared more than once each hour. It was almost time to go. Selene grabbed at her horns and Seiji felt another recap sprouting up. Before it could start, Cora stood from her seat, her eyes resolute.

“The Alex Twins were correct about one thing,” She began, hands folded behind her back. “Between us four, only two of us can pass this Exam.”

Selene stiffened, and Lirio’s eyes focused on Cora. Though there was no hostility, the air in the room had gotten tense.

“Even still, I truly hope we all succeed in our future endeavors. Now, and in the future.”

Just as quickly, the tension vanished. Selene walked before Cora and, to Seiji’s shock, pulled her into a hug. She had to dodge Selene’s horns, but Cora embraced the girl with a smile. Lirio winced, and Seiji found himself doing the same thing. They both knew how hard those hugs were.

“I am proud to have you as a rival, princess,” Selene smiled. “I think I might feel guilty when I become a Valkyrie.”

“Oh hush,” Cora scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself.

They separated and stared at each other with determined eyes and confident smiles. When the Pit Demon roared again, though, they looked up at the ceiling before nodding to one another. Selene turned to Lirio and Cora to Seiji. Seiji dragged his dragon-hilted dagger and Cora’s onyx sword from under their mattress. It was time to fight.