Emir quickly dashed past all the monsters around him, jumping from building to building while dodging their abilities.
Soti later, he finally arrived at where he had just set foot two days ago.
He stepped into a worse-for-wear two-story building and passed the sa set of broken stairs, looking to be crumbling now more so than ever.
Entering the next room, he approached the barricaded door and inputted the sa code of numbers on its key lock.
The door unlocked with a hiss.
Emir pulled its handle towards him, and without wasting any ti...
He fell down the hole.
As the air whizzed past his face, he began to slow down his descent with Aether once again and landed on the ground with a heavy thud.
"KYAAAAH!"
Just as he looked up, a panicked Aria ran into him, almost tackling him.
'She's alive... Good.' He thought in relief.
Her usual twin-tailed hair turned into an uncombed ss, her red eyes looked puffy from constant crying, and her face remained muddy with sweat and snot.
Emir was about to push her off him, but he stopped himself, wanting to act the part of a savior.
"Are you Mrs. Aria? My na is Emir... My group was sent here to rescue you, c'mon let's get you up."
She weakly looked up at him in surprise, her face showing all her thoughts.
'Did she think that I was her kidnapper? Well....'
'I am, but I'm not here as him.'
"I've got a few old-world dicines; do you need any?"
Appearing to have composed herself, she shook her head while saying:
"N-no, I didn't get injured.'
"Good. Can I ask you a question? You can say no if you're uncomfortable."
Aria looked at his black eyes for a mont, and her trembling finally cald down...
Since she imdiately understood that the man in front of her could easily keep her safe, knowing so just from his looks and aura alone.
"Yes... I don't mind." She said while finally letting go of him.
"Thanks for that, Mrs. Aria."
"So before I get you out, can you tell how you got here? And if you know why monsters got so rowdy all of a sudden."
Aria nodded.
"Umm... I was exploring this ruin with my bodyguards, but after we got here... T-They were killed by the monsters..."
'So this is the excuse she's using... Not bad~.' Emir inwardly mused.
"And as for what happened, I'm not sure; I was only stuck here for a day or two, but during that ti, the monsters in the nest over there..."
She pointed towards the exit of the cave after pausing for a mont and continued:
"Suddenly stopped growling one night and left to the surface for so reason."
Showing a thoughtful expression, Emir asked:
"Do you rember anything that might've caused it? It doesn't matter how minuscule; just tell what cos to mind."
Aria closed her eyes for a second and opened them again as she said:
"I might've heard footsteps or sothing when I was sleeping... I-I thought they were monsters, so I quickly jumped up, but when I looked around, there was nothing."
Letting out an "Ah," Emir nodded.
"I appreciate you telling all about that, especially considering what happened to you... But do you mind if I go check it out for a bit?"
"We need to understand what is happening in the ruin."
Aria jolted for a mont, her trembling returning, but it stopped once again as she spoke with
a determined voice:
"I'll go with you!"
'Expected as much...'
Emir simply nodded and took out his terminal, calling Jake.
As soon as his call was picked up, he said:
"Jake, I've found Mrs. Aria; co to my location now."
"... You did?" Jake asked, sounding dumbfounded.
"I did."
"We're coming!"
'No questions... I like it.'
Ending the call, Emir didn't wait for them to arrive and gestured for Aria to follow him while
The led the way out of the cave.
They ventured forward, navigating through the dimly lit passages.
Aria clung to his side, her eyes darting around nervously as they moved forward.
Emir's senses were on high alert as well, his every step cautious.
And as they walked, his gaze continued to sweep over the surroundings.
They passed crumbling pillars and fallen debris that littered their path, evidence of the ruin's
decay.
Aria's presence beside him was laughable....
She joined him for a very stupid reason that he had yet to catch on to.
Though Emir could tell that she was trying her best to stay composed, despite the fear that
still lingered in her eyes.
He admired her courage; after all, she, a spoiled kid, had been trapped here for days, alone and surrounded by monsters.
Most of those in her position would've broken down by now.
'She's got the blood of an Elite at least...'
They soon reached the cave's exit, and the sight that greeted them was both srizing and
eerie.
The faint glow coming from the ceiling lit up the underground chamber, casting long
shadows that danced across the rocky ground.
Aria's voice trembled as she spoke, her unease evident:
"That's where they all ca from..."
And as they stepped out into the chamber, his eyes were drawn to the nearby nest that Aria
had pointed out.
The nest itself was a monstrous structure, an intricate network of tunnels and chambers
carved into the earth.
The air around the nest and the ground trembled with residual Aether.
And the entrance was wide open, as if the monsters had abandoned it in a hurry.
Said ground was littered with the remnants of what appeared to be broken cocoons, signs of
the monsters that had already erged.
Emir's eyes then widened as he took in the sight of the unbroken cocoons that lined the nest's
walls.
They seed to pulse with a life of their own, radiating Aether.
These weren't ordinary cocoons; they were the chrysalises of powerful monsters, each infused
with unique and deadly abilities.
It was as if the monsters within were in a state of transformation, harnessing Aether to beco even more formidable.
Aria stood beside him, her breath hitching at the sight.
"What... What are these?" She whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and awe.
Emir shook his head, his mind racing to process the situation.
"I've never seen anything like this before," he admitted.
"But whatever these cocoons are, sothing happened to them, which probably caused the
sudden change in the monsters' behavior."
With Emir's urging, they then cautiously approached the nest, as he began to closely feel the Aether emanating from the cocoons, all holding the sa elent.
The aspect of nature, of the earth itself.
Then suddenly, his body flinched and his eyes narrowed as he spotted movent deeper
within the nest.
"We need to be careful," he warned, his grip on his twin swords tightening.
"There's sothing inside, and it's not going to be friendly."
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