Lyrith was still leaning against the wall, her breathing heavy. The remaining magic in her body was still unstable. Alvaric stayed by her side, watching both Lyrith's and Niva's conditions. One of them was smiling despite being close to fainting, while the other was still unconscious.
Several minutes passed in silence until Alvaric finally spoke in a low voice, "If this keeps up, you might die from Mana depletion. Is there anything I can do to help?"
Lyrith only gave a faint smile. "I'm fine. She's still alive... so it doesn't matter."
Alvaric fell silent for a few seconds. His heart was conflicted. From Lyrith's behavior, it was impossible to believe the girl in front of him was evil—but the angels? In every piece of literature, they were always described as beings of good, always on the side of light.
This made Alvaric confused. In the end, he decided to put that aside for now. After all, it shouldn't have anything to do with him.
Alvaric glanced at Lyrith. He nodded and pulled out a small pouch from his system's item box. "I forgot I still had this," he said while taking out a piece of fresh, uncooked at. "How about we eat this?"
Lyrith stared at the raw at, frowning. "Humans eat that?"
Alvaric scratched his head. "We don't have fire here. What's wrong with eating raw at?"
He split the at in half and offered one piece to Lyrith. The girl accepted it and cautiously took a bite. She chewed slowly, her face wincing. "It's disgusting."
"Really?" He tried the raw at himself, frowning. "It's... edible."
Lyrith shook her head. "No. It's revolting."
She rejected the raw at and handed the piece back to Alvaric. From her expression, it was clear she was being honest. But Alvaric had already tried the raw at, and it wasn't that bad. Not delicious, but not inedible either. It had a bloody taste, tallic, and was a bit tough to chew.
Alvaric thought this was still far better than eating Crawlers. That was the worst thing he had ever tasted in his entire life. But if it were the only food left, he wouldn't hesitate to eat Crawlers. Survival was more important than flavor.
He tilted his head. "Did my taste buds stop working after eating Crawlers?"
He wasn't sure, but he was confident he still knew what good food was supposed to taste like. He just didn't know where the line was between edible and inedible.
Alvaric looked back at Lyrith. "Are you sure you don't want to eat?"
Lyrith shook her head quickly. "I'm not a wild animal."
"But you're a Demon."
Lyrith turned her head. She stared at Alvaric for a while. "Is there a problem with being a Demon?" she complained.
Alvaric stamred. His eyes darted left and right. "Uh, what are you going to do next? Do you want to co with us—go up to the surface?"
Lyrith tilted her head. "Up? What's that?"
The two stared at each other for a mont. Alvaric then explained what was above. Although, his knowledge was limited. He only knew of the desert, the Ant Be's nest, and so desert monsters. After explaining, he looked back at Lyrith. Her gaze felt empty.
"Is sothing confusing you?" asked Alvaric.
"Who are you? Where is this?"
Alvaric froze for a while. This was the third ti Lyrith had asked the sa question. He stared at her for a long ti, puzzled why she kept asking. He had just explained everything minutes ago. Alvaric swallowed hard, hoping what he was thinking wasn't true.
"You don't rember ?" he asked.
Lyrith tilted her head. "Who are you?"
Alvaric turned to Niva. He pointed at her. "Do you rember her?"
Lyrith shook her head. "Why is she asleep?"
Thump.
Alvaric truly didn't understand what was happening. Lyrith forgot everything so quickly. It hadn't even been ten minutes since he explained everything. Now Lyrith had forgotten again. Alvaric was certain this had sothing to do with the angels and the being that descended from the Sky.
"Her mory is disrupted," Alvaric muttered, turning toward the exit tunnel. "I have to show her the world above. Maybe that will help restore her mory."
Alvaric had made up his mind. He stored away the at and imdiately lifted Niva into his arms. Standing up, he extended a hand to Lyrith. She accepted it, but her eyes were still blank, full of confusion.
"Co on, follow !" Alvaric urged.
"Who are you? Where is this place?"
Alvaric smiled. "My na is Alvaric and I'm your friend. We're on an adventure and now we need to go back up."
Lyrith nodded. She followed Alvaric from behind, but just as they were about to ascend—when they reached a tunnel and began climbing—Alvaric stopped suddenly. At the end of the tunnel, silhouettes of people were approaching. Not just one, but many.
"Weren't we the only ones who ca down here?" He drew his Vapper's Dagger, ready for battle.
Monts later, their forms beca clearer. At the front was a wolf-like man. He walked on two legs and wore clothing. Beside him was a monster girl resembling a lizard, but with a pair of wings on her back.
Behind the two stood soldiers of various kinds. They were the native inhabitants of this world. They called themselves demi-humans.
"Sir, I sense sothing..."
The lizard girl stopped. She pointed at Alvaric, who was carrying Niva. At the sa ti, the wolf-man glared at Alvaric, his eyes filled with hatred. His claws were poised, ready to slash Alvaric's face.
"Kill them!" shouted the wolf-man.
"Sir Zurath, shouldn't we—" The lizard girl received a sharp glare from her master.
She imdiately nodded and dashed toward Alvaric. The attack began instantly. Alvaric turned around and handed Niva to Lyrith. He would fight. Alvaric asked Lyrith to retreat. Without many questions, Lyrith stepped back, though she didn't understand what was happening.
"Take care of her!" Alvaric pleaded.
Lyrith nodded. "Alright."
Alvaric entrusted Niva to Lyrith. He believed she could protect her. anwhile, he would fight. He charged forward, launching quick attacks at his enemies. Alvaric was assaulted by two opponents at once.
However, their attacks were obstructed by the narrow corridor walls. Alvaric advanced, taking advantage of the space. The reason he used the Vapper's Dagger was because it was short—perfect for combat in tight spaces.
Slash!
Slash!
Two swift strikes at his enemies. Alvaric managed to injure both of them. At the sa ti, the lizard girl opened her mouth and fired a magical orb toward Alvaric. He quickly deflected the attack, but right then, Alvaric sensed soone standing behind him.
"Die, monsters!" roared the wolf-man.
He tore through Alvaric's back before he could react.
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