Chapter 42 - Two Siblings

"Crap…Well, this is a problem, isn't it?"

Hyun scratched his head as a new problem among many was presented to the group: there were six different passageways waiting for them in the first room past the lengthy, enigmatic corridor.

"Is this a damn maze, or something?" Myung-Hee huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

"Whatever it is, it's trouble," Hyun replied.

Staring down the shadow-clad passageways with worry inhabiting her blue eyes, Kamou spoke, "...Should we split up?"

"Huh? Why? That sounds dangerous," Hyun asked.

"I agree…We don't know what's in here," Ara reinforced her brother's words.

They looked to her for her answer, but reason isn't what mostly fueled her decision–it was emotion. She was worried for Jeong-Hui, who was left alone in the enigmatic domain.

"If we all go down the same corridor, who knows how long it will take to find Jeong-Hui…? By the time we found him, maybe…" She trailed her words.

"Kamou…" Myung-Hee put her hand on the girl's shoulder.

As they stood there in the hall sitting before the labyrinth of corridors, silence befell the group as a lofty decision had to be made.

"...I get what you mean–I do. I'm worried about Jeong-Hui, too," Hyun said, rubbing his head, "but, we can't get reckless here, you know?"

"I know, but…"

"I guess it can't be helped."

"Huh?"

To her surprise, Hyun seemed to come to an understanding with what she wanted quickly, to the surprise of the other two as well.

"Brother–?" Ara looked at the orange-haired man.

"Well, at the end of the day, stuff like this is gonna happen, right? I guess what I'm trying to say is–we should be prepared to act on our own," he explained, "Ara and I will be fine on our own–and I'm damn sure you two will be, as well."

"Hyun…" Kamou smiled.

Myung-Hee slapped the man on the back with a small laugh, "See? You get it!"

"...Also, he saved us, so…What kind of people would we be not to return the favor," he said with a small blush, scratching his cheek, "...right?"

"I'm sure he'd tell you not to think about it," Kamou smiled.

"Sometimes, that guy is just too nice…It's almost creepy," Hyun laughed.

They all shared a brief laugh before settling down, smiling as the mood seemed to shift for the better.

Hyun and Ara faced one corridor, while Kamou and Myung-Hee faced the other.

"Alright!" Myung-Hee called out, "Let's meet back here before we go down another corridor, alright? If one of our groups finds Jeong-Hui–even better!"

"Sounds like a plan," Hyun nodded.

–

Venturing down the dark, quiet corridor, Hyun and his younger sister kept their steps quiet, remaining as cautious as can be.

"Stay close, Ara," he instructed with a whisper.

"You don't have to tell me that," she replied quietly, "...Still, did you have to agree to something so reckless?"

He couldn't help but laugh quietly, holding his hand over his hand to muffle the noise.

"What's so funny?" She looked up at him.

"You're always so cold to others, Ara. You know, there's more to life than just your big brother," he told her, "--Not that I don't like you depending on me, but…these people are good. Jeong-Hui is somebody worth being reckless for–I think."

"You think? This is what I've never understood about you…" Ara breathed out quietly.

"What's that?" He smiled.

"Sometimes, you act without thinking, as long as it's for somebody else…" Ara muttered.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"It is," she looked at him.

"I see…" He smiled, "Well, we all have our vices."

Before their conversation could continue, a rumble resounded through the corridor, causing them to freeze as the floor beneath hummed with an ominous vibration.

"What was that…?" Ara whispered.

"Stay behind me," he instructed his younger sibling.

"I'm not a k–"

"Ara."

Without being able to argue against her elder sibling, Ara quietly nodded and stayed behind them as they moved forward cautiously.

He kept his eyes forward as a droplet of sweat ran down his cheek, listening to his own breaths leave his lips in a rhythm.

–Could it be Jeong-Hui? If it's a Defect, Ara and I can probably handle it…we're high enough level to squeeze through even a level twelve, he thought.

Part of him wanted to grab his sister's hand and run the other way, but he refused to do so when imagining his friend lost alone in the depths of the dark dungeon.

…What kind of friend would I be to back out now? Should I at least tell Ara to wait near the entrance? He thought.

"Hey, Ara…" He began to say.

"No."

"Huh–?"

"You were about to tell me to stay behind, weren't you? Well, I'm not," she insisted, grabbing onto the sleeve of his snow-white uniform.

He sighed out, scratching his head as he ruffled his own bright, orange tufts, "Am I that easy to read?"

Though he didn't get a verbal answer, the look his sister gave him was telling enough as he chuckled quietly before returning to his serious demeanor when looking forward.

"What do you think that rumble was…?" Ara asked him.

"I don't know, but I doubt it's Jeong-Hui," he answered.

There wasn't much of an option when traversing the corridor of the dungeon–it was narrow, dark, and without many features besides the completely black, smooth stone it was formed out of.

He drew his sword from its sheath, gripping it tightly as he felt sweat exude from the pores on his palm while slowly moving forward.

They didn't exchange any words while traversing the narrow passageway, moving silently until reaching the next room.

It was vast in comparison to any previous chamber; occupied by colossal pillars of intertwined, engraved dark-steel. The room was unnatural, or rather, inhuman in its design as the ceiling was curved and wavy like a vibrating, black sea of solid material up above.

The sound of liquid dripping down in a rhythm filled their ears alongside an unplaceable hum.

"This place…" Ara said quietly.

"Yeah," he replied, "It's giving me the creeps."

As they slowly and cautiously walked around, scoping the large, mostly empty chamber, he came across something concerning painted on the walls: large, crimson-painted crosses, alongside markings that were mostly mysterious to him.

"What the…?"

"Is that blood?" Ara asked with her hand over her mouth.

It was when they came close to the crimson-coated walls that a stench was recognized; something putrid that attempted to coax the bile from his stomach.

"What's that smell…?!" He asked, covering his mouth as well.

"It's horrible."

Though he couldn't find a tangible answer to his question, he did come to see the next passageway waiting; it was difficult to see without first approaching the leftmost walls of that chamber, as it was suffocatingly dark.

An odd whisper seeped through the hall; something different from the hum. It was subtle, but there–like an augury of the darkness awaiting in the next hall.

He looked around to see if there were any other paths, but it stood alone in the chamber, awaiting them like a gateway to something unknown and shrouded in enigma.

"...I don't know…" Ara said, staring down the dark passage.

"We've come this far, right?" He replied with a wry, forced smile.

"...Still."

"I told you–if you're worried, you can wait back there," he told her, reassuring her with a pat on the head, "--nothing showed up at the entrance, so it should be safe."

"You know I'm not going to do that," Ara told him.

"Yeah…I know," he smiled a bit.

They both looked forward at the next hall, pausing as it took an ounce of courage too far to thoughtlessly step into.

A certain breeze exuded from its depths, luring with it a chill that made him tighten his grip on his sword as he gulped down his fears.

"Alright–let's go," he said.

"--"

Ara didn't say a word as she followed directly behind him as they stepped into the eerie corridor.

The moment he stepped past the threshold, the flooring creaked beneath his step. He could feel the weight of his step push down on the flooring, also being grasped by the cold air occupying the hall as if it existed on a different boundary.

"....You owe me on, Jeong-Hui," he muttered quietly to himself.