A few haunting hours earlier,
The urgent cry shattered the eerie silence, echoing through the desolation
"ELI, Wake up!!!"
Asher Eli, covered in blood and flesh, hazily looked at the brown-haired woman with a hint of blue.
"P-Pearl?" Eli croaked, his voice a mere whisper, and yet, his eyes seemed to be lost in a haunting daze.
"Asher Eli, take a deep breath and calm down," urged Pearl Harper, her tone laced with a mix of urgency and genuine worry.
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Eli, in turn, tilted his head like a child, his gaze fixated on Pearl, but it was evident that his eyes were not merely observing her; rather, they seemed to be peering into something beyond the physical realm.
What's more, his once-ruby-red eyes had undergone a sinister change, now taking on a reddish-black hue.
Pearl Harper shifted her attention to another presence, a figure cradling Asher Eli in their arms.
"Arlyne"
"Yes, Princess Pearl?" responded the yellow-golden mixed-haired girl, her voice a soothing cadence as she gently held the blood-soaked Eli.
"Give him to me, and I will hold him," Pearl requested, her eyes scanning Arlyne's form, recognizing the toll exacted by the macabre scene....blood and flesh clinging to both Eli and Arlyne.
"It's fine, Princess Pearl," Arlyne assured, her gaze unwavering as she continued to bear the weight of Eli, who still wore the disoriented expression of a man caught between realms and didn't care about a bloody figure.
Pearl sighed, a mixture of relief and apprehension, and then shifted her focus to the desolate landscape around them.... a vast expanse punctuated by rocky mountains and an endless wasteland.
"Let's go there," Pearl suggested, pointing towards a small cave on the horizon.
Carefully inspecting it before entering, she checked the interior for any signs of animals, finding only a plain surface. Pearl sighed and called Arlyne, who was waiting a short distance from the cave.
After treating Eli's battered body, the air seemed to hold a lingering tension, and Arlyne couldn't help but voice the question on both their minds.
"Where are we now?" Arlyne inquired, her gaze scanning the unfamiliar surroundings as she carefully placed Asher Eli on the ground.
Pearl glanced at Arlyne, her eyes reflecting a mix of uncertainty and determination. "Don't know. What I saw was that second bomb blasted us, and the next thing we knew, we were lying on this empty land."
Arlyne nodded, her concern deepening as she studied Eli's still form, "What happened to him?"
"GGHHHHOOSSSSTTTTTT!!!!" Arlyne screamed, her instincts driving her into the safety of the cave.
"H-Hey, Wait!!" Pearl called out as she also followed Arlyne.
Inside the cave,
"W-What was that?" Arlyne stammered, her voice laced with fear.
Pearl looked at the girl, noting her apprehension. It seemed that, despite her bravado most of the time, Arlyne harboured a fear of ghosts.... a notable thing might be useful.
"Cough," Arlyne cleared her throat, casting pitiful eyes at Pearl, who couldn't help but smirk, 'What's wrong? It's not like anyone doesn't have one or two things to be afraid of!' she thought.
"Ahem, Ahem..." Pearl cleared her throat before producing some papers from her inventory, revealing an image of the entity they had just encountered.
Seeing that document, her face turned pale....
"Wh-What is it?" Arlyne questioned, her voice a whisper as Arlyne laid eyes on the document, her face mirrored Pearl's, turning ashen with dread.
The image on the document depicted a chilling simplicity..... a skeletal figure with hollow eye sockets, its bones emanating an ominous spark that twisted and coiled around them
"Thunderbonii" Pearl muttered in disbelief.
"S....S Rank!!" Arlyne exclaimed, her words as light as a mosquito's wings.
"..... We are in an S-Rank dungeon!" Pearl confirmed, her face now drained of colour. She turned to meet Arlyne's gaze, a shared realization of the peril they now faced.
'So, the blast led us to fall inside the Dungeon!!!' They thought.
Their attention then shifted to Asher Eli, still trapped in a disconcerting daze, his eyes fully open.
However, what caught their eyes was the tightly clasped hollow soul crystal in his hand....
"Soul Crystal?" Pearl frowned.
".... Maybe that belongs to that child," Arlyne concurred, her eyes reflecting uncertainty.
"...." Pearl remained silent. She had no knowledge of who that child was or how he was connected to Eli. However, one thing was certain.... someone had ensnared them using that child.
"ssooohhh..."
Suddenly, within the hollow soul crystal..... a reddish-black mist materialized and began to swirl ominously.