"
Takira, where are you going?
" the auburn-haired girl found the stairs unusual. "
I don't think we're supposed to go down there. All the chaos is happening upstairs!
"
"
It's okay, Miyura
," Hon Eolum's daughter confidently replied. "
My father always used to tell me to stay away from this area. He told me there was something dangerous down here. But I think he also meant that if we are in danger, we can seek the help of whatever dangerous creature lies below our house
."
"
Ehh?? What! Are you out of your mind, Taki?
" Miyura's orange eyes glistened like honey in the dimmer light sources as they descended down more and more square corners of stairs. "
You're going to get ourselves killed! You don't even know what could be down there
!"
"
Just.. calm down, okay
?" Takira tried to reassure her best friend. "
We've always been together whenever we are in trouble, right? Let's …. just do this once. Please?
"
'
Huh? Why is she trying so hard to go downstairs
?' Miyura reluctantly accepted holding her friend's hand that she had offered as a gesture of friendly trust. '
Don't tell me…. This has nothing to do with helping the people above, and all to do with satisfying her own curiosity?!
'
"
Is something wrong, Miyu?
"
"
YES! Er-I mean, NO!
" Miyura accidentally let her own inner thoughts pass through the filter of selective honesty.
"
Hmm?
"
"
Forget it… Just- just continue forward
," Miyura insisted. '
Though, to be honest, I have a really bad feeling about this.
'
The duo continued their descent until the stairs ended and the walls were raw rough rock faces carved from the flesh of the Earth. They were nearly a hundred meters below the Hon mansion now.
Meanwhile, just at the beginning of the stairs, Takira's father's shadow appeared across the tiled surface of the hundred-meter climb down. His hands were gloved by gauntlets and his face was shaven after many years.
"
Takira… You clever girl
," he touched his favorite axe and checked its position in the holster. "
Why would you break your father's trust at a time like this
?"
His daughter had taken this opportunity to finally sneak into the forsaken and forbidden basement of whatever secret he had been guarding for all these monsoons of time. '
I guess it's about time to test her progress, too. I may not be alive for keeping a care of her forever. Let's see if she's worthy of being a dungeon hunter. Not that I would want her to be one, but to have the satisfaction of raising a strong daughter to my heirloom
.'
Then he remembered something; the two main individuals of chaos he had seen in his garden. Hon Eolum wasn't so sure if they had the same intentions as his daughter, but he didn't want to waste time in wishful thinking. Preventing was better than cure, he knew very well. '
Time to forget about the news headlines and political backlash. I can handle them for the rest of my life, but I cannot bear to see my dear daughter harmed
.'
His armored boots sent
clang
-
clang
-
clang
echoes down the vertical square helix of stairs as he accelerated his pacing.
Ninety meters below him, Takira and Miyura made their move.
They delved even deeper into the depths, realizing how the ornate walls of the mansion had been replaced with unworked stone and generic rockfaces – they were entering an underground cave.
"
Takira, are you really REALLY sure about this
?" Miyura pressed on her friend's shoulders using her hands. Her orange eyes wanted to send rays of emotion and anxiety to Takira's blue ones. "
Let's think about this one more time
."
"
Uhm—
" she looked behind her, interrupted by the rapidly nearing sounds of her rushing father. "
Wait, you hear that? I think someone's coming this way
!"
"
Oh no
!" Miyura pulled on her own hair, trying to scratch her head and prevent her body from feeling too much fear. "
What do I do? What I do? Oh no… Oh dear… Oh, Takira!
" her voice seemed to whimper like a younger version of herself. She frantically looked around for hiding spots, but in their current location, there were none. "
Oh God… please… I don't know
."
"
C-calm down, Miyu
," Takira gestured at her to keep her voice low. "
I think we should continue. Keep moving. The monster in there could protect us, in the worst case scenario.
"
"
Eh, ar-are you sure? The MONSTER?!
"
"
Mhmm. Follow me. Here, take my hand
."
Takira felt brave. She also felt the spirit of her father and ancestors flooding into her, as if she was being energized by their prayers and hereditary genetics.
She smiled, remembering how she and her bestie's personalities have reversed since the beginning of the evening, given the state of the situation.
Ahead of them, the atmosphere only grew darker and quieter. There were no torches lighting up the path for them either. Takira and Miyura took out their phones, glad that they had come to good use by their flashlights, even though the network reception all the way down here was zero – no calls, no mobile data, no wifi, no internet. There were games installed and reels saved, but now wasn't the right time to be passing time.
"
Miyu, are you afraid of spiders?
" Takira asked as they walked right into the darkness. "
And bats?
"
"
Huh? Noo! Me a stronk girl
," Miyura held out her arm, curving the elbow to flex her biceps. "
See? I work out sometimes. I'm not afraid of any creepy crawlies, don't you worry, Taki
."
"
Oh
?" Takira was taking the lead, with Miyura tagging behind. "
How likely would you be to freak out if you saw any of those creepy-crawlies right about now?
"
"
Eh…. Uh, I'd be afraid. A little
," Miyura's voice changed by an octave for her last sentence.
"
Okay
," Takira affirmed the information. "
Good thing you're not taking the lead this time then
."
"
Hey! Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not gonna be scared so easily. Didn't ya see? I bet I can take out a horde of angry goblins all by myself if I get the chan—
"
"
Shush!
" Takira clasped a hand over Miyura's lips. "
I get it, Miyura. You've got the tomboy spirit in you. But now's a very deadly time to flex or bluff about your skills. Close your eyes, take deep relaxed breaths. It's going to be fine
."
"
Takiraaa~
" Miyura cried out like a sobbing child hugging onto her older sibling. "
Please don't leave me behind, Taki. I'm genuinely scared
."
"
Ah! Stop! Stop it, Miyu! You really think I'm such a bad person to abandon you and flee… alone?
" Takira seemed slightly annoyed by how her friend's courage suddenly turned up. '
Miyura, you crybaby… so many years we spent together. You really thought you can trick me with your empty words of being so strong? Hmph… if only you understood that it's your mind you have to sharpen. Your muscles may make you a more powerful heroine or huntress than I can be.. on the physical damage side, atleast. But all show and no go when placed under real pressure. Oh, dear Kan Miyura, how do I ever explain this to you without breaking your feelings?
'
Cla.. cla.. cla.. clan.. clan… clang.. clang-clang-CLANG-CLANG-CLAAANG-CLAAANG!
Takira spun around to assess how nearer the source of the sound from the stairs had approached them, accidentally hitting Miyura in the eye with her hair.
"
Ow! Taki, be care— AH!
"
Takira smacked her hand over Miyura's face, her body reacting severely to the gushing adrenaline from the glands above her kidneys. Her pupils widened, heartbeats grew faster, and a tsunami of goosebumps traveled all across her skin. She could understand that her friend could feel the same, but in a critical moment like this, she didn't have enough time to spare for checking in on her friend. '
Who could be following us? I wonder… if it's Father. But I don't want to take any risk. Those Arkain members didn't seem so friendly either
.'
At one point, the tunnel of the cave ended its journey, flooding out into a large cavernous chamber at the core of it all, located just under the mansion's central building. Here, there were light sources luckily, but not ones which were supposed to be – someone else had placed them before the girls arrived.
And the someone was staring right at Takira.
Takira opened her mouth to utter his name.