But just as Lacius and I were about to leave the ruins of the oasis, Daphne spotted us and called out loudly.
“Sister, you probably weren’t properly healed earlier. Are you okay?”
Daphne pushed through the crowd and came towards me. Her bright, clear eyes were filled with concern. I almost pounded my chest in frustration.
‘No. Who do you think you should be worrying about right now?’
Moreover, when asked who the most dangerous creature was here, it would be me. There’s nothing good about coming next to me.
“Sister, let me try a little harder; you’re still sweating and breathing hard.”
“It’s okay; you don’t have to worry about it.”
“How can I not? You just need some light treatment, so let me heal you first.”
Daphne was adamant, despite my refusal. If there is going to be an all-out war with Fata-Morgana, it is true that being in your best condition is helpful. In the end, I reached an unspoken agreement with Lacius and asked her to heal me before leaving.
“What about the chief of the Kun tribe? Is he okay?”
Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen him. Daphne hesitated momentarily but then forced a smile.
“He’ll be fine. He’s probably still rescuing those who haven’t evacuated yet.”
Her voice was even more determined than before. It was clear that she believed he would be safe. But she couldn’t help but worry. Her slender arm trembled slightly as she held my hand.
“I’m sure everything will be alright.”
I couldn’t just leave Daphne like that, so I hugged her tightly.
“There won’t be any problem. Let’s just wait a bit.”
“Tha-Thank you, sister.”
Dew formed around Daphne’s eyes, but she steadfastly wiped them away and smiled brightly. And the very next moment.
Rumble. Quite unexpectedly, the ground beneath us collapsed.
“No!”
Daphne, who was smiling, disappeared before my eyes in a split second. And before I could even react, the ground cracked with an ominous cracking sound, and the surrounding ground collapsed together.
The last thing I saw were stone pillars collapsing towards me.
* * *
As the earth opened its dark maw, Lacius wrapped me in his arms. However, before he could leap back up through the pouring debris, something grabbed our ankles. Probably those cursed vines or roots. Just like the scene from the original, plant tendrils wrapped around me and pulled me downward. Along with me, countless others were swept down without a chance to escape, merely for being near me.
“Ouch.”
It hurts.
After a while, I rubbed my sore butt and sat up. My ankle ached slightly, as if it were sprained. But other than that, everything seemed fine.
“Mommy, mo- mommy!!”
Among the swept people, there seemed to be a young child as their tender voice cried out loudly. I wanted to comfort them, but I couldn’t see where they were. The only thing I knew for sure was that Lacius was holding me tightly and breathing heavily.
Panicked voices and tearful sobs crash against the walls, and all I can tell is that this place is bigger than I could have ever imagined.
“Don’t you feel like you’re starting to see something now?”
“Uh, yeah, I think so.”
It took quite some time for people to get used to the darkness. The child’s cries gradually faded as someone nearby soothed her, and soon there was complete silence.
“Does anyone have a lamp?”
I asked, glancing around at the people around me. It was a joke to lighten the mood, of course, since no one would be left with such a useful item in a situation like this. However, an unexpected answer came back.
“I have a lamp, but no light.”
“You have a lamp?”
“What? Yeah, yeah, here it is.”
Someone made a clattering sound and pushed the lamp against the wall. I touched it and saw that it was a real lamp. But Lacius’s flame was too dangerous to use in such a confined space. You never know what might happen.
While I was hesitating, a young girl’s voice suddenly rose up.
“Lexion.”
At the same time, light burst into the glass cover of the lamp. Only then were we able to properly see each other’s faces. I looked around at the shadowy surroundings and counted how many people there were.
Two warriors with scorpion tattoos. One warrior candidate. Eight civilians, a mixture of people from each clan. One child, about five years old, was separated from his mother and buried alone.
A girl, dressed as a Kun Clan shaman, who seems to be the one who just summoned the light. She appears to be about ten years old. There is also an elderly man, seemingly of the Kun clan. A middle-aged Terran diplomat. Me and Lacius. And finally, Daphne.
‘Eighteen people.’
How diverse. And the repetition of the number ‘eight’ from earlier was a bit jarring, though I’m sure it wasn’t intentional.
“… I guess we’re stuck here, right?”
Daphne asked cautiously, raising her hand. We all know the situation, but in times like this, it helps to acknowledge it out loud. I nodded slowly.
“The area above our heads is completely covered in rocks.”
As soon as I finished my sentence, rocks began to fall. Several of us gasped and quickly shielded our heads. Surely, if we try to force our way through it, all the rocks and dirt will pour down, and we will literally be buried alive.
“We can breathe, so there must be some airflow.”
Raising his index finger to survey his surroundings, Lacius continued.
“It’s an eerie place, but I don’t think it’s a cave with dangerous animals.”
Perhaps there are insects, but it is reliable because there is no animal that Lacius cannot detect.
“Then we’re safe for now.”
Daphne stroked her chest as if she were relieved.
Strangely, as if Daphne had the ability to assimilate her surroundings with her emotions, the uneasy jaggedness of the atmosphere subsided at once, especially the child’s expression. Daphne held the child’s and the little shaman’s hands tightly and looked at the ceiling with a pale face.
“The question is, how do we get out of here?”
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