The Elderwood Beast dashed deep into the cave, and I clung tightly to its back. Thanks to the scattered flowers growing there, I didn't fall off, but ahead of me was only a dead end.
It was blind.
No longer able to distinguish the path from the wall, it charged forward like a wild, furious storm.
I squeezed my eyes shut, praying I wouldn't die from this collision...
BAM!
It crashed straight into the stone wall, shattering the rocks into pieces.
When I opened my eyes, I saw myself and the creature falling into a vast space deep inside the cave.
The flowers on its back no longer held my hands firmly, and I slipped off, thinking I would shatter like a broken bowl.
But no — at that moment Kai jumped up and caught me just in time.
The Elderwood Beast hit the ground with a loud echoing thud, lying motionless. It seemed truly dead.
Suddenly, Ashen stepped forward to examine the beast and confirmed,
"It's dead."
He turned to look at me, his face calm but his eyes full of surprise:
"I really didn't expect you to still be alive, Mira. Especially for someone new."
Kai interjected,
"So you thought Mira was already dead, right?"
Ashen looked away and replied,
"What do you think? Someone new to this world surviving against such a monster? Do you believe that?"
"I do," Kai said, while Ashen could only shake his head helplessly at him.
I spoke up,
"I'm glad you two are still alive, but Kai, can you put me down now?"
Kai laughed,
"Oh, sorry, I forgot!"
Ashen approached me and said,
"You survived alone against the Elderwood Beast and even managed to put it in such a state. You have great potential, Mira."
I smiled,
"It's thanks to you two severely injuring it beforehand that I was able to survive."
Kai said,
"You did well, Mira."
I chuckled softly at the compliment.
Ashen rolled up his sleeves and said,
"You need healing. Give me your hand."
I obeyed; he took my hand, and gradually the wounds on my body, including the stab on my shoulder, started to close.
But I noticed Ashen's arm slowly turning black.
I asked,
"What's wrong with your arm, Ashen?"
He calmly answered,
"It's nothing."
When my wounds fully healed, he let go. His arm was now pitch black, like it was necrotic.
I asked, surprised,
"Is that really okay?"
Ashen replied,
"No big deal, it'll be fine soon."
Only then did I notice what lay in this vast space:
"What is that?"
Kai said,
"We just discovered it. We were about to approach and investigate when you fell down."
Ashen looked toward the strange structure, thoughtful:
"It could be the ruins of some civilization."
I looked at Ashen, surprised,
"You don't know what it is either?"
He shook his head,
"The biggest thing I've seen before was just some abandoned villages. But this... it's completely unfamiliar."
Kai said,
"If we want to know what it is, we have to explore."
But Ashen immediately dismissed the idea,
"Forget it, Kai. You think it's safe? We don't know why it was built, nor what might be waiting inside. It's best to stay away and find a way out."
Kai still didn't give up,
"But what if... it holds clues about this world?"
Ashen looked at Kai with a warning gaze,
"And if there really are clues inside... are you sure you'll survive to find out?"
Kai bowed his head silently.
Ashen was firm,
"Enough. We should stick to the original plan."
The three of us began to look for a way out. But after just a few steps—
Cracks in the stone started oozing a red liquid.
It dripped along the fissures, thick... and exactly like blood.
Dark red streams flowed down the ground like small waterfalls, pooling into a blood lake right before our eyes.
From the middle of that lake, a figure slowly emerged — a woman.
She was stunningly beautiful, with piercing red eyes and an aura that made you want to stay away but couldn't look away. She wore a short black dress, tight-fitting, bordered with red like dried blood. Behind her, a long, translucent veil floated gently like a mist of death. Her cuffs and collar were embroidered with delicate silver threads shimmering with purple hues, giving a sense of elegant, mysterious grace without being overly ornate — a calm and chilling beauty, as if born to walk under the blood moon.
A wave of unease surged inside me. I stepped back, whispering,
"What is she...? We should leave here as soon as possible."
But Ashen spoke with firm certainty,
"It's alright. She's an ally."
The woman stepped lightly out of the blood lake. Each step she took made the blood ripple like it had life.
Kai stepped forward with his familiar smile,
"Elarith! Long time no see. You still like to make dramatic entrances, huh?"
She smiled, a smile that seemed to soften the air around her,
"Glad to see you both again."
As she came closer, I saw clearly her almost surreal beauty — a sharp face, snow-white skin, and deep red eyes like gems at the bottom of a sea of blood.
I couldn't help but feel breathless, as if that beauty pressed heavily on my chest.
She was too beautiful — beautiful enough to admire, yet also enough to send chills down my spine. A beauty both alluring and threatening, making me feel small, lost, and easily swallowed at any moment.
She approached me, her red eyes piercing mine. That gaze seemed to dig deep into my mind, making my head spin and nearly unsteady.
I felt all my thoughts stripped bare, nowhere to hide from that look. My instincts told me to avoid her, but my body stood frozen, as if hypnotized.
She slowly raised her hand, as if about to do something mysterious.
But before she could touch me, Ashen stepped forward, his voice cold, cutting through the air,
"Enough, Elarith. You should stop that rude behavior immediately."
Elarith tilted her head slightly and spoke softly like a breeze brushing over the blood lake,
"Sorry... It's been a long time since I met anyone besides you two."
Ashen looked at her sharply,
"You came all the way here to find us... you must have an important reason, right?"
She smiled and shrugged lightly,
"Not exactly. I just wanted to make sure you two are still alive. The barrier around your refuge has been broken, and I sensed it... But it seems you're both alright."
Elarith's gaze stopped on the strange ruins in the cave.
"And it seems... you've just discovered something quite interesting."
Ashen glanced at the ruins, his voice calm,
"We have no intention of exploring it."
Elarith turned to face him, eyes mixed with amusement and mockery,
"You always choose safety and caution, Ashen. But that's what's holding you back. Sometimes, not taking risks means staying stagnant forever."
Kai jumped in, nodding,
"She's right. Sometimes you have to take a little risk."
Ashen looked at both of them, his tone serious,
"I already said. We have zero information about that place. Going in now is basically suicide."
Elarith smirked, a smile full of hidden meaning,
"Well, what if I give you some information? About these ruins. About their true purpose. About the things sleeping inside."
Ashen narrowed his eyes and replied evenly,
"That depends. How much detail are you willing to share?"