Finn and Nyx sat side-by-side on the cold stone floor of the chamber, taking stock of their supplies and tending to their wounds.

The only light came from the ethereal glow of the portal, casting long shadows across their weary faces.

Nyx sifted through the contents of Finn’s rucksack with deft fingers, laying out bandages, rations, and water bottles in neat rows.

She paused, holding up the voidsteel sword shard they had won from the Barrow Lord’s corpse. The dark metal seemed to drink in the faint light.

"This is a potent material," she murmured, turning it over in her hands.

Finn glanced up from where he was winding a length of gauze around his torn forearm. "Yeah? What do you think we could do with it?"

"Meaning the right smith could shape it into something rare." Her crimson eyes met his. "A weapon worthy of you, Bearer."

He huffed a laugh, tying off the bandage. "I’ll settle for one that doesn’t break halfway through a swing."

They lapsed into companionable silence, the simple rituals of rest and recovery gentling the adrenaline still surging through them.

Finn’s gaze kept straying to the two options shimmering on the portal’s surface. Descend, or return. The thought of more floors, more horrors waiting in the dark, sent a chill down his spine.

But the alternative...

Returning meant facing the city. The desperate survivors. The slow march of the days until the First Trial, for which none of them were ready.

At least down here, for all its perils, they were moving forward. Growing stronger. And Nyx was with him.

As if sensing his thoughts, she shifted closer, her shoulder brushing his. "Something weighs on you."

He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Just thinking about what’s next. I told you we might make it to the bottom of this place. I meant it. I’m just... not sure I’m ready for what’s down there."

"Fear is no enemy of yours, Bearer. The fool feels none and dies first." She tilted her head, watching him. "You feel it and walk forward anyway. My people have a word for that. So do yours, I assume."

Finn looked at her then, really looked. At the delicate curve of her cheek, the dark fall of her hair. The unwavering resolve in those crimson eyes.

In that moment, the choice crystallized in his mind.

"...Thanks. That actually helped."

A slow smile curved her lips, sharp at the edges. "I should hope so."

Finn pulled up their status screens and began to analyse the changes.

[Nyx Sanguina — Level 12]

[Stats]

Strength: 8

Agility: 13

Endurance: 12

Perception: 12

Intelligence: 22

Willpower: 19

[Stat Points Available: 14]

[Finn Morrow — Level 12]

[Stats]

Strength: 13

Agility: 25

Endurance: 23.5

Perception: 14

Intelligence: 15.5

Willpower: 14

[Stat Points Available: 4]

Compared to yesterday, their numbers had climbed sharply. It was reassuring to see how far they’d come — but it still wasn’t enough.

He looked over at their [Skills] section and noticed that Nyx’s had been updated.

Shadow Step Lv. 2 (Active) — Allows the caster to travel within a set range through shadows. Range: 70m — Cost: 8MP

Whisper Lv. 1 (Passive) — Bonded partner can hear Nyx’s thoughts within 1km.

’Her skill levelled up. The cost dropped, the range stretched. When did that happen?’

’During our last fight. When I used it.’

Her voice in his head still startled him. But the answer confirmed something useful that carried over from the game: skills levelled through repeated use.

Which raised an obvious question. How was he supposed to level his own?

[Skills]

Covenant Summon Lv. 1 (Active) — The Covenant Bearer can summon an entity to form a Bond. The entity can fight for the bearer.

Soul Link Lv. 1 (Passive) — The Covenant Bearer can sense the bonded entity’s location and HP at all times. Range: 10 KM.

Covenant Recall Lv. 1 (Active) — Summon the bonded entity to the Bearer’s side from any distance. Cooldown: 10 minutes. Cost: 40 MP.

Finn stretched out a hand. "Covenant Summon."

[Summon Limit has been reached. Skill level is too low.] 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

’...Figured. Another summon would tilt the odds for the next floor, but I can’t level a skill I can’t use.’ He sighed again. ’Which means the hard way. I’ll need to use a different method.’

His shoulders sagged.

’Oh? Has my Bearer grown weary of me already, that he hunts so eagerly for another?’

’No — Nyx, that’s not what I —’

’Mm. Of course not.’

He could practically hear the smile in the thought. Unable to find a clean reply, he just shook his head and focused on a new section that had appeared on his screen. [Bond.]

He opened it.

[Bond: Nyx Sanguina.]

[Bond Level: 1]

[Shared Experience: ACTIVE]

That was all. Which only raised more questions. What did Level 1 actually mean? How was he meant to raise it? And what would they gain if he did?

He chewed the inside of his cheek.

"Nyx."

"Hm?"

"...Come here a second."

She arched a brow but obliged, leaning toward him. "Yes, Bearer?"

He cleared his throat. "When we formed the bond, we kissed. I think it might be how the bond levels. Doing it again, I mean."

There was a beat of silence. Her crimson eyes glittered with something between amusement and disbelief.

"You wish to kiss me. For research."

"...When you say it like that it sounds bad."

"Mm."

The tips of her ears had gone faintly pink, though her expression remained perfectly composed.

"And should nothing come of it?"

"Then we tried."

"A poor hypothesis," she said softly. "But I am, however, willing to test it."

Finn and Nyx leaned toward each other. His heart hammered against his ribs as they closed the distance, a hairsbreadth at a time.

Their lips met.

It was just as electric as the first time — a spark igniting down his spine, a sudden flush of heat. His hand found the small of her back, drawing her closer. She made a quiet sound against his mouth, her fingers curling in the front of his shirt.

For a long, dizzying moment, there was only the press of her lips on his, the silk of her hair beneath his fingers. Then, reluctantly, they parted.

Finn blinked, his head spinning. He checked his status screen with bated breath.

[Bond: Nyx Sanguina]

[Bond Level: 1]

[Shared Experience: ACTIVE]

Nothing had changed. The kiss, electrifying as it had been, hadn’t affected their bond at all.

"A pity," Nyx murmured, the faintest tremor in her breath. "Your theory, it seems, was inconclusive."

"Yeah." Finn cleared his throat. "We’ll, uh — we’ll have to think of something else—"

He stopped mid-sentence, head snapping toward the chamber entrance. The unmistakable sound of footsteps echoed from the stairs they had descended not long before. Someone else had just arrived at the second floor’s boss room.

Finn scrambled to his feet, his hand flying to the Voidsteel sword shard. Nyx was already moving, a pale blur as she slipped into the shadows at the chamber’s edge.

Five figures emerged from the stairwell, weapons at the ready. The leader, a wiry man with sharp eyes, had an arrow nocked and drawn, the point aimed squarely at Finn’s chest.

"Easy there, mate. Let’s not do anything hasty, yeah? Just tell us if you’re hostile or friendly, and we’ll go from there."

Finn held up his free hand in a placating gesture. These were the first living people they’d encountered since leaving the Safe Zone. The first who might have news, information, supplies.

Or the first who might try to take what they had.

"Don’t," Finn said, keeping his voice level.

The leader’s draw arm tightened. "Don’t what, mate? Don’t shoot? Bit late to be asking— "

"I wasn’t talking to you."

In the shadows behind the man, crimson eyes flashed. Nyx rose from the darkness like a wraith, the edge of her dagger laid neat against his throat. He went rigid, his bow wavering.

"Be still," she said softly, and there was nothing soft about it. Her eyes were cold and lifeless. "He asked you most courteously, did he not? It would grieve me to mar so civil an exchange, and you, in particular, for daring to draw upon my Bearer."