A ball of fire sped from Killian’s palm, charging at the sword-shaped liquid flying towards the human-rabbit.

The impact of the liquid and the ball of fire blasted above the girl, covering the area with steam and fog, as well as soaking her with a substance that slowly seeped into her skin.

Killian reached her and tried to pull her away from where she stood but she didn’t budge. He heard her sniffing and looked down at the ground.

"Sinking sand?" He thought for a while, then sighed.

His expression loosened as he turned towards the direction the sword-shaped liquid came from. "It is the little brother."

Thud.

Theodore scaled the cliff easily, having two sword-shaped liquid attacks floating above his palms.

His blond hair was still neatly tucked behind his ears so Killian wondered if he had stood at a spot all the while.

"What is that thing?" Theodore’s eyes shifted to the girl. "Is it a creature you saw here after abandoning me?"

Killian raised a brow. ’I was hoping we wouldn’t see each other till we met the last boss. By then, she would’ve played enough and gone back into the spatial storage.’

"Release her," Killian demanded.

The girl was obviously not a threat. At least to Theodore who knew nothing about her elements, she couldn’t be. Also, she looked too human for anyone to try to kill her right off the bat.

Seeing the girl still stuck in the sand, Killian stood in front of her protectively. ’I was right. This guy just likes trouble.’

Theodore didn’t lower his hands. He narrowed his eyes at the creature in front of him, then at Killian.

"Why should I listen to you after you abandoned me?" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"She has nothing to do with the creatures here." Killian explained. "I brought her in here and I have an explanation for it. Now, release her."

Heavy silence hung between them. Theodore stood at the far right, a small lake running under his legs.

That small body of water would be a major disadvantage for Killian and he knew it. ’He’s a water type, so there’s a lot of material to use against me. ’

’Unlike fire that can only rely on oxygen to burn, water types can just manipulate the nearest water source.’ "Why aren’t you releasing her?" he asked again, keeping his tone calm.

Theodore huffed. "I don’t think I should be listening to you after you just abandoned me," he said, and Killian knew he meant it.

The fire around Killian’s arms sucked back into his body. "Do you have abandonment issues?"

He dropped the question on him, wearing a fake concerned look on his face, and watched Theodore open his mouth to speak but shut it again.

Theodore lowered his hands and the attacks faded to nothing. "I don’t have abandonment issues." He finally found his tongue, and grumbled.

The muddy sinking hole the girl was stuck in dried up, moisture physically evaporating from the ground.

She was about to use her element to free herself, when Killian held her hand. Being a human-like monster was one part, but using an element would freak Theodore out.

The human-rabbit rested on Killian, and he slammed his leg on the mud, before forcing her legs out of the crusty surface. He pulled her up with one motion, and her legs came out.

He checked to make sure her shoes came off with her, before dropping her on the solid surface.

He faced Theodore, and changed the topic. "Did you encounter a beast before now?"

"Can we start by you explaining—"

"I didn’t abandon you." Killian interjected. "The portal transported me before I could respond. Also, I believed you would be able to handle yourself here since you’re a C-rank."

Theodore’s forehead creased. He spoke as he closed the distance. "I was going to ask you to start by explaining what she is, and why she’s here. But your response now is merely an excuse."

Killian adjusted his posture. "I mean it."

"Do you? Everyone knows a C-tier realm is the hardest realm for a C-Rank warden. B-tier realms are for B-Rank wardens. If two C-Rank Wardens accidentally enter a B-tier realm, they avoid combat till they can defeat a monster together. So you must’ve waited for me."

Killian blinked once, then twice.

’So I was being totally reckless to enter a B-tier realm alone? It’s not even something I should be striving for? ’

’To be fair, I didn’t want to be here. It was my last save.’

’But that part was also because of my recklessness.’

’I should really read those rulebooks.’

The human-rabbit turned to Killian with a flat, slightly pissed, expression, but he didn’t meet her gaze as he knew it was judgmental. "I see," he said simply.

"So you were waiting for me before you met a monster?"

"Yes, weren’t you also waiting for me?" Theodore raised a brow. He turned to the girl looking at Killian like he owed her, then back at Killian. "Did... you kill a B-tier realm Monster?"

"No—"

"You risked my life for no reason, huh!" The human-rabbit yelled, pointing at Killian. "You could’ve totally avoided that big guy, and you nearly killed us!"

"Killed us?" Killian said, grabbing her pointing finger and pushing it down. "I wasn’t close to dying this time. How did it nearly kill us? I had it under control."

"Oh really? As well as the party afterwards?" She asked.

Killian said nothing, he turned to Theodore. "And no, I didn’t kill anything. It went away on its own," he told Theodore.

’If he’d ask to see a corpse, I would have nothing to show him.’

Killian passed a warning glance to the human-rabbit, and she stopped talking, lowering her head.

’She should know better than to talk about the Void. I will simply hand her over to Theodore to do whatever he wants.’

"We should go and look for them now. We’ve taken a while here." He sighed, walking to Theodore with the girl in hand.

Theodore took a step back, the sword-shaped liquid taking form above his palms again.

Killian paused, pulling the human-rabbit behind him. "Are you still trying to kill her? What is wrong with you?"

His expression flickered with brief irritation. "Put that shit down, or I’d take it as a threat to me."