"Run faster, Elishia!"

Cetas, waiting on the other side of the Mausoleum waited for Elishia who still had a long way before she could reach where he was.

However, a challenge presented itself before them.

The mausoleum in the distance—the one they were previously in—was dimming in Cetas’ sight!

This meant that for Elishia, the current mausoleum that Cetas was in is also vanishing!

Therefore, if that were to happen, then, by Elishia’s theory, they would be separated with no way of contacting one another again!

Elishia, already showing signs of exhaustion, began to slow down.

If she doesn’t make it to the other side, then all of their efforts would’ve been for naught!

So, Cetas began to think.

At the pace in which Elishia’s going, she wouldn’t make it right now. Cetas knew that he needed to act in order to prolong the reflection on the other side, even by just a half of a second.

Cetas looked around, trying to find anything that can be lit on fire. However, there wasn’t any at all!

Cetas wanted to curse out in his original language but decided that it wasn’t the time.

Think! Think!

Elishia neared the mausoleum but the reflection is beginning to fade out! She only had a few seconds left.

So, Cetas reached into his coat and brought the Ivory Flintlock out.

I hope this works!

He decided to gamble it all on one shot. He knew that Elishia’s weapon created a slight reflection for the other mausoleum to show up. However, he didn’t know if the bullets of the Ivory Flintlock could create the same results!

Still, after some thinking, he determined that even if the bullets were made out of bone, they still came from a Physique Zeal Dreadspawn!

Therefore!

They were much more durable than normal bullets!

But the problems lay on whether they can produce a spark or not!

So, with the risks in mind, Cetas aimed at the Mausoleum, ensuring to be careful as to not hit Elishia.

Since the Ivory Flintlock didn’t act like a standard one, it had to shoot farther and stronger!

So, Cetas pulled the trigger and shot.

The bone bullets traversed through the air, passing through the pillars and directly pushing through the diamond mausoleum.

Cetas reached out to Elishia’ who was only a few meters away now. With a final burst of energy, she ran faster than she could’ve ever perceived.

As the bullet crossed the door of the mausoleum, it made an impact on the mural.

However!

The impact could not create a spark, not even a dent was caused!

The reflection didn’t prolong!

But still, Elishia jumped across with all of her strength and reached the area where Cetas stood.

She dove, face first into the ground as the reflection of the mausoleum vanished in the distance.

Cetas, looking concerned, called out to her, "..Elishia?"

Elishia remained silent.

Her body was still, as if she had fallen unconscious on the ground.

After a few seconds of silence, she finally answered, "..I’m alright.." Her voice muffled, "Let me..rest..huff.."

"Alright.."

For a few moments, Cetas sat down beside her, waiting for the moment she finally arose.

It took seconds and then minutes..

But still, after a while, she finally rolled around and faced up.

Her face filled with exhaustion, and sweat.

Cetas looked over to her face as he curiously looked downwards like an owl.

Then, he smiled—wide and warm as the summer sun.

"We made it.."

Elishia raised her hand up.

"Yes we did.."

Cetas grabbed her hand and pulled her to a sitting position.

"Aaah- I can’t anymore! I’ve never ran this much in a whole day! First it was up the stairs and now! Huff.. I’m tired.. I hope there’s no more running.."

Cetas laughed.

"Let’s see.."

Elishia was surprised.

It was a rare occasion when Cetas laughed, so she couldn’t help but bring herself to smile.

After catching her breath for a little longer, the two of them headed towards the door of the mausoleum.

Cetas activated Sands of Time and upon seeing no danger lurking inside, the two began to place their palms on the door’s surface.

"Ready?"

"Yes. Let’s go."

Carrying weapons in their hands, the two carefully pushed through the crystal door.

What met them was the similar view of three murals, however, what differed from the last mausoleum is that there was no coffin in the middle. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Rather, a stairwell leading down existed, one that led to vast expanses of the unknown.

Looking at each other, Cetas and Elishia collectively agreed to head down.

Cetas went first, clutching his Ivory Flintlock beside his hips.

Darkness seeped in every corner as they further went down. Step by step, the two went in a spiral, the walls encumbering as a sense of heat, compacting as if it were a tough material.

Gradually, the diamond walls vanished, replaced by darkened stone that Cetas could not figure out.

Still, the temperature got higher, only those with great durability being able to overcome them.

Of course, this doesn’t affect Cetas and Elishia as the illusory force came from the combination of Skadi and the Historian.

Alas, the both of them didn’t know about it.

And so, they descended..

It took a long while for them to see some kind of changes in their surroundings. Not that they could see anything but Elishia noticed something amiss as they went down.

"Cetas, did you feel that right now?"

Cetas continued to carefully step down, "Feel what?"

Elishia went silent for a second, getting a feel of a particular oddity that she had experienced.

In a second, a strand of her moved to the side, seemingly swayed by an unknown force.

It flowed gently, reminding her of Skadi’s winds.

"That’s it!" Elishia’s voice echoed amidst the darkness, "I can feel air down here"

Upon hearing that Cetas, too, gradually began to feel soft gushes of winds.

"You’re right.."

Questions began to rise. If there were molten lava flowing down from above them and earthen walls that stretched to the corners above the mausoleum, then wouldn’t it be logical to conclude that they were in a cavern of some sort?

"It’s odd." Cetas spouted.

"I know.. At the ground level we’re in, I’d bet that we are somewhere deep below the surface.. I’ve been thinking for a long while now. If we were truly underground, then how are we able to breathe? I thought it must’ve been some sort of skill that Skadi casted and well, that may be the case, but sensing the existence of air down here just makes me feel that I’m wrong."

As their steps pattered down, Elishia’s voice resounded once more, "What do you think?"

"I.."

Cetas paused.

"I?"

But Cetas remained still and silent.

"Cetas?"

Elishia’s voice echoed, a slight hint of worry permeating itself in her heart. But hearing the consistent footsteps of Cetas made her confirm that he was well and alright.

A few seconds of silence passed and Cetas finally spoke, "I..have faint memories of my past. Back then, we lived in the depths where darkness covered every corner and horizon that you can see. However, amidst that darkness, we have this thing called.. Fishlight."

He stopped himself, thinking about the recent memory that he’d just seen.

Elishia remained quiet, only her footsteps heard as they traversed downwards.

She listened.

Then, he continued:

"Fishlight is something akin to a lamp on the surface, the difference is that they’re shaped something similar to an angler fish’s esca. I’m getting off-track here.. But I remember feeling something odd.. similar to the questions that we have right now.."

Cetas tried to remember that feeling..

"I remember a soft breeze of air brushing through my skin as my.. mother caressed my head."

Elishia turned surprised, "Then that means?"

"Yes. Below the earth, there’s probably a whole, separate world awaiting us."

"..is that where you came from?" Elishia softly asked.

Cetas’ voice turned nostalgic, a little somber even.

"I..don’t know, I can’t remember clearly.."

"I see. I’m sorry for asking."

"It’s alright.." Cetas reassured her, "I’m certain that I can remember it as I climb through the ranks of Zeal, when I do, I’ll tell my entire story to everyone in the crew!"

Elishia giggled, "That sounds like a lot of fun! I’ll wait for that moment to come, although.."

Her face turned sour, "At the rate you’re growing right now, you’ll probably surpass my rank in a flash.. I guess I’d better try harder!"

Cetas could only smile in response. Even though Elishia couldn’t see it, she determined that he had a positive aura around him.

Breaking the silence that had grown once again, Cetas slowly asked, "What about you Elishia? Where did you come from?"

"Oh me..?"

She turned quiet.

"I..guess I should probably share some of my story to you.."

She let out a deep breath, "Sigh.. As you’ve heard from that ’Prince’ I am a Heliosian noble from the city of Olibanum in the Meridiem Region, particularly coming from the family of Sojoa. Our family business consisted of mostly trading and manufacturing of Olibanum Oil."

Her voice became steady.

"But that’s just only on the surface. In reality our family is a prestigious line of intelligence couriers that served the royal family in the shadows.."

"Royal Family?" Cetas’ voice grew curious.

"Yes..Our family has served them for centuries now, specializing in gaining special status in various continents and kingdoms around the world and providing important information that we’ve gathered to Helios."

She smirked, then laughed sarcastically, "Sound’s unreal, right, as if it were one of those fantasy novels.."

"I don’t know much about those.." Cetas apologized.

"That’s alright. That’s better actually.. Continuing from where I left off,"

She placed her fingers on her chin, "I don’t mean to boast but I was actually deemed the best talent in the latest generation of the Sojoa line. Good looks, great potential in Zeal, charismatic, and intelligent, so as they say.. But I didn’t want to be all that.. I didn’t want to be the bride of some high-ranking noble in Nero or Verdigian.. I wanted to be my own person y’know?"

Elishia’s voice slowly turned mellow.

"But.. our family traditions didn’t permit us to have free will.. After all, we worked for the royal family.."

She covered her mouth and laughed, finding her childhood ironic.

"Yet that all changed when I met her.."

Elishia’s eyes darted in the darkness, as if taking her back to a dear memory..

"Princess Auruea.."