Chapter 65: Cross And Straw [14] It Was Love...

They trudged forward, leaving the oddity behind them. The entrance of the colossal cave hung high above them, dwarfing their figures, casting shallow shadows on their faces.

Ruby glistened beneath their feet, thicker and more abundant with every step. Scars of battle marred the environment, still yet to heal.

Leonidas shook his head at the sight and continued speaking to Willow, who stood by his side.

Both had their blades drawn, Blush resting in his hand, its edge gleaming with anticipation, while Willow held Smooth Criminal with both of hers. She was tense, especially after the information Leonidas had so gratefully bestowed upon her.

"Correct me if I’m wrong, but you just explained to me how, after we were separated by that black wave, you landed near here, encountered a Superus rank pilgrim, somehow survived it, and took refuge in that black temple."

She paused for a moment, confusion making way onto her delicate features.

"And now you want to go back to the place you almost died in before?"

Her explanation was pretty accurate, so much so that Leonidas found himself nodding alongside her.

"Pretty much, yes."

He could feel her disappointment in him, and he was reminded yet again that this woman had survived for almost two years in the damned Labyrinth.

"Before you say anything, just know that there should be no other being in there. The last time I had tried to take refuge, a great beast had greeted me with a very warm welcome."

Something dark and guarded surfaced in his cerulean eyes before he smiled again.

"Warm it was, slick with my own blood."

Willow looked at him like he was a madman. How terribly rude!

Granted, he wasn’t entirely sane either; he could not be, not after surviving the Realm of Madness itself.

He was about to speak up again, about to make another point of why going in for rest was the best option they had, but Willow beat him to it.

"Then let us go with your option...you certainly seem adamant about going there, for reasons entirely unseen."

She sighed, her eyes softening. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Lead the way."

How nice...I might really have been lying to myself.

Smiling at his thoughts, Leonidas started walking again, entering the lightless hole. He had no particular objective in mind, just rest. His mind was far too taxed, and his body was slowly shutting down.

In situations like his own, one never knew when they might be able to find the nurturing embrace of rest, so he had to lunge when he could.

Light burst into existence beside him, a ball of flames hovering over Willow’s palm. Leonidas offered her a nod of appreciation, eyes darting around, as if he expected something to lunge from the shadows.

Silence blanketed the area, and it was slowly getting on his nerves. Leonidas was unusually irritated, jumping at every little thing.

Death, it seemed, had gotten its hold on his heart, scars that would never truly heal.

Deciding to break the awkward silence, he spoke in a tired tone:

"Say, do you believe in ’love at first sight?’"

The fire above them grew brighter, surging, then dimmed, as if running out of fuel.

"All of a sudden? But I suppose I’ll humor you. To answer your question...I would say it depends on the person themselves. Like—"

"Oh, elaborate."

A cold shiver went up Leonidas’s spine, and as he turned towards the source, he found two orbs of darkness staring at him with irritation.

Scary.

"As I was saying before you rudely interrupted me, it depends from person to person. Take me for example...I would never fall for someone at first sight. I doubt I’m even capable of feeling love."

Under the gloom of the flames, her face looked like that of a tragic princess, one from the haunted tales told to children. Pity and loathing, both for herself and the world around her...that was what Willow’s face told him.

Without thinking, his body moved closer to Willow, and he started...patting her head. The position was uncomfortable, Blush and their identical heights making it hard for him to reach her head.

Staring at him were two raven eyes, dazed and distant. His gesture had taken Willow by such surprise that she did not even speak. Willow didn’t bat away his hand, nor did she make a snide remark.

She just stood there with wide, glassy eyes, unsure of what to do. Her reaction only confirmed his suspicions about her origin.

She is most definitely a high noble.

That much he had already discerned the moment Willow had begun speaking, but now he knew a little more about her family dynamics.

A family that showed no love. A father who pushed you to the limits and a mother who watched from the sidelines, watching with a small smile.

Being a high noble himself, Leonidas knew much about how parents treated children as emotionless machines. The more he got to know Willow, the more relatable she became.

And despite that, he found no words to comfort her. Leonidas liked to think of himself as a highly social person, and here he was, at a loss for words.

So, he said, the only thing that was on his mind.

"Being shunned from love doesn’t mean love has abandoned you. Love herself had once made a promise that all of mankind had a promised partner; it is just up to us to find them."

Once, long ago, these very words had been said to him in his darkest times, back when life had seemed dull and bleak.

Seridius, where are you when I need you the most.

Willow smiled at his words. It was a bright smile, a smile that hid nothing behind it, nothing other than acceptance.

He was stunned. This was the first time Willow had even actually smiled at him, the first time she had smiled and actually meant it.

His heart beat faster, butterfly wings fluttering in his stomach.

Oh hell no!

Leonidas recognized the feeling; how could he not after experiencing it twice before?

Once as Art, and once as himself.

It was love...