When I answered the riddle thirty seconds ahead of time, the first tunnel lit its way and revealed the correct path, while the rest of the roads became darker. There were no monsters tracking us down or any other hidden mechanism that prevented us from moving onward. Without a second of doubt, I pulled Hina away from the place and marched our way outside the cavern. According to our map, this route would lead us outside the cave for good. Within moments, Hina and I finally touched the grass and we were now outside the forsaken cave. As we turned around, the cave’s entrance closed in and shut it until someone from the other side answered the questions… just like we did. When we turned around, the familiar scent of the forest welcomed us and the chirping trees surrounding our environment. The air remained the same, fresh as if we went on a vacation inside a forest. Even the sun looked like something from our world, where the bright light illuminated the areas and gave everyone hope.
Elena led us deeper inside the survivor’s base to converse about… everything. There were a lot of things Elena still didn’t know about Hina and me, and there was a myriad of information I had to collect about these survivors. Not to mention, we were running with a time limit. If we stayed idled inside this place, the elite adventurers of the Crimson Guild would find their way inside here. And it wouldn’t be a pretty sight for everyone, especially me.Just like what had happened earlier, every survivor we passed by was glaring in our direction. Some were looking at us out of curiosity, while others were hesitant to believe our words. Thankfully, having Elena, who seemed to be the leader of the survivor group, escorting us made it easier for us to breeze through the village. It kept people thinking that we were guests or adventurers sent from the outside, which was always a good thing. However, that wasn’t the case. We weren’t involved in any organisation.Technically, the prime minister
“But I thought we’d already accomplished that earlier?... Well, you know what? Whatever.”“Exactly my thought. But I still don’t trust you. And I still want to know your agenda, your plan, your abilities, and… your overall identity and how you became, or at least the people have framed you, a murderer. I can’t just let you walk inside our base with innocent children and people involved. Right now, they don’t know who they are. But I… I somewhat have heard you before from my father's informant and secretary. It might be possible that you were framed moments before we were trapped here inside Omen. Regardless, you need to talk about everything and tell me what you know and what you can give to my people.”Even though I had a ticking time bomb within me - since the elite members of the Crimson Guild were after my ass - what Elena asked for was reasonable. If I was in her position, I would’ve asked the same questions. And if someone claimed to be adventurers who wished to free the survivo
“Just promise me one thing, Aoi. Please protect my people, unlike the Crimson Guild… who only cares about their image….”I had heard a lot of rumours about the Crimson Guild refusing to help any people inside those portals. But I shrugged it off and told myself that wasn’t the case, considering they were the highest paid guild and the most popular one all over the world. There was no way that the Crimson Guild would choose who they saved. Then again, Elena, the daughter of the prime minister, told me otherwise.I also knew that there was some conflict between the prime minister and the Crimson Guild. It was something involving the shift of power over our country and the involvement of the United Nations. Since I was just an average civilian, I had no idea about it… Not until Vulcan, Akihiko, and Doctor Maruki told me some details they knew. “That’s the first time I’ve heard that, Elena. What exactly happened between the Crimson Guild and you…. Especially to your father?”Elena paused
A long and dreadful pause entered our conversation. I didn’t notice the time, but we were talking for an hour inside this house. But since Hina and I were resting for the time being and fought no monsters right now, maybe this wasn’t too bad after all. However, we had a time limit bound around our necks. And the moment that the Crimson Guild elite adventurers or the monsters residing around this place breached this place before we could even escape, Hina’s family and our lives would be endangered. The fate of the world and the possible war was within our hands. “Working together is going to be a big problem for the two of us. But if I have to do it… for your family and for the people’s well being. But if worse comes to worst, and I saw you killing our people, then I will have no other choice but… to present myself to the Crimson Guild…”“Save the people more than help me. Yeah, I get it. I would do the same thing,” I said, interrupting Elena’s words. “Don’t worry about it. Betraying
Backstory. 14 years ago(Aoi’s Point of View)____________________________Hina stormed inside her room after showing her report card to her parents… When we showed our report cards to her parents. Hina’s mother compared her to me, who had better grades than her - than the rest of the students in our school. She knew that presenting them to her parents would lead to this moment. However, Hina steeled her heart and braced herself for whatever was about to come. And it did come inside our house. Regardless of the matter, Hina faced her consequences head on and cried alone inside her room. But at the end of the day, she still had me. And maybe, just maybe, I want to be a part of her life as well… just like good old days. The Dean called both of our attention. That Dean wished to congratulate me, while they wanted to call Hina about her grades hanging on the ledge. That was the school’s regulations. And that marked the chaotic event inside our home.As the door shut upstairs, I was left
Backstory (continuation) (Aoi’s point of view) _______________________ After what happened inside the living room, I couldn’t help but check Hina upstairs. I knew that she had changed and became cold hearted while talking to me. But Hina was still my sister. And despite what had happened between the two of us, Hina will always be my little step sister. There was not a thing I wished to change that reality. As I climbed the steps of the narrowed living room, the squeaks from the wooden floor announced my appearance. My sweat drenched my clothes as I crept closer and closer to Hina’s room. A weeping sound echoed at the other side of the staircase, belonging to the girl who was the only one present upstairs. After a few moments, which felt like a decade, I finally arrived on top of the place and came face to face with Hina’s door… It was Hina’s room. The crying sounds of a girl continued reverberating throughout the upper floor. And since this house was not large enough as it sounded
Bonus Chapter Icarus’ Perspective Ten years before joining the Elite team of the Crimson Guild ____________________ Icarus. My mum named me that after the famous story about Icarus and Daedalus who tried reaching the sun with their make-shift wings. Dad died when I served in the military. The terrorists killed him, but my dad and his team won the battle. But even that information wasn't disclosed from the public and from us. A representative of the Queen's government and the United Nation's Defence agency went into our house and disseminated that data to my mum and me. Mum told me that I had to believe what the man with high ranking status mentioned about dad until I could reveal the truth. And since I was still young and dumb, I didn't mind it and still believed dad's death was caused by the terrorists. When my old man died when I was six years old, he left a letter, telling me to become a man that was willing to protect the people in need. But despite what he wished for me, I ne