So dark...

Ling slipped past the gate and started to explore, but the darkness was ink-deep, the kind that swallowed hands and breath alike. In a room like this, you didn’t explore; you prayed you didn’t faceplant on flat ground.

So she flicked her wrist and called up a sphere of natural mana for light. It glowed like a green firefly in a jar, but it wasn’t true light-aligned mana, so the beam refused to bloom. For the first time, she really regretted not learning Mana Conversion in Lian’s mindspace. That skill was a blade she didn’t have.

But it’d already happened. Complaining was smoke on the wind. Even half-bright and green, she told herself it was “easy on the eyes” and kept it humming.

…But wow, it’s deep…

She’d imagined a small back room, maybe a silly pocket space, nothing serious. That was just wishful thinking. Inside, the place stretched like a well with no bottom.

Using the mana glow, she took the stairs one by one, shoulder skimming the wall, body edged sideways. The spiral fell away like a coiling snake, and even after a long descent, the bottom didn’t show.

For a moment, a wild thought sparked—just jump through the center, drop like a pebble in a shaft. She strangled it. Ling wasn’t suicidal; her heart beat steady like a drum behind a shield.

Click…

Huh? Seriously???

It felt like her foot sank a hair. Her mind snapped sharp. No doubt—a pressure plate, a hidden trigger tucked like a tooth beneath the stair.

…But nothing happened?

RUMBLE!!

Ask and the mountain answers. The sound of rolling stone growled from above, the ceiling a throat about to cough doom. With game-honed instincts, she knew what came next: a giant boulder, a chase, you run or get flattened.

She tilted her chin up to confirm. Black on black. The world was a blindfold. Fine—just run.

Aaaaahhhh!!!!

What the hell? That sounded like Alicia screaming!

She hadn’t even launched her escape. The scream sliced through the dark like a razor, made her shiver, and the lone forelock atop her head sprang up like a startled cat’s tail.

How is Alicia here? She didn’t come in!

She didn’t wait to figure it out. The thought of Alicia behind her lit panic like dry tinder, and Ling bolted. Not even a flicker of curiosity—run first, question never.

Dammit, run or die. If she got caught, who knew what would happen?

Honestly, it was her habit. Too many guilty little deeds layered on her conscience; hearing Alicia’s voice flipped a switch, and her legs just went.

“A—! B—! A—!”

She chanted nonsense in her head, flipping her feet on each stair like a gamer hammering buttons. The rhythm carried her like a river.

Playing turned to sprinting, and without noticing, she reached the end. There stood an iron door painted red, a mouth waiting to be kicked.

She hopped, momentum pulling her forward, then twisted midair. Left foot stretched, right tucked back. Her body angled like a sideways blade, every ounce of force packed into that left leg. The old family special—“Knight’s Kick.”

Her aim? Flawless. Missing a door that big would shame the word “knight.”

Thud!

Green light flared with the kick, the red door flew inward, and she tucked into a clean landing, rolling out the embarrassment like a wave breaking smooth.

…Too bad there weren’t any judges to score that.

No time to mope. The stone’s rumble swelled behind her. Ling rushed to the doorway, hands ready to shove the door closed.

“Stop! If you shut that, I swear I won’t let you off tonight!”

Alicia’s shout froze her for a heartbeat. That heartbeat was enough—Alicia slipped into the room like a shadow crossing the threshold. Ling missed her best chance to slam her outside.

“Idiot! What are you spacing out for? Close the door!”

A slap on Ling’s head came with the scold, and Ling pouted, but she hauled the iron door shut and slid the bolt. The impact came a breath later, a heavy boom that sounded almost…disappointed.

(We’re safe…for now…)

“Safe my ass. What are you even doing down here?”

Her words scolded, but Ling heard the care tucked under the bark, like warmth hidden in ash.

“Adventure fever,” Ling said, a grin faint as moonlight. “Adventure’s a man’s romance, you know.”

“Shut it. You’re a little girl, not a man. Where’s ‘man’ in any of that?”

That hit Ling’s thinking like a slap. Right… Her Black Flame Dragon was gone; what ‘man’ was she even talking about?

Seeing her wilt, Alicia wondered if she’d gone too far. She chewed on it, then shifted gears.

“Fine. Forget what I said. This isn’t the time to argue why you ran in here. We need to find a way out.”

“Mm… but the way back’s blocked.”

“Then we go down. What else? You want to bash our way up through a wall?”

…Not impossible.

She kept that to herself. Her heart still wanted the next unknown, the next door, so she didn’t spoil it.

“Then… let’s go?”

Alicia reached out a hand. Ling stared at it, and feelings swelled like a tide she hadn’t asked for.

When was the last time we held hands and went adventuring? …Doesn’t matter.

“Mm!”

Her small hand settled into Alicia’s. It was a size too small, but it didn’t feel wrong at all—more like a note in tune, a meaning you felt but couldn’t name.