Dila kept walking behind Zeon, her steps slowing slightly as her thoughts started clouding her.
In her mind, she sighed. No… morning's almost over… midday's about to set in… and after that… Her throat tightened. Me and that king…
Her fists clenched without her realizing.
We'll have to duel.
She drew a shaky breath, her heart tightening painfully.
Sigh… what do I even do…
Fran noticed. She slowed her pace and glanced at her, tail lowering. "Sister? You okay?"
Dila forced a small, weak smile. "...I'm fine."
But her eyes, darkened and distant, told a different story.
And then Fran said, "Is it about the duel again? If so… yeah, I feel you." Her voice was small, but honest.
Meanwhile, Zeon said casually, "Chill. You'll get strong again and start your cycle of masochist fests."
Dila, walking silently with her mind distant, said softly, "Shut up… it's not even funny, Zeon."
Zeon glanced sideways, smirking just faintly. "Hmm. If you say so, Princess."
Meanwhile, as Dila kept walking, spacing out in silence, suddenly Fran hugged her from behind. They both kept walking, step by step, Fran's arms gently circling Dila's waist.
Fran said softly, "Don't worry, Sister… we will win. Yes, we will."
But Fran's hands were shaking.
Dila didn't answer. Her mind was somewhere far away. Fran rested her head against Dila's back as they walked.
And then, suddenly, Dila's hand reached down. She held Fran's trembling hand, squeezing it gently.
Dila said softly, without turning, "Yeah… we will win."
Fran's nervousness eased. Her shaky breathing slowed. A small smile touched her lips. Her tail twitched faintly in relief.
The three of them kept walking forward, silently, together.
Dila paused, her eyes narrowing as she noticed Zeon suddenly stop ahead of them, right at the corner of the castle's hallway. He stood in front of what looked like nothing more than a dead end—stone walls meeting in silence.
"This is it," Zeon said calmly.
Dila blinked. "Where are we? I don't see anything."
Zeon simply smirked, then tapped his boot lightly against the stone floor.
With a faint grinding sound, the stone tiles shifted. A circular platform sank downward. Then, as if responding to invisible gears, a section of the wall slowly cracked open, forming a hidden archway. Inside, a spiral staircase coiled downward into dimness.
Fran's eyes widened instantly. "Woooow…" she whispered, stepping slightly forward. Her tail started wagging like an excited cat catching sight of prey.
Dila leaned slightly, studying the spiraling steps. The walls of the stairwell were lined with fresh, polished stone, impossibly clean—like it had been maintained daily. Magic runes were carved at equal distances along the wall, softly glowing a bluish hue, casting an eerie but beautiful light as they spiraled down.
Dila frowned, confused. "Wait… why is the alchemist smithing area hidden down there?"
Zeon chuckled lightly and said, "Because that's no ordinary smithing hall." His voice echoed slightly in the passage. He turned back to glance at them both, a smirk tugging at his lips. "That's where the sacred creations are forged. The runes, the enchantments, and all the magic. It's the veins that feed this entire kingdom... the technology we've been using were born down there not by the blacksmith."
Dila fell quiet, hand resting against her chin thoughtfully. "I see… that's… actually amazing."
Beside her, Fran's eyes were now sparkling—literally, like small glowing stars. Her tail swayed back and forth, unable to contain her excitement as she softly murmured, "This is gonna be exciting...!"
Zeon caught the sight of Fran's swaying tail and sparkly eyes, then smiled slightly, amused. "Yeah," he said simply, turning to lead the way. "It's going to be more than exciting."
Without another word, the three of them stepped inside. The door sealed silently behind them. The descent began.
As they walked down the spiraling staircase, the blue rune lights shimmered softly around them, casting long, curved shadows along the stone walls. Each step echoed faintly, their footsteps falling into a rhythmic pattern as the air grew cooler and the sound of distant humming—likely from some old magic—filled the narrow space.
Dila kept her eyes ahead, her mind restless. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Zeon... are you associated with the Crystal Veil? The one turning people into those... infected demons when they touch it or incage inside at it's area radius vicinity and turning them after 24 hours?"
Zeon's footsteps didn't falter. His voice, calm and low, echoed back toward her without turning. "What makes you associate me with that?"
Dila frowned slightly, narrowing her eyes as she watched his back. "Because you use veils too. The Veil of Silence. And the Veil of Magic Power Silencer. Same technique, same structure."
Zeon finally glanced over his shoulder, though his expression remained unreadable in the blue-lit shadows. "Oh... that," he said softly.
He paused for a step before continuing, "Our technology—the original versions of those veils—did inspire it."
Dila's eyes widened. Her pace slowed, nearly missing a step. "So... it's man-made? All of it? The Crystal Veil, the demonic infection... it's not natural?"
Zeon chuckled softly, his eyes still half-closed as he walked. "Yeah. It's artificial. Though not by our kingdom. The core structure was ours, but the Crystal Veil... that corruption wasn't something we designed. Someone else weaponized the idea."
Dila's throat tightened. Her voice dropped. "So it's... built on your kingdom's research."
Zeon responded with a smile and calmly. "No"
Then Zeon stopped walking completely for a moment and turned, his face visible in the dim rune light. His smile, faint but genuine, surprised her. "I'm happy."
Dila frowned harder. "Why are you happy about that?"
"Because you asked." His eyes gently curved as he spoke. "Most people just accuse me. You asked."
The silence lingered for a heartbeat before Zeon turned back, walking again with the same calmness, leaving Dila and Fran blinking behind him.
Fran tilted her head, whispering softly to Dila, "Sister… that was oddly sweet, but also really creepy."
Dila just stared after Zeon for a long moment, not sure whether to be concerned or touched.
Dila nearly tripped on the stone steps as Zeon suddenly started, his voice casual as ever, "The Veil of Infected Demons? That started... around 10,000 years ago."
Dila's head jerked up. "Ten thousand?! Damn..."
Zeon's grin stretched as if he was dropping gossip instead of history. "Mhm. The beginning was when this kingdom got attacked by demons. Some genius back then thought sealing them with crystal runes was a clever idea. Problem is… the blueprints got stolen." He laughed softly, eyes still half-shut. "Without permission, of course. And so... here we are. Their past mistakes are hanging over this generation's neck now."
He paused, glanced sideways at Dila, and added in a low chuckle, "All the current problem in the past has been shove on your father now at the same time you'll fight him in dual today."
Dila deadpanned, her tone as flat as a stone wall. "You're too creepy dropping lore like that while chuckling. But Seriously don't mention the Geezer versus Me while where descending."
Fran, meanwhile, blinked and added innocently, "Sister… that Veil? It appeared near the village about a month and a half ago. The Hero of Exonory Kingdom visited it after. People said it was a slaughter."
Dila's eye twitched. "Wait… that village you mentioned… I spawned there! I fought that thing—barely! If Sarios hadn't shown up, I'd have been scorpion food, specially on that Crystal vein Veil yikes!!."
Zeon hummed lazily. "Ah, right. That's when the Berserker vanished."
Dila's jaw tensed. "What?"
Zeon smiled without looking back. "The Berserker. He was known to jump from village to village whenever infected demons showed up. Some said he was trying to stop the infection."
Then Zeon chuckled more audibly, shaking his head. "And Sarios? Poor guy. Always too slow to catch up to the fight. Guess fate decided he wasn't supposed to be stronger than that."
"Pfft. Hahaha. Poor Sarios, always late to the party." Zeon's laughter echoed through the stairwell like he was telling some joke.
Dila sighed, her voice dry. "You're unbelievable."
Fran whispered again, "Sister, is it okay if I find him kinda funny now?"
Dila, face like stone, replied softly: "No."
As they continued down the spiraling stone steps, a strange white glow gradually filled the narrowing tunnel—soft yet bright, like artificial sunlight.
Dila squinted ahead. "Is that it?" Her voice was tight, but her steps quickened.
Zeon, still casual, nodded. "Yeah. That's it." His voice echoed slightly off the smooth stone.
Fran clung to Dila's sleeve now, her eyes shimmering like a curious kitten. "Sister… it must be huge, right? Right there?"
"Yeah, you're right," Zeon said, without even glancing back. "It's big."
The glowing white gradually revealed itself to be radiating from a wide archway—a massive chamber beyond. But blocking their path, right at the mouth of the entry, was a shimmering blue forcefield. It wasn't solid. Instead, it pulsed like an energy wave, blue strands flashing across its surface like the discharges of a sun. Every few seconds, it flared brighter with a crackling hum, filling the tunnel with a low thrumming noise.
Dila instinctively stepped back. "Why… why does that barrier look like it's alive?"
Zeon chuckled, resting one hand lazily on his hip. "Because it is. Kinda. You touch that thing without clearance, you'll end up as dust."
He smiled.
A real smile.
Calm. Relaxed. Absolutely infuriating.
Dila twitched, stepping protectively in front of Fran. "Come on. Cut that creepy face out."
Fran's hand tightened in Dila's sleeve, her ears drooping slightly. "S-Sister… I'm scared. That thing looks like it eats people."
Dila turned to Zeon with a frown, holding Fran behind her like shielding a child. "Turn it off. My Fran is getting scared."
Zeon, of course, only chuckled softly. "I can't just turn it off from here. I've got to get close enough to unlock it." He smirked over his shoulder, his eyes still half-closed, as if none of this was even remotely dangerous to him.
Fran's tail curled tightly around her leg, and she whispered, "Sister… that's not helping..."
Dila exhaled, glaring at Zeon. "If that thing zaps her, I'm zapping you."
Zeon's only answer was a relaxed wave of his hand as he calmly stepped closer to the deadly, humming wall of energy.