Chapter Text
Despite the fact the Umbral Knight knew she would be alright, seeing Lily lying down in the respite, motionless and barely breathing, sent waves of terror through his heart. Even after she had come around, Hoenir easing her racing heart and panicked movements far better than the Umbral Knight knew he himself could ever manage, he could not bring himself to look away from the young girl for even a second.
This situation, the pain and fear and uncertainty, would not happen again. No matter how important this forsaken lab was, the Umbral Knight refused to let Lily return here without some level of protection. With an entire kingdom at their fingertips, filled with countless places they had yet to explore fully, there had to be something out there that would help Lily progress into the depths of the Subterranean Lab.
With the beginnings of a plan forming in his mind, the Umbral Knight was left with only two immediate issues. The first, deciding upon where to start the search for what Lily needed, and the second behind how he would convince Lily of the necessity of such an item. The Umbral Knight knew that the second of these issues would be harder to achieve, so it was there that he began. Sat beside Lily, the Floral Sorceress to the girl’s other side and with Hoenir stood before them, the Umbral Knight braced himself before he began to speak.
“Lily, I understand that this place is important to you, but,” the Umbral Knight paused to look at Lily when she attempted to interrupt, “You cannot go down there again, not as you are. The only thing you are achieving is unnecessary pain upon yourself.”
Again, Lily looked frustrated. It was clear she would not be dissuaded from her actions easily, something the Umbral Knight fully expected, and he knew that he would have to act quickly before Lily took matters into her own hands and simply set off back down the elevator into the Subterranean Lab once more.
“I am not saying you will never go down there again, of course not. You just need to utilise a certain level of… care, I suppose, or preparation, before trying to explore the Lab again. The environment down there is unlike anything else you’ve travelled through, and as such you need to be aware of how to counter any negative effects you may be faced with preemptively. Do you understand?”
His words were met by a grudging nod.
“Thank you, Lily. Additionally, there are many more places we could venture to first. We will likely be able to find something to help you travel throughout the Lab, if that is what you wish to focus on. Perhaps a face covering of sorts?”
Lily gave him a thoughtful look, before nodding once more, this time much more accepting of the situation. The Umbral Knight was eternally glad that the young girl had decided to see sense, and decided to press this acceptance further by asking where Lily would like to explore next.
At once, Lily appeared to shut down before his very eyes, all prior strength and confidence lost in an instance.
||-|----|-||
Hoenir could tell that the Umbral Knight was truly attempting to help the young girl, but presenting Lily with such open ended questions whilst she was still recovering was clearly doing more harm than good. Taking pity on both the Knight and child, he instead presented a much simpler choice, even if it was somewhat for his own gain.
“Would the castle be an acceptable place to start?”
Perhaps, whilst they were there, he would find some notion of what happened to Julius.
||-|----|-||
Cutting through the tense silence that had been steadily growing, Hoenir’s quiet voice was a welcome relief. His suggestion, the castle being an area far from the Subterranean Lab that Lily had barely explored, was equally as welcome. The Umbral Knight hoped Lily accepted the idea, as the range of new paths to explore, coupled with all the secrets hidden within, would be the perfect thing to take Lily’s mind off of the lab hidden far beneath the kingdom.
The Umbral Knight watched with relief as Lily agreed with Hoenir’s plan of action, eyes lighting up at the thought of exploring an area she had only seen glimpses of before. It would still not be an entirely safe place to visit, of course, but blighted creatures were much easier for him to face as opposed to the blight itself.
With a renewed light in her eyes, Lily summoned the carriage spirit that had taken to following her around, and together they began their journey to the distant Bastion Gates, being the closest respite Lily had found to the castle thus far.
Shifting back into his non-corporeal form, so as to more easily travel alongside Lily, the Umbral Knight was glad to be rid of the accursed Subterranean Lab, at least for the time being. He knew they would return eventually, Lily was not so adamant about venturing deeper for no reason, after all, but they would have time to prepare.
Maybe, when they made it to the castle, he would also find out why Hoenir seemed so relieved, in his usual quiet and somewhat reserved manner, when Lily agreed with his suggestion. Not directly, of course, he would never force the other to speak if he did not want to. But from context, and maybe a questioning look or two from Lily, the Umbral Knight was certain he’d have his answer soon enough.
For now, however, they traveled in silence.