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Chapter Text

"...All of those can be used to describe it. Yet I don't seem to be able to think of a name for it. Strange."

The male wrote in his notebook as he muttered to himself. The fabric of his dark green hoodie covered a white vest below it, as his dark blue boots pressed against the grassy floor. The trinkets held by his belt swayed with the wind as he kneeled to observe with further precision.

He carefully adjusted the black and orange gloves on his hands, before taking a small cloth, swiftly taking the substance and placing it inside a small glass container, closing it with its lid right after.

"...Perhaps by the end of the day, I'll think of something. The sun just rose after all."

The man mumbled before the large black feline ears on his head perked up, as he heard footsteps behind him. In response, he turned around, closing his small notebook and placing it in his pocket.

"Master Tighnari, the people I've found on the streets mentioned seeing her on the road ahead. Should we go after her right now?"

Taking a look at the voice's owner, he recognized the girl who spoke to him as Collei, a Trainee Forest Ranger he took in a few years ago.

She had medium-long green hair, that seemed to reach about her shoulders. Her purple, almost magenta eyes reflected the strong sunlight that they were currently basking in.

"So we are on the right track. Wonderful. Now that just leaves the question, where is Cyno?"

Tighnari asked the girl, who seemed to be just as clueless as he was.

"...Um, I haven't seen him... since we woke up?"

Collei spoke, as she placed a hand on her chin, looking slightly up as she attempted to recall seeing the male around. Still, her head was able to find nothing, as her eyes stared at nothing.

The long-eared male sighed, as Collei seemed to be having a slight headache.

"He really does just disappear whenever we need to do something..."

He spoke, before taking a short look at the glass vial he held in his hand.

- It's ... Such a small thing... Yet so harmful. -

Tighnari thought, as he recalled the events that led to today's date.

A few weeks prior, strange events began happening inside Sumeru. Strange liquids were often seen mixed with ponds, or hidden beneath the mud that formed after the rain.

While some simply ignored it, others were intrigued by this mysterious substance, some even being drawn in to touch and collect this strange thing and carry it around.

As a result, their arms with overly large veins showed the first sign of "possession", a state in which this person now wished to immerse themselves into this liquid, being easily irritated, and often didn't seem to express themselves civilly.

The second sign was seen in their eyes, in which the person's pupils often dilated unnaturally, and the skin around their eyelids began to darken, often reminding dark circles. These possessed humans now attacked others at sight, causing the need to restrain such affected people.

The last sign was rare to find, yet was the most dangerous one, as these beings now were a threat to the safety of Sumeru. Their blood now had turned into this dark substance, and as it flowed, it granted these beings unspeakable strength, but stripped them of their humanity. If one saw such a beast, the only advice available would be to run away and pray that it didn't find them.

As such, this substance became a dangerous entity in Sumeru. While there were only a few cases of possessions at level one, and much fewer at level three, this substance's appearances were rapidly increasing, as more and more of this liquid was spreading around the earth.

The source? Unknown. If it's alive? Unknown.

To find such answers, a small group was formed by individuals chosen personally by the Dendro Archon, Nahida.

Tighnari, a botany major, Collei, his assistant, and Cyno, a Spantamad graduate and known more for being the General Mahamatra.

Their first finding was that individuals who held Visions were more likely to be drawn in by this substance, for some reason.

There were only a few controlled cases of Vision Holders coming into contact with this liquid, but for the first time, a Vision Holder had gone missing, apparently having shown the first signs of possession.

This Vision Holder was none other than Madam Faruzan, who apparently disappeared after repeatedly mumbling nonsense around the hallways of the Akademiya.

Which led to their group having to track her, with barely any help from the Akademiya behind them, and the Dendro Archon's farewell smile.

"And to top it all off, Cyno has left us alone here. What a guy. I just hope he doesn't find her before we find him."

Tighnari complained, as Collei followed him closely. When the Forest Rangers woke up, the white-haired male had already gone out. No letter, no words.

"Ugh."

The botanist could only complain, as they searched for both their missing companion as well as their actual missing person.

"Master Tighnari, are those...?"

He walked around, before Collei suddenly stopped in her tracks, noticing a rather unusual group of Hilichurls, who seemed to be surrounding something.

"...Hm, possessed Hilichurls? So close to the desert, too. Maybe it's a sign. We should approach. Be careful, Collei."

Tighnari said, as he recalled that this substance attempted to possess everything, which also included any monsters. Judging by their skin, these were either level one or two.

"Alright! We'll be done here soon!"

Collei spoke, as she took her bow and shot an arrow straight towards a Hilichurl's head, the metallic tip crashing against the monster's mask, cracking it and piercing through its skull.

While the defeated Hilichurl fell to the ground, the others quickly noticed their enemies, letting go of the wooden clubs they held to fight with their bare fists.

- Hm? Letting go of their weapons? Probably level two then, since they lost their brain. -

Tighnari thought, as he resolved the threat with a single pull of his bowstring, as the arrow he shot multiplied in the air, each of those now surrounded by a green aura making its way towards a Hilichurl, and killing it in the process.

"That was a good warm-up. We should search our surroundings, if there's a few possessed ones here, there must be others nearby."

The black-haired male spoke, as he stored his bow away, after Collei did the same. The girl nodded, and promptly began searching around.

He looked at her for a moment, before shaking his head and following her.

- She... Is fine. The Eleazar is gone. She can finally recover. -

He took just one more glance, as he cherished Collei's great well-being now, when comparing it to a few months prior.

"...Much better now."

Still, he wanted to complain a little. He had all that trouble dealing with the Withering Zones, and when they were finally gone forever another problem just pops up?

And he's the one who has to take care of it AGAIN?

That didn't feel exactly fair to him. But he wasn't going to simply let go of the responsibility. If it's his duty, then he will fulfill it to the very end.

"..."

He kind of wanted a larger fund to work with, though.

Ignoring his own problems, he decided to focus, as both he and Collei started to search around the area. He wasn't able to find any of the mysterious substances, but he managed to find a strange familiar clue.

"... Footsteps? Someone was walking here while barefoot?"

He looked at the ground, as Collei went over next to him.

"Uh, I think only one person we know walks without anything on their feet around, hehe..."

Collei mentioned, as Tighnari shook his head in disappointment.

"Well, at least we know where he went to."

He says, looking ahead. A strange cave was seen hidden between the fallen trees, as rusty old pillars were barely visible due to the great number of plants around it, next to the cave's entrance.

The footsteps clearly pointed toward the cave, and as such, the two nodded and followed the footsteps.

Heading inside the cave, a much more stable construction could be seen inside, as stone pillars, with a strange yet familiar architecture held the place still. Looking further ahead they noticed a white-haired male, wearing a long black cape, alongside a hood that included jackal ears sewn on it.

He stood still, his back turned to the two, carefully observing the path ahead. Hearing their footsteps, he stood on guard, quickly grabbing his staff, before turning around ready to defend himself. However, after noticing the two, he visibly relaxed and stored his weapon away.

"Oh. It's only you two."

He said before the two walked over to him.

"Oh, what was that? You disappear without saying a word and... Look... Whatever. What are you doing?"

Tighnari seemed to be about to start to complain and lecture Cyno, but he decided against it at the last second, after noticing the General's serious look.

"...Is this place... Some type of ruin?"

Collei asked out loud, after taking a few steps forward. Her eyes were curious, hiding the ounce of fear she held inside her body, yet she still walked around. In response to her question, Cyno walked forward, looking at the path ahead.

"Seems like it. I managed to catch sight of Faruzan moments after I woke up. There was no time to call you two, and I followed her here. She must be up ahead."

He spoke, taking a look ahead. The path was straightforward, as a large corridor stood in front of the two, with a single opening a long way ahead.

"What a weird place... Gives me chills..."

The girl mumbled as she avoided touching a few webs near the walls. Seeing as they had no other way, the three walked ahead, following the only lead they currently had.

Their walk was quiet. The place was weirdly silent, as the only sound they heard was their footsteps. Instinctively, they walked closer to each other, with Cyno leading the path, apparently not bothered by the eery atmosphere.

"Look out!"

Tighnari yelled out before the three jumped away from a jade-green object, which flew towards them at great speed.

"What was...?"

Collei mumbled, before noticing a figure in front of them. She had turquoise hair, with two locks of hair that mimicked twin tails, although most of her hair was cut short. The woman's white dress stood dirty, and a few small holes could be seen here and there. However, what was scaring the green-haired girl was the large pupils in her eyes, as she stared forward with an irritated, almost furious expression.

"HAH...HRGH...!"

She spoke no civilized words, as only grunts and yells left her mouth. Yet, the Anemo Vision in the back of her skirt still glowed ardently.

Above her head, a small jade-colored object hovered - one of her prized polyhedrons -, now controlled by whatever was left of her sanity.

"Madam Faruzan! You... Can you hear me?"

Tighnari spoke, as he called out to the woman, yet he received no answer, as she only summoned her bow, as the polyhedron glowed brighter.

"Doesn't look like she wants to answer."

Cyno spoke, taking the lead as he took out his staff, dashing forward towards the girl. She immediately launched the polyhedron forward, as it flew at a great speed. Once it reached the white-haired general, it suddenly emitted Anemo Energy, pulling the male towards it.

At the same time, she pointed an arrow towards Cyno, but she failed to shoot it, as an arrow grazed against her arm, causing her to look at it and jump away in surprise.

"We got your back!"

Tighnari yelled, as both he and Collei prepared more arrows.

- Seems we'll have to knock her out... -

He thought as he watched Cyno manage to jump away from the Polyhedron's pull, channeling the power of Electro in his staff while rushing forward.

It was rare enough to see a level-two-possessed human... Much less a Vision Holder... and a friend, too?

Tighnari decided to ignore such dreadful thoughts for now, as Cyno struck the girl's chest with his staff, and electricity channeled through her body. Out of anger, Faruzan attempted to strike Cyno with her own fists, but Collei's boomerang struck her head, causing her to stumble backward.

Faruzan took a look forward, noticing she was entirely outmatched by the group. In a moment of instinctive fear, she turned around and ran away, dashing further into the ruins.

"Hey! Don't run away!"

Collei yelled out, as the three decided to run after her. The mysterious substance seemed to enhance the possessed's physical attributes since Faruzan ran much faster than the three could.

After a while, she soon entered a hidden room, causing the three to follow after her.

"...What... is this place?"

Tighnari asked out loud, as he noticed hundreds... thousands... maybe tens of thousands of markings on the walls, every single space filled with writing, as it seemed as if a large number of mechanisms were inside the room, but had already been destroyed by time's actions.

In the center of the room, Faruzan stood still, as she lowered herself to the ground and sat on the floor, grabbing a random rock and writing gibberish on the stone floor.

"...Hngh...Argh...Must...Erhh...Esc...ape..."

Her words made little sense to the three, as her behavior had suddenly changed. She now seemed much more scared, and her eyes flickered around the room, staring at every writing for a second before moving to another.

"...Eh?"

Collei let out a surprised sound, as she stared at Faruzan's state. The three cautiously entered the room, as Faruzan didn't seem to care about their presence anymore.

"...What's... happening to her...?"

The girl asked Tighnari, who only stared at the Haravatat Founder for a moment. "... I'm... Unsure. This is new." He said, placing a single finger on Faruzan, who jumped out in surprise, before rushing away to the corner of the room out of fear.

"...We should take her back to Sumeru City."

Cyno spoke, as he looked at the two, his serious expression unwavering as he gripped his staff with force. The substance's effects were... devastating. There was no known cure yet, and no signs of recovering after being possessed once.

He walked up to Faruzan, and struck her once with his staff, hitting her head and causing her to fall unconscious.

"..."

Collei stood silent.

Was... Had she lost Madam Faruzan... Forever?

This was a worse fate than death.

Forever losing your intelligence and acting like... a beast.

No longer being yourself until you eventually die.

That scared her so much. Her stomach was begging for her to go away. Threatening to vomit.

She turned around, facing the other way, as Cyno, carefully placed Faruzan on the ground.

"... After we- Eh? What's that!?"

Tighnari was about to reorganize the group before a loud rumbling filled the room. The floor shook, and the ceiling began to crack.

"Run! This place is about to fall!"

Cyno yelled, quickly taking Faruzan in his arms before the three rushed out of the room. To their surprise, the path they took here had been blocked by the ceiling falling on the ground, completely covering the path.

"What!? Go the other way!"

Tighnari yelled as he looked at the other path, and they rushed to it, as the room they were in completely collapsed, and the room they were in right now was about to fall just like the others had.

They dashed away, barely managing to avoid the debris, as they managed to find a safe room, deeper inside the ruins. The way out was completely blocked out. There was either another entrance or they would be trapped inside.

"huff huff... We... We're safe, here...?"

The botanist asked Cyno, who looked at the ceiling, and the room's structure. The pillars in here seemed much more sturdy than the old ones above, and the ceiling barely had any cracks. It seemed unlikely that this room would be destroyed, so he shook his head.

"...But.... we're.... trapped!?"

Collei asked out, as she began to panic. Attempting to calm herself down, she looked around to see a way out, and she breathed calmer as she noticed a much larger room in the distance.

"...Well, let's check that out..."

Tighnari mumbled as he checked his bag. They still had a lot of food, so he didn't need to worry about that for a while. Still, he glanced at the unconscious Faruzan on Cyno's shoulders and worried about her well-being.

They headed to the larger room, but none of the three could hide their surprise as they looked inside.

A massive pillar stood inside the room, floating in the air, as its light brightened the room. The air seemed pure, as barely any plants or moss even grew inside. Their stomach seemed to be static, and their blood was heavy, as if it didn't circulate inside their body anymore.

"...What is that...?"

Cyno asked, puzzled about such a strange pillar. Its light was bright yet... dangerous. It was almost repelling them away from it.

"...Wow... What's... below it?"

Collei asked, as she unconsciously took a step forward, but was held by Tighnari, who seemed cautious of the room. Still, he wasn't able to stop her foot from touching the ground.

"... It's fine... I think. Master Tighnari, look! There's a hole below the pillar... But I can't see exactly what's on it..."

The green-haired girl spoke, pointing at it, as the other two stepped inside the room. Walking further in, they noticed the hole was octagonal, and was being used as a pool. However, the liquid wasn't water, but a dark, oozing substance, as small tendrils attempted to take shape, but were repelled by the pillar's white light.

"...Who... Who is that?"

Still, they were shocked to see someone floating on top of the liquid.

He was unconscious, as his white hair floated alongside his body. He had fair skin, and his veins seemed normal, even though he was basking in the mysterious substance.

The male's clothing was slightly torn, as his shirt and pants had a few holes here and there. Next to him, there was a spear, with a beautiful metallic tip, as well as delicate jewelry engraved into it.

"...Is he... a possessed?"

Cyno asked Tighnari, who looked at the unconscious male with cautiousness.

"...Most likely. He fell into that pool... It's impossible he is fine."

He says, and carefully steps forward. However, as they approached the pool, the ground shook, and the ceiling began to rumble. Cyno quickly took their arms and prepared to rush away, but stopped as he noticed that the ceiling's condition was fine.

"...You all okay?"

The general asked while placing Faruzan's unconscious body on the ground, and the other two simply nodded, slightly surprised by the scare and catching their breath.

"...Yeah but... I'm not sure about him over there..."

Collei spoke, as the other two's heads turned to look at the sleeping male.

His body didn't shift or move, yet an unwavering presence could be felt. The pillar now glowed white, its light blinding the three as they looked away for a moment. When the light disappeared, they looked back.

He had opened his eyes.

"Careful... We don't know if he's an enemy."

Tighnari said, as Cyno once more took the lead, standing in the front with his staff in hand. The General nodded, and turned to face the mysterious person.

He lied on the dark pool, his eyes having a bright blue tone, as he aimlessly looked at the ceiling. For a moment, however, the pillar glowed, and this person reacted to it, shaking vigorously and falling on the ground, before standing on all fours.

"Huff..."

The male panted, before turning to look at the three. His eyes were cautious, his face reminding him of a corned prey, yet he had the presence of an intimidating predator.

- His eyes... No veins... What...? -

Tighnari thought, as he watched this mysterious person attempting to recompose themselves.

He slowly stood up, his feet indicating that this 'pool' wasn't as deep as it seemed to be, as the mysterious substance covered him up to his ankles.

"So uh... Hey? You good?"

Collei asked out loud, trying to communicate with this person. In response, the white-haired male spoke strange sentences, with words they couldn't recognize, yet didn't seem as if they were simply uncoordinated grunts.

It's almost as if he was talking another language.

"...?"

After speaking, this person awaited an answer, however, the three didn't answer, as they looked at each other in confusion.

A moment after, the white pillar glowed once more, and the male began shaking. He placed a hand on his head, as if in great pain. His eyes widened, as he stumbled around, his legs barely holding his weight as he lowered down to the ground, and placed his other hand on the pool to grab his spear.

"Hey, look at me!"

Cyno yelled out, noticing this person's attempt to grab their weapon, but his words didn't make a difference, as the male now stood up again.

His eyes were shaky, shifting from side to side. His lips were pale, as he coughed heavily, before taking a step forward.

"Uh... Look, this guy is probably in the same state as Faruzan...?"

Tighnari spoke, trying to bring Cyno away, but the General refused, as he decided to protect the other two.

"That means we have to knock him out."

"But he didn't do anything yet."

"Just like Faruzan. Yet she attacked us. It's the safest option."

Cyno spoke to Collei, convincing the two before taking a step towards the mysterious person, who still had one hand on his head, as the pillar stopped glowing.

"...(unintelligible words)... harm..."

This person spoke, as Cyno slowly approached him with his staff, almost in reach to knock him out.

"Be careful, then..."

Collei said, as both she and Tighnari held their bows tight.

"...Danger...?"

The mysterious male managed to utter, before Cyno was finally close enough to strike him with his staff. The general moved in a blur, as he swang his staff with a mighty force.

"..."

Yet he was surprised when the person dodged.

"...No... No no..."

The person spoke as he placed a hand on his head, taking a step backward as he took notice of the threat, he seemed to be in great pain, even though the attack didn't make contact.

- Is that the pillar's doing? -

Cyno wondered, as the person finally took their hand out of their head.

"...(unintelligible) ... Enemy."

In the blink of an eye, he took a step forward, swinging his spear at a speed that surprised even Cyno, who felt the weapon's metallic tip grazing against his cheek, due to him barely being able to dodge the attack.

"Watch out!"

Tighnari yelled, sensing this person's danger, as he shot a barrage of arrows in his direction. In response, the male turned around and rushed away, barely avoiding the attack, before jumping over a boomerang, which returned to Collei's hands soon after.

Once he returned to the ground, he leaped over Cyno, flipping around to avoid an arrow shot by Collei, and striking the homing arrows that flew over towards him.

"(unintelligible)."

He spoke, before clashing weapons with Cyno, who kept attacking on the offensive, and the person only defended themselves, often having openings to attempt to attack yet decided against it.

- He's not bad... Thankfully, he doesn't seem to have a Vision, or else this would be worse. -

Cyno thought as he stretched for a second, before rushing to attack the man. Seeing the General's forward stance, he adapted, his legs standing far from each other as his eyes locked onto Cyno's, watching him come close.

"(unintelligible)...?"

He spoke something, before the two white-haired males attacked each other, clashing weapons once more. But their duel was cut short by another barrage of arrows. This time, the person was struck in his arm, unable to dodge due to the arrow's unnatural trajectory, as it hovered in the air until it came into contact with its target.

"Huh?"

The male mumbled, before leaping backwards and striking the rest of the homing arrows with his spear, and barely dodging another strike from Cyno.

Collei watched the battle, holding her bow and aiming it toward the mysterious male. Was it really okay to shoot, though? What if he was literally just defending himself?

She hesitates, only aiming and watching this person claw out their way between Cyno's attacks and Tighnari's arrows.

As she was about to shoot, she decided against it, now picking up something else from her bag.

- He's... Strange? Why is he not attacking back anymore? -

Collei thought as she held Cullain-Ambar, her doll, in her hand, prepared to throw it once she saw the chance to do so.

Once she noticed this, she began to observe his movements closely and realized that the pillar above them wasn't glowing as much as before.

- Maybe... Is that thing... controlling him? -

She thought, as she recalled that he seemed to be in great pain once the pillar started glowing, and stopped when its light dissipated.

Meanwhile, Cyno and he exchanged attacks, jumping over arrows and clashing spears against staff. It seemed that the general had the utmost advantage, as he pushed this person onto the defensive, which he was barely able to maintain.

- ...Then... What if I strike it with an arrow? Will that break his control? -

Collei thought, taking her bow and pointing an arrow toward the pillar. Tighnari noticed this movement but was too occupied to do something about it.

"Here goes!"

She shot the arrow. Its trajectory was fluid, as it flung with great speed towards the pillar. In its tip, a large amount of Dendro Energy had been concentrated, as it emanated a bright green aura.

Out of surprise, the person took their eyes off Cyno to take a glance at the arrow and observed as it crashed against the pillar.

"ARGH!"

He groaned in pain, as Cyno struck his chest with his staff, pushing him backward and causing him to roll on the floor.

Meanwhile, the pillar glowed vigorously, almost blinding both Collei and Tighnari who looked at it for a second. The man's grunts of pain were loud, as he shook heavily. However, after mere moments, he had stopped.

"..."

He slowly stood up, as Cyno was ready to finish their battle, but he was surprised when the person's pupils were completely fine. Not dilated or enlarged, and his veins were completely fine, also.

Yet, his face screamed with pain and anger.

- Have I accidentally made things worse...? -

Collei thought as she noticed the male's state.

- ... Just like always... -

He lunged forward, screaming in fury as he clashed his spear against the Mahamatra's staff, but the strength behind the attack was so great it sent Cyno stumbling away.

In this mere second, he managed to dash forward again and strike his fist against the General's face. Not having a moment to breathe, he sidestepped to the right, dodging a well-timed arrow from Tighnari, who was surprised that he had been able to react to that.

"...!"

That, and he was also surprised at the glare of pure fury he received from the man, who didn't wait another second before jumping toward Tighnari and struck his leg with his spear, causing the male to wince in pain.

"Out of here!"

But before he could strike his spear against Tighnari's skull, Collei managed to strike him with her boomerang, sending him away as he fell onto the ground.

"Thanks."

Tighnari mumbled, to which Collei only nodded as she threw Cullain-Ambar towards the man, who had just stood up from the ground.

"Cyno! It's set up!"

She yelled as Cyno prepared his attack. A divine presence could be felt as electro-tangents hovered above the general's skin, his torso, head, and arms now covered in a purple, lighting robe as he was now prepared to give his all.

Noticing the doll, the male tried to jump away but failed due to needing to dodge arrows shot by Tighnari, which hit a nearby stone pillar, as dust fell from the ceiling.

Meanwhile, the doll now exploded, emanating a large amount of Dendro Energy, forming a large green circle with Cullain-Ambar on its center, and the person inside this circle. Just as he was about to leave, Cyno jumped towards him, clashing his claws against his spear, as it now was much more difficult to block.

The Electro and the Dendro Energy hurt together, and he could tell as the elements resonated on his skin.

The two exchanged attacks for a moment before the person finally failed to perfectly deflect an attack, and Cyno struck him in the chest, launching him away, as he hit the same damaged stone pillar once more.

The person attempted to stand up, and after standing on one knee, his leg faltered, and he fell to the ground.

"huff huff pant... God... that was tough..."

Tighnari mumbled, as the three caught their breaths. What had happened, really?

Cyno sat on the floor, as his electro robes disappeared, and he caught his breath and took out water to drink. Meanwhile, Collei stood still, her arms close to herself.

"... I'm... I'm sorry! I thought that if I hit the pillar... He might have relaxed or-"

"Collei. It's fine. It's alright now. You just wanted to make things better."

Tighnari consoled Collei, as she seemed like she was about to cry or scream in frustration.

"But-"

But just as she was about to do something more, the ground began to shake again. Out of pure instinct, Cyno threw his water away and grabbed Faruzan from the ground.

The ceiling now let dust fall, and the pillar that had been damaged in the battle shrieked, and cracked.

Their safe room was about to fall again.

"There! We only have one way to go! Run!"

Tighnari yelled, pointing at the corridor in the distance as he prepared to run, but Collei seemed distraught as she looked at the person's fallen body.

"You... Master, go!! I'll take him with me!"

Before he could even answer, Collei had already started rushing towards the male's body. Seeing as it was already done, he cursed in his mind and rushed behind Cyno to the corridor.

In a matter of seconds, Collei had reached the man's body. But that was when she realized she hadn't thought this through. Was she going to have to carry him?

She held her arm forward for a second, but she failed. She was too scared.

In a moment's decision, she quickly used her vision to make a safe bedding made of vines below the male's body, grabbed one, and took him with her, as the vines carried him along with them.

The male looked at her for a second. His eyes were empty, and lifeless, almost. He seemed to mumble something, too. By his tone of voice, she thought it might have been a "Thank you.", but she couldn't be certain about it.

Once they were close enough, Cyno and Tighnari helped her, and they brought him along, but it wasn't enough. The ceiling was still rumbling, and soon it would fall on their heads as well. They rushed even more, as their tired legs barely were able to keep up.

"That's... light! There's another exit!"

Cyno yelled as he saw the sunlight in the distance. He rushed ahead, his speed being drastically higher than all the other, leaving through the exit and noticing that it was the entrance from another cave, which led to the surface. He left Faruzan's body on the ground safely and turned around.

Tighnari, however, was struggling as he had been injured in his right leg. Seeing this, Cyno rushed to help him and helped him leave, as Collei was behind while carrying the person's body with her vines.

The ruins were falling, and fast. There was no time.

"...Almost... Out!"

She yelled out, as she could hear the sound of the ceiling falling behind her. Was there really no time? She wasn't fast enough, was she?

"COLLEI!"

- Sorry, Master... I screwed up. -

She thought, before accepting her fate. She looked up and saw the rocks falling from the ceiling, straight toward her body.

But suddenly, she was launched forward. The vines that she held so firmly to carry now were carrying her instead, as she could hear the sound of the wind due to being at a high speed.

- What? -

She looked around and saw the person from before. His body was filled with scratches, but he had managed to dash forward, bringing both him and Collei to safety.

The two fell on the grass, as they had left the cave, which had finally collapsed entirely. She held herself in place, slightly dirtying her clothes, but the person didn't seem to have any strength left and kept rolling away in the grass, until he hit a tree.

"Collei! You're fine?"

"Collei! Oh my god... Are you okay?"

Cyno and Tighnari rushed to her, as they lowered down to check on her. The girl caught her breath, her arms and legs shaking due to having almost died many times in such a short period.

"... I-I'm... I-I-I'm... sniff... fine..."

She said so, holding onto her tears.

Noticing this, the two do what they often do when Collei is sad. They took off their capes and hoodies placed them on the green-haired girl, and sat beside her while patting her back.

The girl let out a few tears of panic, and the three stood quiet for a moment, as they attempted to relax.

"There. It's fine. We're going back to Sumeru City. We should rest."

Tighnari said, after a few moments of silence. The three separated, as Collei had calmed down significantly, but was still nervous.

"Don't be nervous, Collei. We are alright. The danger has already disappeared."

Cyno spoke, blocking her view from the person's body, which had been left in place for the time.

"...O-okay... It's... It's... okay..."

She said so, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. Deciding to occupy themselves, both she and Cyno decided to set up camp in that spot, since there was a river nearby.

Meanwhile, while they did so, Tighnari walked over to the person, who he could see was finally unconscious, with a few injuries on his body.

"...Now..."

He took out his notebook and a small pen.

"Who are you...?"

===============

Tighnari's Notebook.

Mysterious person.

- Description:

•Messy white hair, which seems to not have been treated or taken care of for a long time.

•He has bright blue eyes and normal fair skin, which is surprising since most possessed had pale skin.

•Looking closely, he doesn't seem to be an adult. Perhaps a few years older than Collei? Maybe one or two.

•His body seems to have been trained well, as he has precise spearmanship that managed to hold off against Cyno.

•He has many scars on his chest and torso, most seem to be of sharp objects, indicating a quite rough life.

•What is surprising is that his blood doesn't seem to be either black or red.

•His blood seems to be a bright red tone, even close to white, which is unusual.

•His eyes have dilated, and his veins have returned to normal. While he seems to have signs of being possessed, he also does not.

•His speech is also different. While possessed have primitive, beastly speech, even roars from time to time, this person seems to be making structural sentences, with confidence and trust in his words. It doesn't seem as if he's spouting nonsense, but as if he's speaking another language.

•And lastly, he seems to be deeply connected with a floating white pillar. We have no information on such a thing, but we know for sure that he is certainly special.

•And... I'm thankful he saved Collei, too.