"They're here," he said, his voice colder than usual.
Emma looked at him carefully. "You alright?"
He didn't answer. He started walking—then jogging—then running.
"I want to kill these things," Caelen muttered through gritted teeth.
"Wait—Caelen!" Emma called, but he was already moving too fast.
She sighed, summoning her light energy in preparation. "Fine. I'll support you…just don't get yourself killed."
Ahead of them, the Orcs turned at the sound of footsteps. There were six of them—tall, wide, covered in patchwork armor, their tusked jaws twisted into snarls. One of them let out a guttural growl, swinging a massive iron club in response.
Caelen didn't slow down.
The orc swung.
But this wasn't like the fast enemies from before—no phantom blades or ghost-like armor. These were big, dumb, heavy. Caelen sidestepped the swing with ease and, without hesitation, stabbed his sword into the creature's toes.
The beast roared in pain.
Then Caelen drove the sword upward, straight through the underside of its jaw. The blade pierced through its skull and exited from the top of its head.
Dead.
But he wasn't done.
The rest of the Orcs let out a united howl and surged toward him.
Caelen looked up just in time to see them surrounding him, weapons raised.
A golden barrier snapped into place above him—Emma's magic.
Caelen used the moment of safety to pull his blade free and get back into position.
But something felt wrong.
He looked around. More orcs than he expected. They weren't going down easily—not all of them. Even with Emma's support, he wasn't fast enough to finish them all alone.
And that made him angry.
His grip on the sword tightened. His breathing got heavier.
He remembered Lucy.
That bloodshot look in her eyes when she awakened.
What did these things do to her?
He didn't know. He understood why this specific monster type made him feel like this. But it also triggered something deep—like he had seen that expression before, but couldn't place it.
He had checked Evelyn's data on Lucy. Her brother and father were still alive, and they were the most closest to her. So… who did the Orcs hurt? Her party? A lover? Her mother maybe? A friend?
There was nothing about it in the files.
He growled and slipped between two of the orcs, heading for another one that had drawn a rusted blade. It lunged, and Caelen dodged to the side, going for a stomach stab.
Clang!
The orc blocked it with a quick shift of its arm guard. Caelen cursed and tried to kick its knee, but pain shot up his own leg from the impact.
"Damn it—!"
Emma raised her hands from afar. "Hold on!"
white light coiled around Caelen in the form of a glowing chain. It latched onto him and pulled him out of the horde, landing him next to her.
He landed roughly on his feet, breathing hard.
"Thanks," he muttered.
Emma gave a small smile. "Try not to get stomped next time."
Without waiting, she raised her hands again and summoned her signature spell: the golden needles. A flurry of light rained down from above, stabbing into the horde. Several orcs groaned in pain as the magic pierced them.
Some still stood still wounded but not downed.
But Emma wasn't done. She advanced, forming a blade of white light in her hand and slashing through the rest with clean, elegant strikes. Her movements were sharp, deliberate—no wasted energy.
When the last orc collapsed, silence filled the chamber.
Caelen chuckled dryly, lowering his blade.
"Man… I'm weak."
Emma glanced at him. "You're not."
He raised an eyebrow.
"You only got your powers recently. Some people take months to adjust to new abilities and strength. You've been doing this for—what? A few days?"
"Not counting the time I was messing around."
"Exactly," she said with a small smirk. "It's fine."
He nodded slowly, taking in her words.
But before he could say more, the air shifted.
Heavy footsteps echoed in the cave.
The boss had arrived.
It stepped into view, taller than the others, its skin darker and armor more refined. Its eyes burned with crimson rage, and unlike the others, it wasn't carrying a club.
It held a blade.
"Stay back," Emma said, already raising her hands.
Chains of light shot forward, wrapping around the boss's wrists before it could react. They tightened with a radiant glow, locking the beast in place.
Emma's aura surged.
A complex formation of light magic appeared behind her, stronger than before. Her hands glowed as she pushed forward with a spell that pulsed with divine intensity.
Then—
BOOM.
A concentrated beam of white-gold energy blasted from her hands, striking the boss straight through the stomach. The orc roared in agony, its body jolting from the impact.
The chains vanished just after the attack hit.
The orc fell with a heavy crash, unmoving.
Caelen sat down beside the defeated orc boss's body, his breathing steady now. He glanced at his hands—faint lines of the demonic energy faded away from his fingertips.
"How does one recover magic, anyway?" he muttered aloud.
Emma turned to him, brushing some dust off her dress.
"Potions, special items, some recovery spells… Depends on your affinity," she said casually, stepping closer. "But I don't think I have anything that could—wait…"
Her voice trailed off. She blinked slowly, eyes drifting toward the ceiling like she was listening to something far away—or concentrating on a memory that had just surfaced.
"Emma?" Caelen raised an eyebrow.
She looked back down at him, her eyes briefly glowing before she smiled nervously. "I… I just learned one."
"You what? You just literally told me right now that you don't know any magic recovery spells."
"I didn't," she replied quickly, rubbing the back of her neck. "It just kind of… came to me."
Caelen narrowed his eyes. "First, that blade spell you used before—now this? You seem to be pulling out spells you don't know or have even trained for. I know the church doesn't teach spells like that blade spell thing, but that recovery maybe so I can accept it, but you said you didn't know it, so."
She avoided his gaze.
"Emma," he said, more firmly this time. "Are you hiding something from me?"
There was a pause.
Then quietly, she said, "…Sorry."
That made him freeze for a second. "Sorry for what?"
"I'll solve it. I promise I will. And when I do… I'll explain everything."
Caelen stared at her in silence, confused. But she wasn't giving more.
He sighed. "Alright. Help me recover, then."
Emma stepped forward, her hands glowing white again—this time with a strange golden tinge woven into the light. She placed her palm against his chest. The moment her magic flowed into him, it felt like waking from a deep, perfect sleep. His body flooded with warmth. Strength returned to his limbs. His vision even sharpened.
He stood up in one smooth motion, rolling his shoulders. "Nice. Thanks."
Emma smiled. "I can't use it on myself… but I've got my own methods."
As she said that, Caelen felt her power rise. The air around her shimmered slightly, as if her aura had flared—then contracted again.
That surge… it wasn't just magic. It was something else. Brief, but intense.
Stronger than before. Stronger than it should've been.
He said nothing. But he noticed.
She turned and said, "Let's keep going."
Caelen stopped her with a raised hand. "Wait."
She turned back, blinking.
"Can you enter your demon form?"
Her expression stilled. She looked down for a brief moment, then gave a small nod. "Yes."
He took a breath, then said, "So… can you do it? If we're just grinding the dungeon floors anyway, you could carry us through. No struggle, faster pace, less risk."
Emma raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you don't want the training?"
"I'm good," he said flatly. "I trained. I'm just low on strength right now."
She looked at him for a moment, then slowly closed her eyes. "Alright."
For a few seconds, she stood in silence.
Then the change began.
The faint red glow around her fingertips intensified, wrapping around her like smoke. Her white magic pulsed outward, but her demonic power rose through it, drowning it out. It wasn't aggressive, but it was deep, old, overwhelming.
Her aura expanded, then tightened as if being sealed into her form.
Her horns lengthened. Her halo sharpened, twisting slightly with a crimson edge. Her eyes glowed brighter, their red hue no longer soft, but commanding.
The white dress, which had short shimmering gold from her transformation, hugged her body like it was woven from light and silk. Even in the dim dungeon, her presence was radiant—no, dangerously radiant. The kind of beauty that felt intentional, designed to distract and destroy. She was a succubus, after all, even if she didn't act like one most of the time.. Her wings, dark and feathered, unfolded behind her with a quiet hum.
She opened her eyes slowly.
"Let's go," she said in a sultry, velvet voice.
Caelen froze.
That voice nearly made him forget they were in a dungeon. It wasn't just beautiful, it was seductive, low, playful, and powerful all at once. For a second, he almost reached out to hug her and devour her completely.
Almost.
He blinked it away. "Damn…"
Emma tilted her head, smirking just a little, clearly aware of the effect she had on him. "You okay?"
"I'm not even gonna answer that," he muttered, turning his head.
"Mm~" She giggled softly, stepping beside him. "Then let's go. I'll finish this as quickly as possible for you."
Her hands stretched fully as she took a step forward. Then, in a blink, she was in the air, hovering effortlessly. Her hand reached down toward him.
Caelen sighed and grabbed his sword.
In one smooth motion, she pulled up, helped him, and they moved forward, toward the next floor.
He looked at her again as they walked out.
Even now… she was hiding something. Something important.
But for now, he would wait.
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