_Chapter Begins_
Jane's eyes slowly started to open as the cold embrace of sleep spilled out and away from her mind.
Feeling the harsh rock surface of the ground beneath her, she slowly began to move around.
The jagged spikes of her armor scraped against the rocks that lay on the ground, creating a cacophony of sounds that tingled in her ear.
She was not the only one who heard these sounds, though.
Shaking her dizziness away, Jane began to scan her surroundings.
Thanks to the purplish light emanating from the planet of Envy, she was able to see far and wide into the cave.
And… she did not see much.
At first glance, the cave looked utterly empty and devoid of any life.
And at a second glance, she found that her first observation had been perfectly correct.
There was no living being here besides herself. But that didn't necessarily mean the cave was… completely empty.
As she looked at the other side of the cavern, her pupils suddenly paused midway through her scan.
Then, after pausing, they suddenly shrunk—becoming extremely focused.
Jane had noticed something strange.
"Huh…"
At the other side of the cave, there was a certain spot where the purplish light seemed to be more… intense for some reason.
Jane stared from a distance—a wary expression appearing on her face.
Should she go there and explore the intensified glowing light, or should she just stay put?
It was a battle between curiosity and cautiousness.
Knowing herself more than anyone else… she knew exactly what she would pick.
Pausing for a few moments, she let out a long and bitter sigh before starting her march toward the spot where the light glowed with more intensity.
Jane did not hurry her steps as she made sure to look at every corner of the cave.
She was looking for her beloved dagger that was still missing.
That weapon had accompanied her since day one, and it had saved her on many dire occasions.
Like when she had first entered the cursed castle of Envy—where the mirroring monsters had almost claimed her life.
She shivered as the dreadful memories played in her mind.
"Ahh… I truly don't feel nostalgic at all."
Despite her efforts to be as slow as she possibly could, the glowing spot that had caught her eye was already near.
Before long, Jane was looking down at a sizeable pile of glowing crystal shards that were sprawled all over the ground with no real care.
She also noticed a small crack that ran through the ground right beside the pile of glowing gems.
Narrowing her eyes at the crack, her lips formed into a frown.
"...that idiot."
She made a very quick and decisive conclusion as to who made this crack appear.
Of course, it had to be her stupid big brother William, who lashed out at any minor inconvenience.
"..."
Despite her insults toward him, at this moment she hoped and prayed that the cracks on the floor came from her brother.
Because if they weren't from her brother… then there was only one other option to consider.
A monster from Hell.
Cold shivers ran throughout Jane's body as the thought crossed her already frightened mind.
Kneeling beside the glowing shards, she composed herself and started to scan them from top to bottom.
"Maybe he left a message for me here."
The pile of crystals was the only thing that stood out in the cave. So if her brother had left her a message or some piece of information, it would most likely be in this pile of glowing glass pieces.
And after a few minutes of looking between the majestic gems of the pile, her dark eyes finally caught something.
She noticed that there was a whole text neatly carved into the ground.
And it was in English.
So her brother had left a message after all… which meant she could relax now, right… right?!
Swatting the crystals away to clear the way, she began to read the message her brother had left for her.
Reading the first few sentences of the carvings, her expression did not change much—staying calm and hopeful.
But after reaching midway through the text, her expression did start to change… drastically.
Small sounds could be heard coming from Jane's mouth as her teeth scraped against each other.
Her eyes brimmed with so much anger and hatred that one could theorize she was the pillar of Wrath.
Her hands trembled… and then slammed on the ground where the text was carved.
The message William had left for his sister was quite… comical, as one would say.
The carved text precisely said:
"Hey Jane. You reading this means that you have finally woken up, good morning :)"
Yes, he had actually carved the smiley face on there…
"If you are wondering where I went, well… I kind of decided to go on a little exploration mission. But don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."
These two parts were not the ones that made Jane angry. It was the third and final part that caused it.
"Oh and also, I know that you will be very upset, but… I kind of took your dagger with me. I am sure you will understand my reasoning…"
The text continued for four more short paragraphs explaining all the reasons why William needed her dagger with him.
Looking up at the exit situated on the roof of the cavern—Jane's eyes glistened with a dangerous glee.
A sinister smile was painted across her pale face.
"I can't wait for you to list all these reasons face-to-face with me… William."
Standing on top of a house-sized crystal was a man with dark messy hair and pitch-black eyes that almost looked like two black holes engraved into his eye sockets.
There was a big smile across his pale face, and his eyes gleamed with an excited look.
He held a dagger that had ghostly patterns carved all over its majestic and haunting surface.
Looking at the forest of glass shards, he raised his dagger and rested it on his shoulder.
"Sorry Jane, but I have to do this."
Despite apologizing to his sister, his voice emanated no remorse whatsoever.
Instead, there was only excitement and arrogance written all over his tongue.
William's ears perked as a terrifying roar echoed throughout the world.
It was finally here.
"Time to get my revenge on that damned thing."
Twelve deaths to that ghastly abomination, and now he was ready to pay it all back and then some.
He was, of course, talking about the wooden abomination, as he called it.
It was time for a rematch.
_Chapter Ends_