Dante couldn't get a lick of sleep, all thanks to that annoying, little spirit Biri. On his right arm, Rain slept and thankfully, she wasn't shaking anymore. He probably has an idea how she feels, he too couldn't sleep well after getting torn by those damned wolves.
What scared Rain seems to have been something different to what Dante expected. She wasn't afraid of the Cursed abomination she fought, and she wasn't traumatized by the fight. What scared her was what came after.
Cold... in pain, too exhausted to move, and yet awake... two achesouls gnawing on her bleeding legs, yet... she can't move a finger. Her arms hurt, her chest hurt, her legs screamed in pain, yet... all she could do was lay down on the sharp, cold, and wet stone.
She wanted to cry, but couldn't. She wanted to move, but her body was drained. She wanted to feel warmth, but all she got was the cold ground sucking what little heat remained in her flesh and bones.
From what Alicia had found out, Rain should've died. Rain was bleeding too much, so Biri seared the wounds shut to stem the bleeding. Her heart stopped, so Biri started manually jolting it to beat. When Rain's lungs failed, it was Biri who forced the muscles to move, and even when the two achesouls started gnawing on her legs, it was Biri who charged enough energy to shock and kill them.
Biri even electrocuted the wet ground beneath her to generate a bit of heat and keep Rain as warm as possible. But there was a problem: as per their contract, Biri and Rain's consciousnesses are linked, and thus, she could never pass out as long as Biri stayed awake.
It didn't matter how much Rain begged Biri to just let her sleep, to let her die and end it all. The spirit had promised to keep her alive as long as it could, and it was going to honor its contract.
Even though spirits can talk, think for themselves, and have their own personalities, they were all the same, having an utterly alien way of thinking to humans.
To the spirits, humans were like cars, and they'll keep them running as long as they can, all for the sake of reaching their destination, which is higher ranks.
Alicia even found out why Biri is trying to stick Dante and Rain together was because of two reasons. First, it saw the paralyzed Alicia as a hindrance, and was trying to make sure that Dante would chose to save Rain in needs come. Second, it is betting on Dante's power.
So, when Dante was digging through the collapsed stone and when he dragged Rain out, she was awake. When they stripped her and started tending to her wounds, she was awake, just unable to move, open her eyes, or even make a sound due to how damaged her body was.
That was the part that kept giving Rain nightmares. It wasn't the part about fighting a horrifying, Cursed Abomination. She wasn't scared of the monsters. She was scared of not being able to do anything.
That's why she was afraid to sleep alone. That's why she woke up when the stone beneath her got cold. And that's why just being in the dark cavern triggered her fears. Sleeping by Dante's side, the one who dug her out of the cold cavern, feeling warmth and knowing that she wasn't alone, she could finally relax a bit.
But knowing that made Dante a bit scared of her. This woman really killed a Cursed Monster on her own, got almost killed, and doesn't have a single bit of trauma related to that, besides the trauma of what happened after the fight.
He can still vividly remember that Cursed Alien he saw in the forest, and from what he heard and read in books, people almost never forget encounters with Cursed abominations, as those creatures are so nightmarish and alien that their image gets burned into the mind. People have nightmares about them, remember them daily, and always suffer from the trauma of fighting them.
At least Rain is on his side. He should be glad, not worried. They've been looking for more Blessed, after all, and here they found a powerful one that they know and can trust. As much as Dante loved being surrounded by two beauties, he would feel safer if they had met Alexander instead.
Then, Rain wasn't his only problem. Alicia was now sleeping on his left arm, and unlike Rain, she was a bigger problem. Rain just used his arm as a pillow and slept like a log, but Alicia... she hugged his chest and shoved her face into his neck, using his shoulder as a pillow.
He could hear her breathing in his ear, and thanks to her, he now can't move an inch. This situation was bad, very bad for his health, and he needed to find a way to make it stop. He may be an immortal, but he isn't unbreakable.
Hours later, Dante woke up. At some point, he had fallen asleep. He couldn't breathe... Opening his eyes, he could see Rain asleep on top of him, and Alicia didn't move an inch from where she was, which made his arm feel numb.
This was worse than last night. His son was up. It'll be bad if Rain wakes up now, so he should close his eyes, try to relax, and clear his mind before she wakes up. He took several deep breaths, and then closed his eyes.
"Was it a mistake to dismiss your armor's plates?" Rain spoke, and Dante's eyes immediately jolted open. He started at her and then growled. "It's your fault for dismissing your armor's plates. Which woman sleeps on a man's chest with nothing but skin-tight leather spandex?"
She giggled. "I'll take this as a compliment. I'll even help you calm it down if you want." She could feel it on her belly, and Dante's frown grew deeper.
"Hell no, fuck off." He pushed her aside, and she rolled, got up on her feet, and smiled. "Gentle with the ladies. We're fragile."
But at that moment, Dante noticed something. This was the first time that he saw Noel barefoot, and her toenails were sharp and curved a bit like claws. They didn't need to take her shoes off when they healed her, so he never noticed.
"You got claws?" He gently pushed Alicia aside and sat up. And Rain sat down, looked at her own feet, and immediately retracted the claws back into her toes, like a cat.
"I need them." She wiggled her toes, extended and retracted the claws a few times, and then did the same with her fingernails. "Want to know why I have them?"
Dante was indeed curious, since Rain's Blessing should've given her the ability to build and hold up charge... that ability shouldn't require her to have claws. Dante could immediately make a few assumptions.
The first theory he came up with is that Rain's ability gives her the feature of a legendary monster that can control lightning, and that's why she has claws. The more she ranks up, the closer she'll be able to transform into that beast. Maybe a White Tiger, a Kirin, or... a dragon, a blue dragon like the armor she received here in the dungeon.
That would make her a horrifying Blessed in the future, and judging by how she killed a Cursed Monster as a Mundane Beast, Dante was certain she would become a deadly powerhouse.
Dante's second theory was that Rain has been lying about her Blessing all this time. Lightning has nothing to do with it and is just Biri's power. That explains why Biri could turn off her shocking ability.
What is her Blessing then? What power does she have, and what part do those claws play in it?
Dante shook his head. "I don't want to know. You should keep your powers a secret." He stared at her for a second. "And I'm certain you'll ask me about my own power in exchange, so hell no."
She smiled. "Well... I was going to ask." She shrugged. "You know, Biri absolutely fucking hates everyone else, even me. She calls me her pet, and rarely even uses my name. But..." She approached Dante and glared into his eyes so closely that their noses touched.
"How come she addresses you as Sir Dante?"