After walking for quite so ti along the path ahead, Chelsie finally arrived in a spacious room. She saw no one there—not even the two mysterious n she had spotted earlier.
"That's strange… what's that box?"
Chelsie slowed to a stop when she noticed a large iron box sitting in the center of the room. Judging by its size, the box appeared to be large enough to store sothing important inside.
"Hm… I wonder what's inside this box." Chelsie glanced to the side and pointed. "Carn, do you sense any other presence inside that box?"
[No, Romani girl.] I don't sense anything here at all.]
"Mm… that ans it's safe." Chelsie let out a long breath. "Alright then. Let's check it. Maybe we'll find sothing useful inside."
Chelsie walked closer to the iron box and tried to lift the lid. However, it didn't budge easily. Rust covered the surface, and its weight forced Chelsie and Carn to put in extra effort to open it.
"Co on… just a little more and it'll—"
'BAM!'
"Ah… finally." Chelsie exhaled deeply and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "At least it's open now."
[Romani girl, take a look inside.]
"Mm… I got it."
Chelsie slowly leaned forward and peered into the box. Inside, she found a pile of stones buried beneath a thick layer of dust. She picked one up and brushed the surface clean.
"H-huh?" Chelsie's eyes widened, her expression stiffening. "This crystal…"
[What's wrong with the crystal, Romani girl?]
Chelsie quickly took out the cross necklace she wore and pulled out the crystal fragnt stored inside it.
"Look at this. The color of this crystal… It's the sa as the one my father gave ."
[Yes. You're right, Romani girl.]
"Then…" Chelsie swallowed softly. "I'll try to identify what kind of crystal this is."
[moriam Crystal]
[A crystal found only in certain caves. It can store a person's mana mories and reacts by glowing when its mana's owner cos nearby.]
After reading the description, Chelsie fell completely silent. She never expected her intuition to be right all along. Her father still lived—and he stood sowhere within the Twilight Sanctum, just like in her dreams. Every vision she had seen spoke the truth. Her father might truly be here.
'B-but where is Father? Why can't I sense him at all—?'
[Romani girl, watch out!]
Carn shoved Chelsie aside with all her strength, sending her crashing to the ground just as sothing whizzed past her.
"Agh—what the—?!"
Chelsie's finger is going numb. Her face turned deathly pale when she saw a sharp spike buried deep into the iron box beside her. Carn had pushed her away just in ti. If not, that spike would have pierced straight through her body.
"O-oh my god… h-how is this possible?"
[Blue Lizard. It must be its doing. Carn scanned the surroundings sharply. [Stay alert.]
"B-but how?" Chelsie frowned deeply. "According to Dr. Marshal, Blue Lizards won't attack unless we provoke them first."
[That's true.] Carn lowered her voice. [But look closely at that spike.]
Chelsie stared at it. The flat shape, faint scales, and bluish color—everything matched perfectly.
[A spike identical to the one from the Blue Lizard you killed.]
Chelsie went silent. The resemblance left no room for doubt.
[Romani girl, we must move before the creature attacks again.]
"Y-yes…" Chelsie swallowed hard.
Ironically, the mont she tried to run away from the box, several spikes shot toward her at blinding speed. Carn shouted a warning, and Chelsie imdiately ducked behind the iron box.
"Damn it… that was too close." Chelsie exhaled sharply. "Th-thank you, Carn."
[It seems this creature won't let us escape so easily.]
"I know… but we can't stay here." Chelsie slowly peeked out from behind the box, searching for the creature's position. "There has to be a way for us to get out of—"
Her eyes suddenly locked onto an iron cart standing beside the box that sheltered her. The cart looked thick and sturdy—strong enough to withstand attacks from a dark creature.
However, she also felt doubt whether the box alone could protect her while she moved toward the nearby tunnel that led out of the chamber. Still… she had no other option. She had to move. If she didn't, she would remain trapped here forever.
"Carn, I'll use that cart as a shield so we can escape," Chelsie said. "Track the enemy's position so we can predict its attacks."
[I understand, Romani girl.] Carn nodded. [I will protect you.]
Chelsie crouched low and slowly moved toward the iron cart she had spotted earlier. Without hesitation, she braced herself and pushed with all her strength until the cart finally began to move.
'Good. This is my chance.'
The harsh screech of tal wheels grinding against the rails echoed throughout the chamber, instantly alerting the creature. The mont it noticed the noise, it launched another attack toward the cart, aiming straight for Chelsie.
[Watch out—left side!]
Chelsie leapt sideways and narrowly avoided the strike. She imdiately grabbed the cart again and shoved it forward, refusing to waste the opening.
[Enemy moving right… left… right.]
Carn continued to warn her with perfect timing. Chelsie dodged every incoming attack with all she had and kept pushing the cart forward until she finally reached the end of the corridor—safe.
"G-good… I finally…" Chelsie gasped, struggling to catch her breath.
[Romani girl, we must keep moving.] Carn's voice remained tense. [The creature is still nearby.]
"Y-yes… okay."
Gathering what little strength she had left, Chelsie sprinted down the corridor lined with stacked drums on both sides.
"I have to get out of here befo—"
A terrifying roar echoed behind her, sending her heartbeat spiraling out of control. Carn was right—the creature still chased her.
'W-what do I do now…?'
[Romani girl, use the drums to block the creature's movent for now.]
"Ah—th-that's a good idea!"
Chelsie and Carn imdiately shoved the drums down without stopping. The violent vibrations cracked the ground beneath them. The floor gave way, and the creature lost its footing and plunged downward.
[We got lucky. At least we escaped it.]
"Y-yeah… I almost—"
Suddenly, a mysterious figure appeared right in front of Chelsie, forcing her to freeze in place. Darkness swallowed his presence. She couldn't make out his face—only a long black robe that concealed his entire body, leaving no recognizable features behind.
'W-who is that mysterious person…?'
[Romani girl, your crystal fragnt… it's glowing.]
Carn's words snapped Chelsie's attention downward. She turned sharply toward the cross necklace hanging on her chest. Carn spoke the truth—the crystal now shone brightly, far brighter than ever before.
"A–Father…?" Chelsie whispered, her voice trembling. "Is that you?"
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