The tension from the previous battle hadn't entirely subsided, and even though none of them bore visible injuries, the mental fatigue and constant pressure of the dungeon were taking their toll.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap
Finally, they arrived at a "resting place," an ancient structure covered in luminous roots and vines, forming an almost natural lozenge around a gently pulsing emerald-green core.
A soothing aura pervaded the air, a stark contrast to the oppressive atmosphere of the rest of the dungeon.
As they approached, each felt a sensation of lightness, as if the weight on their shoulders was gradually evaporating.
Bram: "Ah, finally."
Bram rested his two-handed sword against a pillar and sat down heavily, letting out a long-suppressed sigh.
Jael: "We can finally breathe after all this."
Kael stood for a moment, instinctively scanning his surroundings, before leaning against the wall, arms crossed, finally confident enough to let his guard down.
Lyra: "You can say that again. It's a good thing that guy let us go, because the same strategy wouldn't have worked twice."
Lyra sat down near the glowing heart, letting the energy flow through her.
Eron: "Don't worry, Lyra, after defeating the two bosses..."
Eron mechanically took out a few vials to check their contents, more out of habit than any real need.
Venti: "..."
Venti, for his part, approached the resting place with curiosity, feeling the wind around him become gentler, almost protective.
FFFFFFFFFffffffffffffffffffff
He quickly understood that this place wasn't just for healing physical wounds, but also for stabilizing the adventurers' elemental and mental energy.
Even though they weren't injured, they all decided to stay for a few minutes.
In a dungeon where the slightest mistake could be fatal, ignoring a resting place would have been unwise.
Silence gradually settled in, broken only by the faint hum of green energy and their now calmer breathing.
They knew this moment of respite was temporary, but it would allow them to face what lay ahead with a clearer mind and renewed determination.
A few minutes later:
Venti sat quietly beside Eron, legs crossed, enjoying the soothing aura of the resting place.
Around them, green light pulsed slowly, casting soft reflections on the dungeon walls.
Eron seemed lost in thought… but Venti quickly noticed something:
His gaze kept drifting to Lyra, lying nearby, near a luminous diamond embedded in the floor.
The mage rested with her eyes closed, her breathing calm, her hair spread out like a dark veil bathed in light.
Venti tilted his head slightly, a small, mischievous smile playing on his lips, then moved just close enough so the others couldn't hear him.
And he started whispering.
Venti: "Hey… Eron."
Eron jumped almost imperceptibly, then looked away from Lyra and onto Venti.
Eron answered Venti in a low voice.
Eron: "Do you need anything?"
Venti took a few seconds before answering, observing Eron's subtle maneuvering once more.
Then he blurted out his question.
Venti: "Tell me… are you in love with Lyra?"
Eron: "........."
Venti: ".........."
The silence that followed was almost comical.
Eron froze, his eyes wide, as if Venti had just dropped a bomb right in the middle of the rest area.
His face flushed slightly, and he quickly looked around to make sure no one had Understood.
Eron replied, whispering a little too quickly.
Eron: "W-What?!"
"But... where did that question come from?"
Venti shrugged, feigning innocence.
Venti: "You've been staring at her this whole time."
"Every time you think no one's watching."
"Even when you're checking your potions, your eyes keep going back to her."
Eron gritted his teeth slightly, then sighed resignedly.
He ran a hand through his hair, clearly embarrassed.
Eron: "It's... not that simple."
Venti tilted his head to the side, attentive.
Venti: "So it's not a no."
Eron gave a nervous smile.
Eron: "I don't know."
"Lyra is... impressive."
" Strong, intelligent, always ready to fight for others.
"Next to her, I sometimes feel like just some guy throwing vials and hoping they explode the right way."
Venti let out a small, stifled laugh.
Venti: "You underestimate yourself."
"Without you, we would have had a much harder time defeating the Abyss Lector, even though it was already weakened."
Eron glanced at Lyra again, his gaze softer this time.
Eron: "Maybe... but she seems so far away."
"Like she already belongs to a world bigger than mine."
Venti followed his gaze to Lyra, then murmured, almost thoughtfully.
Venti: "You know... sometimes, the people we think are unattainable are just waiting for someone to dare to reach out to them."
"Love is like the wind."
"Even if we can't fully understand it, it's all around us."
Eron remained silent for a moment, reflecting on these words. Then he gave a slight smile, genuine this time.
Eron: "You're strange, you know?"
Venti smiled in turn.
Venti: "I get told that often."
A few meters away, Lyra stirred slightly, changing position in her light sleep.
Lyra: "............."
Eron: ".............. ".
Eron immediately looked away, but this time, his expression wasn't just hesitant... it held a quiet hope.
Eron lowered his head slightly, his shoulders tense, as if carrying an invisible weight. Despite Venti's words, he still seemed trapped by his doubts.
Eron: "You say that, but... I was just throwing potions randomly."
"If one of them had missed its mark, I could have hurt someone. I'm not like Bram or Kael."
"They go straight into battle, without hesitation."
Venti slowly turned his head toward him, his usually lighthearted gaze becoming a little more serious.
The green glow of the resting place was reflected in his eyes.
Venti: "You know, strength isn't just about hitting hard or taking hits."
"You think."
"You adapt."
"You support others without them even realizing it."
Eron shook his head gently.
Eron: "Maybe... but it's still just theory."
"In practice, I still have my doubts."
"Even just now... against the Abyss Lector..."
He paused, then looked up at Venti, hesitating before asking the question that was burning on his lips.
Eron: "Are you sure... it could work?"
"Well... with Lyra."
Venti gave a reassuring smile and placed a hand on Eron's shoulder.
Venti: "Maybe."
"But one thing is certain."
"You're not weak."
Eron frowned slightly, surprised.
Venti: "Proof?"
"Fifteen minutes ago, you were facing an Abyss Lector."
"And honestly, you're one of those who defeated him."
Eron let out a nervous chuckle.
Eron: "But Venti... you did almost everything by provoking him."
"You drained him of his abyssal energy, you manipulated him until he collapsed."
Venti shook his head gently.
Venti: "False."
"I kept him busy, yes."
"But without you, I never could have gone all the way."
"Your explosive potions weakened his resistance and slowed his movements."
"Lyra kept him under pressure from a distance."
"And Bram and Kael delivered the decisive blows."
He leaned slightly towards Eron.
Venti: "A fight isn't a solo performance."
"It's a symphony, and you're clearly part of it."
"Like a musical note in a composition."
Eron remained silent, absorbing these words.
His gaze fell once more on Lyra.
She was still lying peacefully, the light from the diamond pulsing gently around her.
For the first time, his gaze betrayed not only admiration mixed with fear… but also a certain determination.
Eron: "Do you really think someone like her could… see me as anything other than 'the potions guy'?"
Venti smiled, almost amused.
Venti: "I think she sees someone who puts their life in danger to protect others."
"And believe me… that kind of person never goes unnoticed."
Eron took a deep breath, as if trying to calm his heart.
Eron: "So maybe I should stop hiding behind my doubts."
Venti closed his eyes for a moment, satisfied.
Venti: "That sounds much more heroic."
In the distance, Bram let out a deep laugh as he talked with Kael, while Lyra slowly opened her eyes, still groggy from sleep.
Without realizing it, something had just changed within Eron, a crack in his fears… and perhaps the beginning of something new.
While Eron, for his part, continued methodically checking his vials, turning them over one by one, verifying their color, viscosity, and the strength of their stoppers, Venti noticed a detail that brought a slight smile to his face.
Lyra, lying near the luminous green diamond, wasn't solely focused on the ancient diamond-shaped structure.
At regular intervals, her gaze drifted toward Eron, barely a fraction of a second, before returning to the light.
Discreet glances, almost involuntary… but far too frequent to be insignificant.
Venti rose silently and approached her, his light footsteps mingling with the soothing murmur of energy emanating from the resting place.
The green diamond pulsed gently, casting emerald reflections on the walls and on Lyra's focused face.
He sat down beside her, his hands behind his head, feigning innocence.
Venti: "Interesting, this device, isn't it?"
"It's almost like it's breathing."
Lyra jumped slightly in surprise, before relaxing as she recognized his voice.
Lyra: "Yes… it's strange."
"This energy is different from that of the Abyss."
"It's… calm, almost reassuring."
She paused for a moment, then, without realizing it, her eyes drifted back to Eron, still absorbed in his potions.
Venti followed her gaze, then gave a mischievous smile.
Venti: "You know, staring at something so intensely always ends up betraying what you're thinking."
Lyra frowned slightly.
Lyra: "What are you talking about?"
Venti leaned closer to the diamond, pretending to examine it closely.
Venti: "Oh, nothing."
"Just... what people look at when they think no one is watching."
Lyra quickly looked away, her cheeks flushing slightly.
Lyra: "I... I was just checking that Eron was okay."
"After everything that's happened, it's only natural to worry about your companions."
Venti nodded slowly, as if taking this explanation very seriously.
Venti: "Of course."
"Completely normal."
A brief silence fell, punctuated by the regular pulse of the diamond. Then Venti continued, his voice softer, less teasing.
Venti: "You know, Eron has a lot of self-doubt."
"He feels like he's just a support... someone secondary."
Lyra sat up slightly.
Lyra: "Secondary"?
"Him?"
She glanced more intently at Eron.
Lyra: "Without his potions, Bram and Kael would never have lasted this long."
"Even I... I would have lost focus without his elixirs."
Venti smiled inwardly.
Venti: "Maybe you should tell him."
Lyra hesitated, gently clasping her fingers together.
Lyra: "It's not that simple..."
The green diamond shone a little brighter, as if reacting to the subtle tension between them.
Venti stood up slowly, ready to return to the group.
Venti: "Nothing truly important ever is."
"But sometimes, all it takes is one step."
He walked away silently, leaving Lyra alone with her thoughts… and with that gaze that, once again, rested on Eron, a little longer than before.
It was at that precise moment that everything became clear to Venti.
Stepping back slightly, creating some distance from the group, he took in the scene as a whole.
Eron, focused on his potions, pretended to be absorbed in his work, but his movements were slower than usual.
He occasionally raised his head briefly, just enough to check if Lyra was watching him… before immediately looking away, as if caught in the act.
Lyra, for her part, tried to convince herself that she was only observing the glowing diamond.
Yet, each green pulse seemed to mark the rhythm of her gaze on Eron.
When he moved, she followed him out of the corner of her eye. When he stopped, she sighed almost imperceptibly.
Venti exhaled softly.
They were in love with each other.
It was obvious.
And yet… nothing happened.
Neither of them dared to cross that invisible threshold that separated them.
Fear was there, insidious and persistent:
- The fear of misinterpreting
- The fear of disrupting the group's balance
- The fear, above all, of being rejected.
Eron probably thought that a mage as brilliant as Lyra could never be interested in a mere alchemist.
Lyra, for her part, must have thought that Eron saw her only as a teammate among others.
Venti rubbed his chin thoughtfully, a mischievous smile slowly forming on his face.
Venti: "Two hearts searching for each other, but neither has the courage to reach out…"
He glanced at Bram and Kael, busy talking in hushed tones, then at the still-silent entrance to the corridor.
The danger wasn't immediate.
They had time.
And Venti, as a bard… hated to see a good story left unfinished.
A few minutes later:
After a moment of rest, the group finally rose, one by one.
The luminous diamond slowly faded, as if acknowledging that the adventurers had recovered sufficiently.
The silence of the resting place was soon replaced by the steady sound of their footsteps echoing in the long stone corridor.
The dungeon seemed immutable, almost alive.
The walls, etched with ancient motifs, pulsed faintly with a violet light, and the air was heavy, charged with an abyssal energy still lingering after the recent battles.
Despite this, the group advanced with more confidence than before.
Their victory against the Abyss Lector had given them confidence… but also new questions.
It was Bram who broke the silence.
Bram: "Something doesn't add up…"
He muttered, resting his greatsword on his shoulder.
Bram: "That knight."
"How could he have entered the city without arousing the slightest suspicion?"
Kael nodded, his eyes narrowed, still attentive to every detail of the corridor.
Kael: "The guards are supposed to check every entrance."
"And even without that… his aura."
"A guy connected to the Abyss should have been spotted long ago."
Lyra crossed her arms, visibly troubled.
Lyra: "He knew our names."
"Not just our first names… but our full names."
"That's not something you learn by chance."
Eron adjusted the satchel containing his potions, lost in thought.
Eron: "Perhaps he didn't infiltrate by force."
He paused.
Eron: "What if he'd been invited?"
"Or protected by an artifact capable of masking his abyssal energy?"
This hypothesis cast a slight unease over the group. Bram gritted his teeth.
Kael: "You mean there's someone in the city... cooperating with the Abyss?"
A heavy silence fell.
Venti, who had been walking slightly behind, his hands behind his head, finally spoke in a calm, almost detached tone.
Venti: "The Abyss never strikes unprepared."
He opened his eyes and stared down the corridor ahead.
Venti: "They observe, infiltrate, manipulate."
"This knight was just a pawn... but a well-placed one."
Kael glanced at Venti.
Kael: "You speak as if you know their methods well."
An enigmatic smile spread across the bard's face.
Venti: "Let's just say it's not the first time I've seen this kind of scheme."
He remembered the three bandits who had almost attacked Arlan's and Leona the day he awoke.
Bram sighed deeply.
Bram: "In any case, it means one thing."
Lyra: "Which is?"
Lyra asked.
Bram: "If the Abyss has managed to place someone this close to us... then this dungeon is probably just the beginning."
The five adventurers' footsteps continued to echo in the corridor, each lost in their own thoughts.
One thing was now certain:
What they were facing here was far more than a simple dungeon crawl.
And somewhere, in the shadows, the Abyss was still watching.
Chapter 36: Shared feeling
The End