Xian Xi

"What made you come back?"

Ignoring her question, I walk towards her and lift her off the ground.

The room is exactly as I left it, except that there is no one left beyond these walls. The Diamond Rank doesn't exist anymore.

"I don't know if I should deem you wise, or just plain foolish. What makes you think I won't slaughter every single person down there?"

I pause, my pocket knife halting mid-action.

"If you wanted to, you wouldn't be warning me".

"Hmm. Nice philosophy - you almost got me there."

I resume cutting through the thick rope once more. Once loose, it slips to the floor in an untidy heap.

With one swift moment, she turns, reaching for my knife.

I grasp her hand with a speed that belies my own understanding and twist her arm.

She grunts, grinning amidst the pain.

"Leaving you here alive is not an option. It's either you come with me or I kill you here and now".

She twists her mouth as she contemplates my offer.

"I don't live for honour like most of you idiots. Besides, there would be nothing more fun than watching the whole lot die before my eyes. Take me as your willing captive". She says, her voice carrying an underlying meaning.

"Let's move then". I say, exhaustion and dread creeping into my voice.

Going down the wall is a very daunting task - one my body isn't ready for yet.

"Let me carry you down." She surprises me by offering.

I arch a brow in question.

"Grab on to me or fall to your death". She says, pulling me by the hand and jumping out the gap in the wall.

Pulled against my will, I find myself soaring in the air.

Her grip becomes slippery due to my bloody hands.

Then, she bites her arm, transforming into a dragon-looking demon.

My hands are now gripping the base of her broad left wing.

With a careful stroke of her wing, she slides me onto her mid-back.

Despite the security of her broad back, the air still threatens to toss me off.

She flies around in circles until she finally lands, raising dust and debris with every powerful flap of her wings.

Tossing me off unceremoniously, she transforms back to her normal form.

"Don't get used to it". She warns mockingly.

"You shouldn't get used to your freedom either". I counter, picking up discarded rope near the wall and wriggling it in front of her.

Her eyes flicker.

"Don't even think about it!" I warn, grasping her plan immediately.

She makes to run, but I pounce on her immediately.

She extrudes her claws, intending to slash me with it. I dodge, more out of reflex than awareness.

Grabbing her hand, I pin it to the ground, asserting my weight over her.

Her eyes meet mine. I look away - demons are deceptive creatures.

Timing my movement, I flip her, setting her face-flat on the rocky ground.

I pull her stiff arms behind her back and tie them tactfully with the rope I'd found.

Satisfied with the knot, I help her to her feet.

"Where are they?" Her voice is mocking and sarcastic.

I grit my teeth, choosing not to answer her.

Yanking her by her pointy elbows, I guide her down the path weary with countless heavy footsteps.

Surprisingly, she doesn't utter a word. The silence feels charged with tension.

She stumbles a few times, but offers no other restraint.The footsteps lead us toward a large hill.

Knowing she won't be able to climb without her hands, I make the inevitable decision to carry her.

As I lean down to scoop her up, she shifts out of my reach.

"I'm not a weakling". She mutters.

I reward her with a quizzical stare. What does that have to do with anything?

"Walk by yourself, then". I say, grabbing her by the arm and climbing up the steep hill.

Despite her struggles - nearly slipping several times - she refuses to accept my grudging assistance.

When we finally reach the top of the hill, she is glaring at me so intensely.

Tired. I settle down on one of the paved rocks to breathe.

She sinks to one as well, staring into the vast nothingness that is the Demon Realm.

Suddenly, my sword fades to dust in my hands. My leather suit vanishes, leaving me in the garments I had been wearing when I had first arrived at the blink.

None of it is real - it's all just part of the System.

"System?" I call, clinging to the hope that it might not be taken away.

There is no response.

"It's gone". I mutter to myself.

"It isn't. The game hasn't ended". She says, still staring at the rocky landscape.

"Why do you say so?"

"Because you're living in it".

I blink at her response. More parables.

I rise up, bubbling with frustrated energy, I pull her to her feet as well.

"Let's keep moving".

We walk across the dark land, inching closer to the hill's descent.

How far did they go?

I expected the progress to be slow because of their large number, but they've surprised me with their speed.

The descent of the hill is steep and slippery. The rocks below are rough and pointed, grinning with promised doom if your feet so much as slips.

I guide her down.

A small distance before us, lies a man's dead body. I don't recognize him, but I don't have to - it's clear that he is one of the players at the Blink.

I crouch down to examine his body. His face is ashen, his lips puckered and blue. His body doesn't look fresh, it looks like...

His skin starts moving - like something is crawling underneath.

Terrified, I jerk back.

His face looks like that of a young man, but it's hard to tell. He's clutching a chain in his right hand.

I peel the object out of his stiff and cold fingers.

It's a gold chain with 'Garna' inscribed on it. It must be special to him.

"Get away from the body". Dove mutters, almost too low for me to hear.

The skin starts bubbling, bursting in several areas with a ooze of thick black liquid.

I can't tear my eyes away from the image before me. His skin begins to split, morphing into something black.

"Let's get out of here!" She warns, more audible now.

Scampering to my feet, I grab her by the arm as we start racing down the hill, adrenaline fueling my once-tired legs.

My heart stops beating for a second as I take in the sight before me.

Even Dove gasps beside me. A whole sea of bodies lay ahead.

I don't need anything to tell me whose bodies they are.

Alongside the bodies are demon corpses as well.

There had been a fight? Did all this happen when I went to save Dove?

My eyes dart around the pile of impaled and lifeless bodies.

This can't be happening.

I stagger backward, nearly stumbling.

Is everyone dead?

Bloody tunics everywhere. Some have been wounded so badly, their facial features are no longer visible.

Hoping to find someone alive - anyone alive - I dive forward impulsively, roaming my eyes over them, upturning bodies if I have to.

One of the bodies I roll is that of the fifteen year-old girl I had helped.

My knees give way and I fall to a kneeling position beside her.

What about Arcane and Jakota? Are they dead?

My thoughts return to the girl before me. Her eyes are glassy and lifeless. Anger and despair weigh down on me. I let out an guttural growl as rage pulses through me.

I look down at my trembling hands, unable to control them.

Dove moves to stand behind me.

Reaching out, I close the girl's eyes with my unsteady fingers.

Thankfully, Dove doesn't utter any snide or sarcastic remark.

All these people were left defenseless, without their swords or any form of weapons to protect them.

Not all could be dead. The skilled ones might have escaped - I have to keep an open mind.

I rise slowly, determined to search for my comrades in the Diamond Rank.

Bodies are littered everywhere - I wouldn't be able to find them in such a maze - but I refuse to give up.

Then, I notice the same skin movement I had seen in the dead man on the hill. It's happening to everybody around me.

Dove comes up behind me.

"We have to leave, we don't have much time".

Ignoring her, I keep searching.

I need to know. I just have to know if they're alive. It would haunt me if I don't find out.

"Forget them! It's no use. You can't bring any of these people back!" She calls in a sharp tone.

She sounds so detached and unaffected - no emotion whatsoever.

"Someone took a chance on you - a fellow demon. Now I understand what makes people stand out - they don't let their circumstances define them."

It was something Fargo always said, but I never paid it any heed.

But comparing Dove to Arya, I see his meaning more clearly than ever.

"Why did I listen to her in the first place?"

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