"Kyaah!"
A loud scream sounded, followed by a figure in a sable robe splashing into the blood below.
Lumina and I calmly stared at the fallen figure on the floor as she turned towards us.
Wounds marred her delicate features, and dishevelled dark hair stuck to her face. Her elegant sable robe was torn and covered in dried blood stains. Through the tattered robe, freshly applied bandages wrapped around different parts of her body were visible. Her visage quickly turned from surprise to one of disdain upon realizing who stood in front of her.
It was none other than our favourite scaredy cat.
Tessa!
After I found Lumina, we began our duo journey through the dark, crimson-covered halls. Nothing noteworthy happened, though. Even if Lumina had seemingly run into a Fracturebeast before I found her, the halls were desolate otherwise. There was a one-sided, awkward silence between us, since I was playing the role of the creepy guy stalking her, but otherwise it was fine.
Some details bothered me in the newly discovered hallway, like the abundance of giant slashes running along the tough onyx walls. Not to mention the lack of bodies, which should've accompanied the sea of blood lacing the floor.
The blood became sparse at some point, however, leaving me without many hiding spots. Currently, I was peering at the scene from behind a nearby corner. The monotony of our matched footsteps was broken as we rounded the previous corner and came across this beggar.
Tessa nimbly bounced to her feet and immediately began waving her fingers in complicated patterns as she started forming hand signs. A hint of caution appeared in her expression.
"How about you stay a couple of steps that way, yeah, Fleshseeker?"
Lumina didn't react to her provocation or even seem surprised to meet her. Her visage unreadable as usual, she looked at Tessa with her sleek basket-hilted sword pointed towards the ground in front of her. A strange, cold vapor surrounded the edge of her blade, flying into the surroundings.
Before I could ponder on the strange vapor, she shot out a question to Tessa.
"Why are you trying to get us all killed?"
'Hmm?'
Now she had my attention.
A brief silence shrouded the dark, onyx halls before a mocking smirk appeared on Tessa's lips.
"Whatever could you mean by that?"
Lumina tilted her head back and expressionlessly gave her a composed stare.
"Why did you lead us into a Sanctuary of Records?"
"How was I supposed to know? It's not like they usually appear for Gifted Rank Sanctuaries," Tessa mocked, a grin on her lips.
"Because you did. I know you have the resources to figure it out."
Another pause.
Tense silence filled the air
Tessa let out a mad chuckle, which echoed into the depths of the hallway.
"Yeah, I did. I really did. But let's put that aside. I'm honestly more concerned about you. You're surprisingly composed for someone stuck in one of the most dangerous types of Sanctuaries. Even if you're still a stone-faced ice princess, I'd expect you to at least show some reaction. Like, say, get angry at me? A hint of disdain in your eyes at the very least?"
Lumina remained expressionless, only slightly tilting her head before responding.
"What about you? You're-"
"No different?" Tessa cut her off before continuing. "Lumina, let's cut the bullshit. We both know I want you dead, and that I manipulated the group pairings, but what are you going to do about it? You still came along for some reason, so it's too late. As for me being so calm in a Sanctuary of Records, has the thought crossed through your power-hungry skull that maybe, I don't care if I get out of here alive? Maybe the only thing left for me is to see your corpse being minced into rags?"
Another piece fell into place in my mind. It was no wonder this group didn't get along if they had no choice in the matter.
Lumina didn't respond immediately. She simply gazed at the unflinching Tessa. As we know, she was already well aware of Tessa's betrayal. She clearly hadn't known about being sent into what they're calling a Sanctuary of Records, however.
"Tell me what your Record was about," she inquired, completely ignoring Tessa.
I was lost as to what a Record was, but I decided to keep listening.
"Why should I? If you're a Fleshseeker, I have no wish to help you into the outside world, even if you've killed Lumina for me. And if you're still Lumina, well, it goes without saying, I have even less reason to help you," Tessa responded, an expression of disbelief on her face.
"Because I know you're lying."
Tessa bared her teeth.
"What do y-"
"You don't want to die. You don't have that look in your eyes, not to mention the way you're acting. You're constantly so jumpy and too...life-like. A person becomes apathetic to everything if they're truly prepared to abandon their life," Lumina spoke, a deadpan expression on her face.
Tessa stared at Lumina with narrowed eyes, her expression unreadable.
There was a brief pause before Lumina continued.
"Also, I know he's still waiting for you, and that he still means a lot to you. Well, I hope you still care-"
"Don't. You're forbidden from mentioning him," Tessa spoke, her tone turning emotionless. "You, Clan of opportunists, stopped him from becoming a Grandmaster, so I want you to keep him out of your damn mouth. You're the last person I want to even have thinking about him."
'...It seems Lumina or her family may have done something to earn Tessa's wrath like this, huh.'
I refrained from coming to any conclusions at the moment.
Lumina briefly lowered her gaze at the mention of her Clan's deeds, but quickly returned to her stone-like expression. Tessa continued to glare at her expressionlessly before continuing.
"I hope it was worth losing the last bits of your family for that stupid scheme of theirs. You move in front of me and tell me what your Record was."
"How do I know you won't shoot a Spell at me once I turn my back?"
Only now did a slight hint of caution appear in Lumina's tone.
"Our Clan chose to trust our backs to yours, and here we are. Now, start walking if you want to know what kind of Record I was in," Tessa threatened, her tone firm.
Lumina sighed slightly and moved in front of the battered Tessa. She held out her illuminating orb and began walking down the onyx-lined hallway. I deftly followed after the duo.
There was definitely more to their feud than I had thought at first. I wasn't one to endorse drama, but if given the chance, I wasn't against grabbing a bucket of popcorn and enjoying the show. I did feel slightly guilty, since I sided with Lumina without considering the full circumstances of the situation.
I quickly caught up to them and matched my pace with theirs. It was much easier now, since I wasn't a leprechaun anymore. I was still short, but hey, I'll take what I can get.
They didn't seem to notice me as Lumina explained, and Tessa attentively listened.
"After we passed through the door, I was suddenly in a snowfield of sorts, where the snow easily piled up to my knees. I was promptly hit with a wave of freezing cold, causing me to lose all sensation within my body after a couple of minutes. It was cold even by my standards. I could barely move myself, but I ended up piecing together that I was in a Record and slowly began treading through the snow. It was bearable at first, but then the snow began falling.
The snowfall was light at the start, but it quickly grew uncontrollable as I continued pushing through the deep snow. The environment remained constant, giving me no hints on what my Trial was. No trees, no shelter, no Fracturebeasts - nothing, just a blanket of white covering my vision.
I continued shifting through the plains for two days with the violent snowing ultimately growing into a blizzard. The cold began affecting my mind as I slowly advanced, so I could barely even recall why I was there. All I knew was that I had to keep going.
My limbs began growing stiff, and it was getting difficult to move. I couldn't feel my face anymore, and my eyelids had frozen open, leaving me unable to even blink.
When I was on the verge of crumbling into despair, I found a pair of footsteps in the snow. There was no trail. They just abruptly appeared in the snow. I seemed to have regained some of my clarity as I picked up my final piece of vigor and began tracking down the footsteps.
I slowly marched down the trail of footsteps for the next couple of hours, and then I found it. A giant orb of light illuminated through the thick blizzard, like a beacon of hope. The footsteps were leading up to it, so I didn't hesitate and pretty much crawled into it.
Next thing I knew, I was in these dreary hallways, where I began my pursuit of the others."
Tessa nodded while mumbling under her breath.
"Still quite the storyteller, aren't you. Fine, deals a deal."
Tessa took a deep breath before continuing.
"My Record took place in the manor of a Lord."
I paused.
That...seemed familiar somehow.
As I was pondering the strange familiarity, Tessa continued.
"My Trial was to kill the Lord of the manor."
Then something clicked into place in my mind.