The air was murky. There was a continuous smog of gray that seemed to float about, and one could almost taste the dust and dirt that settled within. Claire frowned, she did not like it one bit.

The place was large and wide. She found that it was almost three times taller than her and that it would take several people crowded together to clog it.

All sides of the tunnel, save for the immediate floor, were jagged, rough in some areas, spiky in others, and rarely smooth. She could see chips of breakage and cracks along the walls. It was befitting a place where people mined. There were rails of carts here and there on tracks of iron. She had no idea if they were powered by electricity or not—though, she highly doubted that. There were tools in some of the carts, hammers, pickaxes, and glowing crystals just like the ones that hung upon the roof of the mines.

She wasn't the only one that looked at those shining crystals etched in the ceiling. Alicia and Aura also followed.

"Orient crystals," Noticing their gazes, Fieth spoke.

The warm glow of the crystal stones highlighted their bodies as they continued to walk deeper. Their steps almost moving as one. The groups followed the iron tracks.

"They're the light source of most of the kingdom. Developing deep under areas with vast amounts of mana circulating, they continue to release light before drying up and becoming mere stones—some are used for carving."

He explained quite calmly, as if this was only a smidge of the knowledge he held, as if he had been fostered to know, "They're the lanterns you see hanging and decorating the city, those have orange-tinted glass enclosing them."

There was a momentary silence.

"It..." Aura looked up, clutching her bag with a bit more force.

"It reminds me of the night sky, like stars."

That voice of hers was heavy, it shook, resounding within the tunnel. It didn't sound like she thought the comparison a happy thing. Claire wondered how the thought of stars had suddenly gotten the girl shaken. The mystery of the Hero of Heart continued onward.

"I see something," Alicia said, "up ahead."

"It looks like a door?" Aura chimed in, shaking herself from her reminiscence.

The group walked a bit faster. It was definitely strange for a mine to have a door, at least, a door so close to the opening itself. What was the point?

It wasn't composed of any raw material and seemed hurriedly put together. Spikes of wooden bits stuck out along with hazard placed swords, daggers, and small spears. It was a crude door. Entirely made in haste. There were various bits and pieces of armor thrown in there as well. Drying red blood stained here and there.

Calling it a door would be wrong, there was no handle to move inward, it was more akin to a warning trap. The smell was unpleasant at best, she had never smelled rotten flesh before, but she thought this must be what the stench was like.

There was a small hole in the 'door', black feathers still resided around it.

"The Blood Raven came through here." Claire nodded, assured they had chosen the right tunnel.

She imagined a bird folding its wings and diving through, becoming injured in the process.

"Should we disassemble it...?" Fieth asked, pointing at the door.

"You want to try and disassemble that thing?" Claire raised a brow.

"We could punch it," Alicia said.

"You want to punch swords and spears?" Fieth replied in disbelief.

"Yes."

"I think we should disassemble it." Aura shook her head, agreeing with Fieth.

"See?"

Claire sighed, that sounded like a waste of time to her. She raised her hand and waved it.

An azure light shot out. A sharp wind blew within the tunnel. Something spun within the air, twisting and turning before crashing against the 'door'.

There was a loud bang followed by the sound of falling of clutter against the hard ground. The inside of the tunnel shook momentarily and the ground quivered. Dust rose then fell.

Amidst a pile of now useless materials, a greatsword made of eternal ice stood erect, etched into the ground

It was the weapon she had stolen from the Frozen Knight.

"..." Fieth stood dumbstruck, "Is that your skill? Summoning crystal swords?"

"That's a stupid thought." Alicia said before sniffing the air, "The smell of blood is growing stronger...but it isn't just blood anymore."

Claire returned the sword.

The group walked forward, carefully avoiding the debris. Soon, however, they had to stop and gap at the scene before them.

There were broken carts littered everywhere along with traces of drying blood. The walls held scorch marks and even the place smelled like burnt flesh. More jarring, however, was the bodies that littered the ground.

These things could no longer be called 'human'. Their limbs were ripped off, their stomachs opened with their organs missing. Blood spilled. Jarred and opened flesh. Bite marks and chunks missing from their body here and there. It was almost like they had been eaten bit by bit...

These things could no longer be called human. Tears stained their cheeks along with blood, their eyes bulged Their faces still held the expressions of their gruesome demise.

Whatever it was that was going on within these connected mines, the beasts did not want anyone to find out.

"This..." Aura took a stumbling step back, covering her nose as her ears drooped. The stench of the area alone was too much to bear.

There was the body of a young mage. Her staff had already been broken and littered on the floor. Her once rosy head of pink hair had been pulled by the scalp, traces of red flowed. Her once young face was opened up in a grotesque mash of blood and meat.

There were two creatures currently crouched at her side digging into the stomach of the girl and enjoying their feast. Their white fangs long since becoming the color of dry blood as 'meat' stuck between their teeth.

They must have heard the sound of the crashing 'door', but it seemed to them that eating was of a higher priority. These two were feral goblins, lacking intelligence.

"...I'll kill them all." A deep voice bled through the atmosphere, laced with the desire to draw blood, as Fieth drew the long sword at his back.

A silver blade with a golden handle.

He didn't hesitate and threw it.

It spun within the air, crossing the large innards of the tunnel and finding its way towards the two beasts. By the time the beasts heard its whirls and finally looked up from their feast...

"."

His body flickered.

The next instance, he disappeared.

The sound of tearing and ripping flesh rang smoothly across the path. Claire looked and saw the figure of Fieth already in the midst of swinging his blade. His movements were practiced, smooth, and perfected.

She heard the screeches of the two creatures as their green limbs flew. There were snares of pain and resistance. They tried to run, flailing about and even crawling along the floor only to find the tip of a blade puncturing through their small skulls.

A moment later, the young man stood tall, the crystals hanging along the roof of the tunnel shining on his blood riddled sword. He twisted it, waved it, and blood splattered onto the ground.

"Let's continue," He said, sheathing the blade behind his back, his copper eyes gleamed.