Quiliana's POV:

Ugh.

I woke up with a severe headache and pain in my whole body. Any move felt like someone was stabbing me with VERY sharp and thick needles so I decided to not move an inch. I was lying down on the ground, still in the underground hole made with my Soil Tunnel Orb, with my face against the ground. What is going on? Why am I here and what's with this terrible feeling?! Wait...

How long has it been?! Aunt Anaga!

I fought with the overwhelming pain to look where she was before. There was a shiny barrier surrounding her dead, unmoving body and... the assassin sleeping right next to her! How dare he!! There were some blood stains on the magical boundary between her and them too. And all around me as well - when I looked around I found it basically everywhere and not just on the floor, the walls had many red marks on it too.

This... What happened? I remember thinking about my dear aunt and then... there's nothing. Did I faint? Or did this heinous mage knock me out when I wasn't aware of my surroundings? Whose blood is this?

...

Those two are behind a barrier and you're not. And the red marks aren't there either, except for your aunt's... Even if you don't want to think about it, this is the truth. It... had to be yours. But I don't have any wounds and neither does that madman sleeping over there...Right! Why's he asleep like that?!

-Hey, you there! Wake upppp!!!!! - I shouted loudly and it hurt a lot when I did it but... nothing happened.

Grr... How dare he stay asleep?!!

-Get upppp, you murderer!!!

Still nothing. That... Is this magical barricade soundproof? It must be! Then the only option is to destroy it!

'Blaze Fence'

A wall of fire rushed towards the narrow barrier and when it hit... the flames simply scattered to the surroundings. And it got hot - ah! This place is so small, using fire is too dangerous! That was stupid! I immediately canceled the formation and sat down with my back against the wall. I hugged my knees close to my chest and started crying. I'm so useless! I can't do anything on my own, it was always Anaga who knew what to do and how to act. Now I'm stuck here with this weirdo who killed my aunt in front of my eyes and I could only watch! Soon, he'll remember about me and take my life too! You're just a helpless little girl who thought she can run forever! But that was never an option. You knew it couldn't last forever, no one is that lucky!

...there's this nagging feeling inside that tells me I forgot something important. But how can I remember it? And what can I do on my own?

Alexander's POV, 15 minutes later:

-Uuuuaaahh...

Yeah! Good nap. Let's see, what was I doing before this? Right, the toy! Did she finally wake up? Or did she somehow escape?

I looked around and spotted 2 bodies - one of the dead female warrior next to me and the other one... The redhead was sitting next to the barrier! Since she's not moving, she must've exited the Berserker mode already! I can finally talk to her!

I dispelled the barrier and suddenly froze. I heard sobs and sounds of crying. The midget was... crying. Ugh! I don't like it! I hate people's faces when they cry! It's disgusting! And that thing coming out of their nose... Bleargh! I gotta make her stop!

-You there, Q! Stop crying immediately!

She moved her head! Oh Gods no! Don't show me that face covered with snot, red eyes and dark circles under it... I can't look! Quickly, a barrier!

A metallic, not see-through barrier appeared right on time. I almost looked! At that face!

-Girl! Don't you dare cry in front of me!

-Ummm, why? What's your problem? Can't you see I'm depressed?

-Well, then you better stop! I'm warning you!

-Wait, what? I can't even cry?! When my whole life has fallen apart, my only family and companion dead and you about to take my life, exactly what's the problem if I cry, huh?!!

Oh, she seemed really upset. And angry. And wait... Did she just said... Does it mean that woman there wasn't just her guard?! And what was it at the end?

-What are you talking about? - I asked looking at the barrier and not at that terrible-looking face of hers. -Why would I kill you?

For a moment she seemed speechless by my question but after a long time she finally shouted:

-What do you mean why!? You're an assassin sent after us by that bastard Perril Estwill, aren't you?!! You already killed my aunt and now you'll kill me too, and that's how it is! I don't even want to live without Anaga here anymore... So just murder me already! Why delay?!!

-Ummmm... I think there's some misunderstanding here. I am not an assassin and I never was. And that Estwill family you're talking about, are they the ones after you? Was that killer who almost fired a laser at you at the party sent by them? That family have quite a high standing in Gocay Lands, it's actually not too far from my Saghara kingdom. They're the ones that want to be the rulers of Gocayans, right?

-You...

I suppose she was in shock? I couldn't see her so I could only guess her reaction.

-But... But I thought that you were at the party to kill us? And you murdered my aunt too! How can you say you weren't after us?!! You followed us and even somehow got here, deep underground, to get us!

-Well, I did go after you but that doesn't mean I wanted to kill you girls, you know? It just seemed fun when you tried to run away from me. - I grinned but she couldn't see it through the wall separating us.

-...but you killed my aunt!

-Oh sorry, it was her who charged at my supercharged mana barrier, you know? The power from our clash killed her, I didn't try to kill anyone. Not my fault you assumed otherwise.

-Ohh, not your fault?! Then why didn't you say anything?! We thought you were from the Dark Corps!

-Oh, was that guy outside the window in the palace one of them too?

-What guy? - why was she confused? Did she not notice him?

-You know, that man who wanted to shoot you with his laser! He almost killed you when I took care of him. The palace guards will be surprised when they find his dead body in the garden, it's never a pleasant surprise to stumble over someone's dead body while on a walk.

-You...you... Does this mean you saved my life?

-Well yeah, I did. And you started running right after that, so I followed. I couldn't let such an entertaining toy get away!

...

-You saved my life and killed my aunt?! And why do you keep calling me a toy?! And why are we talking with a barrier between us?!!

-...did you stop crying?

-Obviously! I'm too angry to cry right now!

-Then take this handkerchief and make yourself presentable! Otherwise, I don't want to look at your face! - I got a package of tissues from a pocket dimension and threw it over the barrier. Judging from the sound she made it fell on her head - why couldn't she just catch it normally?

-What's wrong with my face now?! And why'd you throw this at me all of a sudden?!

-Well, there's snot and tears and you look terrible, and...

-Alright, alright! Just stop talking!

A sound of blowing her nose wasn't creepy for me. It's the way someone looks with a running nose and a distorted face that makes me feel sick. Is it because I never had a chance to get used to such sights while I lived all alone in those Libraries? Most likely. It just makes me uncomfortable...

-I'm done! Can you cancel the spell now? Or am I too ugly to look at and you'll never face me again? - she asked in a sort of sad tone. What's her deal now? Is she gonna cry again?

-...are you sure you stopped crying?

I just had to be certain.

-I'm not crying anymore, ok?!!

-Ok, ok, you don't have to shout.

I dispelled the barrier and she really did look better than I expected - I was ready to close my eyes at any time if it was too much for me to take but it turned out to be fine. What a relief.