Chapter 5: The Traitor's Daughter

The heavy stone gate opened to a dark and damp space. The stagnant air, carrying the smell of moss and the forgetfulness of time, enveloped the two of them. They descended a steep staircase, entering a deep, endless corridor where light could not reach. Even so, in the near-absolute darkness, Kaega's eyes, accustomed to hell, could still faintly make out the outlines of the passage.

-Aren't you going to use a torch? – Lyne broke the silence, her voice echoing softly in the quiet space.

-Not yet. The light might trigger mechanisms we can't see.

They stopped. Kaega began to move systematically, one hand tracing the rough stone wall, the other waving gently in the air, feeling for any unusual drafts. Lyne was also on high alert, her eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of danger.

-This is...

Kaega's fingers touched a strange surface, not stone. It was smooth, cold, and slightly curved.

-What is it?

-A mirror, I think? But I'm not sure... let me check further.

Kaega stood up, circling to the opposite side of the object. His eyes narrowed.

-Hmm, there's a tripwire here... very thin, seems to be made of wax...

-So it's a light-activated trap?

-Looks like it. I'm not sure of the mechanism, but it seems we can only move in darkness. Can you see the path clearly?

-I can.

-Good, then move carefully.

Although Kaega told Lyne to be careful, in reality, he was the one being guided by her. With eyes that seemed to see everything in the dark, Lyne constantly had to warn Kaega of hidden traps.

-Careful, eight meters ahead of you, the brick on the right looks very suspicious. Avoid it.

-Got it...

"Her night vision is much better than mine."

Seeing in the dark was a skill that could be learned... but not just by wanting to. For Kaega, it was a whole past of fleeing from enemies in the dark sewers, of always having to be wary of lurking monsters that hunted by faint light. Through all that experience, he could only see dimly for about six feet. Thinking of this, Kaega looked at the person guiding him, a silent sigh in his heart.

"What has she been through...?"

Kaega didn't know, but his gaze had softened in the darkness... it no longer held its usual cold, sinister edge, but a sense of empathy, though the girl leading the way was unaware of it.

"Maybe I should think of a way to......"

-"Don't... go any further."

The rhythmic footsteps stopped, leaving an echo from deep within the ruins. Kaega's train of thought was instantly cut short... His eyes immediately became alert at the sound of a strange woman's voice that had suddenly appeared.

-What's wrong?

-Did you hear that?

-Hear what? I didn't hear anything.

Kaega was surprised that Lyne hadn't heard anything... he tried to pinpoint where the voice was coming from.

-"Ahead is... very dangerous... it will swallow you whole..."

The whisper came again, cold and full of warning. Kaega looked at Lyne in confusion, then suddenly realized the voice was coming from inside his own head.

-Is this what you called a mysterious power?

Kaega quickly calmed himself, analyzing the situation.

"My thoughts are still coherent, not hazy. This isn't mind-manipulating magic."

Just then, Lyne suddenly collapsed, clutching her head with both hands, her face contorted in a pained groan.

-Aaa....

-Hey, what's wrong with you? Hey!

Swoosh!

Kaega immediately rushed forward, but a sharp blade swung towards him.

-STAY AWAY FROM ME!

Kaega managed to dodge. His expression turned cold again... he looked at Lyne, who was clutching her head, her left hand holding the dagger she had just swung at him.

"Is she trying to... at a time like this? But that swing wasn't as fast as when she attacked the hound. It's as if she's trying to hold it back..."

-"The girl... is in pain... restrain her."

The voice in his head appeared again. It was faint, but Kaega could still hear the anxiety in the strange voice. He felt a surge of annoyance; too many things were happening at once.

"Damn it... what the hell is going on..."

-Hey Lyne... are you now...

Swoosh!

Kaega tried to use words... but the attack told him that words were now useless. Keeping calm, Kaega pulled a coil of rope from his bag and slowly approached Lyne.

-STAY AWAY!

Lyne's voice was distorted, unfamiliar yet with a hint of familiarity. Kaega paid it no mind, focusing on dodging her frenzied slashes. Even so, he was careless and a blade grazed his left palm.

"Ogh–"

He grimaced in pain but seized the opportunity. With his freshly cut left hand, he grabbed the blade that had just struck him, his eyes showing not pain but grim determination. His right hand held her back...

-AA... You bastard, why did you...

The distorted voice gradually faded, and then, like a child, Lyne's strength gave out. The pain was gone. Her eyes stared at the bloody hand that was gripping the dagger in her own.

-What... happened?

Kaega's face was like ice, not a single wrinkle on his forehead, only a slight furrow of his brows betraying the pain.

-I'm the one who should be asking that question. How are you feeling now?

-I don't know....

Kaega let go... the blood immediately flowed a little more freely, but he spoke gently.

-Alright, let's rest here for a bit. I need to bandage my hand.

Kaega sat down, trying to tear a corner of his shirt to use as a bandage, but his left hand was in too much pain.

-Let me bandage it for you.

Lyne quickly sat down, tore a corner of her shirt into a long strip, and carefully wrapped it around Kaega's wound.

-"Leave... it's not safe inside."

The voice echoed in his head again. Kaega was no longer surprised. His eyes were resolute and unshakeable.

"No matter how dangerous it is inside, it will be even more dangerous outside... I can only use all the magic traps available here... maybe they can weaken them before we have to face them."

As if reading his thoughts, the voice replied warmly, a gentle whisper like a breeze through his mind:

-"Then be careful... I will... protect you."

Surprise once again flooded him. Kaega's eyes peered deep into the passage. It was like a bottomless abyss, with darkness completely enveloping the corridor of stone as hard as steel.

"Shouldn't the power protecting the ruins be trying to stop intruders..... why does it want to protect me now?"

Kaega was stunned. But they didn't have much time.

-Agh!

Lyne tied the bandage tightly. The bleeding had stopped. Kaega immediately stood up.

-How are you feeling?

-I don't know either...

"She's hiding something. Is it dangerous?"

Though Lyne's face remained cold, her eyes seemed to hold something she couldn't say. Since the space didn't allow Kaega to see clearly, he couldn't tell what it was.

-We don't have time, we have to keep moving.

-Aren't you going to rest a little?

-We don't have time... if we fight here, it's too easy to accidentally trigger a hidden trap. It's better to find a safe room.

-Alright...

The two continued their journey. Although the ruins looked small from the outside—which was why the treasure hunters from the Hunter's Guild weren't very interested—once inside, Kaega and Lyne discovered that this place was a maze with its own set of rules.

The deeper they went, the newer the traps looked, as if they had been set up in a hurry. Their mechanisms were also much simpler, no longer magical but more manual. Along the way, they also found traces of others who had entered before them.

-Is this a raven's feather?

Lyne picked up a strange feather. With a mystical black sheen, it seemed to emit a faint light in the silent darkness. The feather was free of any dust or dirt, despite having been on the ground for who knows how long. Seeing it, Kaega's mind flashed back to what he had read in the Assassin's Guild's information archive.

"This is... the Raven Lord's feather? Why is it here... why are there traces of the Lady of Shadows in this place...? What was she looking for here?"

The Lady of Shadows, a power that held absolute control over both the city and the Grava Region. All other powers, except for the Hunter's Guild, were forbidden from setting foot in Grava. And this was the feather of her famous subordinate... the Raven Lord.

The thought sent a shiver down Kaega's spine. But he knew this was not something he should delve into. He immediately told Lyne.

-That's the Raven Lord's feather.

Hearing the name, Lyne's eyes shifted slightly in the darkness, as if she was recalling something.

-Alright.

She put the feather down.

-Let's keep going.

After another three hundred meters, a door appeared before them. Kaega checked it himself; no traps. But as soon as his hand touched the doorknob, the entire space around him twisted and dissolved.

"An illusion magic trap?"

A lavish scene appeared. Gold and jewels were piled as high as mountains. A figure identical to Kaega was sitting on a throne, and beside him, Lyne, in a seductive outfit, was serving him.

-Yo, look Lyne, we have a guest.

Kaega stood below, silently listening to his double speak.

-Indeed, Lord Kaega. He is looking at you.

"My mind hasn't been enchanted yet..."

-Hey Kaega, what do you think? Is this what you desire?

"The scene is also clear, not hazy..."

His double gestured, and the illusion of Lyne glided down, pressing close to Kaega, breathing a hot breath into his ear. But Kaega's eyes remained as cold as ice.

"He wouldn't be foolish enough to pull a trick like this, would he?"

-Master, would you like to play with me~?

-Kaega, do you want to become me?

Kaega's brow furrowed slightly, his eyes filled with extreme contempt.

"This again... How boring."

Instantly, the seductive Lyne and the lavish space vanished, returning to the thick darkness. Facing him now was his double.

-If this is an illusion... Don't you have a better trap? -Kaega said, his voice dripping with disdain.

-Haha... I am not an illusion.

Kaega's eyes widened slightly.

-What th-

His voice was cut off, as if locked away. Only his eyes were still staring at the double, whose face was gradually darkening, its expression unreadable, leaving only a cold smile.

-Haha... you and I will meet again soon, and you will have to accept me.

The double laughed loudly and then vanished. He returned to reality, in front of the door. Kaega's consciousness returned, and he saw Lyne right in front of him.

-Are you alright?

Lyne was holding a dagger in her right hand, pointing it straight at the doorknob. Kaega frowned and demanded.

-What just happened?

Lyne lowered the blade, her voice cold and even as she recounted the events.

-When you touched the door, a slimy mass of flesh latched onto you. Then you just stood there. When I was about to use my dagger to deal with the hand that was stuck to the creature... it suddenly burst into flames and disappeared.

Kaega's wary gaze softened. He replied gently.

-I see. It just... pulled me into an illusion.

Kaega pushed the door open. Inside was a room where a skeleton sat facing another corridor.

-Lyne, do you want anything from that skeleton?

-No, I don't want to take anything from someone who wasn't my enemy.

-You're so principled.

Lyne didn't reply, moving to a shelf on the opposite side, more than ten paces away. Kaega shrugged, as if to say, if no one else will do it, I will. He approached the skeleton, which had long since dried out.

"Hmmm this skeleton... there's a dagger next to it... looks pretty good."

Kaega gave it a quick once-over, but soon his eyes fell on a letter on the skeleton.

"A letter?"

On it was the name "Erpert Graystone," a name that caught Kaega's attention. His eyes narrowed... he glanced behind him to make sure Lyne wasn't looking.

"Perhaps... this letter will shed some light on the Assassin's Guild..."

Kaega acted just as he had when looting the three hounds, showing no sign of anything out of the ordinary. He moved slowly and deliberately, but inside, he was as agitated as a candle in the wind. He picked up the letter and read.

<When this letter is found, I am likely already dead. I am Erpert Graystone, a high-ranking member of the Assassin's Guild. I was wounded when the Guild was purged by the Blood Wolf, the Faith God, and the Hunters. It was all because of Marina Rose... that woman is a monster who would harm even her own child. I fled here when the guild was purged but fell into a trap and won't live much longer. This is the dagger of the master blacksmith Dorgan, my most precious possession. Be careful, there is something deeper inside. Do not go further in, and please, avenge me by taking Marina's life if she still lives...>

Behind the letter was a photograph.

"This is...!"

Kaega was stunned, but quickly hid his emotions. His eyes, when they looked back at Lyne, were suddenly colder than when they had first met... but then they relaxed into a calculating gaze. After a moment of thought, he picked up the Dorgan dagger and walked towards Lyne. Sensing his approach, Lyne immediately became wary.

-Lyne...

-What is it? Why are you approaching me with a dagger?

Kaega said nothing, just handed her the letter and the photograph. Lyne looked at the photo, her brows furrowed slightly, then read the letter. A flicker of surprise crossed her face.

-The people in the photo, I'm guessing, are Marina Rose and... you, aren't they, Lyne?

Lyne's eyes were full of suspicion, her hands still holding the letter, but her gaze had already darted to the dagger at her hip.

-Yes, that's me. And Marina Rose is my mother.

-Is that so... what an unexpected coincidence...

Kaega, his eyes no longer wary, sighed and handed the Dorgan dagger to Lyne.

-What do you mean?

-Take it. I can't use it as well as you can.

Lyne took the dagger with a look of utter surprise, her coldness vanishing, replaced by a confused expression. After that, Kaega turned back towards the skeleton.

-My mother is a traitor. Aren't you afraid I'll betray you too, turning your back on me like that?

-Your mother's betrayal was her choice. Whether you betray or not, that is your choice. I'm not one to judge others, having betrayed people myself. If you betray me now, I'll just have to accept my death. But I don't think you're foolish enough to give up your chance for revenge.

-...You are a strange one. The only person who hasn't judged me...

With that, Lyne turned and walked away, unaware that Kaega had just secretly tucked a pouch of Thunder Powder on his person. His eyes silently followed her back, a look of caution that only softened when Lyne had completely put the dagger away.

"Revealing the letter was the right move. Now she'll trust me a little more, enough to prevent a sudden knife in the back."

As he turned his back to Lyne, Kaega both increased the distance and used the darkness to act stealthily, guarding against a surprise attack. But even though the conversation had successfully improved their relationship, the real hunt had only just begun...

"It seems the hunt has arrived..."