Primordial Soul's Rebirth

"S-Someone betrayed you?"

Kamish, who heard Aurora's words, frowned in pain. It was as if he could feel what she's been through; as if he could see what had happened to her.

He was sure that Aurora wasn't acting, and her words were true—he didn't have an ounce of doubt about it.

"...ye..s."

Aurora, still unable to speak, replied to Kamish's question.

Kamish wasn't aware of the fact that the stream had been cut off. He just thought that they were silently listening to the conversation.

His focus was on an entirely different thing—he wanted to know why he felt this strange pull in his body, telling him to help the woman in front of him.

He could tell the woman in front of him had been through a lot, so much that he wouldn't even be able to imagine.

Just looking at her worn and withered look was enough to tell him that much.

"W-What crime were you framed of?"

Still a bit hesitant about his approach, Kamish tried to uncover some of the things he could about her. He wanted to at least know what type of person he was talking to.

His heart was saying just one thing: Help her in any way possible. But his rational mind told him something else: Don't trust a criminal.

So, with no choice left, he tried to know more about the woman; his mind, however, had already decided that she was framed and betrayed without even thinking deeply about it.

"No...thing..."

Aurora, on the other hand, played along for now, answering truthfully. She really never did anything wrong to anyone.

The only wrong thing she ever did was trust Antares. Oh, and maybe being born as an Oraclewing was a mistake as well.

Damn, this cave! It was driving her insane.

She always thought that she was fine and she was capable of thinking, but right now, when she could finally see a light leading her to the freedom she so wanted, her mind was turning into mush—everything was getting mixed up.

But still, she didn't break down; she didn't start crying. She didn't want to do that; she didn't want to blabber things that she would never even want to. She didn't want the only light in front of her to run away from her by branding her as a crazy person.

"What... what do you mean, 'nothing'?"

Kamish, on the other hand, paused for a bit, looking at Aurora with a frown.

'Why would someone be sent here for nothing? She should've done something, right? Not any crime, but still, they would've blamed her for something, right? They must've put up a reason at least, right?'

These were the questions in his head, and due to the darkness, he missed the flash of panic in Aurora's eyes the moment he paused.

"I... I just... happ...ened..."

Aurora, not wanting to have Kamish run away, began again, speaking slowly while trying to catch a breath.

If he wanted to know it, if that was what it would take for him to come closer to her, then she would just do it—she would speak; no matter how hard it was, she would do it.

"To be... someone... with... wrong abilities..."

She paused for a bit, trying to catch her breath again, causing Kamish's expression to morph into worry.

It was hard for her to even speak; it was clear as a day, but she still continued.

"...in the... wrong place."

As soon as her words finished, Kamish moved closer to her, his teeth grinding hard, audible on the outside as tick marks appeared on his jaw.

She was being honest, and she was no criminal. Kamish didn't need anything else to know that; he was satisfied with what she told him.

"P-Please, don't speak anymore."

He muttered, his palm moving toward Aurora, clutching her hands that were hanging down the chain, and the moment their skin made contact, Aurora's eyes widened, going blank for a second, causing Kamish to move away in panic.

"H-Hey! Are you okay?!"

But the next second, he swooped close to Aurora and was about to hold her, but...

*Step*

A step was heard, and the moment it did, everything froze.

No, it was not a time-related ability or something like that; it was just the pure, wild, and unfiltered mana of a monstrous being.

Just that being's presence was enough to cause the gloomy air in the cave to turn tense. The water that kept dripping from the ceiling paused, as if afraid to break the silence, and Kamish, who had felt the mana washing over himself, stood frozen as well.

"A rat?"

Along with the sound of steps closing in, a voice was heard—deep and majestic enough to send shivers down one's spine.

'W-Who is it?'

'Ah, I-I can't speak...'

Kamish wanted to turn around. He wanted to speak, but he could do none of those. Other than the fact that his thoughts were moving, nothing else about him seemed alive. He wasn't aware of it, but he wasn't even breathing.

His body was instinctively doing it on its own.

His body, his blood, and his soul—all of them could feel the monstrosity walking toward them—could tell that the one moving closer to them was not something he could ever hope to defeat.

"How did you sneak in? You don't seem to have the power to do it."

As Kamish was racking his brain, guessing who it could be, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and his body trembled again. He didn't know why it happened, but it did.

His eyes finally noticed Aurora, who was trembling violently; it was as if she was having a stroke. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open, trying to breathe, only to fail.

'S-She's being pressured!'

He gritted his teeth, knowing full well what was happening.

'She will die!'

Soon, foam started to come out of her mouth as her body slumped against the wall. Her eyes rolled, and tears started to slip out of them.

"I remember telling you to stop being smart, didn't I?"

As those words were heard, Kamish found himself thrown back, and he finally saw the features of the man responsible for all of this.

Golden hair and a large body—that was all he could see from behind.

But then he realized something: The man was going to kill Aurora.

*BAAM—Crack*

But all he could do was helplessly crash into the wall of the cave.

However, he stood up in a hurry and shouted.

"Let her go—!"

He roared. He couldn't bear the sight of Aurora dying, not with him present here. Never.

He didn't know where he got the courage from or how he could even stand with all the pressure, but he still yelled, only to have it cut short as the next second, he saw the man's face, causing his eyes to widen before he frowned.

'Who's that...?'

He muttered as he didn't recall ever seeing that man, but that was the last thing he saw as the next second...

*Woosh*

A large blade of wind moved toward him, ready to cut him, causing the poor guy's eyes to widen in panic.

'Wha—!'

"You shouldn't have spoken; that way, you could've survived a few more seconds—"

The man with long flowing golden hair spoke as his cold golden eyes bore into Kamish, but his voice paused and a frown appeared on his forehead.

"Ugh, not this..."

As soon as he saw a black-colored fog covering Kamish before he could completely get sliced, the man's face scrunched up in annoyance. He stepped toward Kamish, ready to end him once and for all, but before he could...

*Woosh*

With a woosh, Kamish was gone.

The man, with his hand extended, kept staring at the spot Kamish was standing; his jaws ticked, clearly irritated with what had happened, and his sharp, cold eyes turned toward Aurora.

"You better be ready for what's to come for you. You gave me a very tricky enemy to deal with."

With those words, he left the place, vanishing from the spot, leaving Aurora on the floor, gasping for breath.

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The man failed to notice the victorious grin on Aurora's lips even though she was not in a condition to be happy.