Immediately, Kael's two knives shone once more. A dark crimson glow began to envelop both blades as they slowly rose before him, as if an invisible force were guiding them.
The weapons began to draw closer.
Little by little.
Centimeter by centimeter.
Until they finally touched.
At that instant, an intense explosion of light illuminated the entire abyss.
Kael immediately narrowed his eyes. The brightness was so strong that he could barely keep them open. The glow spread everywhere, covering the rock walls, the cracks, and every corner of that dark place that for so long had remained submerged in shadows.
The light continued to grow.
And then, something began to take shape.
First, a blurry silhouette appeared.
Then arms.
A head.
Legs.
Hair.
The figure became more and more defined as the glow slowly diminished.
Kael watched in silence.
He even forgot to breathe for a few seconds.
Finally, the light disappeared.
The figure gently descended from the air until it touched the ground with the delicacy of a feather.
It was a woman.
A small woman.
Kael opened his eyes completely and stared at the person now standing before him.
His mind took several seconds to understand what he was seeing.
That presence.
That voice.
That existence that had accompanied him during the battle.
The same voice he had heard countless times during the battle. That same presence.
Everything suddenly made sense.
Because she was there.
In front of him.
Turned into a real person.
The small woman wore black clothes similar to the color of the blades he had used during that short time.
Her hair was gray, but possessed slight crimson reflections that shone beneath the dim lighting of the place.
Without showing the slightest concern, she began walking toward him with small hops.
One.
Two.
Three.
Until she was extremely close.
Too close.
Kael blinked several times.
Their faces were separated by only a few centimeters.
That was when he looked into her eyes.
And for an instant, he felt himself getting lost within them.
They were different from anything he had ever seen before.
Her pupils were shaped like stars.
A beautiful, shining star that seemed to contain an entire sky within it.
It was a gaze impossible to ignore.
A gaze capable of captivating anyone.
Capable of catching a person's attention and never letting it go.
—Well, the time has come to tell you what you must do for me. Don't you think?
She said while bringing one of her fingers to her lips and watching him with an amused smile.
Kael took several seconds to react.
He was still trying to process everything that was happening.
—Ehhh... and what is it that you want? Well, since we haven't introduced ourselves, first of all I'll tell you my name. I am Kael Draven. It's a pleasure to meet you, beautiful lady. I don't know exactly how I ended up here, but if you say I have a pact with you and I must repay it, I will. After all, you lent me your strength.
As he spoke, a question returned to his mind.
He looked at his own hands.
Then his arms.
And finally the rest of his body.
He still wasn't used to the changes, a change that until now he seemed to notice.
—Although there's still something I don't understand...
The woman tilted her head slightly.
—What is it?
—I don't remember when I grew this much. It feels like everything happened suddenly. My body changed from one moment to another.
Kael stared at his hands with a confused expression.
—It's as if I lost a part of my life without realizing it.
The woman listened in silence before slowly nodding.
However, she decided not to answer that question.
Instead, she stepped forward and placed both hands on her waist.
Her small chest puffed up with pride.
—Very well. I suppose I should properly introduce myself too.
She raised her head with a smile full of confidence.
—I am the Great Weapon Never Reached.
Her voice echoed firmly.
—Crimson Eclipse.
Even the air itself seemed to tremble slightly when she pronounced that name.
Afterward, she closed her eyes for a moment.
And smiled again.
A much warmer smile.
Much more human.
—Although you may call me by my true name.
She pointed at herself.
—Elyndra.
Kael repeated the name mentally.
Elyndra.
Strangely, it seemed fitting.
He didn't know why.
It simply fit.
As if she had always been meant to be called that.
The young woman carefully observed Kael's reaction before crossing her arms.
—Good. Now that we've introduced ourselves, it's time to talk about what I want.
Kael nodded.
—Go ahead.
—Perfect.
Elyndra's smile became larger.
Much larger.
So large that it began to worry Kael.
—You, human, will become my husband!
Silence fell over the abyss.
Kael blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
—What?
—And you'll travel with me forever!
Elyndra pointed directly at him.
—We'll explore the world together! We'll visit mountains, forests, cities, seas, and everything that exists! That is my wish as part of the pact we agreed upon!
Kael remained motionless.
His brain had stopped functioning.
He simply stared at her.
Without words.
Without reaction.
Like a statue.
—Then... wait...
His voice came out several seconds later.
—Does that mean that by using your power, I am now your husband?
—That's right.
Elyndra nodded completely naturally.
As if she were talking about the weather.
—So now you're my sweet-heart.
The young woman clasped her fists in front of her chest while her body seemed to radiate happiness.
Her eyes shone with an emotion impossible to hide.
On the other hand, Kael felt a headache beginning to appear.
He brought a hand to his forehead.
—No, wait a moment...
—Mmm?
—Why me?
Elyndra blinked.
—Eh?
—Out of all the people in the world, why me?
Kael spread both arms.
—There must be millions of people up there. Kings, heroes, adventurers, mages, nobles... even people much more interesting than me.
The young woman fell into thought.
—I suppose.
—Then why me?
Suddenly, the distance between them disappeared.
Kael didn't even see when she moved.
One second she was standing in front of him.
The next, she was beside his shoulder.
Then she slowly leaned closer to his ear.
—Well...
Her voice became soft.
Light.
Playful.
—That's a very good question.
A mischievous smile appeared on her lips.
—But it's a se-cret.
Kael immediately jumped back.
—Hey!
His cheeks had become completely red.
Something that did not go unnoticed by Elyndra.
—Are you embarrassed?
—Of course not!
—You are.
—I'm not.
—You are.
—No.
—Yes.
—No.
—Yes.
—No.
—Yes.
Elyndra's smile grew even wider.
Kael felt the urge to give up.
That woman was impossible.
—(What's wrong with me?)
He brought a hand to his chest.
His heart was beating too fast.
Faster than during many of the battles he had fought.
And that was concerning.
Very concerning.
—(This is strange...)
He could clearly hear every heartbeat.
—(I feel like my chest is going to explode. My heart is pounding like crazy. Why am I so nervous?)
He tried to calm himself.
He took a deep breath.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
It didn't work.
Because when he raised his gaze again, Elyndra was still staring directly at him.
And she was still smiling.
—Come on, darling.
The young woman placed both hands behind her back.
—It's time to leave this place.
Kael internally appreciated the change of subject.
—Yeah... I suppose we should.
—We must quickly go up to the surface!
Her eyes lit up once again.
The excitement returned immediately.
—I have so many things I want to see.
She began walking in circles around him.
—I want to see cities.
She spun around herself.
—I want to see mountains.
She spun again.
—I want to see the seas.
Another spin.
—And I also want to see the gigantic sun that I've heard so much about.
She stopped for a moment.
—Ah, and the moons.
She raised her gaze toward the ceiling of the abyss.
As if she could pierce through the rock with her eyes.
—I've always imagined what they would be like.
Kael watched her in silence.
The excitement she radiated was so sincere that it was difficult not to be affected by it.
She looked like a child discovering the world for the first time.
And, in a way, she was.
Because for who knew how long, she had remained imprisoned within those walls.
Unable to travel the world.
Unable to see it with her own eyes.
Unable to live.
Then, before Kael could say anything else, he felt a small tug.
Elyndra had taken his hand.
—Eh?
—Let's go!
Without giving him time to react, she started running.
Kael was immediately dragged along.
—Hey, wait!
—No!
—What do you mean, no?!
—I want to get out of here as soon as possible!
Her laughter echoed throughout the place.
A cheerful laugh.
Free.
Filled with excitement.
Kael had no choice but to follow her as they both moved through the enormous abyss.
The rocky walls rushed past around them.
The echo of their footsteps spread through the tunnels.
And amidst all the silence that had dominated the place for countless years, a new melody began to fill the emptiness.
Elyndra's laughter.
A warm laugh.
Bright.
So alive that it seemed capable of illuminating even the deepest darkness.
And as they continued advancing through that immense underground world, her voice continued to echo everywhere, breaking the silence of the abyss and filling that unknown and dark place with a joy it had never known before.