Quarrel

June wasn't sure how to answer that.

Alongside her, he too took a look around. 

Apart from the visible knight that was present nearby, the surrounding space didn't consist of much. There was a single weathered tent that barely stood on its own, a wobbly desk with a shattered lantern on it, and a prodigious door one could not miss constructed into the cavern itself.

Other than that, the light didn't reach far.

From where they had come and so forth, the darkness still remained, encompassing them inside a spacious chamber of sorts. It was like they were simply standing on an island that light could only pierce close by.

Nevertheless, June was even more baffled now. Mainly due to the large door that he hadn't seen until moments ago.

'Now what's that?'

However, no matter how curious he was, it wasn't what truly concerned him at the moment.

"I said… where the hell are we?"

Gemm said once more, her tone now irritated. Her gaze darted from him to the kneeling knight.

"Well…" June sighed. 

Before she had passed out, he recalled her wishes. She wanted to head back — to retreat — because she believed that the Shackled Spirit from before had simply led them into a trap. Her condition at the time likely played a significant role in her decision as well, but either way, she wanted to go back.

June hadn't done that, though… and due to his decision they had not only lost the boat, but were lost in general — trapped, even.

Noticing his regretful demeanor, Gemm spoke again.

"You… didn't take us back, did you?"

Her tone was a bit shaky. June could tell she was trying her best to control herself.

Without meeting her gaze, June replied in a low voice, trying his best not to sound too perturbed. 

"... No, I didn't."

He looked back at Gemm who gave him a blank stare, processing what he said. Without a word, she then stood up and somewhat lost her footing before regaining it and sighing.

June felt he had to speak before she said what was on her mind, and that he did.

"I felt you—"

But it didn't last long at all. Before he could really even begin his explanation, he felt a sudden and sharp force make contact with his face, sending him to the ground not even a second later.

He hadn't even seen it before it landed.

Immediately, he held his face with a sense of shock as he now sat on his bottom, showered in dirt. 

He felt disoriented.

Wincing, June looked back up at Gemm who was visibly angry, her nostrils flaring and green eyes trembling.

"I told you to take us back, didn't I!? So why in the world didn't you?!"

She began pacing, her eyes darting around.

"I very clearly said, June, it was a trap!"

June slowly stood back up, brushing off the dirt that clung to him.

"No, you're wrong, it wasn't a trap, damn it. The Spirit had very clearly warned us that the path would be guarded by many. Your ignorance just brushed over that, completely ignoring it!"

June reasoned, laying it out sternly. Her sudden punch had ticked him off, and he couldn't hide his agitation any longer.

"You probably never even trusted it in the first place. A part of you wanted to, which is why you went along with it, but something didn't fully allow you to."

June saw it for what it was, in fact… this was something that had been bothering him since he met her. He knew her story, he knew why she had ended up where she was now — because of the Shift, of course. More than that, he was aware Gemm had been within the Trial for a year now, a feat known to none. 

Yet… throughout their time together, she never showed that was the case.

She was strong, sure; that much was obvious. However, she was ignorant. 

Not only that, but she didn't exude the presence of someone who had remained within the Infinite Purgatory for a year — at least not mentally. She was just as wary as June, just as doubtful as him, and a whole lot more mistrusting. She just tried not to show it, ignoring it altogether.

And the reason for that… well, was awfully clear to June who had picked up on it over time. She had never been without Duke, her older brother. 

Without him, she was fearful. This, in turn, created a heavy doubt within her heart. Which was why Gemm had listened to the Shackled Spirits explanation and deemed it credible, but a part of her forcefully denied it. 

"So what? Why should I put my trust in something I only met today, and a Spirit at that? It doesn't matter regardless, look where it got us now! All because you — who are completely useless — decided your judgment is far better than mine!"

She refused to acknowledge her flaw — a flaw that weighed her down.

'Does she even hear herself right now? She's completely discarding everything I just said! And useless?!'

June's brows twitched.

He was never the type to get riled up, never. Yet, her ignorance was getting to him. Sure, he was useless in terms of strength, but what he had done for her mere moments ago… no.

"Do you have any idea what I had to do to make sure you and I stay alive?!"

June slightly raised his voice, baffled by her reasoning.

While she was unconscious, he had kept her alive through an unfavorable ordeal.

"You wouldn't have had to if you had just listened to me!"

Once again, she fell back to her previous remark.

June inhaled a heavy breath before speaking.

"Don't you understand? We can't get through that fog — not without reaching the Hidden Temple and getting rid of it entirely! I've seen the effects… the further in we go, the harder it will be. The Shackled Spirit was right. Going through the Sea Maidens rather than retreating was the right choice, the only choice. That way, we can actually reach the damn Gate out of this place without dying!"

June was adamant. They had barely traversed the fog, yet it had grown much more dense and the surroundings were almost impossible to see through. In no way were they going to live traversing through such fog to get to the Gate that led out of this Dimension, not to mention the whispers…

They were lucky enough to be warned by the Shackled Spirit, otherwise they could have just blindly moved forward and been consumed before they knew it.

In any case, if they had retreated, he was sure Gemm wouldn't have given the Hidden Temple another thought, discarding it entirely. Then, they'd surely be dead.

"Damn it, June! Look where your choice got us! Where's our boat?! Where are we?!"

She yelled, demanding answers as she gestured toward the space they were currently within.

"You are supposed to be nothing but an immunity to the Shift for me, not a pain in my ass!"

A sudden silence followed her words.

June didn't know how to react. He just stood in place, clenching his jaw.