Mortal Realm
Emilia started sniffing and sobbing now that she was out of the prison realm.
"So much happened, but… but I am still alive." Emilia sobbed.
"There is no meaning of being alive if there is no reason to be alive," Nero uttered as he started walking.
"What do you mean?"
"Meaning that there is nothing great in being alive— if… you don't have any reason to be alive."
"How is that any different from what you just said a while ago?" Emilia wondered and followed Nero.
"I suppose you are right. But then again, it's hard to explain, and even if I explain— like I just did— you wouldn't understand, so leave it."
Emilia clenched her fists and stopped her face from twitching.
"I can finally see the moons when I exit from this dungeon."
"Moons?"
"Yeah, I have one of my own."
'Did he hit his head somewhere, or is he just happy that he is finally free that he is not making any sense.'
Emilia followed Nero as he carried Sophia in his arms.
'Who is she anyway? He looked so angry but when he saw her… all his anger vanished. He looks at her like… he loves her or something.' She pouted.
"Even though he did 'that' with me," Emilia muttered.
Nero glanced back at Emilia as he kept walking forward. "Did you say something?"
"..." Emilia didn't answer.
"Hey, I asked if you said something. Can you say it again? I couldn't hear."
"..." No reply.
"Are you ignoring me?"
"..." Still no answer.
Annoyed, Nero looked back as he said, "I don't like when someone—"
Emilia wasn't there.
Nero's eyes widened as he looked around in panic.
"Hey! Where did you go?!"
'She was right here… ' The marks on Nero's cheekbone shined for a moment and went back to normal.
Nero walked back a few steps and found Emilia crouching in the corner.
He sighed in relief and stood beside Emilia.
"Have you taken a liking to this dungeon?" Nero commented.
Emilia didn't say anything and kept looking down. Nero found it weird and shook Emilia with his foot since his hands were carrying Sophia.
Emilia looked up at Nero with her eyes full of tears.
"What happened? Why are you crying? Is it because of what I said a while ago?"
Emilia shook her head and pointed her finger at what she was looking at.
Nero walked forward to see what Emilia was pointing her finger at— and saw a hand.
Nero looked at the arm closely with a confused yet calm face. Then, he raised his brows and asked, "Is this perhaps the Matt guy?"
SNIFF!
Emilia nodded as she sobbed. "Yes."
After Darius and Brax killed Matt with the demons, more demons spawned and ate Matt.
Nero looked at Emilia as he thought, 'Why is an angel crying for a human? This girl is different… at least I hope so, because I don't want to kill such a kind girl.'
Nero cleared his throat and uttered, "Why are you crying? I don't understand."
"He… he died because of me."
"How was that your fault?" Nero scoffed.
"If I wasn't… if I hadn't agreed to go further in, then maybe… maybe Matt would still be alive." she sobbed.
"I don't understand. I get it that he died because of those two mortals, but it wasn't your fault. It was this mort— " Nero stopped and exhaled. "It was Matt's fault that he followed you. He died because he followed that party— so it's not your fault."
"But…"
"Don't blame yourself for something you are not responsible for, or you would just be living in nothing but a lie."
Emilia cried for a while, wiped her tears as she sobbed, and then started digging the ground with her bare hands.
"What are you doing?" Nero asked.
"Making a grave to bury Matt."
"You are going to bury a hand?" Nero scoffed.
Emilia glared at Nero with her teary eyes. "How can you say something like that?"
"Don't look at me like that." Nero shrugged. "I was once like you— kind, naive, and foolish— always wanted to help everyone, always wanted to protect everyone— and look where I ended up? I got betrayed and sealed by the people whom I trusted the most."
Emilia ignored Nero and kept digging the grave.
Nero sighed softly and shook his head, then pointed his finger at the ground. "Stay back."
BOOM!
"Is this big enough, or do you want a bigger grave?" Nero said as he looked at the medium-sized hole in the ground.
Emilia picked up Matt's hand and placed it in the hole, then covered it with rocks and sand.
Nero exhaled sharply as he started walking, expecting Emilia to follow him— but he didn't hear any footsteps, so he looked back only to see Emilia still sitting there on her knees.
Nero watched Emilia as she chanted something with her eyes closed.
"Gods won't hear your prayers— in case you were praying," Nero commented.
After some seconds, Emilia opened her eyes and looked at Nero: "You need to have faith."
Nero scoffed as he said, "Preposterous! Are you seriously asking a demon to have faith in gods? And never say that word again in front of me!"
"Don't yell; you are scaring me."
"Did you forget what happened the last time you tried to be kind? You got betrayed and killed, didn't you?"
"..." Emilia couldn't say anything.
"And after that, what happened? You summoned those so-called angels, and what did they do? They left you to die!"
"...."
"Tell me, what were you feeling when you were betrayed and left to die? Did you feel the despair, and all you could do was to wait for the death to come?"
Nero frowned his face as he continued, "What's wrong? No funny comeback now— because I am telling the facts?"
"I guess you are right," Emilia muttered.