Chapter 17

A few hours after their fight, the mental fatigue had cleared, and their stomachs were full from the demon's meat. They described the battle to Cassie, who had been left behind during the fight. Some light chatter eased the mood and made them feel safe. Sunny showed the memory he received from killing the demon. It was a weapon named [Bloodsword]. All in all, the battle was fruitful.

The blind girl sighed, then her face brightened, and she said, "What about the great tree's fruits? I bet they're delicious!"

Sunny looked at her in amazement. "Are you serious?"

Cassie was visibly confused by his question. "Uh... yes? Why?"

He blinked a couple of times before answering. "That tree is magnificent and pretty, but it's also very strange and suspicious. Why is it able to grow here when nothing else can? I'm pretty sure it's the reason why all the coral around the Ashen Barrow is dead. Have you seen anything else capable of damaging the Labyrinth itself?"

Ayanokouji chimed in, "Sunny is right, we should be careful."

The blind girl smiled. "You're being a little paranoid, don't you think? A tree is a tree. Actually, I think it's a wonderful example of how life can prevail against all odds, even in this terrible place. I'm willing to bet that its fruits are perfectly fine."

He stared at her, not knowing what to say. Why did she start speaking about the tree all of a sudden? How could Cassie be so dismissive of Sunny's completely valid concern? That wasn't like her at all.

Feeling something amiss, Sunny and Kiyotaka exchanged a look. Then their gaze turned to Nephis.

"Cass, the boys are right. We should be careful," Nephis said.

Cassie shrugged and sighed.

The days passed, and strange things continued to happen as they resided in Ashen Barrow. Sunny seemed especially paranoid every time he woke up, but then he returned to his usual self. After a few days, the members of the cohort couldn't help but taste the apples of the tree. Surprisingly, it provided them with a soul fragment or, in Kiyotaka's case, a War fragment. Unfortunately, it didn't help with his flaw as he had to go out to kill some scavengers daily.

Day after day, things turned from strange to creepy as Ayanokouji felt something wrong. He was feeling emotions towards the tree? How could this be? How could a person who never learned affection feel it? What was happening to him? Nephis also seemed to find something wrong as she mainly resided as far from the tree as possible.

As he felt his own mind playing tricks on him, he approached Sunny and said, "Sunless, if anything happens and you need my full cooperation, say the two words... White Room... remember it."

---

Sunny was feeling deeply paranoid. He saw dreams that shouldn't be in the Dream Realm. Five... White Room... Anvil, Song, Vale. His companions also sensed something amiss and told him to remember these words.

One night, he hurriedly ran over to Kiyotaka with Cassie in his hands.

"Kiyotaka! Take Cassie and run towards the crater to the west! There's a boat I constructed! I'll go fetch Neph! We need to run!"

Kiyotaka was feeling conflicting emotions. Being near the tree made him feel strange. Yet when the Flaw forced him to go out and kill, his rational self prevailed. Currently, he was maintaining a delicate balance, being on neutral ground.

Seeing Kiyotaka's uncooperativeness, Sunny yelled, "White Room!"

Two simple words... yet they broke the balance. For a moment, Sunny felt enormous killing intent directed at him, which made his face go deathly pale. The next moment, it all disappeared as Kiyotaka took Cassie and ran towards the shore.

Sunny himself woke up from his stupor and fetched Nephis by saying, "Anvil, Song, Vale."

The cohort hurriedly ran towards the boat and used it to distance themselves from the cursed tree.

---

The water would disappear at dawn, so they had to pass through the crater in one night. As they swam, an abomination they had never seen assaulted them from the depths. Its tentacles smashed towards their boat as they desperately tried to dodge and reach the distant walls to the west.

The boat rocked violently as the monstrous tentacles crashed against it, sending splinters flying. Sunny, Nephis, Kiyotaka, and Cassie struggled to maintain their balance while fending off the relentless attack.

"Keep moving! We have to make it to the walls!" Nephis shouted, her voice barely audible over the roar of the water and the creature's bellowing.

Cassie, though blind, sensed the abomination's presence through its movements in the water and tried to warn the others. "It's coming from the left!"

Sunny wielded the Midnight Shard, striking at the tentacles that came too close. Kiyotaka, also armed with his weapon, slashed at another small tentacle, severing it with a precise blow as it was really close from killing Cassie.

"Just a bit more!" Nephis urged, her voice strained with effort.

The boat surged forward, propelled by the combined efforts of the cohort. As they neared the walls, the creature let out a final, enraged roar, its tentacles thrashing wildly. With a final push, they managed to reach the base of the walls, scrambling out of the boat and onto solid ground.

Breathing heavily, they quickly climbed the walls, their hands slipping on the wet surface. The creature below continued its assault, but its tentacles could not reach them once they were high enough.

At the top of the walls, they collapsed, exhausted but relieved. The night was still dark, but they had escaped the cursed tree and the abomination.

"We made it," Sunny panted, looking around at his companions.

Nephis nodded, her face pale but determined. "We need to keep moving. We can't stay here."

Cassie, still holding tightly onto Kiyotaka's arm, whispered,

"Thank you for saving me."

Kiyotaka, his face stoic, glanced back at the dark water below.

"Let's hope we never have to face something like that again."

With renewed determination, they began their journey westward, away from the Ashen Barrow and the horrors it held. The distant horizon promised new challenges, but for now, they were alive, and that was enough.