[40] Memories

It was rare for Alicia to take off her mask in front of others. It was rare because she had yet to do so till now. When she reached up, and pulled away the half-broken relic from her face, eyes trailed onto her from the group.

Golden hair caught the sun's rays, and ruby-red eyes stared at the world. With her pale—eternally youthful—face, she was beautiful, stunning, maybe even more so than Claire herself. Half a face was nothing much for others to glance at but, with that reveal, the raid group looked and Via pursed her lips.

"An angelic battle maniac with dual personalities and an equally odd fairy. Isn't this just peachy?" Her ears twitched.

"You look good too."

"Shut it, Allen." She glared at a fully-armored knight.

A cough came from Albert.

". . ." Claire rolled her eyes and turned to an uncaring Alicia who chortled up to her with two fangs showing, and drool already at the side of her lips.

'Sometimes, she's just like me. Other times, she's like a puppy,' Claire thought, 'A very cute puppy who I can hardly say no to.'

She pulled at the collar of her school uniform and showed her pale neck. Without farther thought, she brought Alice's head closer with the other hand as twin fangs pierced into her skin.

"Oooooh," Alicia's voice immediately leaked out. She squirmed as the taste of Claire's blood touched her tongue.

That voice, and her actions, however, merely brought more attention.

"Is that a moan? Why are you moaning. . .? Really, is my blood that tasty?" Claire asked, exasperation trailing her voice.

"It's too delicious~" The vampire smiled and kept sucking. It was one of the rare moments where she was not aloof.

"So what? This isn't Food Wars."

Suck suck suck, you get the deal.

". . .why does it feel like I shouldn't be watching this. . .? Hey are you really just sucking blood? You two look quite. . .interesting there." Via said and Allen nodded by her side, twice, along with the rest of the group whose eyes darted around.

The happily sucking vampire ignored them all. Yet, as she sucked, Claire looked on in wonder at the lock attached to the vampire's chest. A light shown from the the thing.

"Hmm."

Suddenly, Alicia stopped. Her body shook and she tilted her head. She took a step back and surveyed the area. Via watched her with a raised brow and folded arms.

"I'm. . .back?" Alicia muttered, disbelief lining her voice.

"What?" Claire asked.

The vampire grasped her fist, her nails grew, and blood came to her hand as she stabbed herself with nails as sharp as blades. Then, the bit of blood exploded in a flash of orange and red that resembled a spray of firecrackers. This earned a bit of oohs and aahs from the group.

". . .I unlocked both a new racial skill and magic?"

"What. The. Fuck. I swear you two are cheaters, flaunting that much power, are you certain you're not heroes?" Via asked.

Claire, on the other hand, disregarded the show as a more interesting matter lingered on her mind.

"Amazing but. . .what do you mean you're back? What happened?"

The vampire looked at the ice queen, crimson eyes filled with confusion.

"Memories of another me," She muttered, "Two of them."

Claire raised a brow, "Two of them?"

Alicia nodded, grasping her mask and returning it to her face.

"It was foggy," She said. "All I recognized was that I was two, as well as one. There was a battlefield, and I led it. Then. . .there was a classroom, and I led that as well. Finally, the two combined into me."

'Two souls in one, then?' Claire narrowed her eyes,. 'I know she came from earth but could only one part of her have? The other? Another world aside from earth?'

"How interesting," She said. She knew her blood gave the girl back her memories, so she came to the only logically thought. "Two souls, or two different lives of the same soul. One or the other."

As far as she was concerned, in an Iseikai, anything was possible.

"Well, are you done with your meal?" She smiled.

"Not at all," Alicia grinned.

"Of course you'd say that."

"Oi, you two, get a room."

"Just leave them be."

"Shut up, Allen."

A sigh escaped the helmet of an armored knight.

———

"We'll be tracking down one of the guardians, Aither the Hound, while trekking and slaying the beasts in our way. If we meet it, we kill it. If not, we go for the portal," Albert spoke at the helm of the group with a parchment in hand and a telescope in the other. He looked leftward through the barren land of earth—behind them a sheer cliff and valley—and pointed at a landmark, a half-broken statue with wind bellowing around it.

"North East of Lute's Statue is the Dungeon Village of Mosted. We'll make our way there before nightfall, and pass by the Mana Well of this dungeon. Anybody who wishes to may test their luck with the tower, as well."

Past the statue, a new location he pointed to, there was a sandy beach and a river that sliced through the length of the dungeon as far as the eye could see. Above the clear waters floated a standing tower of iron and on the shoreline laid a town protected by wooden walls. Surrounding that place, and about their route, beasts mingled. A great number of them.

"After staying there for half a day for rest and supply, we will continue through the dungeon, delving deeper, and cutting until we reach the portal. Does everyone understand?" He asked.

A chorus of nods came.

"Alright, put us down," Albert said, a hand clasping to fold a telescope upon itself.

"My pleasure," Claire replied.

The ground below them rumbled as a platform of ice, large as a room, descended from the sky with the grace of an elevator. A flapping bat followed its decent.

"I've got our route, let's go."