The passage creaked as Aurelis squeezed through it.

  As he reached the end of the hall, his body flopped down with a soft thump.

  He let out a puff of mist as he recollected himself, his hand pushing on his knee.

  His eyes widen as he looked around.

  A vast grassy field laid in front of him.

  The grass rustled with a warm wind that brushed his cheek.

  He took a step forward, his head tilting towards the warm sun "What the..?"

  The wet grass crunched under his feat.

  He leaned down, his hand brushing the grass.

  Mist formed out of his mouth as he spoke "Its.. real?"

  He tilted his head back up.

  A kid approaching him from the distance, his short hair and wide eyes are a set of green, his clothes were a gray tank top and a white skirt.

  He crouched near Aurelis, tilting his head sideways as he eyes Aurelis down.

  Aurelis leaped up, his hands held in a defensive stance "Hello?"

  The kid raised his hand, opening it for a handshake.

  Aurelis slowly lowered his hands, huffing "A handshake..?"

  He straightened his hand towards the kid, pressing his palm against the kid's.

  The kid smiled as he stood up, stretching his hand to point behind him.

  Aurelis lifted his head, in front of him an old shack, its wood barely hanging, the door loosely opened.

  The kid ran into the house, gesturing Aurelis to follow.

  Aurelis' eyes darted around as he made his way slowly towards the house.

  The door creaked as it opened wider.

  A soft voice raised as Aurelis entered the house "Ah, a guest!"

  A young woman spoke, she wore a gray coat, with a green circle painted on the middle of it.

  White buttons were sewed in a cubic pattern, and gray pants covered her.

  She turned around, her eyes locked on Aurelis.

  Aurelis stood at the entrance, his eyes avoiding direct contact with hers.

  He muttered "..Hello?"

  The lady grinned, her orange long hair flailing as she approached Aurelis "Welcome to my little house, survivor."

  She held her elbow with her other arm, as she covered her mouth, giggling to herself.

  Her blue eyes gazed Aurelis "I am Kisukan, and this is Zenshi."

  She patted the kid.

  Aurelis crossed his arms "And this place is..?"

  Kisukan gasped "Oh! You must have reached this place by accident."

  She laid back, resting her hand on a rock in the shape of a table "I am the blacksmith, and he is my little assistant!.. Or guardian. most people refer to him as the guardian... But he's nothing like Slash!"

  Aurelis sighed, his hands relaxing "I see."

  Kisukan yawned, rubbing her eyes "Anyways! You passed the labyrinth's test, so you deserve an award!"

  Aurelis raised an eyebrow, his chin resting on his hand "An award?"

  Kisukan nodded, tilting her head towards the back of the room "Yes, an award!"

  She stood up, gesturing Aurelis to follow "Most people come here to break curses, heal limbs, get cursed tools.."

  She knocked twice on the shack's wall.

  Small cuts appeared on the wall, spreading in the shape of a rectangle, creating a door.

  She turned her head back "Try not to trip!"

  The door led to a rocky stairway.

  Their steps echoed across the passage, each step echoing further than the last.

  As they reached the bottom, Kisukan clapped twice.

  A brick fell from a nearby wall, revealing a torch.

  As the rock fell to the ground, it split into two, revealing a stone key inside it.

  Kisukan picked the key, a cheeky grin spreading on her face as she stepped forward "So, Aurelis. Do tell, what is your habel?"

  Aurelis scratched his head "Habel huh? What about yours?"

  Kisukan smirked "Deflecting the question huh? Fair play."

  She turned around, her blue eyes glimmering in the torch's light "I can form rocks, plain and simple!"

  She demonstrates, raising a hand.

  On the palm, a stone forms from thin air, lunging into the ceiling in an instant.

  It fell alongside some rubbles, revealing another light source that lit through the hall

  She caught the rubbles as they fell, crushing them under her palm "Like it?"

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  She turned around, walking towards the room's front wall.

  Aurelis' brow twitches "Ah, I see."

  He sighed "Well, as for me, I can form ice."

  Kisukan tilted her head "Ice huh? Does it melt?"

  Aurelis shrugged and rolled his eyes "It vanishes into thin air after some time."

  Kisukan scoffed "Talk about disappointing powers."

  She raised the key up, sliding it into a crack in the wall.

  The key rustled, and the room shook.

  The wall slowly slid down, the sound of rocks colliding filling the air.

  Kisukan raised her hands up, turning around and exclaiming "This is the treasury!"

  Behind the wall, a dimly lit room revealed.

  Podiums lined up everywhere, each one incased with a different item, inside glass.

  Aurelis stared into the room "How did you even get glass here?"

  Kisukan raised an eyebrow "What is that supposed to mean?"

  Aurelis walked infront of one of the podiums, one with a long purple spear inside it.

  He tapped the glass lightly, as the knock echoes across the room.

  Kisukan sighed "What..? Never saw glass underground?"

  Aurelis tilted his head back "I guess I just found that hard to believe."

  Kisukan grumbled as her hands relaxed "Anyways.. choose whatever you want."

  Aurelis walked in between podiums, scanning the objects "What's the little one's habel?"

  Kisukan raised an eyebrow "You mean Zenshi?"

  Aurelis nodded "Yeah, that kid."

  Kisukan tapped her chin "Well, his power is forming imperfect clones based on his target's memory.. Though, they are super fragile! This child has much to learn, but he does the job.."

  Aurelis slides his hand across one of the podiums "And what is this?"

  He points at one of the podiums, inside it, a red chain necklace, with a darker red cross in the middle of it laid.

  Kisukan leaned towards the object "Oh this? One of my proudest creations!.. The wearer may go insane... but! It grants you the power to seep the power of your enemies!"

  She raised her hand with a clenched fist, a proud smile on her face "So in short, the more blood it consumes, the more insane and powerful you get!"

  Aurelis' finger flailed downwards "So... no."

  He turned to Kisukan "Say, anything regarding a black rapier? I saw one recently.."

  Kisukan stared blankly at Aurelis "You.. have to be a little more specific"

  Aurelis exhaled, opening his mouth "Wel-"

  The wall suddenly stretched further, grazing against the ground.

  Kisukan clapped twice "Ohh new things!"

  She walked to the back of the room.

  A podium raises in the space the wall cleared, a black rapier raises from it.

  Aurelis pointed at it "Good timing, That one."

  Kisukan exhaled "Must be something someone carried in here, cant imagine what happened to the guy.."

  She frowned for a moment "Oh well!"

  She carefully lifted the glass case up, her lips forming a smile as she picked up the rapier "Cool!"

  She swung it in place "It seeks blood too!"

  Aurelis rubbed his eyes "What is it with cursed objects seeking blood..?"

  Kisukan tilted her head to Aurelis, a grin on her face "Well, everything comes with a price; Blood is simply the easiest to spill."

  Aurelis rolled his eyes as he leaned on a wall "Yeah yeah, what does it do?"

  Kisukan clenched the rapier, her finger grazing across the blade "Well, if I had to guess, the more blood it consumes.."

  She lifted it up, the snake symbol glimmered in the dim light "You become quicker, more flexible, stronger... yeah, all of those!"

  The rapier suddenly swung up, piercing the roof.

  Kisukan lifted her head up for a moment.

  She burst laughing as she stretches her hand, pulling it down "And, if you don't feed it in time, it controls you too! Neat!"

  She carefully placed it back in the podium, turning back to Aurelis "Anyways, your choice?"

  Aurelis looked around "Well, I don't really need any weapons.."

  Footsteps echoing from the stairway, interrupting the conversation.

  Zenshi stepped down, dragging a body with him.

  Aurelis turned around.

  The moment his eyes grazed on Zenshi they twitched.

  He rushed forward, forming ice knives in his hands.

  He leaped on Zenshi, pinning him down.

  Kisukan formed a rock, launching it at Aurelis "What are you doing?!"

  Aurelis twisted around, slicing the rock in half.

  His eyes gazed Zenshi down, his knives standing idle around Zenshi's neck "That's... Vex."