Just like his brother, Gin's trial went wrong. After being split from Nere, Gin and Neo were left to face swarms of mutated crabs and deformed starfish. Jumping out from every direction, it grew more and more difficult for the men to cover each other's backs and their own. Not being able to do much with his Scythe, it became clear the duo had no choice but to retreat. Gin takes off first, leaving Neo to leave a barrier of ice from his feet to the ceiling of the cave.

        "That should buy us a few minutes," Neo breathed out, relieved to be able to take a breath. "The wall isn't that thick, we need to find Nere, now." A sense of urgency that wasn't there before laced Neo's words that worried Gin.

        I wasn't too hard on her, the teen reassured himself while following after his older teammate but it worried him that he needed the reassurance, to begin with. His words cut deep, he knew that but leaving her behind would only be adding salt to her wounds. Nere was dressed in fear before their exam even started. If her doubts weren't enough, her lack of altruism only contributed to Gin's ideas of her being a coward.

        No matter which corner she turned, which tunnel she ran through, or how loud she screamed her teammate's names, Nere was hopelessly lost. Between her panic-induced sobs and calling for what was her friend, Nere's voice only started fading. As if it wasn't enough choking on her words, with every inhale, a sharp pain shot through Nere's chest. No longer caring to find her teammates, Nere stopped where she was in the moss-covered hole that only seemed to get darker the further she went.

        Replacing her concern for her friends, Nere's main concern shifted to trying to breathe properly. With each inhale, it was like the air went out a hole in her throat, leaving her lungs to starve and her chest to tighten. It didn't take long for her to recognize the panic attack. They weren't unusual for the terrified teen. Ever since she was young, Nere's fear always knew exactly how to swallow her from the inside out. Maneuvering through her thoughts, the embodiment of the terror paralyzing her searched and picked out her deepest fears, her darkest ideas. Highlighting each one it found, Nere was left to follow in its tracks to dim those thoughts and pick herself up.

        Using her mother's voice to guide herself through the tunnels in her head, she followed her gentle calls and soothing whispers to the safe memories of her hometown. Growing up with Xeno, adventure wasn't foreign to the child. When things got boring in the village, Nere would find herself wandering through the mine beside her village. Chasing glowing bugs through the dusty mine, it was easy to get distracted and lost in their enchanting trail.

        Rescuing her whenever she stayed out too late, Nere's mother would be the one to pull her from the illuminating glow of the insects. Her mothers' warm embrace carried her home when the bugs tried to lure her a few steps too deep into the mine.

        Instead, Nere only seemed to sink into the moss surrounding her, wishing and hoping her mother would come and save her. Hoping that the glowing bugs would guide her way back to her teammates. Her sickening, broken sobs turned to gentle sobs for her mother, begging her to pull her from the overbearing tunnel.

        "Now, now, who's going to carry you home when I'm gone?" Her mothers' voice became lower, a lot more muffled but her mother had a point. Every time her mother would pull her from the mine, she'd make the same point. There would come a time Nere would have to pick herself up and bring herself home.

        Shaking herself from her panicked state, Nere brought herself back to the tunnel of moss. Rising to her feet as slow as possible, Nere equipped her sword but didn't take a step. Her legs shook under her, pleading for her not to go anywhere. The stress from sobbing and hyperventilating drained her of most of her strength. Though, Nere wasn't a hundred percent sure if it was from that or the being in front of her that slowly approached. In the distance, hidden by the darkness of the cave, it looked almost like a snake, slowly slithering its way to her. A low rumble emitted from the being, a growl almost.

        The closer it got, the more detailed it got. Nere's grip on her sword slipped until it fell from her hand and was swallowed by the moss. Her brown hair, her warm aura. Nere could feel the sense of home drifting from the being.

        "Mom?" she called out with hope, a smile threatening to replace her pained expression. "Mom!" Running at full speed, not caring if it was her mother or not, Nere opened her arms to pull them into a hug. However, just as Nere's arm wrapped around the blurred being, she fell right through it. Nere's eyes widened when her hands hit a ground different from the moss. Slimy and wet, Nere's hands and knees slipped with every movement she made.

        Slowly closing her hands into fists, Nere stayed where she was until the mental image of her mother faded entirely. There was no more space left in her chest, her heart felt compressed enough to pop at any second. The urge of wanting to scream into the nothingness overwhelmed her but her voice was already gone. Her vocal cords strained and swollen, it seemed her only option was to wallow in her own despair. Her tears ducts grew dry and she was left with her silent sobs, nothing but pained scratches at the back of her throat; constant gulps to keep herself from throwing up at the feeling.

        I tried mom. I tried for you... You were my reason, my hope... My light. I wasn't even your own child, yet you still treated me like I was. Such a kind and loving soul ripped from the world. Yet here I am... What's the point? Being a hunter... You're supposed to be prepared to walk into battle at any given point. There is no time for panic attacks, there are no bugs that light up that will lead you home... You're on your own and I didn't realize that until it was too late.

        You tried to tell me, mom. You tried to warn me. 

        I should've listened! I should've left! I should've listened!

        Feelings swarmed Nere, the intensity of the next being stronger than the last. She was angry that Gin and Neo left her behind but there was something else building to that anger that she'd yet to identify.

        Did Gin have a point? I'm a coward, I don't deserve the power to save anyone. Hell, I'm not even capable of saving anyone! Look at me! Eaten by some beast whole because I was too weak to fight for myself.

        To fight for you.

        Is it so wrong that I didn't want to see anyone get hurt? Is it so wrong that I couldn't bear to watch one of my closest friends get tossed around and beaten? Is there something so wrong with wanting to shield me from some of the harsh realities of the world I live in...? Do you have any idea what I would give to be strong like Xeno? To be able to watch everything I love get torn apart and still have the strength to get up in the morning with a purpose? With a goal?

        With hope?

        "How about your faith?"

        Startled, Nere snapped right out of her heartwrenching thoughts to the voice that was too vivid to be a hallucination. Looking around the belly of the beast she sat in, surprise drowned most of the other emotions into the stomach acid surrounding her. "Who are you?" Across from her, a little boy.

        Fear wasn't evident in him. He looked strangely calm. It confused her but it intrigued her. He'd been eaten as well but he wasn't scared. "You're saying you want strength, you want the power to prove your teammates wrong. How are you going to do that from in here?" His white hoodie remained unstained by the stomach acid and other unidentifiable liquids that sloshed around. With his bright yellow sleeves being the only colorful part of the boys' hoodie, Nere found it odd she didn't spot him when she first fell in.

        "Who are you?" Nere repeats in a louder voice but hers was the only one that echoed.

        "From where I'm sitting," the boy said before tilting his head to the side. He took a sarcastic look around before giving her a cheap smile. "You're shit out of luck." The strange boy uncrosses his legs and, with ease, hops off the solid bone he sat on. His feet didn't sink below the foul-smelling juices. Instead, his gentle footsteps left corresponding prints that disappeared after only a few seconds. "I can help you, you know. I can give you all the power you could possibly need."

        There wasn't an ounce of Nere that wasn't interested. Crouching down in front of her, a smug smirk replaced the once genuine smile his face held. He offered his small, pale hand to shake.

        "I can give you the ability to get out of this creature, out of this cave, and away from the harsh reality of the world you live in. What do you say?" Part of Nere feared that if she tried to shake his hand, he'd disappear just like her mother did. But what if he didn't? What if he was just as real as the creature that ate her? The fear of making the wrong decision wasn't as great as the fear of dying.

        Gulping down the last bit of pride she had left, Nere shook the boy's hand. "Deal."