Aria opened her eyes. She blinked once, twice, then thrice. The rocky floor underneath her back felt quite nice, so she rolled over, yawning as she decided to sleep in for the day. But something tugged at her arms. “Just one more minute…” she purred. “C’mon, Fareeeemmm… Come back to bed. Let’s cuddle~”

Wait. Rocky floor?

Aria’s plates clanked loudly as she jolted upward, clutching her aching head, her sight filled with a swirling vision. It seemed they had hit the floor after that long fall. Her eyes swept around the space, taking in the strange and dark surroundings. She was in an underground cave. The hole that led them here loomed ominously above Aria, the entrance sealed shut. She cursed under her breath, vowing to kill the priest when she escaped this horrible cave. Drips and drops of water could be heard from afar. Perhaps, there was a lake inside the cave.

A [Void Tendril] spiralled around her arm, tugging at its master in a burst of worry. “Haha…” She gently petted the tendril. “I’m alright, [Void Tendril]. You may leave.” The tendril nodded and vanished into the darkness.

Hold on. Where was Farem?

Her eyes scrunched in fear. Cutting her breath short, the Dark Lord zipped around the space at maximum speed, trying desperately to locate Farem. As she bolted deeper into the cave, blue crystals flashed in her vision, jutting from the cavern walls and ceilings in mangled shapes. A crystal cave? She stared at her human face in the crystal, its brows furrowed and its lips bitten anxiously. Aria could have sworn she and Farem were hugging each other when they crashed, so where had he been flung to?!

“[Abyssal Palace]!” she screamed desperately. “Track down Farem! NOW!”

The darkness thrust forth, coiling around the walls and floors. It dug into the earth feverishly, slithering like a snake as it tracked down its master’s beloved partner. A minute passed by. Then another. And yet… nothing. Aria squeezed her eyes shut, gripping her long tresses as she steered the darkness around the cave, stretching mile after mile beyond the earth, her senses tuned to the extreme. Still nothing. But she wouldn’t give up. She bit her lips hard enough to draw black blood, straining her mind to find Farem as if her life depended on it.

Then she found him.

In an instant, Aria dove into the darkness, swimming through the earth and straight to Farem. When she emerged from the void, he was there, stuck inside the bowels of the ground, with only his legs flailing upward and his torso submerged. “[Void Tendrils]!” she yelled, gripping his legs and yanking them with all her might. “Help me dig him up!”

Sharp tendrils sprang from behind her. They didn’t waste one second more and started jabbing the floor with intense force, determined to smash the earth open to rescue Farem. “DIG FASTER!” she barked hoarsely, pulling Farem even harder, her knuckles turning white.

At last, he popped out.

Farem crumpled lifelessly as Aria laid him down on the floor. Water bubbled from his lips, drowning his throat toward an early death. Aria gasped, glancing at the hole she had just pulled him out of. Below, a small lake of water trickled through the earth, sneering at her from afar.

Cursing, Aria pinched his nose and gave him two breaths to the mouth, forming a seal around it. His chest began rising. Then she applied thirty chest compressions in quick succession. His throat started gurgling. Gritting her teeth, Aria blew two more breaths into his mouth. Then thirty more compressions. And she repeated it. Over and over.

Finally, as if the gods performed a miracle, Farem spurted out a hail of water, gagging off every single drop. He rolled over to the side, fainted, his fate hanging by the minute.

Glowing white tears pricked her eyes as Aria shook him hopelessly, screaming pleas and prayers for him to wake up.

“Please! Farem, wake up! Please, PLEASE!” she cried. “I know you are stronger than this! Goddamn it, WAKE UP, you STUPID IDIOT!”

He didn’t wake up.

“Please… don’t leave me…”