"I want to stay! I want to live with mister!"
For the first time in her life, Iva lets out a loud voice and succumb to her overflowing emotion.
She has buried this feeling deep within her heart, and Xiao has it cracked open.
"I see," Xiao replied with a satisfied expression. Iva finally shows her true feeling to him.
Xiao pats the still crying Iva on the head to comfort her while thinking about his decision.
("Alright, since Iva has spoken loud and clear about herself, what about me?")
Xiao question his own morality. He questions himself to bring Iva back with him without asking the villagers' concern in her village.
But after Xiao thinks deeply, he realizes that that was just an excuse he uses to deceive himself from the real reason. The reason why he insists on bringing Iva back to her village in the first place.
("No. That's just a stupid excuse for myself. The truth is...")
Xiao was afraid, afraid that someone he knew dies in front of him again. He couldn't bear to suffer the guilt of being the only one to survive in the end, and everyone around blames him for it.
Xiao thinks back on his past experience with his family and Lars. He shivers uncontrollably as he still can hear the angry voices of the others in his mind.
("I'm weak, super weak. I'm only good at running away and protecting myself. Hell, it didn't even count as protecting myself as I can't die.")
Can he protect Iva for the rest of his life? The answer is obviously no for Xiao. He knew his limit, for he is not as strong as Hatta or the other heroes.
Xiao looks at Iva, who was in his arm, looking relieved from revealing her true feeling.
("Her life will be in my hand if I agree to bring her back. Can I keep her away from harm? Can I protect her for the rest of my life?")
After a long and serious thought, Xiao finally comes to terms with himself as he came out with a solution, the only solution to convince himself to take responsibility for Iva's life.
("I guess that the only way for her...")
"...that's the only way..." Xiao mumbles softly without realizing he was letting out his thought.
"Yes?" Iva looks at him as she thought Xiao was speaking to her.
"Nah, it's nothing," Xiao smiles it off as he pulls Iva up from the ground.
"And one more thing, since you will be living with me from now on, call me Xiao instead of mister, okay?" Xiao requested.
"Okay...mis-sorry, Xiao."
Iva timidly called Xiao's name for the first time, and Xiao nodded his head in satisfaction.
"With that being said, let's go home then, shall we?"
Upon hearing what Xiao had said, Iva blooms out a smile that stunned Xiao. It was the purest smile Xiao had ever see from Iva.
"Yes!" she gave out a cheerful reply.
("Still, getting out of here is not easy as it's being said. What to do? what to do?")
They are currently in the lair of the monster so-called man-eater.
Xiao deducted that since monsters around didn't dare to approach its lair and appear as a legend for Iva's village, this man-eater must be the strongest monster in the Shadow forest.
("So, we have a legendary monster that might or might not be lurking around, tons of monsters that can't be hurt with any physical attack, and the annoying fog.")
Usually, Xiao would not felt anything even when the situation was dire because he can't die.
But now, Xiao has to consider all factors and develop the safest plan to get them out of the forest.
Even without the man-eater, they still have to deal with monsters while traversing in the fog.
("We shouldn't be in this situation if we were to be more honest to each other.")
With the situation so dire, Xiao couldn't help but regret his stupidity and cowardness that put both of them in danger.
("Well, no use thinking of the past mistake. Away with my regret! And focus on finding the solution now!")
When Xiao was cracking his brain to come out with a solution, Iva noticed something and walked towards it.
"Xiao," Iva called out to him.
Xiao looks at Iva. She beckons him to go towards her.
As Xiao approaches her, Iva pointed to the ground. Some shining stick was stuck in the ground, among a pile of armour and mud.
Curious about what was it, Xiao scraps away the things surrounding the shining stick and starts digging the ground.
"A staff?"
The shining stick turns out to be a staff, with an orb and some fancy jewel attached.
Xiao activates Gamer Eyes to analyze the staff.
It was called the staff of luminous, a rank B weapon uses by mages.
The staff of luminous enhance user's magic attack, especially light element magic.
What makes Xiao grin in fortunate was the staff's second ability, called Purging Light.
The skill Purging Light chase away all low-level monsters that prefer a dark place. It will blast out a blinding light from the orb, which keeps the monsters at bay and serves as a light source.
("Guess the party came prepared but fell prey to the man-eater. I wonder what is there to find in this godforsaken place?")
Xiao deducted that a party of adventurers must have travelled into this forest and lost their lives to the man-eater. The only things they left behind were their equipment, including the staff of luminous.
With this staff, the worry of the monsters has been settled. The final concern for Xiao to clear was the direction and the fog.
"What is this?" asked Iva while looking at the staff.
"Something that increases our survivability and gets us out of here," says Xiao as he rubs off the dirt around the staff.
"What about those monsters that were chasing us just now? Can we escape from them?" Iva raises her concern.
"Well, though the mana in this staff is limited, it should be enough to hold the monsters until we reach somewhere safe, I think," says Xiao.
"You think?" Iva pick up Xiao's last word.
"Just being honest, I can't be 100% sure that we will reach the exit before its mana runs out."
Xiao answers bluntly as he doesn't wish to make any fake promise to Iva.
"Okay, I can't fight, so I'll run as fast as I can," says Iva.
"That's reassuring," Xiao smiles as he pats Iva's head.
Xiao tries to look around the cave to see if any other useful items lay around. Still, besides the staff, the rest were just armour and weapon only.
("I was really hoping to find at least a map or something. Guess I wish for too much, huh?")
Seeing they rested enough and considering the amount of time passed already, Xiao decided to escape as soon as possible.
As Xiao and Iva move to the cave entrance, though no monsters could be seen, they felt something were watching their every move in the fog.
"Since we can't really see anything in front, our plan is to run as fast as possible while going straight. We never twist or turn on our way here, so that's our best shot on getting out of here."
Xiao explained his plan to Iva. She replied Xiao with a confident affirmative as she believes in Xiao.
"So, you ready?" Xiao asked.
Iva was holding Xiao's hand. She nodded her head and grips his hand tightly in response.
"Alright, let's go."
With that being said, they start walking out of the cave and dive into the forest once more.
With just a few steps after they set their foot into the forest, monsters begin to appear all around them again, eager to inflict pain and death on them.
"Will you look at those little bastards. They must have been waiting for us to come out all the while," says Xiao while he prepares to initiate the staff's skill.
Xiao signals Iva to run once the skill activates. And as the monsters ferociously closing the gaps towards them, Xiao raised the staff of luminous high up to the sky and shouted:
"Purging Light!"