"I wouldn't call myself a 'genius,'" Kael says, leaning casually against the mossy wall, a smirk curling his lips. "Leena, just who are you?" He glances up at the sky, taking note of the owls perched around the mountaintop, their sizes ranging from small bird-like creatures to massive beings as large as houses. 'How did Leena revive this species?' he wonders, the question nagging at his mind.
Leena narrows her eyes, looking at Kael from head to toe. 'Who is this?' Her thoughts race as she compares him to the V she remembers. 'He looks completely different. Did I teleport the wrong person?' she wonders, sighing softly. But as she examines him more closely, there's something in his posture, in the way he carries himself. 'They do look slightly... just slightly similar.'
Without a word, Leena shrugs off her crimson black robe, revealing herself. She wears sleek black leather pants, but the material is artfully cut to show glimpses of her legs, as if stockings crisscross beneath the leather. The subtle flower pattern, dark red like freshly bloomed roses, weaves through the exposed parts of her skin, blending with the black leather in a way that feels both dangerous and elegant. Her top is tight, pressing her chest together in a way that exudes confidence and control—functional but distinctly her own creation. Leena's look is a product of necessity and creativity.
"Ugh," Kael exhales, scratching his head and ruffling his light brown hair, which catches the sunlight. With a grin, he steps forward. "I'm V. Just cleaned up my face a little, that's all." He waves his hand, completely unfazed by her transformation. "Now, tell me, why the hell did you teleport me here? Where is everyone else?"
Snap.
Leena raises her arm, her expression cold, as a blue holographic screen appears in front of her. It fizzes slightly, glitching for brief moments before stabilizing. The screen shows Cora and the rest of the group approaching the massive, twisted tree. The ominous structure looms over them, its black bark and creeping vines like something pulled from a nightmare.
"I teleported them to the final floor," Leena says, her voice unnervingly calm. "An inescapable place where they will be converted and morphed into life boxes. It's a fate I don't wish for you." She lowers her arm, her eyes fixed on Kael, reading him. "The process is painful, irreversible. They will be trapped in that form and eventually die when mother absorbs them."
"Mother?" Kael murmurs under his breath, his tone calm but threaded with a steely resolve. He takes several measured steps forward, the gusts intensifying around him as the wind sweeps through the ancient pines. Leaves, dislodged by the sudden gale, swirl wildly, some catching on his clothes before flying off into the darkening sky. "So, you took pity and brought me here? Am I supposed to be thankful for this mercy of yours?"
Leena's lips curve in a light smile as she steps forward until her eyes align with his, their faces inches apart. Her crimson eye shimmers, and in the other, the flower-like eye darkens with an unfathomable sadness. "No," she replies softly, her voice holding a warmth that seems to contradict the cold air around them. Her words aren't filled with the malice or bitterness he expects; instead, they carry a note of sincerity, almost gentle.
"The moment you passed his test, you were destined to die," she says quietly, her gaze unwavering. "I'm sorry for it. I did try to pull you out, to grant you some form of escape from this fate, but I am bound to the laws set by this cursed dungeon." Her fingers twitch slightly, barely visible in the shadows of her cloak, as if her body rebels against her words.
"I will kill you," she says, her voice like a cold blade, cutting through the silence, though it remains oddly tender. "It will be painless. A better fate than those on the final floor, one I can give you without cruelty or suffering." Her eyes lower slightly, not out of shame but something more weighted, something like regret. 'Is it guilt for all the souls I've trapped here? Perhaps... I don't know. But this... this is the least I can do.'
Turning around, Kael walks to a nearby tree, his fingers brushing over its rough, weathered bark. "I see now," he murmurs, almost to himself. "You're the dungeon master by title, but you're as much its prisoner as anyone else." His fingers slip into his pocket, pulling out his TSI, "I appreciate the intent, Leena, really," he says, the hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, "but I'll have to refuse."
A gust catches the clouds beneath him, sweeping tendrils of mist around his legs as the spectral owls begin to stir. Slowly, each owl lifts from its perch, some the size of a sparrow and others large enough to cast shadows over him. They take to the sky, forming a haunting circle as they weave through the air, then soar toward the horizon, fading like memories against the backdrop of an endless sky.
Leena watches them with something close to reverence, her gaze distant. "You don't get to refuse," she says softly, her eyes fixed on the vanishing owls. "Either I kill you, or Mother will." There's a heaviness to her tone, an ache buried beneath the words. She lifts her head to take in the sky, her expression softening as if savoring every detail. "You know, this is the first time I've spoken to anyone for more than a few minutes."
She lowers herself slowly, taking a seat on the mossy ground, her hands clasped loosely in her lap. "Tell me... about the world." Her voice barely carries over the rustle of leaves. "I was curious once. Over the centuries, though, that curiosity... faded." She lets out a sigh, the sound weighed down by years of unspoken longing. "I used to read that it's beautiful—filled with people, creatures, sights that words can't describe." She closes her eyes, as though trying to conjure those images from memory alone. "Before I die, I'd like to know more about that beauty."