Slowly traversing the frigid Dungeon, Nico, Isaac, Oliver, and Leon kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings. If there was one thing they had learned from the last five days; it was that a demonic creature could suddenly appear at any moment.
As such, they had to be prepared both physically and mentally to face such a threat.
Behind them, a few paces away, the cloaked figure maintained his relaxed attitude, much to the extreme chagrin of the others.
So far, they had not needed much aid from their ill-tempered teammate. However, there was no guarantee things would remain that way forever.
'Always expect the worst.' Nico thought, recalling the old adage.
That was the second thing he and his teammates had naturally grasped during their tumultuous time within this otherworldly realm.
Clicking his tongue internally, the brown-haired boy shook his head lightly to remove any thoughts of the cloaked figure. He studied the map on his bracelet to help with that.
And when he did, a frown appeared on his face.
'Huh?'
Since when had a blue dot popped up on a map? And why did that azure mote seem like it was heading towards them?
Nico jolted, a sudden ominous premonition flooding his mind. The unease within his chest flared so greatly that he groaned and staggered, almost losing his balance in the process.
"Woah, Nico! Are you okay?!" Isaac asked, a hint of worry in his voice as he stopped beside the brown-haired boy.
Oliver and Leon halted as well, both sending concerned glances towards him.
"I'm… fine," Nico panted, clutching his chest. "It's probably nothing."
That sure seemed like nothing, the three youths near him thought in unison.
"More importantly, have any of you checked your maps recently?" The brown-haired boy slowly stood up straight, beads of sweat glittering like little pinpricks of light on his forehead. "There's a random blue dot slowly heading towards us. I have a feeling it means us harm."
'I wonder what it could be.' he thought to himself, while the rest of his teammates - bar the cloaked figure - had an urgent peek at the bands strapped to their wrists.
"He's right!" The younger elf exclaimed.
Oliver's eyes narrowed, while Leon's brows creased into a frown.
"What do you think we should do?" Nico asked, looking at each of his peers with a hint of urgency.
Even though they did not know why the brown-haired boy seemed so frantic, they quickly sensed the gravity of the situation. If something was specifically seeking them out, there was a high chance it wasn't coming to be nice to them.
"Maybe we should wait until the Dungeon shifts again?" Isaac suggested. "That way we'll be able to confirm for sure whether it's heading towards us, or if it's just a creepy fluke."
"I agree," Oliver nodded, concurring with his brother's reasoning.
The half-blood shrugged. He could not refute the logic of that idea.
"Okay, it's settled then." Nico breathed through his nose to try to calm his erratic heartbeat.
He turned around, allowing himself a glance toward the hooded figure. His expression slowly darkened in the process.
The person in question remained as non-plussed as ever, something which irked Nico greatly. He gritted his teeth, feeling as if his cloaked peer was mocking him with a derisive smirk under the hood.
'Calm down. We don't know for sure if it's heading towards us yet.' The brown-haired boy reminded himself.
Yet, as the seconds ticked by, Nico was increasingly sure that he was right.
The final nail in the coffin occurred when the surrounding terrain began to rumble and shake. When it finally subsided, the blinking azure mote was not only heading their way but also that much closer to them as well.
'Blasted Fate!' Nico cursed, on the verge of hyperventilating.
"Well, that's that then..." Isaac smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.
Oliver just sighed, while Leon gritted his teeth, holding his sledgehammer tightly.
The brown-haired boy started pacing, checking the map with every second that passed, hoping against hope that what he had in mind wasn't happening.
Seeing their peer so troubled only served to worry the three youths more. Until eventually, the older of the two green-haired elves could take it no longer.
"Nico, why are you so anxious? Just calm down!" Oliver made a move to stop the brown-haired boy in his tracks.
"You don't understand!" Nico slapped the elf's hand away.
The he-elf flinched, while Nico cringed.
"Sorry," the brown-haired boy hastily apologised with a sigh. His bearing turned downcast. "It's just that I've experienced this feeling once before and lost someone dear to me. I don't want a repeat of that happening again."
The half-blood clenched his fist, the memories of that fateful day flashing through his eyes.
Isaac and Oliver's faces softened, expressions of sympathy and compassion, as well as understanding forming on their delicate features.
"It's fine," The older elf waved his teammate's apology away. "It's not like I don't understand where you're coming from."
Nico shrank slightly under the knowing look of his green-haired peer.
He then took a breath before whirling around and heading toward his unruly peer with a stormy expression on his face.
The two elves and half-blood silently followed him, sharing an uneasy glance.
Nico struggled to contain the wild and intense fury simmering under his barely maintained facade of calmness. The source of his anger stood there without a care for the world, only serving to rile him up further.
"Are you the cause of this azure mote?" he asked, clenching his teeth together to stop himself from cursing his teammate.
Nico felt the cloaked figure's bored gaze bore into his own. He saw his peer scoff and shake his head as if he was silently ridiculing him.
The brown-haired boy's whole body trembled.
A vein pulsed on his temple in response to the sheer effort it took to control himself.
Both panic and rage clashed inside him, only exacerbating his chaotic emotions further.
Somehow managing not to lash out with his spear - much to the relief of the rest of his team - Nico continued to stare at the hooded individual with grim intensity.
Meanwhile, the cloaked figure still kept ignoring him.
Each second that passed filled with air with such crackling tension, that Isaac, Leon and Oliver found their bodies to be beyond tense.
Eventually, the brown-haired boy gritted his teeth with more strength, releasing the seal he kept on his emotions,
"Answer me, dammit! I swear to any of the Transcendents, if any of us die because of your foolishness, I will make it my life's mission to hunt you down!"
Nico lunged at the cloaked figure, his spear piercing through the air with a menacing whoosh.
"Nico, no!" Oliver stopped his incensed peer in his tracks, grabbing both arms with the help of the half-blood.
The spear in Nico's grasp stopped an inch from the void obscuring the hooded figure's face.
Almost impressed by his ability not to flinch in the face of sudden danger, the elf and half-blood dragged their companion back before he could do anything rash.
Nico panted.
The sense of panic he felt could almost drown him whole, such was its ferocity and strength.
'Blazing Fates!'
The brown-haired boy did his best to let the anger fade away from his body, promptly placing a lid on his rising panic.
"Thanks, I'm good now." He said to both Oliver and Leon after a few moments.
The elf and half-blood shared a brief but silent conversation. The duo then nodded to each other and let him go.
Stretching his left arm to alleviate some of the pain - the half-blood's iron grip had been crushing - Nico turned around and walked forward without gazing back. An emotionless expression plastered on his face.
Staring at his back, the trio of Oliver, Isaac and Leon silently prayed that his suspicions would turn out to be incorrect.