Soma, who still retains his calmness despite knowing that a great trial is waiting upon them, decides to retreat first. He who is leading the way had a rough breath while his body excreted a lot of cold sweat. The pressure the wolf gave was so great that it put his mind in disarray for a moment.
Behind him, Hina closed her lips and kept alternating her gaze backward, wary of the strong presence that stood in their way. She is also afraid of the incoming attack from the blindspot, despite knowing that the monster that inhabits the maze will not leave their place except disturbed or challenged.
They let their feet drag them far away from the arena until the dark sky that loomed above their head changed into a clear blue one. Soma stops his feet and both of them simultaneously flop their butt and exhale a huge relief.
"That was crazy".
"..How can we defeat that monster..".
Hina's sorrowful voice entered his ear as he took a glance behind him. She kept her gaze on the ground. Her inside was in a storm making a mess out of her mind.
Soma, who noticed Hina's state, gripped their connected hands tightly. It made Hina's lifeless body jolted as she raised her head and met Soma's eyes.
"..Hina, tell me about the Storm Wolf".
The Storm wolf he remembered from the novel had almost the same attack patterns as the other four-legged beast. They mostly attack using their sharp claws and pointy canines to rip apart their enemy. Also for the storm wolf, as the name suggests. It can control wind that rivals an advanced magic user. That is all of the knowledge he knows in the novel.
However, a throwback to the sight he saw earlier, albeit small there is a lightning element that coated the wolf's body so he wasn't sure about the actual strength of the wolf.
This surprising event is nothing new to him. The Author who sent Soma inside the novel he wrote, probably inserted some new ability into the monster, or is it because he was inside the trial gate? He didn't know.
Looking at Soma's serene eyes greatly stirs the swirling emotion inside her mind. She turned her gaze down and then opened her mouth.
"Why?".
"Hmm?".
Soma raised his brows as he heard his question was replied with another question.
"..Why are you still able to keep your calm in this situation?".
He almost let his tongue slip and answered that he was already facing a stronger enemy than the wolf when he saved her parents back then. Not that he would say that so he keeps his mouth closed and just stares silently at her downcast figure.
"Why are you not afraid, after witnessing such a thing?".
"Hina you need to calm down..".
"How can you are not afraid after seeing that monster?".
"Hina, listen to me!".
"You, who was gravely injured when fighting against the Valiant Wolfs weeks ago and almost on the brink of death. How? ...How can you keep calm in the face of death".
Soma keeps his attention on her without moving his lips. Soma closed his distance with her and then put his left hand on the surface of her smooth-soft right cheek.
Hina who felt the warmth that radiated from her cheek stiffened her body. Then, the hand on her cheek moved as if guiding her, raised her gaze, and met the calm eyes of Soma that gave its mysterious vibes.
Soma, who succeeded in bringing her attention to him, tightened his connected hand on hers and caressed her soft cheeks making Hina close one of her eyes, purring like a cat.
"Of course, I was afraid. There is no one who wouldn't be afraid of facing that kind of strong monster or death".
"Then why?".
He stared at her eyes that had lost their light. Everything became clear of the thing that corroded her mind from the time they had that open talk weeks ago.
Hina was in a great anxious state. Trapped in the trial gate that was filled with danger, not knowing when or how she could escape, the battle with a Valiant Wolf that left a huge scar on him, probably affected her mind.
Despite having an ambitious resolve to get stronger. Hina was fourteen; she was still young to shoulder such a great burden with her fragile being. Not to mention that her mentality was still weak and it could be shaken anytime, for it never has any chance to mature first. Different from Soma who already had an experience from his previous memories and the mysterious past Soma in this world brought him back to the present.
However, this situation will come for her sooner or later. Because of this situation, Soma will use it to fuel her. This is an opportunity that she must face if she wants to break from her binding chain of fears. Soma looked directly into her eyes and then calmly told her.
"..Simple. I just want to leave this place(And to survive)".
Hina opened her eyes wide. She tried to let out the word that got stuck in her throat but to no avail.
"Listen, Hina, how should I say this..".
Soma paused, trying to arrange his reasoning before continuing.
"We are currently trapped inside this subspace and just like I said earlier, I want to leave this place. But, there is a great wall that prevents me from achieving that. So I have no choice, but to try to destroy the wall itself even if that could bring harm to myself. For the sake of leaving this place.".
Soma began to share his thoughts regarding the problem they are currently facing. The truth was he tried to arrange more deep complicated words but his personality prevented him from doing so.
"I want to leave this place. It keeps resonating within me and fuels my desire to move forward in my exploration. No matter what happens, I will do anything to survive and leave this place. You too want to see your parents right? They must be worried sick with your sudden disappearance, right now".
Hina's lifeless eyes began to regain their light upon the mention of her parents. Her halted thoughts start to function as she imagines what her parents are doing right now. "Are they looking for me? How was their condition? I miss them?". Her eyes turned blurry as she remembered that she still had her parents waiting for her outside. She felt that the warmth in her cheek moved and without any resistance, it led her to close the distance between her and him.
The distance between their faces was getting nearer as they could feel each other's breath. Hina who sobered up from her lifeless state stiffening her body, seeing Soma's calm face at such a close distance. Without any resistance, she let herself flow in the atmosphere and then closed her eyes.
However, the moment that she imagines does not come. Then, she could feel a gentle warmth that touched her forehead spread through her body melting her fear that shrouded her mind.
Hina opened her eyes and was now face to face with Soma who put his forehead with her. She could hear her heartbeat resonating with him creating a calm melody that enveloped both of them. With closed eyes, Soma opened his mouth.
"So Hina, could you please help me in fighting the Storm Wolf?".
Within the close distance they are, Hina could feel Soma's voice much clearer than before. Then she took a deep breath before answering.
"..Okay I will".
"Thank you".
Seeing Soma smile in close distance made Hina's heart begin to throb intensely and it sent a rush of blood to her face heating it.
Soma, who notices that Hina has regained her calm, separates himself and then exhales. "Crap, I unconsciously did that. Those were the habits my mother in this world used to calm me". He turned his attention to her and found that Hina's eyes were closed. "Is she mad?".
"So, Storm wolf right? The enemy we must face this time".
Soma saw Hina open her eyes slowly, their gaze met head-on. Then, he raised his eyebrows because noticing that the fire in her eyes was lit. Seeing the fire that began to blaze in her eyes lit the fire inside him too as he lifted the corner of his mouth.
"Yes, let's make some preparations first".