"About the undergrounds you were saying?" Levi asked.
The duo made their way through foreign spaces in the core of the ground. Box led with a ball of fire in his palms, approaching darker variations of the underground cave.
When Box didn't answer his question, Levi asked another. "Where are we going actually? You act like you know this place."
"I don't," Box replied stolidly.
"So...if you don't know, where are we going?" Levi asked again.
Box didn't reply, he looked straight ahead, still leading the way. The dancing illumination of his flames, flickering on their faces.
Levi scoffed, taking a glance at the road they had covered, just darkness. He rubbed his arms together, it was quite cold down there. "If we are going to have an indefinite wa-" Levi was saying, before Box interrupted.
"You do know that regenerates follow sound waves?" Box turned with the question.
Levi looked at him as Box held the fire close in between their faces. They had similar heights, but Levi could tell Box was older. "We don't know where we are going?" Levi asked, he felt like the stupid one.
"Didn't the thought occur to you that we could just be walking and pop out to freedom?" Box replied with another question. He gestured his arm forward, presenting a dead end, covered by rocks. "If you may?" He asked Levi.
Levi's eyes widened. He looked at the dead end and at Box, "If I may what? We're stuck!"
Box sighed. "You are strong aren't you? Tell Lexi to do something about this, maybe bring out those veins again."
Levi shook his head and placed his hands on his hips. "It doesn't work that way, Lexi says we can't merge for now."
"You're sure about that?" Box asked, cocking his head.
[But with our covalence restored, I could take over for a few quick seconds]
"Oh," Levi whispered.
Box nodded and gestured once more to the close. "Maybe you could break through it or something," he added.
Levi braced himself and walked to the rocks. He placed his hands on them, about to focus and hand over possession to Lexi. Box's words interrupted his concentration.
"You didn't wear the bracelet?" Box asked, pointing at Levi's wrists.
Levi, who was startled, turned around. He quickly understood Box's question and rampaged his brain for an excuse. "It must've fallen off or was destroyed during the battle," Levi lied.
Box only smiled. "You take me as a fool?" He chuckled. "These bracelets are made up of a chemical," he added, showing off his. "It can't be destroyed easily, it can't be destroyed at all." Box confirmed his statement by bringing the bracelet on his wrist close to the flame conjured by his other hand.
[He is certainly right! I believe it's the same chemical the spall in your head is coated with]
"So you didn't wear it in the first place," Box finished.
Levi looked at him, surprised. How does he know about it? How does he know the bracelets are indestructible? "And how do you know this?" Levi asked out the questions in his head.
Box just stared at him and swung his head back to their problem. Levi hesitated, still eager for his answers. Suddenly, the ball of fire over Box's palm doused, bringing pitch black darkness to them.
"What the hell?" Levi asked, spreading his arms in search to touch Box.
"Must've been my abilities, they're gone," Box replied in the dark.
"Gone?"
"Temporarily. We have to be fed, and have good sleep if we want to work efficiently," Box said with a sigh. "Just do something about this dead end," he added.
Levi turned his attention back to the close and placed his hands on it once again. Slowly, he felt his body pale and numb, starting from his neck and through his chi spots.
With pressure from his palms, the rocks shattered into pieces.
Lexi handed back possession to Levi immediately. He fell to the ground panting hard as little light peeked into the underground, leading upwards.
"Good job," Box appreciated with pats on Levi's back. He made his way over the fallen rocks upwards and peered out to the open space.
Levi gathered himself together and followed Box. "So, did we pop out to freedom?" Levi asked, approaching beside Box, who was staring straight ahead.
"No, we just dug our way to agony," Box muttered, still looking afar.
Levi shifted his gaze to the open space of void and nothing. He started to tremble, seeing the thousands of humanoid creatures lurking all around, clustered together. The creatures had hunchbacks, they all stared at the two academics.
"I told you we should've stayed put," Levi whimpered.
"Level 1 regenerates," Box said, pulling out a concealed club from his trousers.
Levi's eyes widened. "What are you doing?" He quickly questioned.
Box shrugged and raised a brow. "You wouldn't let them rip you apart without fighting back, would you?"
"Fight?!"
"You rather go back underground? They'll pursue you in there and you'll have nowhere to run," Box skimmed Levi. "You should be grateful, you have...Lexi with you."
Levi protested, "But it can't help me right now!"
"Then pull out your pocket knife and try not to die," Box finished, taking a combat pose.
Levi patted his burnt uniform, searching for the knife. He found it concealed to his side. Pulling it out, he slowly mimicked Box's pose.
The creatures stared at them for a long while, before one lunged forward. Then two and the rest, running frantically at the academics.