Following a calm night came the day that Hildebrant spent following David and his two companions.
He was no longer half-naked but wore the old scally jacked and wide shorts gifted to him by Osmian and Lucia at David's request. In the beginning, he wanted to refuse but when Lucia stripped before him and handed her jacket without saying words, he had no choice but to dress himself up and finally cower his exposed skinny body.
She now ran just in a loose shirt that exposed her fair soft skin and a slight glow coming from her forehead.
Osmian on the other hand ran just in his pants with a red face.
All four of them didn't talk just went from dune to dune while avoiding the wooden vessels on Hildebrant request. At first, all three people questioned him but after explaining that all these creatures could be connected to the crimson monster, they all turned still and then nodded.
"What's the plan?"
Hildebrant asked interested in what David had in mind and David did not disappoint him.
"I want to seek alyssum with light bringers but before that happens, we need to pass the great hall of Blood Demon to get there."
He said in a silent voice trying to minimize attack coming from weird creatures that lived on the white shore and adapted to its habitant. That did not stop Hildebrant from having his doubts however as changing allegiance was not as easy as it looked with seven rules in place.
"Won't that be practically impossible with this?"
He showed a sigil that made him part of the exploration force of exorcist and glancing at it all people's faces twisted just David stayed unchanged.
"With Osmian mastery over his body, and Lucia's powers it shouldn't be so hard."
"That doesn't sound reassuring."
David chuckled.
"Lucia might not look like it, but her powers are the only reason why we can move for so long without being attacked. Not many are as gifted as her."
Lucia who ran almost next to David blushed and then hid her red face behind her cold expression, but Hildebrant could not help but roll his eyes.
David was a true beast.
Uncanny, terrible, and disgusting beast.
"How did you even get out of the sanctuary it surely wasnt easy."
Maybe because of the loss of the great hall, all three became solemn and didn't dare to look at him or in any other direction only David's voice came resonating in his head like a drum.
"We get out through tunnels; they are connected to the entire sanctuary and if people know how to navigate, they can get everywhere even outside. But we no longer can use the same way to get to Lightbringers."
"Why?"
Agitated and surprised were a weak words to describre his state after learning there was an entire domain of paths leading to all corners of the sanctuary and even outside of this place. He could not understand why they could not use it if they were able to escape from there to the white shore. Wasn't it much safer than traveling through enemy territory and corridors filled with nothing but unknown types and class of monsters?
"Because he went it."
This time it was Osmian who answered him. His eyes were clean and after a night of rest, he looked much calmer than before but the seriousness in his voice made Hildebrant still remember Venus's face.
"He is in, that monster that attacked Cecilie went in after us, it followed us and then killed fifteen of your friends."
With a twisted face, Osmian clenched his fist, and with fury dripping down his mouth tears of anger began to come out of his eyes.
"That monster laughed while he ripped their head off and stepped on their corpses. He enjoyed it and even dragged, my Sera behind him like she was luggage without any mercy after he broke her legs."
Osmian violently trembled so much that David had no choice but to put his hand on his shoulder to calm him down. There was slight madness in Osmain's gaze and darkness spreading through it like some infection.
But Hildebrant had still many questions.
Like how did they survive them?
Did Icarus let them go?
"We used the terrain to our advantage to dodge his attack but in the end, it was still just three of us who were able to escape, without Lucia's help I don't think I would be able to walk out after that thing threw that spear at me."
With a hopeless smile, David turned his head to him slightly.
"What about you? How did you get away?"
This time not just David but also Lucia and Osmian turned their heads and Hildebrant just stared at their figures and could not help but remember numerous dead bodies he held in his arms, stepped on, and was killed by staring at him in the same way in his dream.
Yes, it was a dream.
Just dream.
"I wasn't there when it happened, I was outside and when I was coming back some survivors told me to turn around so I did."
"Is that why you were so messed up?"
Lucia asked her face showing a sweet smile full of mockery.
"No, it was because I had bad luck and was attacked by a monster, it even took a bite."
He pushed raged shirt to the side and showed his shoulder which was already half healed but it still had a teeth mark left by a spider horse that without his permission took part of his flesh.
Lucia grimaced when she saw it and then turned around.
Hildebrant then cowered his wounds and before anyone could say anything more, they found themselves before a towering marble wall that stretched to the sky and beyond the clouds as if wanting to touch the sun itself.
They finally arrived.