Lara tried to stand but her body failed to follow her command. In the end, she closed her eyes again with a frown.
"...too tired."
The bright screen in front of her vanished into thin air. Soul was gone. A minute passed... two minutes... and then a few faint sounds echoed in her ears.
"Lady boss, this place belongs to low-level beasts. Why are we here?"
"Agh... I don't like the air here; it's too polluted."
"Hmm, I can sense blood in the air. Did someone else also come to this place?"
The voices grew near with each passing second and soon they were just mere inches away from Lara's position.
A few shocked gasps echoed inside Lara's ears but she did not open her eyes, hoping for the group of people to leave after seeing her poor condition.
However, to her dismay, instead of leaving a deep voice reverberated in the air.
"Are you alright?"
Lara snapped her eyes open and jolted away from the pale, yet calloused fingers extended toward her nose.
She gazed at the owner of the hand. Yet, the first word that appeared in her mind was 'beautiful'.
So beautiful that it stole her breath away. His lustrous black hair framed his warm, ocean-like captivating eyes. The air around him was shimmering with a bright hue and his skin was glowing amidst the darkness.
Lara stared at him in a daze until he looked away to stare at his three companions with knitted brows. They talked but she failed to hear the topic of their conversation.
Suddenly, he pulled out a glass bottle from thin air and placed it beside her.
"It's a healing potion."
His calm eyes met Lara's mid-air for a second before he stood up and walked away with his companions.
Lara's gaze lingered on his back and she finally noticed the three people around him. A beautiful female with bright blue eyes similar to him and two brown-haired men.
She let out a chuckle and shook her head.
"It's been a while since I saw someone so beautiful."
Her voice was faint but it drifted in the air and two pairs of blue eyes twitched at her remarks. Yet, no one from the group halted in their tracks. They left as soon as they appeared. Just like a breeze.
Lara closed her eyes when an old image formed in her mind but she could not properly grasp the facial features of her first love. The only thing she remembered was his brilliant golden hair and eyes.
"What a pity..."
After a while, she pulled her body and left the place without caring about the glistening glass bottle placed beside her.
****
In the distance, a pair of ocean-blue eyes peered at the pristine man clad in a creamy tunic standing beside her.
"Nian, it's rare for you to help someone out of nowhere... So, why did you give her an expensive healing potion?"
The man hummed absentmindedly as he polished the spear in his hand. His shining black hair swirled gently on his forehead when he gazed at her.
"Sia..."
"It's because of her eyes."
Sia's eyelashes fluttered with confusion as she tilted her head at her younger brother. The two other men on their team, dressed in tight fighting suits, were also staring at Nian.
"Eyes?"
Nian placed the spear on his back and stared in the distance as if trying to see through the curtain of darkness.
"Those emotionless eyes belong to someone who fears nothing. Not even death."
"Huh?"
Sia's confusion grew, and the loose pink blouse she wore clung to her body as she sat down on her heels. In the midst of the darkness, her silver hair shimmered like moonlight.
"What are you saying... She was clearly smiling, right?"
She gazed at the two men with brown hair standing in front of her, and they nodded in response to her question.
Nian shook his head and let out a sigh. He crouched down and gently tousled Sia's hair.
"She was, but not truly."
There was a moment of silence as everyone processed his words before Sia looked back into the distance where they had left the injured woman.
"What's the point? It's not like she will survive in this place..."
Sia's eyes flickered with a mix of pain and conflict. She had already lost so many loved ones in this hellish place. Now, only the four of them remained, fighting to survive and desperately searching for a way out. But deep down, she wondered if they would ever escape this nightmarish place.
As the trio lost themselves in their thoughts, Nian absentmindedly mumbled under his breath, his ocean-blue eyes filled with uncertainty.
"I don't think she will die... It's always like this for those who have nothing left to lose."