"Priscilla, we have to hurry and catch up with Leo."
"But what are we supposed to do? I mean, in a situation like this there's not much we can do..."
Priscilla's smile had completely vanished, as had her positive attitude; her eyes had lost all sparkle while her worried expression made her seem fragile as ever.
"Priscilla, trust me, there's still something we can do." Marlo said, gripping Priscilla's hands to steady her.
It is true that Marlon possessed some kind of power; however, for Priscilla standing against the king's will was a futile effort.
"Priscilla!"
Priscilla was pulled from worried thoughts when she heard the urgency in Marlo's voice. As their eyes met, she felt a comforting warmth within her; the worry and fear dissolved completely. She couldn't explain it, but she had a hunch that she could rely on Marlo.
"B-but how do we escape from here?"
"I'll take care of that," Marlo said in a confident voice. "But before that, I need you to help me with that again..."
"Huh?" Priscilla blinked at Marlo, confused. After a moment of realization, she said in a loud tone, "O-oh, you mean that?"
Marlo nodded at Priscilla's words.
*************
Tap tap tap
Two people ran through the dark stone tunnel as their footsteps echoed around the passageway; the dim lights of the torches barely made it possible to see where they were stepping.
"H-Hey, go a little slower, Marlo."
"Oh, sorry, it's a bad habit of mine..."
Marlo's face, typically void of expression, this time carried an unusual spark of energy; his movements charged with a strange vitality as if a sudden hidden reserved power awakened within him.
On the contrary, Priscilla couldn't keep up with Marlo's steady pace.
"H-Hey, Marlo, that before..."
"Hmm?"
"It hurt! Could you be more gentle next time?"
"Sorry, did it bother you that much?"
"It's not that it bothered me; it's just that..."
"So... Did you hate it?"
"No, that's not what I meant!"
Priscilla's face was red as a ripe tomato; she covered it with her hands; apparently this situation was new to her, with emotions she didn't quite understand.
Marlo slowed down his jog to keep up with Priscilla.
"Are you feeling okay? I mean, Your face is."
"Wah!" Priscilla quickly looked away, her face flushing as she avoided meeting Marlo's gaze.
Marlo was puzzled by Priscilla's unusual behavior; although they hadn't known each other for a long time, Marlo could tell she wasn't the usual Priscilla.
First of all, Priscilla was a kind girl with a relaxed demeanor, and second, it was strange to hear her speak in a high-pitched tone.
"I'm sorry, Priscilla, I only did that so I could activate my powers; I told you before, it's like a requirement... And I can't do that alone..."
"..." Priscilla nodded embarrassedly at Marlo.
Once Marlo changed the direction of his gaze, Priscilla stole a discreet glance at him. She lightly touched her lips as her eyes burned with passion.
Who is this boy? She wondered as she watched Marlo's back.
Priscilla's mind went back a few minutes, when Marlo and she were still inside the cell. By then Priscilla, like any person with common sense, had lost the will to live.
The new king of Paldes, Lombardo, was a dangerous man with undeniable power, and Priscilla had seen enough to understand he wasn't to be taken lightly.
"Kyaaa! M-Marlo, wait!"
"Huh? What's going on?"
"I-I think we should better stop!"
"Eh? But you said you were going to help me with this..."
"I'm a girl, you know? What you're asking for is not that simple!"
"I understand, but this isn't the first time we've done this, is it?"
"B-but still!!!!"
Marlo, seeing Priscilla's behavior, gave up insisting.
"Well, there's nothing we can do, but we won't be able to escape from here; besides, it will be impossible to rescue Leo. Are you okay with that?"
"...."
Priscilla was silent for a moment until she finally answered.
"O-Okay, I'll do it!!!."
Rustle Rustle
The sound of what seemed like apparent brushing echoed throughout the cell and the hallway.
"Kyaaaa"
What occurred within that cell remained a mystery; the sole witnesses were Marlo and Priscilla.
Crunch Crunch
A few minutes after the sounds from inside the cell stopped, Marlo took the cell tubes and bent them as if they were mere galvanized wires.
Priscilla watched everything in amazement; she didn't know what to think; she was confused and just looked at Marlo, impressed, like someone watching a great hero perform a great feat.
That was the catalyst to the current strange situation...
Priscilla, still fixed on Mar's back As they ran down the long hallway, they thought, "Who is this guy?"
"H-Hey, Marlo."
"What?"
"You mentioned earlier that you don't remember who you are, correct?"
"That's right."
The same question from that time in the house echoed in her mind, but this time she expressed it to Marlo; however, she seemed more distant from Marlo.
"But how is it possible that you can use your powers if you don't remember who you are?"
Priscilla asked that question with a questionable expression; Marlo had told her that in order to use his powers he had to meet a requirement; however, it was Priscilla who had to fulfill that requirement for him.
It was obvious that Marlo had some kind of power; she knew that, especially when he destroyed the door of that cell with ease; however, Priscilla thought that maybe that thing about meeting a requirement was a fabrication and Marlo might be taking advantage of her.
Priscilla was an ordinary girl, and unlike her cousins, she knew nothing about amulets.
Marlo was silent for a moment, his eyes still fixed on the end of the hallway.
"I don't know, I just..."
"Just?"
At that moment, Marlo's thoughtful expression changed to a hostile one; his distracted eyes changed to cautious ones.
That expression sent shivers down Priscilla's spine.
"W-what's going on, Marlo?"
"Behind me."
"Huh?"
"There's someone very dangerous ahead."
Seeing Priscilla in front of her, she grasped Marlo's words. After passing through a door, they came face to face with a gigantic figure. Priscilla blinked many times, thinking that maybe it was an illusion, but to her dismay, it was real.