The darkness closed in around me, and for a moment, I froze. My heart pounded in my chest as panic slowly crept up on me. I could still feel my body, still whole and responsive, but the world around me was completely black. I didn't know what had happened or where I was, and for a few moments, I just stood there in silence, trying to piece things together. Then, slowly, my vision began to return.
At first, I thought I was seeing things wrong. The stone tiles and the familiar brick walls of the dungeon weren't there anymore. Instead, I saw rough stone walls. As my vision cleared, I realized it felt... familiar. This was the cave just before entering the dungeon. But something was off. The portal that should've been there—connecting us to the dungeon—was completely gone, as if it had never been there at all.
From the looks of it when the core disappeared or lost connection to the core, the dungeon could not sustain itself anymore and collapsed? I wasn't entirely sure of my theory, but after the core had been absorbed into the body of Mirelle and it most likely lost its connection to the dungeon, it seems that we were kicked out of the dungeon as it could no longer sustain itself or the living beings in it.
But something still felt off. It wasn't a sharp, obvious danger—it was more like a subtle discomfort, an itch at the back of my mind that I couldn't quite scratch. I glanced around again, my eyes tracing the familiar stone walls of the cave. The same walls I had passed countless times, yet now they seemed... different. My gaze shifted from one corner to another, lingering on the jagged rocks and dark crevices, searching for something that didn't belong.
I took a slow breath, trying to shake the uneasy feeling. "Mirelle?" I called softly, my voice barely above a whisper, more out of habit than expectation. But the cave remained still, silent. The echo of my own voice felt odd, as if it carried too far in the empty space, returning to me with an unfamiliar weight.
I waited, listening, but there was nothing. No cheerful hum of Mirelle's voice, no clumsy footsteps or energetic movement to break the quiet. My heart skipped just a beat, but I brushed it off, convincing myself it was nothing.
Still, I couldn't shake the nagging sensation that something was missing. I looked again, this time more purposefully, scanning every nook and cranny of the cave. The absence of Mirelle's usual presence felt like a hollow space that was too noticeable, too loud in the silence. I stood still for a moment, trying to steady myself, but a creeping feeling tugged at me. Where was she?
I called again, this time with a touch more firmness, "Mirelle?" The sound of her name seemed to disappear into the air, vanishing almost as soon as it left my lips. I began walking, my steps slow at first, but as I moved deeper into the cave, my mind began to race, thoughts tumbling over one another. Something wasn't right.
"Mirelle..." My voice trembled slightly now, laced with a thread of worry I couldn't ignore. I had always known where she was—her presence was constant, like the earth beneath my feet. But now, the space around me felt overwhelmingly vast and empty. My breath quickened. I wasn't sure when, but the unease that had settled in my chest began to rise.
I picked up my pace, my eyes frantically scanning every shadow and crevice. The quiet grew oppressive, a heavy weight in the air. "Mirelle, where are you?" My words echoed back to me, distant and strange, and I couldn't help but feel that the cave was closing in, its walls too close for comfort.
As I searched, I realized something I hadn't allowed myself to think about before: how lonely I truly felt. Mirelle's presence, once so constant, had always been a silent comfort. She had been my anchor without me even realizing it. Now, in the emptiness of the cave, I understood how much her energy had helped me cope with the loneliness that I had kept buried.
"Mirelle, are you there?" I said with panic as I started walking and looking all over the cave for Mirelle or signs of her, "Mirelle, where are you?" now, with a bit of desperation at the same time I was nearing the exit of the cave and had just finished calling Mirelle's name out, a familiar cute energetic voice came out from outside, I wasn't sure where I had heard the voice as I haven't met any other people for months since I have come to this the cave as a figure of a person was slowly revealing someone.
"Lady Witch, you're finally awake!" said the figure as the figure ran towards me. As the figure of the stranger got closer, it revealed a figure of a light brown skin beautifully slender woman who was taller than me by a bit stood right in front of me, her chest was just a bit smaller than me, that was the truth. Ehem. but the most confusing thing was the beautiful energetic woman was not wearing anything at all and was just naked.
"Please stay back, don't come any closer than you already are... Who are you?" I held one of my hands up motioning the stranger to stop, and just as those words came out of my mouth the lady looked shock by my question and look like she was about to cry as she spoke, but she seemed a bit too childish. "Lady Witch, it's me!" said the stranger as tears were now swelling in her eyes as she raised one of her hands and pointed a finger to herself. "It's me, Lady Witch!" she said again, but now her voice had lowered and seemed had a hint of pain.
Tilting my head to the left as I lowered my head a bit deep in thought, then I said in an unsure voice. "Mirelle, is that you?..." I said as I raised my head again, my head full of thoughts unsure of how or where to even to start.
"Lady Witch, you remembered!" responded the stranger claiming to be Mirelle, as she now looked very happy that I had remembered who she was and was quite in high spirit. I was still wary and suspiscious of the girl in front of me who claim to be my dear companion, but I was starting to lean towards her actually being Mirelle but it made no sense, the person in front of me was human.
"Mirelle, where's the swords I gave you?" I said, as I know that I had given two swords to Mirelle just before finally defeating the Stone Wyrm, one being a spare and the other being used as she pleased. "Oh! It's here lady witch!" said the stranger raising her hand as she moves it between her two ehem chest and pulling out the two swords out the space between her chest, revealing sturdy swords, where one was quite beat up. It was definitely the swords I had created for her earlier.
I was dumbfounded, I didn't know how to react to what I had just saw or the revelation of my dear companion turning human? She was still made out of mud from what I could see, no way would a human be capable of plunging their own chest and pull-out sharp swords without any signs of magic, and her chest had turn brownish like mud for a second and immediately return to normal skin after pulling out the sword.
Also, isn't it ridiculous how she's more endowed than I am? I mean, I'm not all that flat my body is still young, this area will still definitely grow! I thought to myself, it will definitely grow.
It was now confirmed that the strange stranger was Mirelle, it now made sense as to why she was a bit childish. Her humanoid form now appeared to be a bit older than me and was quite taller too. Her hair color was golden earth, a shade reminiscent of healthy soil with warm, earthy tones. Currently her hair was down, but it wasn't too long like mine which had gone a bit and was now a bit past my waist. Her eyes were a beautiful light green, as if nature was inside those beautiful eyes.
Looking at Mirelle in front of me, I still couldn't fully understand anything. "Mirelle, what happened to you?... Why are you human?" I had directly asked Mirelle, as I took out the books with notes about Mirelle and as I waited for her respond. "It was the Core of the dungeon, Lady Witch" said Mirelle as she stood there excitedly as she continued, "Can I hug you Lady Witch?" she said with an anticipating and worried look.
It seems that my dear companion was afraid that I would stop her from getting closer. "Sure, I would like to hug Mirelle too." I said as I reassure my dear companion moving closer to Mirelle as I wrap both my hands around her to discover that her warmth felt more "human", like she was truly human not like how her past warmth was a result of the environment and mana changing the temperature of the water in her muddy body.
"Mirelle, what do you mean it's the Core?" I asked Mirelle, as I continue to hug for a bit before letting go and pulling out the clothes I had created a few months earlier, seeing if any fitted Mirelle, unfortunately none fit her.
"There was a spirit living in the Core when I ate it!" said Mirelle excitedly as she watched me fetch and arrange clothes for her. "Lady Witch, what are you doing?" Mirelle asked, her voice filled with curiosity as she watched me gather the clothes. Her wide, innocent eyes followed every movement of mine.
"I wanted to see if any of the clothes I have fit you, but none of them fit you. It seems that I'll have to create clothes just for you," I explained, my gaze flickering between the fabrics and the staff I had picked up.
"Clothes just for me?" Mirelle asked with wide-eyed excitement, a small grin tugging at her lips. "Are you going to make it for me, Lady Witch?" There was a sparkle of anticipation in her voice, a curiosity that felt so pure and innocent.
"Yes, Mirelle. I'll make them," I said softly, offering her a reassuring smile. Her excitement was contagious, and I couldn't help but feel a warmth stir in my chest at her enthusiasm.
"Yay! Lady Witch is making something for me!" Mirelle squealed with joy, her eyes gleaming. The simple act of making clothes for her seemed to light up her world, and it made my heart feel lighter in turn.
I paused for a moment, then said, "Let's stay in this cave for a while before we go into the forest. I want to gather my thoughts for a bit. What do you think, Mirelle?"
"Mirelle is happy to be with Lady Witch anywhere!" she answered eagerly, already trying to pull on the clothes I had created for her, though she struggled a bit with the fit.
"Mirelle, come here. Let me help you," I said gently, my eyes softening as I stepped toward her. It wasn't just for Mirelle's sake that I wanted to stay here for a while—it was for my own thoughts, too. The overwhelming weight of everything I was facing and had faced, everything I had yet to understand, being a witch, notes about the dungeons and many more, needed a moment to settle.
"Ehehe," Mirelle giggled, a light, carefree sound that tugged at the corners of my lips. "Lady Witch is helping me~" she added, her voice filled with happiness and trust.
I smiled as I gently helped her with the clothes, the act somehow grounding me. Her joy, so simple and pure, was all I needed to remind me that I wasn't alone. Not anymore.