Chapter 6

The journey from the 50th to the 38th floor was long, but neither of them struggled much.

The more experienced Alfia led the way, ensuring they avoided unnecessary battles, while Sitonai followed, sometimes fighting when needed, but mostly just talking. A lot.

Normally, Alfia hated people who talked too much. Silence was preferable—peaceful, predictable, and manageable.

But for some reason, Sitonai's constant chatter didn't bother her as much. It was odd. Like she was a part of the background, like it was always meant to be.

Sitonai also reminded Alfia loosely of her sister, Meteria, with her silver blue hair, a shade close to white, and similar colored eyes, but while Meteria had eyes close to pearl, Sitonai's were like gems.

Her clothing was most definitely winter styled, but Sitonai hadn't complained about the heat once.

"Say, do you just naturally have a scary face, or is it just for me?" Sitonai teased as they crossed a wide cavern on the 43rd floor.

Alfia didn't answer, only casting her a sidelong glance.

Sitonai smirked. "Ah, so you can hear me. Thought maybe I was talking to myself for the past few floors."

Alfia sighed. "You always talk."

"Well, yeah," Sitonai said as if it was obvious. "It's too quiet and dreary otherwise. You don't like it?"

Alfia didn't respond.

Sitonai kept talking, occasionally making a joke, occasionally asking questions about Orario and the Dungeon. Alfia answered when she felt like it. But the realization crept up on her.

Sitonai's voice was proof that she was still alive.

And for some reason, that was reassuring.

The feeling was unfamiliar. Unwelcome. Alfia had never been one to care about others, not in a way that mattered. She didn't need people.

But every time Sitonai went quiet—when she was casting a spell, when she was thinking, when she was resting—Alfia's attention would drift toward her, as if making sure she was still there.

Not because she cared.

It was just practicality.

…That's what she told herself.

By the time they reached the 38th floor—a safe zone with rivers of pure water and an open sky-like ceiling—Sitonai stretched her arms. "Phew! Finally, some fresh air. Well, fake air, but still." She looked at Alfia. "You hungry?"

Alfia gave a small nod.

Sitonai grinned. "Good, I was gonna make food either way, but now I can say it's because you wanted it." She summoned food with a flick of her wrist, looking far too pleased with herself.

Alfia quietly watched as Sitonai prepared their meal.

Normally, she wouldn't care about things like this. About someone's presence. About whether or not they kept talking.

And yet.

Maybe she preferred Sitonai's noise over silence.

Just a little.

Sitonai took a satisfied bite of the food she had conjured, humming in delight. "Ahh, nothing beats a good meal after a long trip. Even if the trip was, y'know, crawling out of an underground monster nest."

Alfia, as usual, ate quietly. She wasn't one to indulge in unnecessary conversation while eating, but Sitonai had long since proven she didn't care about such things.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Sitonai glanced at Alfia. "So… what's your plan from here?"

Alfia didn't look up. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you were all the way down on the 50th floor after that whole scheme you mentioned." Sitonai gestured vaguely. "You gonna go back to Orario? Lay low? Retire as a mysterious Dungeon hermit? Like a hidden expert?"

Alfia took a slow sip of water before answering. "I will return to Orario."

Sitonai raised an eyebrow. "Even after what happened?"

Alfia nodded. "There are things I must check."

A part of her had already considered the idea of splitting paths with Sitonai once they reached the surface. There was no reason for them to continue traveling together after this.

They were merely two people who happened to cross paths in the depths of the Dungeon. That was all.

And yet—

There was something inside her that didn't like the thought.

It was subtle, unfamiliar, almost irrational. The idea of walking away from Sitonai and never seeing her again…

She ignored the feeling.

Sitonai, unaware of Alfia's thoughts, simply shrugged. "Well, guess I'm tagging along until then. Not like I've got anywhere else to go."

Alfia didn't respond to that.

Sitonai poked at her food absentmindedly. "Hey… do you think I could get a Falna?"

Alfia looked at her then, eyes narrowing slightly. "Why?"

Sitonai rested her cheek on her hand. "Curiosity, mostly. You said adventurers need a god's blessing to get stronger, right? I already have a lot of power, but I don't have a Falna. Would it even work on me?"

From what Sitonai could tell, while her magic and skills existed, her physical abilities had degraded, by a few ranks?

Alfia considered her for a moment. "Probably."

Sitonai tilted her head. "That was quick. No hesitation?"

Alfia placed her utensils down. "You introduced yourself as a Heroic Spirit, something beyond normal humans. You mentioned that you were different even among Heroic Spirits as well. However…" She met Sitonai's gaze. "I've seen multiple times that your body is undeniably human despite that claim."

Sitonai blinked.

Alfia continued, "If the Dungeon recognizes you as something similar to an adventurer, then a god's blessing should be able to imprint upon you as well."

Sitonai leaned back, looking thoughtful. "Huh. So despite everything, I'm still mostly human?"

Alfia didn't answer.

Sitonai smirked. "Well, at least that means I won't get kicked out of Orario for being some unknown entity."

She rested her hands behind her head. "Still, I wonder what a god would think if they tried giving me a Falna. Maybe I should go ask one just to see their reaction."

Alfia sighed. "Reckless."

Sitonai grinned. "Maybe if I ask like Freya she'd be like: "Impossible!"."

Alfia merely shook her head, returning to her meal. But somewhere, deep inside, she found herself thinking—

Sitonai bound to a Familia…?

Orario would probably never be the same.

And for some reason, she felt relieved that Sitonai would not be disappearing anytime soon.

As Sitonai leaned back, patting her stomach in satisfaction, her gaze wandered across the vast open space of the 38th floor. The false sky above gave a peaceful atmosphere, but beneath it lay the ever-present truth—this was still the Dungeon.

Her eyes drifted back to Alfia. "Hey."

Alfia glanced at her. "What is it?"

Sitonai tapped a finger against her temple. "So, I get that the Dungeon spawns monsters, and adventurers fight them to get stronger. But what's the goal of this place?"

Alfia's expression didn't change, but there was a slight pause before she answered. "The Dungeon has no 'goal.' It simply is."

Sitonai frowned. "That doesn't make sense. There has to be a reason it exists, right? Gods don't seem to like it, adventurers keep diving into it, and yet it keeps producing stronger and stronger monsters. If no one stopped it, wouldn't it just keep spawning things forever?"

Alfia remained quiet for a moment. Then, she exhaled softly. "...Perhaps."

Sitonai narrowed her eyes. "That's not very reassuring."

Alfia didn't respond immediately, but then she spoke again. "Throughout history, the Dungeon and the Surface have monsters so powerful that entire generations of adventurers were nearly wiped out."

Sitonai raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

Alfia met her gaze. "The Three Great Quests."

Sitonai blinked. The way Alfia said it carried weight, as if the very phrase itself held meaning. "Go on."

Alfia continued, "There have been three legendary monsters in history that required all of Orario's power to defeat. The Behemoth, the Leviathan, and—" She paused. "The One-Eyed Black Dragon."

Sitonai's curiosity piqued. "And I'm guessing none of them were pushovers?"

Alfia's gaze hardened. "No. Each of them was a calamity."

Sitonai rested her chin on her hands. "And? Were they all defeated?"

Alfia closed her eyes. "Two of them."

Sitonai's expression shifted slightly as realization dawned. "Wait. Are you saying you—?"

Alfia nodded. "I was there when the Leviathan was slain."

Sitonai whistled. "Huh. That explains why you're so strong." She tilted her head. "And what about the last one? The dragon?"

Alfia opened her eyes, her expression unreadable. "It still exists."

Sitonai stared at her. "So… Orario just let it be?"

Alfia's voice was calm, but there was an underlying weight to her words. "They tried. We tried. And we failed."

Sitonai frowned as Alfia's tone wasn't that good. "How bad?"

Alfia's fingers subtly tightened against the fabric of her cloak. "Even with the greatest adventurers of our era, we couldn't kill it. Many perished. And the survivors… had no choice but to retreat."

Sitonai processed that. A monster so powerful that the strongest warriors of Orario couldn't defeat it. And it was still out there.

She leaned back, exhaling. "Damn."

Sitonai didn't bother giving pity. Pity was a curse to Heroes.

Alfia remained silent, her thoughts drifting somewhere far away.

Sitonai glanced at her and smirked. "Well, if nothing else, that gives me something to look forward to."

Alfia looked at her, unimpressed. "You sound like a fool."

Sitonai chuckled. "Maybe. But don't you think it'd be fun? Beating up the monster that even legends failed to take down?"

Alfia scoffed. "You don't even have a Falna."

"Yet."

Alfia sighed, closing her eyes. Sitonai's recklessness was exhausting.

Alfia exhaled, resting her back against the rock wall as she processed their conversation. The One-Eyed Black Dragon—Orario's greatest failure—still loomed over the world, an insurmountable wall that not even the strongest adventurers of her era could overcome.

And yet, Sitonai had laughed upon hearing about it.

Not out of arrogance, but genuine excitement.

Alfia scoffed. "You speak as if you could actually fight it."

Sitonai smirked. "Well, I might be more qualified than you think."

Alfia gave her a doubtful glance. "And why is that?"

Sitonai leaned forward with a smug look. "Because I'm somewhat of a dragon slayer myself."

Alfia's expression didn't change, but internally, her mind sharpened. "Explain."

Sitonai grinned. "Well, back in my world, my story was based off me killing a dragon. Oh! And there was this one guy who wasn't technically a dragon, but he had a dragon's heart, so that counts, right?"

Alfia studied her carefully. "You say that as if dragon-slaying is common."

Sitonai laughed. "Not common. Just something that happened more than once." She stretched her arms behind her head. "Honestly, after the first one, you start getting used to it."

Alfia remained silent. Sitonai's abilities were both powerful and efficient—there was no denying that—but the dragon she knew were calamities incarnate. She had seen firsthand what it took to bring one down, and it was never easy.

"…And these dragons," Alfia finally asked, "were they true monsters? Or are you exaggerating?"

Sitonai grinned. "No exaggeration. They were the real deal. One was a really annoying frost dragon, actually. That one was fun. And then there was this other guy—he wasn't a dragon himself, but he had dragon blood and could definitely wipe out cities."

Alfia tapped her fingers against her knee. "You speak of these battles too casually."

Sitonai shrugged. "Would it impress you more if I brooded over them?" She placed a hand on her forehead dramatically. "'Ah, the burden of slaying dragons weighs heavily on my soul. Their roars haunt my every step…'"

Alfia closed her eyes and sighed. "You are insufferable."

Sitonai giggled. "All I'm saying is, if Orario ever wants to take another shot at the One-Eyed Black Dragon, I wouldn't mind getting in on the action."

Alfia narrowed her eyes. "You would throw yourself into a battle against an opponent that slaughtered Orario's strongest?"

Sitonai met her gaze without hesitation. "If something needs to be defeated, then someone has to do it."

Alfia was silent.

Sitonai smirked. "Besides, dragons tend to be arrogant. It'd be fun knocking it down a peg."

Alfia scoffed. "You overestimate yourself."

Sitonai leaned back and stretched. "Maybe. But maybe not. You see, there's something interesting about me being here."

Alfia raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Sitonai tilted her head. "Technically, Heroic Spirits like me… we don't grow. We're summoned at our supposed peak. No matter how many fights we go through, we don't improve."

Alfia listened in silence.

Sitonai smirked. "But if I were to get a Falna… that could change, right?"

Alfia blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the thought.

Sitonai leaned forward, eyes gleaming with curiosity. "I mean, the way it works, a Falna records everything you do, makes you stronger through your own achievements. If I had one, maybe I could actually grow beyond what I was as a Heroic Spirit." She grinned. "Wouldn't that be cool?"

Alfia considered the idea. It was strange. Heroic Spirits—whatever they truly were—seemed fixed in strength. But if Sitonai really could get a Falna, then in theory…

"You are assuming a god would bless you," Alfia pointed out.

Sitonai shrugged. "I mean, I look human enough, right? And you even said yourself that I have a real body. And physically, I'm not much better than some adventurers." She smiled. "It's worth a shot."

Alfia sighed. "You are reckless."

Sitonai grinned wider. "And you like that about me."

Alfia turned away. "You are mistaken."

But deep down, she wasn't entirely sure.

--+--

A/N: So what familia do you think Sitonai will go to?

I already know and I have a plan for which familia. Spoiler: It won't be the loki and freya.

I have general plotlines planned in my head, so this will last pretty long.