The trees thinned as they followed the uneven trail. The air grew colder, the faint hum of mana stronger. Ahead, the path curved toward a ridge that overlooked a cracked ravine. Their mission's destination waited somewhere below—hidden ruins that the guild wanted explored.
Kuro stopped at the edge and looked down. "So that's it."
Lucien whistled softly. "Cheery place. Feels cursed already."
[Oh, fantastic. Another death pit. My favorite vacation spot.]
Kuro's mouth twitched. {You're acting like we haven't walked into worse.}
[Doesn't make it better, genius.]
Mika rolled his shoulders, eyeing Kuro out of the corner of his eye. "You two done whispering sweet nothings in your head?"
Kuro blinked. "…You heard that?"
"Not the words," Mika muttered, crossing his arms. "Just your faces. Yours goes blank, his invisible voice gets snarky. It's like watching a bad puppet show."
[Hey, excuse you—]
Mika's eyes narrowed. "And you shut up too."
Kuro almost choked trying to hide his laugh. {He's talking to you now.}
[You dating this guy or is he just permanently pissed at me?]
Kuro sighed. {Please, not now.}
Lucien crouched at the cliff edge, examining a faint trail of glowing runes on the rock. "Looks like a ward. Probably a trap if we touch it wrong."
Mika knelt beside him, tracing one faint line with his gloved finger. "Definitely magic. But this… doesn't look elven or demonic. It's old. Older than both races combined."
[And here I thought your hair gel was ancient, Mika.]
Mika's head snapped up instantly. "I heard that!"
Lucien blinked. "Heard what?"
"Nothing," Mika said sharply. "Absolutely nothing."
Kuro was trying—failing—not to laugh. "He really gets under your skin."
"Under my skin? He's in your head, Kuro," Mika hissed. "You try living with that voice echoing nonsense every few seconds."
[Hey, I'm the only thing keeping him sane. Or insane. Depends on the day.]
Mika groaned audibly, rubbing his temples. "Great. I'm arguing with thin air. This is my life now."
Lucien stood, dusting off his hands. "As entertaining as this is, we should move. The runes react to movement. Best we step carefully."
Kuro nodded, stepping closer to inspect. The moment his hand hovered over one of the glowing sigils, it flickered—a dark pulse running up his arm.
Mika grabbed his wrist instantly. "Don't touch that!"
The contact made the magic sizzle and vanish, the glow fading into the stone like it had been swallowed. Kuro blinked in confusion.
Lucien frowned. "It… deactivated?"
Mika's grip stayed tight for a second too long. "You're reckless," he muttered.
Kuro gave a small, uncertain smile. "And you're overprotective."
[Oh, look at this domestic tension. Someone write a song about it.]
Mika's glare cut through the air. "I swear, Elvastia—if you weren't a voice, I'd knock you flat."
[Promises, promises.]
Kuro stifled a laugh again, cheeks coloring faintly. "Can we just… go?"
Lucien smirked slightly. "You two bicker like a married couple."
Mika's ears turned pink instantly. "We are not—"
[Sure you're not, sweetheart.]
Mika froze, eyes twitching as he muttered under his breath, "One day, I'm finding a spell that can punch voices."
Kuro was half-smiling now, the tension from earlier easing slightly. "Then I'd lose one of my few companions."
Mika looked at him, that same rare softness flickering behind his irritation. "Maybe. But at least you'd get some peace."
They started climbing down into the ravine. The deeper they went, the colder it became. The faint hum of Elvastia's presence mixed with the whispers of old magic, creating an eerie harmony that crawled under Kuro's skin.
[You feel that?] Elvastia's voice dropped lower, almost serious. [That's not normal. Be careful.]
Kuro blinked. {You sound… worried.}
[Don't push it.]
Mika's gaze shifted to Kuro again, expression unreadable. "…What did he just say?"
Kuro hesitated. "…That we should be careful."
Mika nodded once, drawing his blade. "For once, I agree with the annoying ghost."
[He called me a ghost. How rude.]
Lucien chuckled, lighting a small orb of blue flame. "All right then, team dysfunctional. Let's see what secrets this place has to offer."
They descended deeper, unaware that something ancient was listening—something that recognized the death-touched aura clinging to Kuro's soul.