As Celestia slowly recovered from their misadventure, Ice, still wary, kept a close eye on Ray, who stood a few steps away, gradually closing the gap between them.
"I think you're close enough," Ice declared, his eyes burning with suspicion, every inch of his body ready for whatever might come.
Ray raised both hands in a gesture of surrender before replying,
"I won't point out that if I'd wanted to harm you, I wouldn't have helped you in the first place."
"Why is that?" Ice asked, his gaze never leaving the sword. "You can't just ask strangers to stick around with you like some kind of messiah."
"You're forgetting that I also just saved those 'strangers'," Ray said lightly. "As I told you, this prison is reserved for people too troublesome to kill outright or too elusive to catch. Which means it makes no sense for children like you to be here. At least I, though almost as vulnerable as you, have my reasons."
Ice slowly lowered his guard, his eyes shifting from the blade to Ray's face.
"And can we know these famous reasons?" he asked.
Ray hesitated for a moment before answering, "Let's just say my family was too loyal, and I was too brave..."
"Well, that explains everything," Ice said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Then tell us if there's a way out of this place… this hell."
"In any case, it's not toward that tower," Ray replied.
"We're supposed to wander in the darkness?" Ice asked, curious.
Ray shook his head. "There were plenty of bad choices to make, but you went straight for the worst possible one."
Ice gave him an intrigued look.
"What do you mean?"
"I'll explain everything from the start. But first, give her this," Ray said, approaching with hesitant steps. Ice instinctively backed away, pulling Celestia with him.
"Let's calm down," Ray said quickly, waving his hands. "I repeat, I'm not hostile toward you."
"Easy to say when you're the one carrying the sword," Ice remarked with a smirk.
Ray raised an eyebrow, then smiled, amused. After spending so much time in the darkness, he had forgotten the basics of human interaction. They could never be on equal footing if they weren't armed equally as well. There was no word heavier than steel.
He set his bag on the ground, reached inside, and pulled out another sword and a piece of viscous bread, which he tossed to Ice, who caught them effortlessly. Ice twirled the sword, making it dance in his palm as if reuniting with an old companion, before handing the bread to Celestia.
Ray got back to his feet, retrieving his own sword from the dirt before sheathing it.
"I don't have much food. You and I can eat when we're about to starve."
"Thanks," Ice said, his gaze steady.
"You're welcome," Ray replied, his tone turning serious. "As I said, we don't have much time, so I'll explain what I know as simply as I can."
"The only way to get out of this place is to reach the border. At the deepest point of the darkness, there's a bright place." He paused, searching for the right words. "I mean that literally, not philosophically. The farther we get from the tower, the more darkness there is—and vice versa."
"Didn't you notice your vision improving as you got closer?" Ray asked.
"Yes. But how could better vision be a bad thing?"
Ray frowned. "Normally, it wouldn't be. But not here. Let's just say the closer you get to the light, the darker your mind becomes. You saw what happened to those beasts after they reached the so-called light."
"I see," Ice muttered. This place was slowly taking shape in his mind.
Ray was about to continue when the sound of a bell cut through the silence, ringing once in a deafening peal. He glanced toward the direction of the sound.
"That bell's ring pulls them away from the tower for a while, but they always drift back. The cycle repeats endlessly, making them wander. I don't know if that's intentional or just a cruel joke."
"Are we holding up?" Ice asked, glancing at Celestia, who had just finished her portion, a hint of guilt flickering across his face.
"Yes. And from now on, I'll only eat if you do."
He was about to protest but stopped when he saw the cold resolve in her eyes. There was no fear or doubt left—only quiet determination.
They watched as she brushed the dirt from her clothes and tied back her hair. She too was evolving at her own pace—regaining her personality, or perhaps creating a new one.
"So, concretely, how do we get out of here?" Ice asked.
"Plunge into the darkness, I suppose," Ray replied, his voice hesitant, as if convincing himself.
"As my uncle once told me, there are just two problems with escaping this place."
"It seems there are even people who received notice about this place," Ice remarked.
Not only did Ray seem to retain his full memory—unlike them—but he also appeared to have some kind of preparation for this world.
Ice extended his hand toward Ray, who paused mid-sentence, then responded belatedly to the gesture.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ice, and this is my… sister, Celestia," he said with a faint smile. "If there are only two problems, then we're in better shape than I'd hoped."
Ray took his hand, sheathing his sword. "I already had a feeling when I saw you. But you really aren't normal kids."
His gaze drifted to Celestia, who was recovering from her fear at the speed of light. She didn't seem to hesitate at all when looking at him. Her piercing stare could have given anyone chills.
"But our madness might just be our only weapon for now..." Ray murmured.
Ice almost rolled his eyes.
"I wouldn't describe myself as a weapon master—much less as a madman."
"Don't worry, we all are," Ray said in a confident tone, as if stating the most obvious truth in his life. "I suppose it takes crazy people to see hope with blinded eyes."
"Still your uncle?" Ice asked.
"Nah. This time, it's kind of a family motto."
"And what kind of family follows a motto like that?"
"The crazy kind, I guess," Ray said, a hint of nostalgia lingering in his voice.
"The border," he continued. "Once we reach it, we won't be able to see a thing. The monsters rely almost entirely on hearing. So, in addition to being weak, we'll also become blind prey." He spoke quickly, shifting the discussion. "And beyond that, I don't know what's out there. Once we're out, we're on our own."
That would explain why he's still here, Ice thought.
Ray's eyes then flicked to Celestia. "So, how good are your ears?"
Celestia shot him a suspicious look. "What do you mean?"
"Don't you remember? You heard that monster long before we saw it, didn't you?"
Ray's eyes widened. "Wait, are you serious?"
"I don't know. I didn't really have time to focus on that," Celestia replied.
"Then let's go. We'll test your hearing along the way," Ice declared, already moving.
Ray stared at him in surprise.
"I didn't even say where to go."
"Away from the tower, toward the bell. I'd be a fool not to have figured that out after everything you just said."
"Fair enough," Ray admitted.
"But you still haven't told us the second problem," Celestia noted.
Ray turned toward the towering structure, its madness calling out to them.
"That place... no one has ever escaped it in 5,600 years.''