Philo's sharp, luminous green gaze swept across the rest of the camp, taking in Toya, Ivory, Bellona, Lustra, Aeterna, and Rutherford standing quietly in the background.
Lilith stepped forward, gesturing to her crew with a casual wave of her hand. "These are my comrades—Toya, Ivory, Bellona, Lustra, Aeterna, and Rutherford."
Philo raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms as she looked from one young face to the next. "A bunch of kids this young... what on earth are you all doing down here in the deep layers?"
Lilith smirked, tilting her head with a teasing glint in her eye. "You're one to talk. You look like you're right around my age yourself."
A smug grin spread across Philo's face as she tapped her high-tech gauntlet. "Looks can be deceiving, kid. Even if I look young, I'm well over 150 years old."
Lilith let out a sharp, amused laugh, her eyes sparkling with competitive mischief. "Oh, is that right? Well, even if I might look like a kid to you, my actual age is well over 300!"
Both girls burst out laughing, their laughter echoing through the cavern walls. But beneath the playful smiles and cheerful snickers, identical thoughts flashed sharply through both of their minds at the exact same moment:
Is she actually serious, or is she just messing with me right now?!
Philo adjusted the high-tech straps on her gauntlet, her sharp green eyes softening slightly out of curiosity.
"So, putting the age jokes aside... what brings a bunch of kids like you all the way down here?"
Lilith crossed her arms, her expression turning serious. "We're looking for one of our close comrades. He's been missing for a while, and we're tracking him down."
Philo let out a sympathetic sigh, resting a hand on her hip. "Ah... searching for someone in the layers. I feel your pain. I've been wandering these lower layers alone for years, and my memory for faces and travelers is razor-sharp. Tell me what he looks like—if I've crossed paths with him down here, I'll let you know."
Lilith quickly rattled off the description. "He has distinct half-white, half-black hair, mismatched eyes—his left is bright red and his right is black—and he's about my height, maybe a little taller."
Philo tapped her chin, closing her eyes as she mentally sifted through years of memories and encounters in the deep layers. After a few seconds, she shook her head with a small frown. "Sorry, that description doesn't ring any bells. I haven't run into anyone matching that mix."
Lilith nodded, offering a genuine, appreciative smile. "No worries. Thanks anyway; we'll track him down ourselves."
Before Philo could completely disappear into the dark tunnel, she suddenly stopped and turned back around with a bright, knowing smirk. "Oh, by the way... were you guys trying to get up to the next layer?"
Lilith paused, turning her head back. "Yeah, we are."
Philo tapped the side of her sleek, high-tech gauntlet, a smug glint in her luminous green eyes. "Well, lucky for you, I've got magic that can bypass the gate."
Lilith's eyes narrowed instantly, a look of sharp disbelief crossing her face. "Layer-crossing magic? That kind of tech and spellcraft went extinct years ago. It's strictly illegal now."
Philo chuckled, waving off the warning with absolute confidence. "Relax. I've got the technological genius and know-how to build a workaround."
Why not? Philo thought to herself, her eyes darting over toward Lilith with a calculating gleam. Someone this unfathomably powerful who's out searching for a missing comrade... he has to be special. If I stick around and help them out, I can earn her trust. And once I'm close enough, I'll get a front-row seat to see her full capabilities and copy her moves.
Aloud, Philo grinned, stepping back toward the group. "So, how about it? Why don't I help you guys look for your missing friend?"
Lilith narrowed her eyes, studying Philo with a skeptical gaze. "Let's be real here. What's in it for you? People don't just offer to help for free down in the abyss."
Philo let out a light, nonchalant shrug, a hint of genuine loneliness flashing behind her bright green eyes. "Honestly? I've been wandering these lower layers alone for years, and it gets boring. It'd be nice to have some company for a change."
Lilith tilted her head, pressing further. "If that's true, why are you even down here living by yourself in the first place?"
Philo's casual demeanor slipped for just a second, a shadow crossing her face as she looked away. "I was betrayed and kicked out of my hometown. Tossed away like trash."
Lilith's sharp expression softened into an expression of quiet understanding. "Oh... sorry to hear that."
Before the heavy atmosphere could linger, Philo shook her head with a small smirk, pushing the dark memories aside. "Anyway, enough about that! You guys want to get moving or what?"
With a swift motion, Philo raised her wrist and tapped a couple of buttons on her high-tech bracelet.
Vwoom—!
A brilliant flash of digital blue light tore through the cavern air, and with a heavy, smooth thud, a sleek, futuristic transport van materialized out of thin air, landing right in the middle of the blue-soil clearing.
Toya, Ivory, and the rest of the group stared at the massive vehicle with wide eyes and dropped jaws, completely dumbfounded by the sudden display of advanced tech.
Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra exchanged glances, a heavy sense of disbelief washing over them. This technology is way too advanced for this era... how does she even have access to this?
Realizing they were just supporting characters for now, they kept their mouths shut and decided to ignore the anomalies for the sake of the mission. Lilith, however, was intensely curious. She didn't care about legalities, restrictions, or futuristic tech black-markets—her singular, absolute focus was finding Haruto. If Philo's advanced gear could cut through the red tape and accelerate their search, she was more than willing to play along.
Without hesitation, Lilith walked over and pulled open the van's sliding door.
Philo slid right into the driver's seat, gripping the high-tech steering wheel with a confident smirk. One by one, the rest of the crew piled into the spacious back cabin, marveling at the glowing digital dashboards and cushioned seats.
Lilith scooped Aeterna up into her lap, climbing into the front passenger seat right next to Philo and pulling the door shut behind her.
As the engine hummed to life with a quiet, futuristic purr, Philo glanced over from the driver's seat. Her eyes landed on Aeterna sitting comfortably in Lilith's lap, and a soft, genuine smile crossed her face.
She reached out, gently patting Aeterna's head. "Aw, who is this little one? She's so cute!"
Aeterna blinked her bright eyes, offering a polite, cheerful smile. "Thank you! I'm Aeterna."
Curiosity piqued, Philo looked back up at Lilith, then down at the little girl. "So, what are you doing all the way up here in the layers, little one?"
Aeterna puffed out her chest proudly. "On a mission papa!"
Philo raised an eyebrow, a teasing hint in her voice as she glanced sideways at Lilith. "Oh? You have parents up there too?"
"Yep! Mummy is looking for Papa!" Aeterna chirped, instantly pointing a tiny finger right at Lilith.
Lilith's cheeks flushed a sudden, faint shade of red. She coughed awkwardly, waving a hand to brush it off. "H-Hey, don't just go saying things like that—!"
Philo's eyes widened in mild shock for a split second before a knowing smirk curled across her lips. Oh? She's already married at her age?
Curious, Philo's gaze drifted down to Lilith's left hand resting on the armrest. Sure enough, catching the soft blue glow of the dashboard lights, a sleek, distinct ring glinted neatly on Lilith's finger.
Philo raised an eyebrow, a quiet thought ticking away in her mind. Well... considering how unimaginably strong and ancient she claims to be, I suppose getting tied down isn't entirely impossible after all.
The sleek futuristic van cut effortlessly through the floors smoothly bypassing restricted checkpoints until it dropped the group straight into Layer 10.
The vehicle came to a smooth halt, and Lilith opened the passenger door, stepping out onto the cavern floor. She turned back to Philo with a decisive nod. "Alright, this is far enough. We can take it from here on our own."
Philo offered an easy, understanding smile. "Got it."
She stepped out of the driver's seat, tapped a sequence of buttons on her high-tech bracelet, and with a soft hum of digital light, the van collapsed into a stream of particles and vanished into thin air.
Lilith looked over, offering a genuine nod of appreciation. "Thanks for the ride and the help back there, Philo."
"Don't sweat it," Philo replied casually, waving a hand.
After parting ways with Philo, the group spent the next few days thoroughly scouring the surrounding sectors of Layer 10. They pushed themselves hard, combing every corner until exhaustion finally caught up with them. Realizing they hadn't gotten a single proper night's sleep in days, they decided to set up a secure campsite and turn in for the night.
As the rest of the camp drifted into a deep sleep, Philo suddenly sat up in the darkness.
Lilith, her instincts razor-sharp even while resting, opened one eye and looked over. "What's wrong?"
"I just can't seem to sleep," Philo whispered back, standing up quietly. "I'm going to take a little walk to clear my head."
Lilith nodded slowly and drifted back to sleep, trusting Philo to handle herself.
Quietly slipping away from the camp, Philo walked further down the corridor. But as she moved, a sudden, heavy wave of immense magical pressure washed over her—the exact same massive signature she had felt back in Layer 5. Her eyes locked onto the source, a familiar feeling washing over her.
Intrigued, she summoned her van back with a quick tap of her bracelet and sped toward the disturbance.
Philo parked the futuristic van near the edge of a massive, glowing cavern on Layer 5. She stepped out quietly, keeping low as she approached the edge of the floor boss spawn arena. Peering through the gloom, she saw two figures locked in a fierce confrontation in the center of the clearing.
The tension was suffocating. A slender girl clad in distinct, armored yellow gear and a modern vest stood facing a lone boy. The girl raised a sleek, futuristic firearm, tracking the boy's movements with cold precision.
"Three... Two... One..." the girl counted down, her voice echoing. "Die!"
The gun unleashed a devastating torrent of concentrated energy, but the boy was fast. He dodged frantically, throwing himself behind a jagged pillar just as the laser fire melted the stone where he had stood a second before.
As the dust settled, the girl moved into the light, revealing her face. Philo's eyes widened in sudden recognition. "Daisy?!"
Philo focused on the boy who was being relentlessly hunted. He was trapped, cornered against the wall of the arena. He had the exact appearance Lilith had described: half-black, half-white hair, a red left eye, and a black right eye.
"Haruto..." Philo breathed. "He's here!"
Her instinct was to rush in and save him, but she stopped herself, analyzing the scene. She realized this confrontation involved Daisy, the woman who had adopted Aeterna.
I can't intervene yet, Philo thought, her mind racing. This is too complex, and I don't know the full situation. Besides... Daisy is far more powerful than I am.
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the arena shifted violently. A shockwave of raw, untamed energy exploded outward from Haruto. Philo watched in total astonishment as his appearance began to warp and shift.
His hair, previously split between black and white, rapidly lost all pigmentation, turning into a stark, brilliant white. At the same time, his mismatched eyes flashed intensely. The black iris in his right eye bled crimson, matching his left.
Haruto had begun his transformation.