"Keep on running. Don't look back or you'll make us lose our way." Yuuki's voice sounded like it was being obstructed by fog. The only reason the pair could tell what he was saying was that they already knew what he wanted to say.

"B-But we can't leave Maria behind on her own. The beast would kill her." Venus sounded worried but she did not stop running.

Despite her worries, her life was more important to her. And a deep part of her was glad to see Maria in such danger. It gave her hope of being free from the curse.

"She has better odds of surviving without us than with us. You just focus on your one survival." Yuuki snapped as he tightened his hold.

Kuro did not contribute to the argument. But the weak experimental tug he had given his arm told Yuuki what he thought about this situation.

"Kuro, don't even think about it. You are the most vulnerable out of all of us here. You can't even access your magic." Yuuki scolded. Those words finally put a damper on Kuro's eager expression.

The most was finally thinking out and Yuuki could see the exit. They were finally free. Even the noises coming from behind them could not make Yuuki look back.

"No, don't look back." Venus cried out but it was too late. Kuro had already turned to look behind him.

Yuuki tugged the other two in front of him as he turned around. His claws met another pair and the clash ended up in a stalemate. The exit behind their back began to get foggy.

"You both, head toward the exit. It will not stay stable for long. I'll follow after you." Yuuki instructed. He parried the claw away from his face as he jumped back.

There was no room for negotiation in his voice. Kuro did not get to protest as he was picked by Venus and the pair toward the exit.

"Let me down. I can help." Kuro's struggling voice reached Yuuki and it prompted him to work harder. He needed the kid to survive this.

"I can't. I'm not delusional to believe that the beast will save me if we separated. I would rather not take the risk." Venus commented. Her magic sent a small beast flying away from the pair.

The pair exited the fog before the entrance disappeared completely. From here on, it was a waiting game.

................

The moment of Maria's chains resembled a practised dance. One she had practised for a long time.

The chains slashed and they defended against the enemy. It was a seamless clash which forced the audience to watch in awe.

But there was no audience there. This was not a dance for entertainment either. This was a battle for survival where only one would walk away victorious

The beast was tough but even it had to bow down to the chain's immense power. Every snap of that divine metal sailed the beast a little more of its power.

And little by little, the beast began to be worn out by the magic loss. Maria did not even feel the burn on her life force's drain yet and she could only contribute to her lack of magic.

"Is that the end for you?" Maria asked as her chains rained down on her foe. It snapped the neck away from the body in a single snap.

'System, scan the surroundings for hostile enemy presence.'

[Scan initiated....

.... no hostile presence detected]

That should not be right. Maria could feel a lot of hostile eyes aimed at her. They were watching her every move.

Or maybe it was the side-effect of the mist. It was an unknown factor in all of these situations.

"I can't help but get the feeling I'm being played with," Maria complained as she picked a random direction to walk in.

She had a hypothesis she wanted to confirm and the more she walked, the more she felt like she was right.

She was walking but she doesn't seem to be getting anywhere. Her system also pointed out that she was not leaving a designated area.

So she gave up for now and decided to follow Venus's signature. She had gotten away from the mist as her signature points to the outside zone.

And Maria was almost out as well before she felt a claw reaching for her.

Her body dodged the attack on its own and used her chains to capture the wrist and pull.

"Yuuki? Why did you attack me?" Maria asked. It had almost gotten dangerous for her and the others as well. Had she not stopped in times she would have served the other's arm off his body.

Yuki looked startled to see her as well. His magic seemed out of sorts and agitated. Maria let his arm go and took a step back.

"Sorry, I thought you were another monster out to get me. There were a few that attacked me a while back and I had to stay back to distract them." Yuuki explained as he turned around.

His claws met empty air but his face was a mask of concentration. Was he fighting an invisible enemy?

Or, was it another illusion of the mist. Slowly but surely, Maria had stopped seeing the beasts in the mist. None had been solid after the first beast either.

It made her believe that the monsters did that. a person faced here was in their mind. Even the injuries they sustained only materialised physically once they believed in them.

This mist was elaborate illusion magic being cast actively on the entering person. And from the randomness of it all, the caster had long passed away.

"Yuuki, don't fight the mist. It's all in your head. Focus on running away." Maria explained.

Yuuki seemed to not believe her words. His eyes were trained on the imaginary figure only he could see. Maria knew he was lost to her.

"Don't be a fool. These beasts are real. They were some of the noblest beasts before they lost their mind to the node's destruction. I cannot allow them to continue like this any longer." Yuuki explained.

His reason seemed to be twisted up. Maria was sure that the initial reason Yuuki had given her was to save Kuro and Venus.

But his words and tone seemed to have shifted in a small amount of time. Maria couldn't help but feel like it was the effect of the space they were in.

The mist was affecting Yuuki as well. Maybe it had something to do with the node's destruction and the beasts losing their mind in the aftermath.

But whatever the reason, Maria had a goal now.

Her chains snapped around Yuuki's smaller human frame and she tugged him on her shoulder. The weight felt hampering without her magic but Maria managed to carry him out somehow.

And her steps took them out of the mist in a matter of minutes. No monster attacked them on the way out.historical

"These beasts were not real. The mist was just using your mind against you. It wanted to make you forget the reason you stepped in there." Maria explained instead of apologising.

She knew that Yuuki would understand what she wanted to say. And the beast just sighed.

"I knew deep down that seeing my comrades again was too good to be true. But I just wanted to hope that I would see them again. Even if it was on a battlefield." Yuuki explained.

There was no need to explain it all to Maria. She understood that feeling well.

After all, even she had people she earned to see after this long. It would not matter if they were the enemies or allies in the future, as long as Maria was to see them again.

"Save your apologies. I don't need them. Besides, I can see our companions heading our way. We don't want to worry them. Let's agree to bury this incident." Maria proposed. She was not close enough to Yuuki to have a heart-to-heart.

"Yes. That would be for the best." Yuuki agreed as the other two finally reached them.

"Sorry. We did not mean to stray away from the path. This will not happen again." Venus promised. But Maria had a feeling that this would happen again.

She did not say anything though. She just stared at Venus in a warning. It was Yuuki that finally decided for them.

"What happened cannot be changed. Let's head ahead and stay alert for any danger. Anyone who has gotten past the mist in the last few years never made it back alive." Yuuki warned.

Maria saw the other two gulp their nervousness down. She could feel their conflicted need to head back home but also find the pond fighting with each other.

"You can stay back here if you want. I won't fault you. But I can't guarantee your safety either." Maria's words caused a wave of protest.

"No what.", " I am totally coming with you."

Maria shook her head at the behaviour being displayed. But she did not protest against the pair's choice.

And so, they finally move ahead. The feeling of being watched did not stop for them. But their watch did not make a move either.

Maria felt as of the presence watching them was familiar to her. But it also felt like it did not belong in this world either.

And her system beeped like crazy as she moved ahead.