Lein caught his breath and got back on his feet.
He reached out his right hand to Kyle.
"Hold on to me. You'll guide me. I've realized it's too dangerous to walk without the blindfold."
Kyle took his hand.
"So, you're planning to wear this blindfold all the time now?" he asked as he led Lein toward the passage to the basement.
Lein gave a faint smile.
"I'll have to endure it," he said quietly.
Kyle squeezed Lein's hand a little tighter.
"What is it?"
Kyle stopped and fell silent for a few seconds.
"…Nothing," he muttered, then kept walking.
But Lein understood everything.
«He probably blames himself. Thinks we ended up like this because of him. Ah, a child stays a child, no matter how steady his mind might seem.»
Lein let go of Kyle's hand and unexpectedly patted him on the head.
"What are you doing?" Kyle asked, confused.
Lein ignored the question.
"None of this is your fault. And really, what does it matter? So what if you talked a bit with a demon."
Kyle gave him a strange look.
"Even if, in the end, he found out I exist?"
Lein nodded.
"Doesn't matter. It still wouldn't have helped him much with my plan."
Kyle took Lein's hand off his head.
"Even if it means you'll have to wear this blindfold forever?"
Lein smirked.
"I would've worn it anyway, even without this incident."
Kyle's voice grew a little livelier:
"Even if it means we have to go down to the basement again? And drag that boar on top of it…"
Lein nodded with a faint smile.
"Yes. That's nothing. I still needed to get the book."
Kyle said with regret:
"But I could've turned off the light beforehand…"
Lein shrugged.
"Maybe. But then the demon wouldn't have bothered hiding. He would've gone straight for my eye."
Kyle fell silent.
And Lein kept thinking:
«The demon can hide his presence from me whenever he wants. So… he deliberately released his aura so I'd think I could sense him. He lowered my guard, then set a deadly trap while already concealing himself. If it weren't for Kyle, he would've learned everything he needed and could've killed me at any moment.»
Lein reached out, searching for Kyle's hand.
Kyle noticed and grabbed it himself.
"Just don't pat me… I'm not a kid," he said.
Lein smiled.
"Alright."
Kyle glanced at him.
"Aren't you afraid?"
Lein shook his head.
"I'm not."
But he was.
Not because the demon was frightening.
Not because he feared death.
But because…
Lein had something to lose.
He simply couldn't allow the demon to leave the fragment alive.
Lein…
was afraid of exactly that.
Afraid of being a powerless witness to the death of those he loved.
But he didn't want to scare Kyle even more, so he chose to lie.
Kyle was already frightened enough.
«The problem is that he really did learn about Kyle… Most likely, he suspects I had a helper he somehow didn't sense. That will make him cautious. My plan might be in danger…»
Lein clenched his teeth.
«In that case… Kyle will have to take part in my performance. Even if he won't know it's an act.»
As they walked down the corridor, Kyle slowed a little and asked:
"Is this okay?"
"What do you mean?" Lein asked back.
"That we're going down to the basement right after meeting the demon. Isn't that too dangerous?"
Lein shook his head.
"No. On the contrary. The demon won't expect us to go down there during the day. Right now is the best time, while he's distracted."
Kyle froze, and Lein stopped with him.
Kyle looked at him.
"What do you think the demon will do now?"
Lein stayed silent for a moment, thinking it through.
"Most likely, he'll start looking for someone alive."
Kyle grew anxious, his voice tinged with panic.
"Then what do we do? There are so many wild animals and insects around!"
Lein smirked and answered calmly:
"He can't take over their bodies. Only mine. He can only make deals, and only with humans."
"How? People wouldn't help a demon, would they?" Kyle asked.
Lein shook his head.
"The demon carries my mirrored self. All he needs is to appear before people and make their heads… burst. Leave some clues, wait for his little play. That's the easiest way to lure people who'll become vessels for his power."
Kyle thought over his words for a while, then nodded.
"Can't we just run away from here?"
Lein answered calmly:
"We can. But only in a day."
Kyle didn't know why it had to be exactly a day, but he trusted Lein's calm tone.
"But… how can the demon make heads explode?" he asked suddenly.
"Not sure," Lein replied.
«Most likely… it's connected to his other abilities. And they only work with eye contact… Wait… his eyes… what were they like? Could it be… he was hiding them?»
Lein sighed.
"Anyway, we need to eat. And… find the book."
Kyle nodded.
Though no one saw it,
he took Lein's hand, and they kept descending.
After a while, Kyle stopped.
"That's it. We're near the passage," he whispered.
Lein nodded.
"Alright. Find the book about the Mirror Folk, drag the boar here — and we're out."
Kyle let go of his hand, stepped through the passage, and first pulled the boar toward him.
On the ground lay shards of test tubes, liquids of different colors, scattered tools.
Lein couldn't see it, but he heard the crunch of glass with every step Kyle took. And not just the sounds — he sensed the cold air and the strange smell of potions.
Kyle went to the cabinet in the wall, grabbed the book quickly, and returned to Lein.
Holding the boar's leg in one hand and the book in the other, Kyle quietly said:
"Got it."
Lein nodded.
He felt the boar's leg, and they began climbing the stairs back up, dragging the carcass.
After they'd moved some distance, Lein said:
"So you really can see in the dark."
Kyle replied:
"Yeah. Did I forget to mention?"
Lein shook his head.
"Just… then why the hell do you need the light?"
Silence.
Lein sighed.
"No reason…"
Kyle spoke, a hint of anger in his voice:
"It's nicer living surrounded by light, you know. It's like drinking water even when you're not thirsty."
Lein smirked.
"I get it. I also eat even when I'm not hungry."
Kyle glanced at him in surprise. After a few seconds, he shook his head:
"I'm not that stupid to eat without need."
Lein stayed quiet.
«Good thing you're not acquainted with my friend…»
He just smirked at the thought and kept climbing upstairs, occasionally answering Kyle's brief questions.