Ferris wrapped his arms around Judas and twisted midfall, so that his back was facing the exit of the zipper pit.
He felt the same sensation he experienced when he first dropped into the zipper, softly being compressed from all directions as if he was descending into a warm sea.
However, that feeling did not last long as the two exited on the other side of the zipper.
Ferris hit the ground in a kneel, Judas still being clutched tight by him.
His body held for a brief moment but then his wounded arm buckled, collapsing under the strain.
Looking up, he saw the zipper that they just came out from. Then after a few seconds, it disappeared and so was the zipper dagger lodged in his wrist.
Acting quickly, Ferris took off his shirt and began covering his wound to slow the bleeding.
Looking around the area, he immediately noticed the jungle-like sprawl of water slides.
Zipperman was planning to trap me here? Ferris stood up and made sure that no villain was in the vicinity.
There was none, but that didn't mean they were in a good situation.
After gathering their senses, the two managed to find an abandoned washroom nearby.
Remaining vigilant, they made sure to check if the door that led inside was a normal door and not some portal that lead to Lumine's void dimension. But after finding no anomalies, they entered inside.
Once they were safe for now, Judas took out the medical kit inside the backpack and began properly treating Ferris's wound.
Once finished, Ferris summoned the quill and paper and sent an SOS message to Elizabeth. At one point he even wanted to rant about Asmadeas and her good vision in his message, but he stopped himself from writing about it.
After sending his report, Ferris sat down on the tiles while applying some pressure on the injury.
This isn't good, they won't be here for more than an hour... I might knock myself out at this rate.
Seeing his sorry state, Judas couldn't help but sit beside him and apologize.
"I'm sorry you got caught up with my past," Judas explained to him. "Just let me handle things from now on."
Ferris chuckled when Judas said he'll take care of him, but he was also suspicious that Judas would even assume he was fit to handle such a task.
"Your past, can you tell me that to distract me for a bit?" Ferris requested, he hoped that Judas's skill for talking on and on would clear his mind of any doubts.
Judas hesitated for a bit, but Ferris knew that Judas was eventually going to yield to his desires.
"As I've said before, I don't know who my parents are," Judas started, then he turned to lock eyes with Ferris.
"That's because I have no memory of my upbringing, I just woke up with my sister in some laboratory. All I can recall was that we lived there for quite some time before escaping, after that we got adopted into an orphanage."
Judas looked as if he was trying to recall something in his mind, but he couldn't.
"That was 15 years ago," Judas sighed. "I can tell you in detail about my time in the orphanage, but I can't remember the time I spent in the laboratory."
"That's fine," Ferris reassured but he had a lingering question. "But how did you know that she was your sister if you didn't remember your upbringing?"
"My sister's a psychic, remember? That's her blessing. Back then, she just knew that we were related." Judas laughed a bit.
"Which is strange because we look nothing alike, compared to my dull-colored hair, she has bright cyan hair. That's actually something I'm insecure about, heh heh..." Judas scratched his head instinctively.
Ferris went into deep thought. A laboratory? He can't remember the time he spent there, but he could remember his time in the orphanage?
Not to mention, his sister was kidnapped by people who were specifically targeting blessing users.
Are the kidnappers related to them in any way?
"Try to remember, were there a lot of blessing users you encountered during your time in the laboratory?" Ferris asked out of the blue.
Judas strained, forcing himself to recall the missing pieces of his past. He tried to Ferris's words as a guide.
But all he found was emptiness. There was a hollow void where memories should have been.
Ferris noticed the strain, the way Judas's brow furrowed as though he might blow his brain out searching for something that wasn't there.
"Nevermind…" Ferris said then shutting his eyes to rest.
Zipperman hasn't come for us yet, either he's honorable in upholding his duty as a proctor, now that we are in the villains' base...
Or that he is too injured to fight.
Regardless, they should still watch out for Zipperman's next appearance.
Ferris continued talking.
"Hey... are you sure about the part of you handling the rest?" He suspiciously questioned, but he was right.
Maybe other than simply keeping watch over Ferris, there was nothing Judas could do against an onslaught of multiple villains.
"Just trust me," Judas said.
. . .
Ferris only stared back, with doubt etched plainly across his face.
The silent response was heavier than any words he could've said, and Judas couldn't help but feel offended by it.
Well, it's not like there will be a time where Judas has to fight to defend me.
There's no way a villain would find us here. Waiting for Elizabeth is the right call.
Ferris exhaled deeply, now that he mentioned Elizabeth again.
It's weird that she hasn't replied yet.
Maybe she thinks I'm in the middle of combat, so suddenly sending a reply would do no good for me, Ferris thought in relief.
If only I could sleep... Ferris was beginning to doze off. Did I lose too much blood?
But before he could dig himself any deeper, he heard distant footsteps that came closer and closer.
Ferris was about to ready himself to ambush the stranger, but then he remembered that they were still wearing their villain pins.
And so, he told Judas to remain calm, and he softly grabbed the pommel of his sword just in case anything went wrong.
Once the footsteps stopped just in front of them, Ferris's heart skipped a beat.
The door opened slowly, and it revealed a burly man with mean-looking tattoos.
From his grim face, Ferris could tell that this person was 100% a villain.
And yet, the burly man simply stared at them with a blank face. But it slowly contorted into suspicion, then slowly into slight disgust.
"Freaks..." the man sneered, and he closed the door in anger.
Slam!
It worked? Ferris was surprised the villain thought that he and Judas were villains.
But why did he say freaks?
. . .
He then figured out the cause.
Ferris was shirtless, which revealed his muscular top half and perfect figure.
He was also sitting close to Judas.
That must've been it.
But Ferris wasn't flustered at all. The bonds he knew between knights were as strong as love itself, and in battle, that strength always showed.
A close brotherhood and sisterhood of knights could resonate their essences together, amplifying one another. Yet, for such resonance to reach its true potential, it demanded deep love and connection.
Teamwork makes the dream work...
He guessed that it also applied to heroes.
How close-minded, Ferris thought of the ignorant villain.
But regardless, one thing was clear.
The disguises worked, which was surprising. Ferris figured Zipperman would have told the villains about intruders in their base. Surely, even as a proctor, Zipperman could have done that.
"Let's head outside." Ferris stood up.
Judas followed Ferris's motion, but he protested. "W-what? Are you sure?!"
"I'm sure, and besides," Ferris smiled at Judas, "you said you'll handle things from now on, right?"