"Hah... hah..."
"I think they've stopped chasing us..."
The two of them finally stopped running after making sure that there were no more noisy sounds coming from behind them.
They glanced back, looking at the light from outside the cave that slowly began to disappear the deeper they went inside.
The person who had helped them earlier could no longer be seen either, making it feel as though there were only the two of them inside that cave.
Even while standing still there, Kayo's hand remained wrapped around Lin's wrist, as if he would never let go of it after everything that had happened.
Their breaths were ragged, to the point that they had to breathe through their mouths just to keep themselves conscious.
While Kayo's gaze remained fixed toward the direction behind them, Lin, who could no longer endure it, released her hand from Kayo's.
Kayo immediately turned around and looked at Lin, who had bent her body forward while supporting herself with her hands resting on her knees.
Lin's chest felt painfully tight, as though the time she had left was not very long after forcing herself to keep up with Kayo's footsteps while running.
Kayo did not try to examine Lin closely to check her condition. He only glanced back in the previous direction several times before finally preparing himself to walk again.
He approached Lin, then gently placed his palm against her back.
Lin slowly tried to look up from her position, lacking enough strength to straighten her body again and look directly at Kayo.
She did not say a single word, only continuing to breathe with sounds that echoed loudly because of how silent the cave was.
Kayo briefly swallowed the saliva in his throat that was slowly drying up from the lack of water passing through it.
"It's okay, Lin. I'm sure they've stopped following us. Shall we go?"
That question made Lin feel so relieved that she almost lost her balance and fell to the ground, but before that could happen, Kayo managed to catch her.
Without another word, he immediately wrapped Lin's right arm behind his shoulders, fully supporting the girl so she could walk more calmly now.
Kayo brought Lin along with him again, though more slowly and carefully this time. No longer rushing like before, only continuing to move in order to reunite with the others.
—
Even though there was no longer any visible light from the outside sky, they were still able to walk through the passage without the slightest difficulty. The path and the walls looked incredibly bright, as though there were tiny suns hidden beneath the surface of the walls.
The wind brushing against their skin did not feel hot or suffocating. Instead, it felt rather damp, almost cold like the night breeze they had felt several hours ago near the mouth of the cave.
Faintly, Lin saw what looked like magical mist that only she could perceive, unlike Kayo, who saw nothing at all.
It was as if only Lin could sense the presence of the magical wind soothing her body. The air coming from the direction they were heading gradually grew colder over time.
Kayo began to feel confused by the cave they had entered. Even the caves deep within Londerg during winter did not possess air this cold.
Lin's eyes widened more and more, almost the same as she had felt a few minutes after waking up from sleep. Freshness spread throughout her body, allowing it to rest well over the past few minutes.
She was finally able to walk normally again, pulling her hand away from Kayo's shoulder before continuing to hold the man's hand in order to keep herself warm.
"Hey, Kayo... If I'm seeing things wrong, tell me... Is there really a light over there?" Lin asked while pointing ahead of them, where from her point of view, a bright light shone as though illuminated by the sun.
But for Kayo, even after narrowing his eyes to see more clearly, all he could see was darkness ahead.
The same pitch-black darkness that appeared when either of them looked back toward the end of the path behind them.
"... I don't know, Lin. My vision's a little blurry right now. I think I'd rather trust what you just said."
Kayo replied in order to hide the truth that what he actually saw was nothing but endless darkness filling his sight.
Hearing Kayo's response, Lin tightened her grip on his hand, wondering what was waiting for them there.
But even though their visions were different, they shared a conviction deeply rooted within their minds and hearts.
That... at the end of that path, they would be reunited with the others, and then find a way out of this mysterious cave as soon as possible.
——
The light that had been growing increasingly blinding before my eyes finally blinded me completely when I reached the end, the place where I had seen that light from afar.
For a moment, I could no longer feel my body. Even Kayo's hand, which I had been holding before, felt faint because of this light.
When I forced my eyes open until the light finally faded away, what appeared before me made me freeze instantly. My eyes felt unable to look away from what I had just seen.
—
That place felt like an oasis in the middle of a scorching desert. Appearing when travelers had grown exhausted and needed water to keep themselves alive.
However, it was different from an oasis.
My hand slowly weakened, drifting away from Lin's smooth skin as my eyes were illuminated by the light reflecting across the surface of the water.
The towering ceiling looked almost identical to the underground settlement, filled with countless openings carved into it. Light from the sun—or perhaps the moon—slipped through those holes and illuminated the area beautifully.
The glowing walls and ground, filled with crystals inside them, made my eyes sparkle as though I had countless desires all at once within a single fleeting moment.
——
A place formed from massive rocks that had settled hundreds of years ago, slowly sinking deeper and creating numerous pools of water like glowing lakes.
Small crystal stones were scattered along the edges of the water, existing like the stones that could always be found along the banks of rivers anywhere.
The gentle movement of the water's surface reflected back onto the walls, making the walls themselves appear as though they were moving together with the water.
The other foxes were scooping water with both of their cupped hands, drinking greedily as though they had not had anything to drink for a very long time.
They were all there. Crouching close together beside one another, drinking from the same source as though displaying their unity as beast-men of the same race.
One of them touched their neck after wetting it with the soothing water, realizing that two important people among them were watching from the higher ground after passing through the same passage.
They raised a hand as a signal, saying something softly, though their voice echoed because of the silent cave.
"Kayo-sama, Lin-sama! Thank goodness the two of you are safe..." they said.
Several others who noticed their presence also began greeting them after seeing that they were unharmed.
"Kayo, come over here and enjoy this with us!"
"Why are you still standing there?"
"Come join us!"
All of them only welcomed Kayo, while only a few looked at Lin with happy expressions.
Of course, it was because of what they knew about Lin from before. Their reactions were only natural because of what she had done in the past.
Kayo pulled Lin's hand and led her down with him, gathering together with the others to wash away the exhaustion from their journey in that beautiful and breathtaking place.
For just a brief moment, they were able to enjoy the beauty they had found after trying to escape from Londerg and reunite with the other beast-men.