Lidien woke up panting as he touched his chest. The memory of him... or more likely, the body's experience when the old Lidien stabbed his own chest... resurfaced.
"Hmmmphh, huurghh!"
Gritting his teeth from the sudden pain from his small movements, he realized it had all been just a dream...
But the feeling was so real that he had even acted as though he were the last Lidien.
"Good morning, Lidien..."
Lily's sweet voice pulled him from his confusing, too-real dream.
Scanning his surroundings, he noticed the flickering torchlight and the smell of algae and mold.
'A cave?'
And when he looked back to where Lily was, he tried to crawl forward no matter how painfully his body protested at the slightest movement.
Crack! Crack...
As his bones and stiff muscles cracked, he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to move no matter the pain was.
"I'm okay... don't worry..."
Tears welled in Lidien's eyes... not from the physical pain, but from what he saw of Lily's condition.
A wound on her thigh so deep he could clearly see the bone, a greenish substance oozing from her melting arms,
yet,
Lily was smiling at him, so sweetly, in stark contrast to all the wounds she had endured.
"H-how long was I asleep?"
Lily tried to sit back up without losing her smile.
"You've been asleep for three days..."
Lidien bowed, his hands partially transforming as his claws dug into the ground.
'Three days... she protected my life for that long... now I understand why Lidien sacrificed himself for this woman... no, my sister... Lily...'
Lidien could only cry, his tears cutting the dirt on his face.
In his condition, he knew full well he would not be able to survive the Bone Orchards, even if he left Lily here in this cave alone.
"It's okay, my little brother..."
She smiled, as a single tear escaped her eye.
Biting her ring finger, she forcefully yanked it, the elastic skin snapping with a wet, tearing sound as it detached from her hand.
Blood squirted from her hand nonstop, yet she threw her finger, with the ring still on it, in front of Lidien.
"It still has a potion inside that will heal you and your sparkline... Escape, my little brother... give the relic to Mother..."
Lily closed her eyes and rested her head against the cave wall.
"Don't worry about me... this is the only thing I can give to you, as my family..."
Lidien reluctantly got the finger, feeling its soft and tender skin. He asked:
"Why?"
As his eyes slit, staring daggers at Lily while his claws dug deeper into the earth, he asked again.
"Why not use it yourself? Why not leave me when you can? Why?! WHY SAVE ME?!"
Lily only smiled and weakly glanced at Lidien, her once-vibrant eyes now dimming.
"I can't... and I will not leave you behind... Besides..."
Lily stared at her corroding arms.
"I got their mark... so escape as fast as you can. I can't hold the concealment for long."
Steeling his resolve, Lidien removed the ring from Lily's finger and infused his verve to access it, taking the potion from within.
When Lily saw his action, she heaved a sigh of relief. At least, her sacrifice would not be in vain.
Lidien drank the potion. As its contents slid down his throat, he felt like he was burning as a cleansing fire passed through his veins.
His wounds slowly regenerated, his broken ribs and bones snapping as they slowly returned to their original state.
His Sparkline, which had been thinning from overuse, was slowly thickening.
As the impurities from his body oozed out, a pungent smell was released.
It felt short, but Lidien's regeneration lasted for almost an hour, yet Lily watched him full of admiration and longing.
When the potion's efficacy was consumed, Lidien felt like he had been reborn for the second time.
After opening his eyes and getting the chest from the ring,
Lidien stared at the Relic and smiled before looking back at Lily, who was having a hard time breathing.
"I'm sorry, sister... But I think I will not be able to send this chest to Mother..."
Lily's eyes widened upon hearing Lidien's words.
"Wh-what are you saying?"
Lidien crouched and touched Lily's face, wiping her dry tears.
"I'm sorry... But, If Mother truly loves you, she will understand..."
Transforming his hands partially to have claws, he directly stabbed Lily's chest. She stared at him with disbelief...
Lidien pulled out her still-beating heart, veins ruptured, splashing blood on his face.
He put the heart inside the Relic before storing it in the space ring.
Lily watched Lidien killing her... With the remaining oxygen in her brain, she tried to say something...
Yet, in the end, she smiled... brighter than the flickering torchlight.
Lidien stood, his hands slowly dripping Lily's blood.
He looked up and breathed deeply, relaxing all his nerves.
'I'm getting used to this feeling...'
He stared one last time at Lily before leaving the cave silently with a resolute face.
***
Panting, Lidien never stopped running away from the cave where Lily's corpse was left as bait.
Using the said Mark on Lily as his scapegoat, Lidien traveled the Bone Orchards nonstop.
He didn't engage in battle; though he could easily kill the common magical beasts, he knew that it would be pointless, since the beast's horde would continue to grow, stopping him from escaping the hallowed forest.
On the fifth day of his escape, Lidien knew he had escaped the Bone Orchards safely when he saw the sunrays touch his skin.
'At last... no more mists...'
Yet, he didn't stop walking...
Unexpectedly, the caravan was waiting far away from the clearing.
Lidien reluctantly walked towards it, but he knew he couldn't rest in a place where danger was lurking randomly.
Using his advantage as a prince, Lidien searched for Mad Dog, who acted like a king.
When Mad Dog noticed him, he immediately stood from his chair and directly knelt in front of Lidien.
"M-My Prince! W-we--"
Slap!
"How dare you relax here when you know your owner isn't here?"
Mad Dog didn't dare to scratch his itching face, then slammed his head on the ground.
"Please kill me!"
Lidien smirked.
"You're still useful. Prepare my new carriage... I need to sleep. Wake me when Sister comes... and also, she said we could continue our travel without waiting for her... she will just come here if she wants to..."