He's Not A Monster

Naren's leg froze up as he saw the beast that was nestled in the distant snowy haze. It's towering figure giving off a grotesque vibe. One that was enough to make even him come to a complete halt instinctively.

But then, as soon as he blinked it was gone.

"You're human?"

A feminine voice broke Naren out of his daze as he redirected his attention to the floating pair of blue eyes staring at him.

A girl?

He coughed, straightening out, before responding.

"Yeah...y-you got a problem...with that?"

The girl didn't respond, instead she stood there for a couple seconds, as if thinking of how to respond to Naren's banter.

So Naren began talking instead.

"S-say you...don't happen to have...a light...do you?"

Once again, he was met with silence from the girl. The howling of the winds and the wet cold feeling at the tip of his nose growing more pronounced by the second.

He opened his mouth to speak, but she finally decided it was time to reply.

"How do I know for sure?"

"What?"

"How do I know you're a human."

"You want...me-me to do a trick for-for you...or something?"

Naren's lips began cracking as the wisps of smoke leaving his mouth grew more dense. He was at his wits end with this cold. He was just about ready to topple over.

Yet now there was some bozo in front of him interrogating him.

Wait. Why was he even bothering to respond to her.

Naren shook his head before lifting up his feet that were no plowed a foot deep in the snow. Shaking off the white devil powder he breathed a haggard and dry breath as he took a step forward.

"Hey! If you come closer I'll have no choice but to kill you!"

"Yeah-yeah...That'll be better...than this cold..."

Naren continued walking forward, his steps long and arduous as he shivered with each movement. He had long forgotten what it felt to be cozy by now. His skin feeling like it would peel right off at any second. Or even shatter like glass.

Glass...If only there was glass he could see. Some type of reflection here that he could cheat with. Then he wouldn't have to deal with this walking.

"I really mean it!"

The girl's voice grew more frantic as Naren continued.

Only when he had gotten close enough to see her, did he notice that the girl's clothes were very thin. A thin windbreaker that sat halfway down her shoulder. A wool sweater underneath that was cropped just above her waist.

He tilted his head.

"That's pretty thi-"

Before Naren could finish his sentence, the girl whipped her hand. Her fist moving like a mace on a string as it knocked clean into Naren's head, sending him immediately seeing stars.

If it weren't for his feet being planted in the snow, Naren would've gone flying, but instead he stood unconscious for a second before falling forward. His body colliding with the cushy snow piles.

As the wind blew the snow haze out of her eyes, the girl was finally able to get a clearer look at the red-haired boy as she slowly brought her hands up to her mouth.

"Oh...He wasn't a monster."

The girl quickly flicked her head around, looking around in the cold desolate ruins. Her dyed brown hair sneaking out of her ushanka, smacking her flushed pale face.

"What do I do now..."

Just then, the ground began to rumble all around them. Hills of snow shaking and conforming around them, until the two were swallowed up whole.

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Cairo and Yuna were suspended in the air, falling through a large underground cavern in the blink of an eye. They were just at the tower on the surface, but as soon as the colossal pair of eyes before them blinked, they wound up here.

Cairo landed first, cleanly on his feet as he rolled in order to absorb the impact. Despite the measures, he could still feel that his knees take a beating. They must've fallen at least fives meters after all.

Just as Cairo straightened out, Yuna crashed right atop him. Bringing the two tumbling to the ground.

"Watch yourself dumbass!"

Yuna staggered to her feet, her pale face flushed as she tried to hold in her cough, flashing a koi smile.

"Oops."

Cairo checked to make sure his katana was still around his waist before taking a look around. A dim network of caves surrounded them. Stalactites dripping water from the ceiling while blue insects glowed in ambience.

The rocks layered in ancient bands of different colors running through like tree rings. Grey limestone. Dark basalt. Veins of something that seemed to slightly glimmer. Cairo couldn't be sure, but it looked like it created no shadows.

It was much warmer down here as a breeze of air flew through the air, currents moving through the tunnel, shifting and redirecting into different directions. It didn't make much sense, but then again not a lot made sense.

Though there was a rotten stench in the air following the breeze.

"Jus my luck."

Yuna took a haggard breath in, coughing as she lurked over.

Cairo watched as she forced herself to stand upright, her eyes squinting while she brought out her waterskin, tipping it over her lips. But nothing flowed out.

The princess looked over at Cairo.

"Can you do me a favor?"

Cairo slowly warmed up the waterskin while the two continued to stroll around.

He at least knew where they were. Right under the ruined city they were in. They got dragged down here by those colossal eyes that stared at them. Or more appropriately by the beast that they belonged to.

However, it was still a feat that they weren't killed.

First the Dreameater and now this. Atlas truly did live up to it's name. What a hellish place. Though, Cairo often assumed hell would be hotter.

Then there was the fact of working with the weed-head. Even though he didn't know enough about her to hate her. He still hated having to deal with anyone that was related to those noble scum.

As his attention faltered on the princess, she had suddenly stopped at the mouth of a tunnel.

Cairo ignored her, walking past to where it narrowed before opening up to a natural chamber that rounded into jagged corners. It was maybe ten meters across, a ceiling high enough to give breathing room.

The room rose slightly, to where the furthest part was still not visible from where Cairo was standing.

So he began walking.

Yuna grabbed his tunic suddenly. Barely able to pull to Cairo back a couple steps before the ground beneath where he was just standing shattered to reveal a pitfall full of spikes below.

Cairo nodded at Yuna.

So he had to be wary of where he was walking. So what exactly was so important that whoever had lived here had to trap up a place this deep down.

The two tiptoed around. Having made only a couple meters of progress. But by now, Cairo could make it out a little. What stood at the end of the room.

Two hands carved out of a crystalline stone where held outstretched towards the ceiling.

He stopped after another meter. Not even having to walk to the end to realize what was waiting for them. What was being protected by whatever lunatic was clawing around down here hundreds of years ago.

But that's what surprised him. He had no idea what it meant, but just the fact that it was here was eerie enough.

By now, Cairo could make it out.

The almost humanoid head with it's eight eyes. Two arms folding out from it's mouth as it held a man in one hand.

It was the same statue that he'd seen in Lastlight.