I peeked at her.

Elly with her eyes closed, she seemed to be concentrating. The golden light from me hurled faster and the glow was brighter than ever. A while after that, I started to feel a little bit drained. It was not my stamina, but something else. But, it somehow affected my stamina too.

Elly released me, I observed her wound, but they were still the same. The blistering on her back were swelling dark and squishy. I looked at her face, she's still tired but much better than before. Something definitely changed within her. I can sense it but yet I couldn’t explain what is the difference.

Elly stood up and stand on her grimy feet, she swayed a little but then she managed to balance her footing. Slowly, she walked herself while sploshing across the sea of spider blood and the giant spider’s innards, moving toward the giant tunnel. Her face, legs, hands and cloth, they were all smeared with dark purplish blood. She was dirty from top to bottom, except for her peculiar blue hair and that bright blue eyes, staring into the big tunnel as she entered.

I moved my heavy body, quickly followed her. I tapped at her shoulder, carefully without touching the still blistering back. “Elly? Why the hell are you going in? You should rest!” tone of my voice unconsciously raised while I asked. She was forcing herself, I can feel it.

She turned her head to me, shot me a weak smile but her brows scrunched a bit. She shook her head, implying that she’s fine, for now. I glanced into the dark tunnel, strangely enough, as though I saw what's beneath the end of it, I knew that nothing dangerous lurking inside and so I let her continue to walk in as I closely watched over her.

The tunnel was dim and dark, the wall was covered with gooey disgusting liquid, ground covered with some bones here and there alongside rotten flesh. The stench is getting stronger as we move. It was so unbearable that I pinched my nose and breathed through my mouth. The air in here was so thick that I coughed once a while because of it.

But, Elly didn't seem to be bothered by that at all. Her eyes fixed on one place, her back sometimes quivered, her feet sometimes staggered but still, she didn't look back and continue forward.

The tunnel finally ended and we entered into the cave where the source of the stench was the strongest. Not even mouth breathing could stop the stench from tingling my nose. What's inside my grumbling stomach started to rise and made me gag. "...Elly" I called on her, just wanted to make sure that she was alright but it seemed her smelling sense might be different from me.

Inside the lair, patches of grimy spider webs were spread everywhere, lots of spongy murky eggs strewn across the corner of the cave. A lot of monster I had never seen, had flesh ripped apart, head crushed, eyes gauged, some hung and wrapped by yellowish spider silk with blotches of dark blood soaked throughout the silk, dripping down. No living being could be seen inside this horrifying spider nest, except dead monsters.

Elly moved to the west corner of this grimy place. That was where a familiar looking body lied, the monster which had the same appearance as the kitten monsters in the valley. But the belly had been ripped open thus the life had long gone. Elly stroked at the fur and then she hovered her palm above the opened belly.

A bright blue light emanated from her palm, streak of light swirled and slowly covered the opening. The light on her hand slowly expanded and covered its whole body. In a while, the opening of the kitten monster had slowly pulled together and steadily merged back. The blue light she emanated was so bright that it lightened the entire cave, washing away the dark atmosphere for a moment.

The opening had closed, Elly retracted her palm and looked at the kitten monster intently. But, no movement could be sensed. She brushed the long fur around the monster's neck, she had the helpless expression. Deep down, she had already known that it was a futile effort. But, she did restored the horrible opening to its origin state.

I moved to her side, she glanced at me from the corner of her sight but then she turned away. Elly moved the monster's body, carried it in her arms and started moving away from that place. The bubbling on her blistering back still looked as horrifying as before. I didn’t know how does she endure the pain while walking.

When we left the tunnel, the smaller spiders peeked from the smaller holes that spread across the wall. Elly threw a vicious glare at them along with a snarl. The spiders jolted and creeped backward. To be honest, if they swarmed against us, I doubt that we will be able to won the fight. Fortunately, the dead of the giant spider had caused their moral drastically decreased and they didn’t come after us anymore.

We walked out of the red canyon and as expected, Elly was carrying the body of the fifth kitten back to their den down the valley. Elly jumped down, and groaned a bit as she landed on the ground. I couldn’t do what she did so I slowly climbed myself down the slanted rocks wall.

The rest of the monster kittens were no longer moving. They were all dead already. I wondered why Elly didn’t heal them at the first encounter. She gently put the fifth kitten down near their bodies. Them she crouched beside them, contemplating.

I walked to her side, and sat down.

Elly didn’t cry nor wailing. She glanced at the dead bodies while lips slightly pursed. Her breath was short and frequent. Her back was getting more unsightly.

“Elly... why don’t you heal yourself” I suggested, she only gave me a weak glance but then her body suddenly swayed backward. “Hey!” I immediately reached her and caught her before her back pounded on the ground, preventing any more damage.

Her body was boiling hot.

She blinked at me then she opened her mouth slightly.

[“Yuu... take me into the river”]

Her voice resonated in my head while she was looking at me. Without further await, I carried her small figure up in my arms and walked to the riverside.

Slowly, I plunged Elly in the clear river water. Some part of the purplish smear on her melted into the water, but not exactly vanished.

[“Release me”] She ordered.

I gently pushed her body away from my hands. She floated on the river but then she slowly sank in. Her legs were shrouded in shiny, bright, blinding glow and then they transformed into a mermaid fin.

Inside the river, the stream has stopped flowing, the stream of the river mysteriously circling her and her whole body reflected a sky blue soft light. Thousand of glowing bubbles emerged and gathered around her, they were especially bright on her back. The purplish dirty smear was swept by the glowing bubbles. The cut on her cheek faded. All the bruises around her body healed.

Wow... wish I could do that

The light slowly faded, the river continued flowing normally and Elly energetically swished herself beneath the crystal clear river. She splashed her head out of the river and rest her arm by the edge while she beamed a smile from ear to ear toward me.

[“Hehe... Thank you!”]

Once again her voice resonated in my mind. I wanted to ask her but, should I? She just recovered but she seemed to be pretty cheerful already. Even though the dead bodies were near her sight. She didn’t look troubled. I thought that she will be mourning against their death.

“Uhm... Elly, there are so many thing I want to ask you. But, are you alright now? ” She was flipping her tail, splashing the water cheerfully while listening to me.

[“What is it?”] She casually replied while putting a straight curious face.

I raised my hand and pointed at my temple. “Did you just talk into my mind? How did you do that? Why didn’t you do it from the start?” I bombarded her with the questions I had been wanting to ask since she voiced her first word in my head.

Elly stopped swishing her tail.

[“Hmm? I thought that Yuu was the one who connected us?”] She looked confused then she pulled herself up to the shore, her tail glowed and magically returned to a pair of clean flawless legs.

Huh? What was she talking about...

“No... I didn’t have any idea about that at all” I was still pondering at her statement.

[“Yuu is the one who opened the access gate to your mind. If not, Elly wouldn’t be able to reach through... ”] Elly stood on her feet. She looked as clean as before, while I was still covered by the grimy purplish blood all over the place. And thus, it made me realized about the bite marks that were still scattered all over my body.

I thought that I was poisoned from the spider bites, but that head splitting sensation had long gone, left me with only slightly tingling bite marks and depleted stamina. My body still felt heavy though but I didn’t feel like I will be dying from the poison anytime soon. I was just tired. Does it have any connection with the previous golden aura?

“No... I didn’t” I denied her statement after wandering for a while. Elly puffed her cheek as she stomped closer.

[“Yes you did! Don’t you remember the time you gave me your mana?”]

My eyes widened, my mind almost went blank as I stunned.

“Huh?” I was bewildered by her statement. To be exact, I was agitated by the word ‘mana’.

Continue puffing her cheek, Elly raised her hand and pulled my face down aligning with hers. I almost stumbled on my feet.

[“This!”] She pulled my forehead close and we bumped. Her grip was pretty strong, I couldn’t just lightly push her.

A jolt of pain suddenly pierced my head, the golden light sparked between our forehead. I was shocked and immediately jerked back.

Elly raised one her brow while staring me with her big blue eyes. She tilted her head.

[“Yuu... Open your mana gate to prevent the pain... Like how you did before!"] Elly explained while she casually invading my head.

["Like this!''] She moved backward while still facing me and opened both her arms. She took a deep breath. Her hair fluttered in the air as if the wind was gently blowing through. Her body glowed in a golden coloured transparent light. The aura was swirling as if merging with the air. She looked as though a goddess in painting.

She smiled before she closed her eyes, her brows furrowed a bit as she was concentrating. The golden aura which she emanated, slowly, flying through the air and danced around, until it reached me.

The aura couldn’t be touched but it was warm when it reached my skin. My own body started reacting weirdly, the blood in me seemed to be attracted to the aura. Or maybe it was the ‘mana’ in me... I don’t know anymore.

[“I’ve been trying to connect but Yuu was unapproachable before... uuu”] That aura suddenly retracted and went back into Elly in a swish. The air around me returned to its normal cold and dry atmosphere.

If she really means what she said. Does it imply that I will be able to use magic too?

That thought gave me a shudder. Magic. The fantasy skill which has always been displayed inside entertainment medias. Now, on me? Could it be that the green light on my hands before, is that... magic? The one who caused the spiders to be mysteriously sliced apart, is that me?

Elly walked to the side of the dead bodies. Her cheerful demeanour faded as she crouched and buried her head in the pile of motionless furry bodies.

“But I thought that you didn’t understand my words” I asked. She had been clearly answering me knowing what I was talking.

While her face still laying down, she turned her head to me and looked at me.

[“Every language has different way of expression. But, through synchronized mana, it can simply breaks them down and transfer only the meaning itself. So, I don’t really know how to speak in your language nor understands it bare... Elly can now understand because Yuu had let me access to your mind through mana flow you opened for me.”]

Unexpectedly, Elly dumped me a long train of info that I’ve been longing for. But still, it didn’t satisfy me yet or I couldn't fully understand.

“Okay, fine. Then there is one that I’ve been wanting to ask you since I first met you” I uttered, with a serious tone.

Elly stared at me, not blinking.

“Where are we?” I asked.

It was a moment of silent before she moved back and sit straight while crossing her legs. Elly blinked at me and tilted her head.

[“Hmm? Don’t you know that we are inside The Gates of Hell?”]

Elly curiously asked, as if I was the one who’s strange between us.

The Gates of Hell?

The first image that came into my mind was the gas crater with bubbling active lava in the distant country that I've seen in television. But, it couldn't be. It might be the name of a place. But, definitely not a place exposed to common, 'only if' this Gates of Hell was still a place located in the earth.

"Can we get out of here?"

Elly froze from my question. Cold sweat adorned her temple, her fist suddenly tightened, and her eyes darted. She tilted her head down and exhaled a short breath. Then she raised her head up, with a straight emotionless face.

[“I don’t know"] She suddenly beamed a smile as though she could cover the little movement she showed before, which made her words clearly unbelievable.

She seemed to be lying...

"Haven't you try finding the exit?"

Elly was fidgeting, it was clearly a lie, she knew where's the exit.

"Elly? Where's your family? Do you live in this place?" I further asked.

She raised her head up high, looking at the sky like ceiling of this limitless cave. Then she turned her head and glanced at the dead kitten monsters.

["Elly don't know..."] Her answers were short and reluctant.

"What do you mean by that?" I closely watched at her movement. She raised her hand up, put it on the furry monster, and stroke the fur.

["I lost my memories..."] She answered, while brushing the black hair of the dead monster. Her eyes looked empty.

Huh? This is getting weirder.

"Then, what is the earliest memories you have?" I asked.

["I only remembered waking up to this place"] Her lips slightly wavered, and she darted her eyes.

Should I believe her? She didn't seem to be lying when she said that she lost her memories, but the part of her earliest memories...Hmm, I guess I've no choice but to believe her for now. As for the exit...

I turned my back facing her, and started walking away. It was a bet, but I doubt she will ignore me. If I was right, she wouldn't like it if I left her alone.

"Yuu?" She voiced out, it has been a while since I last heard her talking with her own vocal cord.

"If you don't tell me, I will find the exit by myself" I declared as I stride away heavily, now had reached the slanted rocky wall, and about to climb.

["No... please don't leave Elly alone"] Elly suddenly jerked up from the ground and leapt to me. She pulled on my messy ripped shirt.

I turned my head back and stared at her heart-breaking expression.

"Elly... you are strong, enough to be able to survive in this place. But, I am just a normal human. I can't just let you protect me all the time. I need to get out of this place." I don't know the situation outside of this place, it could be worse, but I will just bet on it.

["But... Elly's scared"] A pool of tears puddled at her under lashes, her hand trembled.

Looking at her reaction... Could it be worse outside? No... saying that she's scared instead of warning me defied that possibility. I had a hunch that she knew what's outside look like. But what could be the thing that actually scared her, even when she had that monstrous strength?

I turned myself front facing her, crouched down on one knee while looking up at her wet eyes and unsure stare.

"It will be okay Elly... you have me by your side. You are not alone" I tried talking her out, while gently wiped the bead of tears out of her face. Without doubt, she still had the mind of a child. Unpredictable and naïve at sometimes. But, I know that she is kind-hearted. Even though she can be pretty ruthless when killing, that side of Elly, suddenly flashed through my mind.

"Uhm...." Elly pondered but then she nodded lightly.

Yes... but before that...

"Elly... before we are out of this place. There is somewhere I wanted to go. Do you remember where did you find me?" I continued asking.

Elly nodded again but then she looked at me puzzled.

"I want you to take me there" I solemnly asked.

Having Elly by my side will be useful in my current situation, it might be still dangerous to go to that dragon headed snake's lair, but still, I need to see it for myself. If she's still around... or not. Elly might have found me in the lake bottom but still, a lot of thing still felt amiss. Like, why didn't she rescue Sasaki? She should've heard the commotion above the lake. Looking at her trait, she would have helped Sasaki too.

["Okay!"]

Elly suddenly yanked my arm, snapped me out of my train of thought. I quickly inhaled a long deep breath as if I had predicted what she will be doing next.

SPLAASSHHHH!!

As expected, we plunged right into the river.