Meredith shifted slightly, her attention locked on him. His words had seized her focus completely. She seemed to be questioning and pondering them deeply.
After several heartbeats, she finally asked.
"Why... do you say so?"
Of course, Auren had expected her question.
And his reason was simple.
"I've been in this area before, although not as far as this. Behind that building where we met Lucien, I saw… or rarher felt terrible Cursed Creatures. Now, either someone slew all of them before the Prince here managed to pass, or somehow they wandered off. According to what we learned in Preschool, certain Cursed Creatures are territorial by nature. Even when they wander, they always return to their territory, either because it enhances their power, or out of sentiment, though the latter is quite rare.
"So let's say they wandered off while he was passing through. They should be back by now... don't you think?"
Meredith was silent, weighing Auren's words with razor-sharp focus.
Jasper just quietly shifted his confused gaze between the two, returning it to Meredith as she responded.
"So... you're saying someone cleared all the Cursed Creatures to let Jasper escape and return...?"
She regarded Auren with a slight frown.
"But how would this person have known Jasper would come back?"
Auren lowered his sword, pressing its tip into the ground with minimal effort, just enough to lean on slightly.
"Well, given our current world, I wouldn't rule out that they expected his return... because why let him go if he wouldn't come back? He must serve some purpose to them. They must know something."
Meredith studied him, her gaze becoming slightly less intense and more guarded.
"That makes sense... they would expect him to return with something..."
Auren released a ghost of a smile.
"...us."
Meredith exhaled softly.
"That is if all this speculation is true."
Auren shrugged.
"Well, the only way to find out is to walk right into the jaws of danger."
Jasper glanced between them again and finally spoke.
"Did I cause trouble then? Was I tricked?"
Auren regarded him impassively for a moment, then sighed.
"Don't worry about it. Whoever could clear these plains of all Cursed Creatures exists in a realm of power beyond your capabilities or ours. They likely function at a Cognizance level far higher than ours, and this is their world too. It's natural to be outplayed here. The most important thing is to learn and grow from it."
His gaze hardened with resolve as a crimson spark flared in his eyes.
"And considering all that, regardless of any differences between us, we will reach the core of this trial and tear it apart."
Jasper's eyes lit up at Auren's words. More than that, the light in Auren's eyes—though cold and dangerous—burned with such determination that Jasper felt certain they would survive this trial as long as Auren was with them.
He smiled and nodded.
"Yes, Sir Auren. We will tear it apart!"
He made a fist and slightly cringed at his own gesture. He quickly tried to brush it off before the others could notice. Not that they missed it.
"Ahem! So, we're moving forward?"
"What other choice do we have, Prince?"
They began moving as soon as Auren spoke. Jasper quickened his pace to catch up with Auren, whispering to him.
"By the way... while I do enjoy the title, I feel I should mention that I'm not actually a prince."
Auren continued forward, unmoved.
"I know."
"Oh, you do?"
Jasper's voice carried a note of confusion. His speech faltered as they walked on. Then he leaned closer to Auren again.
"Then... why do you..."
Auren turned to him with eyes so cold and empty that the rest of Jasper's words died in his throat.
He gulped and muttered to himself.
"Never mind, I guess."
Then he fell back, drifting to Meredith's side instead.
He bowed slightly to her, flashing a charming smile.
Meredith spared him the briefest glance.
Seizing this momentary attention, the self-styled prince said:
"By the way, I couldn't help but notice how pristine my name sounded on your lips... could you maybe pronounce it once more... my lady."
Meredith remained impassive, ignoring him completely, as if she walked alone.
But she eventually spoke. Five brutal words.
"I am not your lady."
Auren stifled a laugh and just continued to walk. The rest of their journey drowned in silence until the plain surrounding them began to change.
After miles of trekking, Auren noticed the ground beneath them transforming. It was becoming less firm. Soon they entered a plain of black flowing sand.
Darkness still shrouded everything, making it difficult to distinguish the horizon from the sky.
But the cold wind that whipped against their skin told them they had entered some kind of open plain. Perhaps a desert of sorts.
Auren glanced down. He bent and gathered a handful of sand, watching as the wind carried it away from his palm.
Jasper shifted slightly.
"We're closer. I think it's somewhere ahead."
Auren's heart pounded in his chest at Jasper's words. The truth was, he too was panicking inwardly. He had no idea what they would face. Whoever or whatever awaited them had to be at least a Devout. And he was just a Nascent.
There were three of them, but what were the chances three Nascents could defeat an experienced Devout? Worse still, what if their enemy wasn't alone?
Fear clawed at the walls of his mind. But he couldn't afford to show any of it.
Auren believed the least he could do was maintain the others' mental stability while trying to steady his own. Meredith was unreadable, but his calm front seemed to work on her somehow. Jasper was affected the most. And that was a good thing.
They continued forward, their feet sinking into the cold sand, slightly slowing their pace. Within minutes, they encountered the first coffin.
It was just as Jasper had described. Empty, its lid cast aside.
Looking down at it, Auren asked him.
"Was this the one you came out of?"
Jasper leaned closer, examining it.
"I can't really tell, to be honest. When I woke up, coffins were scattered everywhere, as if some disaster had struck. I didn't have time to look closely—I just ran."
Auren frowned slightly as he stared at the coffin. He looked around. No other coffins were in sight. Then he felt something—a slight pull in his mind.
The pull drew him down. He bent and overturned the coffin lid. Being heavier than expected, he strained but finally managed to prop it against the coffin.
Auren discovered a strange symbol carved into the center of the lid. It resembled a round circle with spikes radiating outward, likely representing a sun. Inside the circle, a crescent was carved into one corner of the circumference. The other side of the crescent was completely shaded.
It might represent darkness, nothingness, or night. Given the sun and crescent moon imagery, Auren guessed it symbolized night.
It was perplexing.
"Are you okay...?"
Meredith's cold voice snapped him from his thoughts. He slowly stood.
"Yes, I am."
He glared down at the symbol.
Noticing his expression, Meredith asked:
"Do you know what it is?"
Auren shook his head slightly.
"Not quite, but it feels ominous."
He frowned a second later and said:
"Let's keep going."