Thanks to Madame, to Kenzo, and to the location Ananta had given, the four young Awakened finally reached the cave. The arachnid creature lowered herself gently enough for each of them to climb down without getting hurt. The contrast between Madame's ghostly white body and the cave's dark entrance created an unsettling image, almost ominous.
Lucian cast a hesitant look inside.
— « Umm… are you sure this cave is safe? »
Ophelia answered with natural confidence:
— « Yeah. It's a dead end. »
Her voice did not waver, but Kenzo could still hear a trace of caution in it, as though she were repeating something she had already checked several times to reassure herself.
Trying to make himself useful despite his nerves, Lucian quickly suggested:
— « I've got an idea… we could ask Madame to guard the entrance to the cave? »
Ananta nodded almost immediately.
— « That's actually a good idea. »
Very pleased with himself, Lucian added:
— « Thank you, Princess Ananta. »
She rolled her eyes slightly, then replied with half a smile:
— « Uh… actually, don't call me princess. You know what, you can call me Naty. We fought together, so that's good enough. »
Kenzo was only half listening. Their exchange faded into the background. He was focused on the cave itself. He studied the opening carefully: a little less than two meters wide, a ceiling around three meters high, and an interior so dark it looked as if night itself had gathered there, compressed inside the rock. It was the first time he would be sleeping anywhere other than high up in a tree. Strangely enough, that made him more uneasy than he wanted to admit.
— « Can't see a thing in here… » he muttered.
Almost at once, a soft glow appeared. A lantern had manifested as if by magic, filling the cave with warm light.
— « Of course it's you again… » Kenzo murmured as he watched Naty close her hand, as though she had just tucked away the energy of an invisible artifact.
With the lantern lighting the space, he could now make out the whole cave: short, narrow, and fully closed off at the back, just as Ophelia had said. Perfect for avoiding a surprise attack, but just as perfect for becoming a trap if something cornered them inside. Madame instinctively moved into position at the entrance, her massive legs almost completely blocking the opening and leaving only a thin line of light from outside.
Kenzo voiced his surprise:
— « How do you even have that many artifacts? »
He had spotted at least four different ones already: her green armor, which looked a lot like the armor worn by the skeletons in the giant trees, her whip, her bag, and now this lantern.
Naty answered with almost absurd simplicity:
— « Well, unlike you, I'm eighteen. So for two years, while waiting for our dear Ophelia to appear, I made money. Then I used it to buy artifacts. »
Kenzo blinked.
— « Wait, what? You waited for the Phoenix to appear before going to the Royal Academy? »
He sounded genuinely confused, almost shocked.
Naty shrugged.
— « I can't tell you more than that. But I'm the sole heir to my kingdom, so… it had to be done. »
She set the lantern down in the center of the cave. Shadows danced across the walls, forming strange shapes. Then she opened the artifact bag and distributed twelve prana fragments: four for herself, four for Ophelia, and four for Lucian, since Kenzo could not absorb them.
It was the first time Kenzo had actually seen Awakened people absorb their fragments.
They all settled into place and focused. A violet glow, almost liquid in appearance, slowly flowed from the fragments into their chests. The purple light turned white, then faded into their bodies like mist being drawn in.
When Naty opened her eyes again, Kenzo immediately noticed that her green irises were glowing with a magnetic intensity. Lucian's eyes had changed too, touched by a faint blue shimmer, timid but unmistakable. As for Ophelia… her gaze looked incandescent. A burning orange. Contained fire.
Naty then placed the bag in front of Kenzo.
— « Just think about the hearts. You'll feel them. »
He slipped a hand into the bag. At first, he felt nothing… but the moment he focused on the hearts, almost on instinct, his fingers found exactly what he was looking for. He pulled them out one by one, then turned away from the group.
It would be the first time he ate them in front of others.
And even though he had been through worse, something about this made him want to avoid doing it under their direct gaze.
By reflex, Ophelia and Naty summoned their daggers and whip. They were ready. Kenzo understood. If his Corrupted Prana pushed him off balance, even for a second, they would have to bring him down.
— « Don't worry… I'll be fine, » he said calmly.
He devoured the hearts one after another. With every bite, a dark, powerful current ran through his body, strengthening his Awakened Heart. A warm, heavy, almost violent wave poured into his chest, amplifying what he was.
The voice echoed in his head:
[Congratulations. You have eaten for the first time a Void Creature: Treacherous Traitor [Infected Unconscious]Your Heart becomes more Resilient.]
Kenzo shivered. Then he kept going, swallowing all twelve hearts, each one making his body vibrate a little more.
Afterward, he summoned his Orb to check his Status.
Status:
Name: Kenzo
Rank: Unconscious
Bodily Awakening: [Serpent+]
Awakened Prana: [2/800]
Heart: Awakened
Corrupted Prana: [20/1000]
Power: None, please ingest a power
Blessing: [Touched by the Unique], [The Lastborn]
Gift: [Chimera+]
Artifacts: [Armor of the Forest Guardians+]
He was pleased. Twelve hearts just for him, when he had personally killed only three. The others had received only four fragments each, while he… twelve hearts for his own progression. It was almost indecent, but he was not about to complain.
When he turned back toward the group, Ophelia and Naty saw at once that he was perfectly fine. Ophelia grimaced slightly, visibly disgusted by what she had just witnessed. Naty, meanwhile, remained expressionless, as though she were quietly analyzing the whole scene.
She closed the bag, then pulled out a few mushrooms.
In an almost amused tone, she said:
— « Alright, shall we do an interrogation session while we eat? »