The [Possibly Existing Spacetime] Passage

In a passageway somewhere.

The walls were made of rough stone bricks, with years of dampness seeping from the cracks. Occasionally, a drop of water would fall from above, making a clear, long "tap" sound in the silence as it hit the thin layer of water on the ground.

Lutine followed behind Iris. Her steps were so light they were almost inaudible, and the hem of her dark skirt swept across the damp moss on the ground.

Iris walked half a step ahead of her, her steps light and quick. Her two pale golden braids bounced with each step.

"Assassinating Serie..." Iris began, her voice echoing faintly in the narrow passage. "What a remarkable mission. I was planning to spend National Day with friends, but instead I'm spending it with a dark woman like you."

Lutine didn't reply. She lowered her head, her gaze fixed on the smooth stone slabs beneath her feet, worn smooth by time.

"Wolf said we're forbidden from acting alone..." she said in a low, flat voice.

Iris walked casually, her hands behind her back.

"There's no one in this underground passage." She turned a corner, and the passage ahead widened a bit. "Also, is this really connected to the palace?"

"Hmm." Lutine raised her eyes, gazing into the thick darkness at the depths of the passage. "I heard it's a passage used for refuge during the Unified Empire era. Although I'll check it regularly, I still want to confirm it before executing the plan. It would be terrible if we found it unusable on the day of the operation."

Iris laughed out loud, a clear laugh that sounded somewhat abrupt in the silent passage.

"Haha, you're such a worrywart." She turned her head and winked at Lutine. "Since you're worried about not being able to act alone, then hurry up and get it done!"

As she spoke, she quickened her pace, spread her arms wide, and happily jogged towards the darker passage ahead. Her boots made a soft pattering sound on the stone slabs.

Lutine maintained her original pace, neither too fast nor too slow.

"Uh, well, running too fast could be dangerous..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

Ahead, the tip of Iris's boot touched a thin line that was almost invisible at ankle height.

The next second--

"Whoosh--!"

A sharp whooshing sound erupted from the walls on both sides of the passage. Dozens of arrows shot out from concealed firing ports, covering the entire passage and raining down on the two men.

Iris fell backward the instant the thread snapped. Her body bent backward with a flexibility almost impossible for a human, nearly folding her in half. Several arrows grazed her nose and clothes, embedding themselves in the opposite stone wall, their fletchings still trembling.

One of the arrows was aimed directly at her mouth.

She tilted her head slightly, opened her mouth, and precisely bit the scissors with her teeth.

Then, she used her core strength to twist her body in a way that defied her center of gravity. Her left foot firmly planted on the ground, while her right foot was raised and suspended in the air. Her whole body was tilted at nearly 340 degrees, looking as if she might fall to the ground at any moment, yet miraculously maintaining her balance.

Lutine stood still. As the arrows came, she simply raised her hands, her fingers moving quickly and accurately through the air, as if plucking falling petals. When she stopped, she had caught two or three arrows between the fingers of each hand. The arrow tips were only inches away from her eyes and throat, but she didn't even flinch.

The rain of arrows ceased.

The passage fell silent again, broken only by the faint hum of the arrow's fletching.

Lutine lowered her hand and casually tossed the arrow she was holding onto the ground. The metal shaft struck the stone surface with a crisp, clattering sound.

"There's a trap Mr. Wolf has set here..." she said.

Iris remained in that crooked position, the arrow still dangling from her mouth. She blinked, then with a childlike, endearing smirk, spat the arrow onto the ground with a "pui."

The arrow shaft rolled twice and came to rest in the puddle.

She turned her head to look at Lutine, puffing out her cheeks as if complaining.

"It's too late, really..."

After saying that, she twisted her body to return to a normal standing posture, dusted off her hands as if she had only tripped, and continued walking forward.

Lutine followed. Her gaze swept over the arrows scattered on the ground.

"How are you?"

Iris didn't turn her head, her voice light and cheerful.

"It's alright, I caught the arrow with my teeth."

"Um," Lutine's voice remained flat, "The arrow was poisoned."

Iris didn't stop walking, her expression unchanged.

"Huh? The kind of poison that can kill you?"

"Yes," Lutine said, "The kind that makes you die."

Iris suddenly stopped. She turned around to face Lutine, then raised her hands and violently grabbed her own neck.

"Ah... ah...!"

Her eyes widened, and an exaggerated expression of pain appeared on her face.

"It hurts so much... it's so painful... Quickly, find Lore to give me the antidote! Lutine, please save me... save me..."

As she spoke, she leaned backward, but stopped just as her back was about to touch the ground.

Then, she burst out laughing, nimbly flipped herself to her feet, and patted her skirt.

"Aha~ Just kidding!"

She turned and continued walking, only touching her stomach with her hand.

"I should be fine. I'm unlikely to be affected by the toxins, but I might have a stomachache later?"

Lutine watched her retreating figure, remaining silent for two seconds.

"Ah, speaking of which," she said as if suddenly remembering something, "Mr. Varos once said, 'One can overcome poisoning with sheer willpower'... Are you like that too?"

Iris turned around and wrinkled her nose.

"Huh? Don't lump me in with those kinds of monsters." She waved her hand. "I've undergone special training to overcome toxins, but the training process was so painful it made you want to die~ Ahaha~"

She smiled and stepped into the more open space at the end of the passage.

Then, her laughter stopped.

Their steps stopped.

"... kindness?"

She stood at the entrance, blinked, and quickly scanned the hall she had just entered.

The hall was spacious with a high ceiling. Dozens of thick stone pillars, each requiring several people to encircle, supported the dome, their surfaces carved with ancient patterns that had long since faded. The air was filled with dust and the unique, cold smell of stone.

Iris tilted her head slightly and listened intently. There was nothing but the faint echoes of their own breathing and footsteps.

Lutine stepped out from behind her and stood beside her.

"What's wrong? Does your stomach hurt?" Lutine asked, reaching into her small bag. "I brought some tissues, you can go behind the pillar..."

Iris didn't answer. She was still surveying the hall, her gaze sweeping over the silent, towering stone pillars and the unfathomable shadows between them.

"... Hmm? Well, it's nothing." She finally shook her head, her tone returning to its previous ease. "It's probably just my imagination. It's been so long since I've received a mission. It's bound to be a life-or-death battle. I'm really looking forward to it."

Lutine stood beside her, her somber gaze fixed on the depths of the hall through the strands of hair that fell across her forehead. Then, she smiled faintly, a smile that vanished in an instant.

"Mmm..." she responded softly, her voice fading into the empty silence, "Looking forward to it..."

The hall was deathly silent.

In the shadow of one of the thickest stone pillars, Falsh stood quietly, his back against the cold stone surface.

He pushed up his round-framed glasses, his gaze behind the lenses calmly fixed on the empty center of the hall ahead. There, two figures had just passed by, their footsteps fading into the distance, eventually disappearing at the entrance to the passageway on the other side.

He listened as the last echoes of the conversation faded completely into the dust, then silently inhaled and exhaled.

It didn't move.