On purpose or by accident?

After easily wiping out all the Hilichurl guards around the canyon's outskirts, the three arrived at the lake at the bottom of the valley.

Countless blades stood embedded in the lakebed, but they had all lost their former luster, leaving only dark patches of rust. At the very center of the lake, two enormous tree stumps stood crossed over one another, as though resisting prying eyes from outside.

Between the two stumps was a small platform rising above the water, with a barely visible longsword planted diagonally in the soil.

"Hmm, somehow... this doesn't look like somewhere we'd find a dragon tear?" Paimon scratched her head and looked at the two behind her. "It looks more like..."

"A battlefield?"

Lumine and Gabrielina exchanged a glance, then stopped at the water's edge and looked toward the center of the lake.

Perhaps Diluc's information was wrong, or perhaps the dragon tear had been concealed by some sort of power. Either way...

Where was the seal?

Lumine bent down and picked up a pebble. She weighed it in her fingers, then wound up her arm and hurled it with all her strength, sending it straight toward the center of the lake.

Hum!

"Ah, there it is-"

An azure barrier abruptly appeared. The instant the pebble struck the curtain of light, it shot back even faster.

Just as it was about to hit Lumine's forehead, Gabrielina raised her hand beside her and caught the flying stone squarely in her palm.

Gabrielina casually tossed the pebble aside and patted the still slightly stunned girl. "Well? Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine..."

Seeing Lumine's slightly embarrassed expression, Gabrielina smiled faintly. "This should be a protective mechanism constructed from elemental energy. We'll need to find... hmm, find the corresponding elemental sensors to break it."

"Then... could they be in the Hilichurl settlements around here?"

Lumine focused her gaze on their surroundings. Three large settlements lay scattered across the valley. Figures could faintly be seen moving behind their wooden fences, and indistinct shouts occasionally drifted over.

Somehow, just barging in felt like it would end very badly...

"Generally speaking, that's indeed the case." Gabrielina nodded thoughtfully, then changed her tune.

"But with me here~ it's a completely different story!"

She gave a soft huff. Her golden eyes abruptly lit up as she concentrated on the seal, her long hair lifting slightly in the breeze blowing across the lake.

Haven't you heard... there's always a way out?

As long as I want to go, the path is right beneath my feet!

"Sky Shift."

The instant her ability activated, the girl appeared precisely on the other side of the seal, hovering above the blades embedded in the ground.

Turning to look back, she saw that the ripples spreading across the transparent membrane had yet to fade completely.

...Hmm.

Just as expected. There really was no oxygen in this space, which had been sealed for who knew how many years.

Gabrielina held her breath without a change in expression and casually waved through the rippling barrier at Lumine, who was staring wide-eyed from the opposite shore.

Mechanisms? Puzzles?

Sky Shift connected to the brain, the Corridor did the thinking.

Take it up with my Artosh!

After making a show of surveying the Sword Cemetery, Gabrielina, who had absolutely no interest in that rusty scrap metal, went straight to the Sword Prototype.

She reached out with her right hand and gripped the hilt. With a slight tug and a crisp clang, she pulled the longsword out of the soil.

For some reason, the Sword Prototype, which should have been a "claymore billet" in the game, now looked more like a slender one-handed sword.

The blade was roughly four feet long, its entire surface a rough, unpolished blue-gray. As for its weight... didn't it feel a little too light?

The girl casually twirled the sword. Its edge sliced through the stagnant air, giving off a faint, clear hum.

Hmm... she should be able to wield it, right?

Oh~ I knew what you were up to. You're going to give it to Lumine, aren't you? the system teased mercilessly.

Gabrielina gave a quiet "hmph," treating that as her rebuttal to the system's teasing. She lowered her eyes to the plain Sword Prototype in her hand, but her thoughts drifted back to the afternoon of their first encounter.

...I broke her sword as soon as we met. Yes, that was purely self-defense.

Who wouldn't be afraid of the Dull Blade? It was the Dull Blade!

How many incredible things had it cut through in the story? Sure, I showed up a little suddenly and fired off a Heaven's Strike right away, but wouldn't it have been terrifying if she'd actually stabbed me with that sword...?

Just a reminder: this prototype can only be forged into a four-star weapon at best, you know?

Gabrielina's wrist twitched, and the raised blade paused in midair for half a second.

So what if it's four-star? She pouted, her gaze shifting evasively. She... if she puts in a little effort herself, it's not like she can't use it! At least it has three more stars than her old one...

Though she muttered this, the girl's grip on the hilt involuntarily tightened. She brought the Sword Prototype closer to her face and examined it carefully once more by the light of the halo above her head, her slender brows gradually drawing together.

It did seem a little lacking. A bit ugly, too.

What if... you could give her something better?

You've got another idea? Gabrielina asked doubtfully, a bad feeling gradually rising inside her.

An idea, huh... there's always a way. It just depends on whether you're willing to do it. It's very, very simple, not difficult at all!

*...*

Outside the barrier, Lumine gazed at the Angel within the seal at the center of the lake.

Through the rippling blue curtain of light, she saw Gabrielina floating above countless sword tips, her head lowered as she examined the object in her hands.

Her long pink hair drifted gently through the windless space like ink spreading in water. Her white wings were folded behind her, giving off a soft, steady glow that illuminated her lowered profile and the hazy outline of the Sword Prototype.

...She's so beautiful.

Lumine quietly watched the girl's back like this until Paimon's voice suddenly sounded beside her.

"Ah, she looks like she's about to..."

Hum-whoosh!!

The entire barrier flashed violently. Before Lumine could even make out what had happened, the white figure was "bounced" straight out.

With a splash, she plunged straight into the cold lake, sending water flying everywhere.

"Gabrielina!"

Lumine hurried to the water's edge. Almost at the same time, Gabrielina emerged from the water and shook her head vigorously, scattering sparkling droplets with the movement.

She raised a hand to wipe her face, met Lumine's anxious gaze, and gave a slightly embarrassed, sheepish smile. "Ahem... maybe I stayed inside too long. It actually kicked me right out."

Barrier: Yes, kids, I did my part too.

"Are you all right? You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm fine..." Gabrielina took Lumine's outstretched hand and used it to pull herself up out of the water.

The lake water had soaked through her thin dress. The nearly transparent fabric clung tightly to her skin, outlining every soft curve.

Her drenched hair stuck to her neck and collarbones, with a few strands plastered against her faintly flushed cheeks.

Most eye-catching of all were her wings. Their once-fluffy feathers now lay wet against the wing bones, water still dripping from every tip and refracting tiny glints of sunlight. They looked much heavier than usual.

Lumine's gaze involuntarily wandered over the girl's body. Her throat bobbed slightly before she hurriedly looked away.

Gabrielina, however, seemed completely oblivious to the gaze directed at her. Instead, she lowered her head and tugged at the clothes clinging to her body, squirming and exposing even more fair skin.

"Ugh, how annoying... this is so hard to dry..."