Neron hesitated, unsure of how to respond. "Yeah, I did. But that doesn''t exin where we are now."


    She smiled a wry smile at his words with her back still turned to him.


    "Wait, how did you know about that?" He asked, looking suspiciously at her.


    She pretended not to hear the question at all which irked him.


    After some minutes of silence, she turned her head slightly, just enough for him to catch a glimpse of her pale skin and the edge of her lips as she spoke again.


    "This is the fairy''s realm. He cast a spatial spell. We''re not in the Dungeon anymore. We''re somewhere... between."


    "Between?" Neron repeated, the word feeling heavy in his mouth. He didn''t like the sound of it.


    She nodded, her posture calm despite the odd situation. "A ce outside of normal space. The fairy wasn''t bluffing. He has more power than any of those idiots realized."


    Neron''s gaze shifted around them, scanning the horizon for any clues. The pirs stretched as far as the eye could see, but there was no sign of an exit, no indication of whaty beyond.


    It was as if they were trapped in a vast, unending garden, with nondmarks to guide them.


    "We need to get out of here," he said, the urgency creeping into his voice.


    The girl finally turned to face him fully, and for the first time, Neron could see her eyes—sharp, intelligent, and above all familiar.


    Neron inhaled sharply as he took some steps closer and peered into her face.


    "Is everything okay with you? You are looking at me strangely."


    "I know you…" His voice trailed off as he looked her over, still unsure about her identity.


    "I don''t think so, you must have me mistaken with someone else,"


    "I am Nero," He said, extending his right hand to her.


    She epted his hand with one of her dainty hands too and he felt it a bit, marveling at the softness.


    "I am Lily," She responded in return.


    "Hmm. Nice name," He said, still regarding her carefully.


    "You are still holding my hand," She pointed out to him.


    "Sorry about that," He said, hastily withdrawing his hand suddenly realising that he was behaving weirdly towards her.


    "It''s fine," She said, waving the issue away.


    "There''s no rush," she said calmly. " I think we are still in the dungeon, just that we are all separated from each other. The fairy''s magic was designed to separate us, to test us."


    "Test us? For what?"


    "To see if we''re worthy," He tilted his head slightly, his lips curling into a small, enigmatic smile.


    "I will knock the teeth out of that fairy the next time that I see him."


    He met her gaze, his eyes flickering with amusement. "You are making the same mistake that Adventurer made earlier on. We don''t win by force. Fairies don''t y by our rules. If we want to leave this ce, we''ll have to y smart and work together."


    "Work together?"


    "I''m not big on that myself but I don''t see how else we areing out of this."


    Lily''s lips curved into a smirk as she noticed Neron''s hesitation. "What''s with the look?" she asked, her tone dripping with the same proud confidence he found irritating.


    Neron couldn''t help but think that she was acting like someone else he knew.


    The name floated through his mind, but he quickly dismissed the idea.


    Serah was still busy at the Academy. She wouldn''t have time to be here, ying games in a dungeon.


    "Nothing," he muttered, shaking his head. "Just... thought of someone else."


    Lily raised an eyebrow but didn''t push it. Instead, she crossed her arms, looking at him expectantly.


    "So, what''s the n? Or are we going to stand here until the fairy gets bored?"


    Neron let out a long sigh, realizing he had little choice but to cooperate.


    She seemed too young and cocky to be of much use—likely just another immature girl who''d be an Adventurer too soon.


    "Fine," he said, his voice t. "We stick together, at least until we find a way out."


    Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she gave him a mocking salute. "Aye aye, captain."


    Neron rolled his eyes and walked ahead, scanning the room for any signs of a passage.


    There was nothing to give them direction and it all felt wrong, like a trap waiting to spring on them.


    Just as they reached the far side, Lily stepped forward without warning. "Look!" she said, pointing to a carved symbol on the floor.


    Before Neron could stop her, her foot pressed onto the symbol with a faint click.


    "Lily, wait—!"


    The ground beneath them rumbled as stone bs shifted. From the shadows of the pirs, hulking shapes emerged.


    Golems—two, maybe three of them—charged toward them with terrifying speed.


    "Seriously?" Neron grunted, pulling out his de as he backed away from the oing threats. "You couldn''t keep your hands to yourself for one second?"


    Lily looked sheepish for only a moment before her grin returned. "Oops. Guess I triggered something."


    "No kidding," Neron muttered, positioning himself defensively.


    The Golems were enormous, easily twice their height, and their stone bodies nked as they sped towards them.


    One Golem swung its arm down with brutal force, aiming directly at Neron. He dodged, just barely, feeling the ground quake beneath him as the fist struck where he''d stood.


    Lily, meanwhile, danced backward with surprising agility, her eyes glinting with excitement.


    "You''re crazy if you think we can fight them head-on," Neron snapped, scanning their surroundings for any advantage as he whipped out his sword.


    "Then what''s your brilliant idea, smart guy?" Lily shot back, narrowly avoiding another crushing blow as one of the Golems chased after her.


    "Their cores!" he shouted, pointing at the symbols. "We hit them there!"


    Lily nced at the runes on the Golem in front of her and grinned. "Now you''re talking."


    Neron didn''t have time to admire her skill. The second Golem was closing in on him, its steps shaking the ground.


    With a swift roll to the side, he dodged another heavy swing and shed at the rune on its chest with his sword.


    The de connected, and the rune shattered, causing the Golem to freeze and crumble.


    Neron turned to see Lily standing over the remains of her own Golem, looking far too pleased with herself.


    "See? We make a good team," she said with a wink.