Chapter 22. Fire

Iella tried to break free, but her strength was no match for his. It was only after seeing her frown slightly that he spoke.

He lifted his head, a sly smile forming, and leaned closer.

“Your feet are covered in blood.”

His light gray eyes glanced at her feet and then back up. Iella followed his gaze downward.

Under the hem of her skirt, which she had been holding up while running, her ankles and the bloody mess of her heels were clearly visible.

Embarrassed by her exposed state, Iella quickly lowered her skirt.

“I-I’m fine.”

Feeling ashamed for showing such a sight to a stranger, Iella quickly changed the subject. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to recognize her as Ailexia. His tone and demeanor were kind. Thanks to this, Iella reverted to her original manner of speaking to ensure he wouldn’t recognize her.

“But I am indeed looking for someone. A person with black hair and a deep purple mask. Their eyes are light pink, and they’re wearing a robe like you. Have you seen them?”

“No, I haven’t. But…”

He shook his head lightly, then seemed to ponder for a moment before leaning in to whisper secretively.

“You’d better get out quickly. Otherwise…”

Suddenly, his grip on her arm tightened forcefully. Iella’s body was pulled forward, making her stumble precariously.

“The fire will soon engulf you.”

Boom!

As soon as he finished speaking, a loud explosion echoed from not far away.

The noise quickly spread from afar to where they were, turning the previously silent underground space into chaos.

Sounds of crying, sharp screams, and more explosions mixed together in a cacophony.

Yet, strangely, no one came out of the rooms. Despite the loud crashes and screams from the inside, no one emerged.

It was eerily disturbing.

“What is this…”

Iella, unknowingly stepping back, looked up at him and asked. But the place where he had stood was now empty. The grip on her arm had vanished as if it had never existed.

Left alone, the overwhelming anxiety quickly consumed her.

She had never been in such a terrifying situation before. She turned and started running frantically.

Even as the pain in her bloodied feet flared up again, it couldn’t overcome the fear that had taken hold of her. Her mind, bleached white, could only think of escaping this place.

But in her half-panicked state, she couldn’t navigate the complex maze-like paths properly. The paths she had roughly memorized were all gone from the shock. The feeling of circling the same place endlessly only amplified her anxiety.

Eventually, she stopped and leaned on her knees, gasping for breath. Her heart pounded wildly, echoing the loud noises around her.

Iella bit her lip hard.

If she stayed like this, she would die helplessly, wandering the underground. She couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t die unjustly in someone else’s body. She worked so hard to avoid that fate!

“Calm down. Calm down, Iella Shua.”

Repeating deep breaths, her wildly beating heart gradually calmed down. Once she felt somewhat settled, Iella closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and slowly surveyed her surroundings again.

Just as the man said earlier, it felt as if the fire demon was sweeping through the place, as the air had grown noticeably hotter. The only consolation was that the flames were not yet visible.

Iella wiped the sweat streaming down her forehead and moved her legs, which felt as heavy as if they were weighed down by a massive weight.

Perhaps because she was moving more rationally, she soon saw the silhouette of the stairs in the distance.

Iella’s expression brightened as if she had found a glimmer of hope. At that moment, her legs felt as light as if they had wings.

However, just before she could ascend the stairs, a scream struck her ears from not far away.

“Help me, please, sob, help me! Mom!”

The desperate voice of a young child calling for their mother firmly anchored Iella’s feet. At the same time, bang! An explosion erupted quite close by, and flames began to engulf the basement. The fire demon, mercilessly consuming the space, seemed poised to devour her if she didn’t climb the stairs immediately.

“Waaah! Mom! I’ll, I’ll be good!”

Hesitating for a moment in conflict, Iella finally turned around with her eyes tightly shut.

“Child, can you hear my voice? If you can, answer me!”

“Sob, sob, M-Mom? Mom! Mom!”

Iella threw off her shoes and ran towards the direction of the voice. Even as the stairs grew further behind her, she didn’t care.

Just because her appearance changed didn’t mean that her inner self had changed. And Iella Shua was raised by parents who taught her to help those in trouble.

Although, for a brief moment, she wondered if it was okay to make such a choice in Ailexia’s form, it was only a fleeting conflict. Once she started moving, there was no hesitation.

“I’m here!”

Iella found the room where the child was and turned the doorknob. But it only made a rattling sound and didn’t open. It was locked.

‘Could it be that all the other rooms are in the same state and that’s why no one is coming out?’

A chilling thought crossed her mind. If that were the case, this place was nothing short of a living hell.

Iella urgently looked around for something useful. Fortunately, the doorknob looked old and seemed like it would come off with a bit of force. But there was nothing useful in the empty hallway. Her tightly clenched lips turned pale.

With no other choice, Iella grabbed one of the shoes she had taken off earlier. She matched the hardest part to the doorknob and struck it hard.

Startled by the loud noise, a voice inside reassured the child while she repeatedly struck the doorknob until the door opened.

Unaccustomed to the task, her direction and strength were off, causing her hand to scrape against the rough door and get hit by the doorknob instead of the shoe. Her soft hands, not used to such hardship, quickly became sore and ragged.

Despite this, she didn’t give up. When one heel broke, she grabbed the other shoe and struck again.

Soon, with a rattling sound, the old doorknob fell off. Iella immediately opened the door and entered.

But the ordeal wasn’t over. Inside was a sturdy iron cage that couldn’t be compared to the old door. The child was inside the cage, which was locked.

“You’re not Mom… Who are you?”

The child, sniffling, asked with a frightened face. The small body that had been clinging to the cage backed away, and the child’s eyes were filled with wariness as they looked at her. However, seeing her injured hands and bare feet, and the one dangling heel, the child’s wariness slightly eased.

“Wait a moment. I’ll get you out soon.”

Iella, panting from the exertion, looked around the room. The iron lock was impossible to break with just a shoe. Fortunately, unlike the hallway, the room had many items lying around.

Tools that looked unpleasant at first glance.

‘…They didn’t use these to abuse the child, did they?’

A sturdy hammer, a whip, and a wooden stick with spikes… They were tools that looked like they were meant for torture.

‘Ugh, I really don’t want to touch them.’

The thought of holding them made her shudder. But she had no other choice. Letting out a deep sigh, Iella looked at the child and explained as gently as possible to avoid scaring them.

“To unlock this lock, I need a tool, and it seems like the only things available are those over there. I have no choice but to use them. Is that okay? I promise I won’t hurt you.”

“Sniff, sob, it’s okay.”

Fortunately, the child accepted her words without much resistance. Judging by the child’s reaction, it seemed they hadn’t been abused. Relieved, Iella lifted her dress and tore her inner skirt to wrap her injured hands. Then she grabbed the hammer.

“Can you move to the far end?”

After confirming that the child had moved far away, she raised the hammer high. It was heavier than she expected, causing her to stagger momentarily, but she quickly regained her balance and struck the lock hard.

With the hammer’s intimidating force, the sturdy-looking lock fell off easily.

‘Were they planning to use this on a person?’

Iella was stunned internally, amazed by the hammer’s power. But she didn’t show it outwardly and opened the cage to pull the child out. The child, terrified, clung tightly to her. Iella comforted the child, sharing her warmth, and turned to leave. She thought they only needed to escape through the stairs now, but she saw someone standing in the open doorway.

Startled by the eerie atmosphere, she stepped back with the child in her arms. The figure’s presence grew darker and more oppressive.

“…Give her back.”

“Pardon?”

“Give me back my child!”

With a scream-like shout, a loud explosion erupted behind the woman, and flames surged. Frightened by the opponent she couldn’t handle, Iella retreated.

Suddenly, the child, who had their face buried in her chest, turned to look at the woman with a fearful expression. The child’s face brightened, and their hands reached out.

“Mom!”

“…Mom?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected words, Iella stood dumbfounded as the child ran to their mother.

“Mom, I missed you…”

“Sweetie, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I was late.”

In the middle of the chaos, Iella watched the touching reunion in a daze.