"Fucking corpses!"

  Darting to and fro like a firefly amidst the pitch-black darkness that had descended upon Kirola, Number 1 was whetting the cold metal of his silver spear against the ghouls, all the while feeding his weapon upon their helpless souls.

  Having purged the obstacles from their path, Number 1 swept backward on radiant wings, landing heavily beside the woman who watched him without so much as a blink—punishing the very earth beneath his feet. As his sun-like wings slowly faded into nothingness, the graveyard’s sole source of light was extinguished.

  "You did a splendid job clearing the path, my dear Number 1."

  Straining against the very limits of his patience before Flora’s unceasing smile, Number 1 gripped his silver spear with a crushing force, driving it into the earth again and again with the rhythmic stutter of a broken clock. As the spearhead tore gouges from the surface, he raised his hand and dismissed the weapon back into the void.

  "Tell me, Princess... We have been squandering our time with the corpses of this vast graveyard. There is neither a trace of the Tearstone nor a path to this 'Heart of the Graveyard' of which you speak! All we have done is grant peace to the wretched souls of these ruins!"

  "You feel that your precious power is being wasted, I know... But let me assure you, my dear Number 1, our endeavors shall not be in vain. Besides, our beloved Number 4 is searching for the stone with all his might."

  "Hah! Our beloved Number 4... It would be a triumph if that idiot returned in one piece after all this time. Forget finding the stone; blind as he is to what lies right under his nose, he has likely become fodder for a ghoul by now... or perhaps his soul has already been torn from his flesh by a Gulyabani."

  Spewing forth the hot hatred accumulating within him, Number 1 continued without pausing for breath:

  "Perhaps... it would have been wiser for me to take to the skies and search from above, rather than relying on Number 4."

  "My dear Number 1, please... You are attempting to shoulder the entire burden yourself, but surely you must..."

  Flora's sentence was abruptly cut short as Number 1 seized her by the jaw in a sudden fit of rage. Even as her cheeks were compressed within the crushing grip of his fingers, the noble princess maintained her unflinching impassiveness—and her warmth.

  "Spare me your drivel! The only stroke of luck we have had is that Number 99 has failed to reach us yet. Leaving aside Number 72 and his sycophants... perhaps that deranged woman served some purpose after all, wouldn't you say?"

  Veins bulging in his bloodshot eyes from sheer fury, Number 1 jerked his hand back, releasing his crushing grip on the delicate Princess who listened to him without flinching.

  Freed, Flora first raised her own hand to her jaw, gently massaging her bruised cheeks. Then, drifting closer to Number 1, she placed her left hand—now pulsating with verdant life magic—upon the man's chin.

  Instantly tamed by the spell’s influence, Number 1 leaned into Flora’s petite palm as if seeking shelter, and responded with a voice that had lost all its fire:

  "I am sorry, Princess."

  "It is no matter, my sweet Number 1."

  Melding her velvet voice with narrowing eyes, Flora gazed at Number 1 for a moment before turning her head toward the structure looming behind them. As she scrutinized the spire piercing the heavens, her thumb continued to idly caress 1’s chin.

  "We have made some interesting acquaintances on this journey, have we not? I am certain Number 66 is currently projecting all her... excitement onto Number 99."

  When she turned her gaze back to the man in silver armor, Flora noticed a silhouette emerging just behind him, and her signature smile returned to her face.

  Sensing the presence, Number 1 pulled his head free from Flora's invisible talons. Rubbing his eyes with his fingers as if waking from a trance, he began to walk toward the silhouette.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  "Well, look who it is... Isn't this our dear friend Number 4? So, you aren't dead after all!"

  As Number 1 approached Number 4, Flora followed close behind with gentle steps.

  "I assume you bring us good news, my friend."

  Placing his right hand on 4’s shoulder, Number 1 began to calmly knead the flesh beneath his grip, as if testing the consistency of dough rather than muscle.

  "Ah... um, yes. I believe I have found it."

  "You believe?"

  "I mean... It is a structure resembling a temple. Even though the spirits circle endlessly around it, they cannot take so much as a single step into the inner courtyard."

  "Of course! You have actually succeeded, my dear Number 4! The Tearstone is the sole power capable of banishing the spirits of Kirola from these lands... That must be the place we seek!"

  As the good news spilled from Flora’s lips, Number 4 drew a ragged breath, his shoulder narrowly escaping pulverized ruin at the hands of the silver tyrant.

  "Are you certain of this, Flora? My patience is wearing dangerously thin."

  "Yes, my dear Number 1. The stone must be there."

  "Where exactly is this temple?"

  Number 4, merely swallowing hard against the pressure of those radiant eyes fixed upon him, struggled to string the words together.

  "N... North. Actually, it is quite close to our current position."

  "Good. In that case, since you managed to survive this far, you can bring the Princess safely to the destination as well, can you not?"

  The moment Number 4 gave an unsteady nod, Number 1 unfurled his wings, blazing like the sun. Pushing off the ground with all his might, he launched himself northward like a streak of lightning.

  Knocked off balance by the shockwave of the departure, Number 4 collapsed heavily to the ground. As he gasped in ragged, shallow breaths, he clawed at the earth trapped between his palms, crushing it like dough—mimicking the very violence he had just endured.

  "Are you alright, 4?"

  "..."

  Gathering her magic into her hands, Flora approached Number 4 in silence. As she cupped his cheeks within her warm palms, she rested her chin gently atop his head.

  "Do not let our Leader’s behavior trouble you. This graveyard has not been good for him, that is all... Alright?"

  Planting a faint kiss on Number 4's head, Flora leaned in close to his ear and continued to whisper:

  "Never forget... You possess a significance that can never be replaced."

  ***

  Having descended the countless stairs from the tower's peak, the duo stepped out into the open, and it was Number 99 who finally broke the silence.

  "Are you alright, 25?"

  Clutching her aching side throughout the entire descent, 25 replied without lifting her gaze from the ground.

  "I've seen better days... Specifically, the days when I didn't take a kick to the gut."

  "So that is what happened."

  "Yes, thanks to your new friend."

  "Friend?"

  "Well, you two got quite intimate for a moment there... before that... thing happened to her..."

  Shuddering internally at her own rambling, Number 25 quickly steered the conversation away to avoid digging a deeper hole.

  "Tell me, will this place we are heading to actually lead us to them?"

  Unfazed by the sharp turn in conversation, 99 maintained his composure.

  "I sense as much. There is an unnatural convergence there."

  "Convergence?"

  "Of souls, I mean... More importantly, can you fight in this condition?"

  Number 25 paused, her body throbbing at 99's question. Though she tried to deceive herself with her hands, she could find no remedy for the pain. As she lowered her eyes to inspect her battered frame, she felt 99’s touch upon her right arm.

  "Are you truly alright, I?"

  "I will not be a burden to you."

  The stoic-faced man could not hide a faint smile at the answer he received.

  ***

  Entering the courtyard of the temple, Flora and Number 4 were drawn first to the marble crater on the ground, and then to the one responsible for it.

  As they stepped toward Number 1, who was studying the inscriptions carved into the marble entrance, they watched the sea of souls surrounding the courtyard.

  The spirits were circumambulating the temple without causing any disturbance, but something else caught Flora's attention: two crimson eyes fixed upon her.

  Hidden in the darkness of the trees behind the flood of souls, these red eyes watched the Princess intently. Yet, the moment the entity realized it had been spotted, it vanished into the gloom.

  "What was that thing, Princess?"

  "I do not think it will concern itself with us, my dear Number 4... Shall we proceed?"

  After a brief pause, Flora and 4 continued walking, crossing the courtyard to join their leader.

  "My dear Number 1, seeing as you are examining the inscriptions so carefully, I assume we are in the right place."

  "You have succeeded... Check it yourself if you wish, Princess."

  Flora climbed the steps and read the inscriptions carved into the marble block without blinking; the smile on her face had finally become a certainty.

  "The other fragment of my Goddess... We are exactly where we need to be."

  "Finally... Is there any concrete information about the stone? I want to leave this purgatory."

  "Do not worry, my dear Number 1, I was just looking at that..."

  "Princess!"

  Number 4's rising shout snapped Flora and 1's attention away from the stone. The spirits circumambulating the temple had suddenly ceased their movement, fixing their collective gaze upon the courtyard entrance.

  Collapsing to their knees like the disciples of a heretical cult, the flood of souls threw their arms wide, straining desperately to reach the stoic man clad in absolute darkness who stood before them.