Chapter 14:

  Their World

  Elizabeth watched with her grandmother as Lucas pyed with Azure. They sat where they had eaten, the table now clear of food and the dishes that held them, cleared by several attendants that had come in at the call of her grandmother. Maya was with Lucas, watching over him while also occasionally reaching a hand out to Azure.

  She tried to hide it, but Maya enjoyed it. A small smile perpetually on her face. It was a soothing sight for anyone that saw the three of them together. In this case, it was Elizabeth and her grandmother. Truth be told, Elizabeth felt like she was in a dream. As if there was a dazzling haze over everything, but she knew better than to ever let her guard down.

  "How many?" Elizabeth inquired; the seriousness of her tone belied by the soft expression upon her face as she watched Lucas.

  "At least three," her grandmother replied, taking a sip of lemonade while watching on as well, though for a brief moment gnced at Elizabeth, "Iron Cw, Dragon's Tooth, and Cascade."

  "...Honestly," Elizabeth sighed, shaking her head, "I warned them. Pride fuels ego and becomes hubris. They only saw the profits..."

  "And paid the price," Grandmother replied, "Iron Cw is defunct. Only the Vice Leader survived but due to injuries has retired. Dragon's Tooth is at half strength and Cascade, well, at least they're still active, but..."

  Elizabeth's sigh grew heavy. They were three guilds within the Central Territory of the United States. Located near the Rocky Mountains, they had been the most powerful of the guilds there. Now...they were little more than remnants.

  "Why are there always, always fools?" Elizabeth's mood began to sour, only tempered by the sight of Lucas being pounced upon by Azure, who pyfully batted at their face. No matter how much she prepared, each regression always had its fools. Those who sought to step above and beyond their means.

  A dungeon opened up within the mountains. Something new. Well, new for them. Titania's Lair. It was originally registered as a low B-Rank. However, Elizabeth knew the truth.

  Titania's Lair was a hellscape of twisted bramble pathways within a mountainous forest. While initially the going is quite easy, the longer you're within the dungeon, the more dangerous it becomes. Once you reach the boss, Titania herself, if you haven't already been exhausted by then, you were in for a fight that was well beyond low B-Rank.

  It's true rank is in the low S tiers. How many times did it take for Elizabeth to learn that? That dungeon is all about speed. The faster you get through it, the easier it was. In other words, it was a growth type. A dungeon that grew stronger, to a certain point, the longer you take to clear it. There were disadvantages and advantages to such a thing.

  On one hand, the stronger the dungeon became, the greater its rewards. However, the stronger it became. So, when three guilds entered, with their highest member being an A+ Pyer, well...things were bound to go wrong. That's why Elizabeth had, as the senior Pyer, offered them advice. Don't enter it yet.

  They of course saw this as her trying to take it for herself, but truth be told...she had already cleared it. At least, she had gotten what she needed from it. Dungeons don't always disappear when you clear them. There were several, like Ogram's Mine and Forest of Mist, that persisted even after being cleared. They were considered Material Dungeons. Pces that you could continually farm and even harvest.

  Titania's Lair was one of those that would respawn after a certain period of time. In the past, once its nature was discovered, it was used as a competition. Who could clear it the fastest. Times were recorded and many guilds, along with teams, competed for top spot. It was frivolous. Nothing really gained from clearing it the fastest.

  Too many still treated it all like a game. Many of them died, much like the disaster that befell these three guilds. It was unfortunate, but she hoped to use this as an opportunity. She had to strengthen the Pyers. Not just herself. When that happens, she needed all the power she could get.

  If all else failed, she would simply ensure that Lucas survived. She didn't care about the world falling, so long as they were together. Even if they were the st two alive in a ruined world, but Lucas...he liked this world, despite all the shit in it. She didn't really understand, but since it was what Lucas wanted, she'd do everything to ensure his dream came true.

  "Ellie? You there?" Lucas waved his hand before her face, startling her as she had lost herself to thought.

  Berating herself for lowering her guard, she smiled at him apologetically.

  "Sorry, love," she said, reaching up to caress his face, "I was lost in thought. What's up?"

  "That's alright," his smile pierced her heart as he pressed his face against the palm of her hand, "Are you okay?"

  There was concern in his voice, causing her heart to wrench at itself. She didn't want to worry him, but he was a worrier.

  "Yeah, I'm just thinking," she expined, caressing his face with her thumb, feeling him beneath her touch.

  He was here and he would stay. She would not lose him. Not this time.

  "You have that look again," he teased, his smile turning cheeky.

  "Do I?" she mused, "Well, there's a lot for me to do."

  Lucas's soft expression somehow became even softer. It was something only he was capable of. "That's unfair..." She mented, her heart falling even further for him. He was always so kind and understanding. Always making sure she was okay. It was time that she made sure he was okay.

  "I'm good, Lucas," she assured him, "I have you. How could I not be good?"

  His face became slightly pink even as he rolled his eyes.

  "Oh, please," Lucas chuckled softly, "Though, it does make me happy to hear that. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

  "Of course, I do," Elizabeth told him with a knowing smile.

  His blush became more pronounced, sending her heart skyrocketing off into the great beyond. Reigning it in, she realized that, all this time, she had completely ignored everything else. Her grandmother was looking on with that amused, cheeky expression. Maya had her eyebrow raised with a knowing smirk. Azure, meanwhile, was simply curled up in Maya's arms. It seemed like he was tuckered out.

  "Ah, you needed something, yes?" she inquired, to which Lucas's eyes widened.

  "Right! I wanted to ask if it was alright if Maya gave me a tour of this pce," he said with sparkles in his eyes, "I didn't want to bother you while you were talking with your grandmother. I assumed there were important things to discuss, but you seemed out of it, so I was concerned..."

  He was just too sweet. She did have things to discuss with her grandmother, which disappointed her. She wanted to give him a tour. He was incredibly excited to see everything, as he usually was.

  "Of course, you can," she gave him an affirmative nod, "Stick close to Maya. Don't wander off."

  "I'm not going to-" he began to protest, but she simply gave him a look, "Okaaaay~, I won't wander off. I promise."

  "Thank you, Lucas," she patted his cheek affectionately before taking her hand reluctantly back, "You're important to me. So, don't force my hand."

  She saw him sweat a little as he grew nervous at the threat of what she might do if he did wander off. Yet, she knew that it excited him. His smile was nervous, but she knew he was thinking that it might be worth wandering off just to see what she would do.

  "Maya," Elizabeth looked to her close friend and confidant, "You have permission to do what's necessary. Understood?"

  "Yes, Ma'am," she nodded, and as if from nowhere, had rope already in hand.

  All while still holding the sleeping Azure.

  "U-Uhm, uh...where'd that come from?" Lucas anxiously inquired, pointing to the rope.

  "Don't worry about it, Sir," Maya replied, which only caused Lucas to sweat even more.

  "R-Right..." he ughed nervously, "Well, let's uhm...get going then?"

  "Right this way, Sir," Maya motioned for him to follow and Elizabeth reluctantly watched him go.

  "Too cute..." she thought, amused at his reactions. Of course, she wasn't unaware of her grandmother's expression.

  "Not a word," she warned her, looking towards the giddy expression upon her grandmother's face.

  "I don't hold back?" she teased, ignoring her warning, "You're absolutely smitten. Where did you even meet that kid? The way you look at him and he looks at you...I approve."

  "...Thank you," Elizabeth replied slightly sheepishly, "While I would be with him regardless of your approval, I'm gd you do. Now, let's get back to business. I'd like to hurry up so I can return to him."

  Despite her words, she was actually quite gd her grandmother approved and was happy for her. Before getting back to business, her grandmother refused to talk until she told her where she met him. She wasn't about to tell her the truth, and so simply gave the excuse that it was by happenstance.

  He was a courier for the Association. On one of her visits, she saw him and grew interested. From there, it simply grew. It was convincing enough that her grandmother believed it was like a fairytale romance. Honestly, that wasn't far from the truth. For Elizabeth, it really did feel like that.

  How far she has come since that fated day. She wished she could look back fondly on it, but every time she did, those weren't the only memories that surfaced. Pain. Death. As if her soul was being torn apart. So, she tried not to think on it, but kept that warmth within her heart.

  It had grown into a raging inferno that kept her going through every single regression. Now, it was time to see all of her hardships bear some fruit. Using this unfortunate tragedy, she got to work with her grandmother on how to turn it to their advantage. They would be used as a cautionary tale. From there, those that survived and other guilds, would be better prepared for the unknown.

  -----

  Elizabeth had everything figured out. She couldn't let the Vice Leader of Iron cw go into retirement. Her grandmother sent forth a proposal to the survivors of Dragon's Tooth and Cascade. She suggested that they merge. Terms could be negotiated and mediated through the Association.

  This would recover their losses and hopefully create strong bonds by those who survived the ordeals within Titania's Lair. It was a sobering moment for them, and she hoped that it served as a lesson. Others might find it cruel, but Elizabeth didn't have time to coddle them.

  She'd allow them a moment to mourn but she needed them back up to speed as quickly as possible. Which brought the topic to the upcoming Guild Leaders meeting.

  "When?" Elizabeth inquired curtly, already annoyed at the prospect of having to deal with them.

  "This weekend," her grandmother informed her, "It'll be held here, a 'neutral' ground."

  "Heh, yeah, neutral," Elizabeth chuckled, shaking her head, "Is it the same bullshit?"

  "What do you think?"

  "Damn it..."

  Elizabeth leaned back in her chair, gazing up at the canopy of vines as the sun filtered through. Her grandmother agreed with her sentiment, but what could they do? There were too many still clinging to the past. It wasn't like she could reveal she was a regressor to just anyone. In order to have her peaceful life with Lucas, she had responsibilities.

  "How many failures do they need before they give up?" Elizabeth asked, more to herself than an actual question.

  "They're desperate," her grandmother expined with a shrug, "Well, some of them. Whether they're patriotic or just want the fame of being the ones who take back DC's Wild Zone, it's just idiotic."

  DC's Wild Zone. The reason why reciming the city was difficult. A Perpetual Dungeon. The entire ndscape had been changed and become home to various creatures and monsters that poured out during the first wave. Elizabeth fought in that first wave. It was one of the first steps she made towards keeping Lucas safe, along with granting her authority.

  Being one of the first Pyers to protect and defend the area, she had made a name for herself. She had also made the Wild Zone, another name for Perpetual Dungeons, safer than it had been in the past. Even so, it was still dangerous.

  Wild Zones were incredibly unpredictable and constantly evolving. Even if she were to use everything she had, reciming a Wild Zone would be difficult. Besides, she had no reason to do so. Would it help keep Lucas safe? Yes. However, it's resources allowed her to keep him even safer.

  As long as they were controlled, Wild Zones were a huge boon to the world. It was when people tried to clear them that they became a problem. Wild Zones reacted to such an invasion with violent aggression and explosive evolution. Maybe one day they could settle it again, but as it was...the Wild Zone of DC should be left alone.

  "Do you know how many are onboard?" Elizabeth inquired with a heavy sigh.

  "Of the five major guilds, three are in favor," her grandmother stated simply, "Obviously, Aegis follows your whims. So, no matter what, one will always be against it. As for the smaller guilds, a handful at best."

  "This tires me..." Elizabeth compined, stretching herself against the table, "I want to see Lucas..."

  Her grandmother chuckled at her childish nature, but she didn't care. Elizabeth would much rather be with Lucas than talking about boring shit like this, but she had to. In order to ensure that this world would be better than the st, it's Pyers and the guilds they formed, had to be strong.

  The reason was simple. She didn't want to fight anymore. She wanted to simply spend time with Lucas. So, if the guilds and the other Pyers were strong, then when the Critical Dungeons began, she wouldn't have to worry about it.

  "Critical Dungeons..." Elizabeth thought while tracing her finger in circles upon the tabletop. Dungeons that will appear a year from now. Six years after the dungeons first appeared, these important dungeons started to show up. They could only ever be cleared once. However, the difficulty was insane. They tested everything a Pyer was.

  If they didn't become stronger, she would be forced to take on the dungeons alone...again. Which is why she was preparing for the worst. That's why her expression solidified. Hardened into a stoic determination. A fierce gre in her eyes.

  "Now that's a nice look," her grandmother stated, impressed, "Keep that determination, and I'm sure things will turn out fine."

  Her grandmother didn't understand the words she said. To Elizabeth, they had to turn out fine. There was no other option. Failure was not allowed.

  "I don't have time for their bullshit," Elizabeth stood suddenly, looking down at her grandmother, "Tell those bastards who hide behind false patriotism that if they want Aegis's support, they tell me what they really want."

  "So, you noticed it too?" she asked, raising an amused eyebrow, "I can definitely do that for you. Hurry on now, I'll handle the rest."

  Elizabeth knew they didn't want to recim the Wild Zone. Not really. They hid behind that fact, ciming it was the reason they were going into the zone. It gained them support from the people and those with money to back them. After all, America was still America.

  With that being said, there were still fools who believed in those lies. Joining the guilds as freencers or with their smaller guild in hopes of gaining part of the glory. It was all just a fucking farce. What the rger guilds wanted was something that could only be found in Wild Zones.

  Something that, in this lifetime, was only rumored to exist, but Elizabeth knew of its existence. The Crowned Tulip. A flower with a green stem and deep, crimson petals with golden tips. The tips made it look like it wore a crown, hence the name.

  It was said to be an elixir of sorts. One that would increase the strength of a Pyer. Even holding the possibility of evolving their skills and abilities. All of this was true, but because of its rarity and the power that it granted Pyers, those who knew of it or were simply enticed by the rumors, kept it secret. Performing these suicidal runs into Wild Zones for a chance to find it under the guise of reciming these areas.

  It was different than simple harvest runs into Wild Zones, which were usually short expeditions. Reciming campaigns were long, giving more time to search, but also leading to more deaths. Elizabeth wouldn't save those who willfully threw themselves into death. She had no use for useless individuals such as that. They were better off dying and not holding her back. Still, lose too many, and it became a problem for her and the future she wanted to share with Lucas.

  While she wanted people to get stronger so she could spend more time with Lucas and less time taking care of dungeons, she'd rather do it all herself if they were going to just get people killed for their greed. Those who kept secrets were more likely to stab you in the back than they were to guard it. "Should I just get rid of them?" She wondered for a brief second. Disgruntled, she walked off to find Lucas. She couldn't deal with this right now. She had to recharge.

  -----

  I wandered the halls with Maya leading me. These upper floors were reserved for only the most senior members of the Association, mainly the President and her family. Of course, Guild Leaders were also allowed here, should they have a meeting, anyway. It was more of a residence than it was an office, however. Complete with a kitchen, sitting room, and even some bedrooms.

  The tallest tower of the Association HQs went up forty-three floors. They were on the 42nd, having gone up a flight of stairs. To be honest, my vertigo and fear of heights was kicking in, but thankfully, there weren't many ledges around to make it worse. Though, there was a fantastic view of City W from above. Seen through rge gss windows along the wall.

  It sprawled for as far as the eye could see. It had to. So many people dispced when the dungeons opened. I could even see the boundary between City W and the Wild Zone of DC. It was...breathtaking. Though, too far off to really make out a lot of details. I only knew that it was overgrown by vegetation and was kept at bay by the barrier along the border.

  "...Beautiful, isn't it?" Elizabeth's words whispered in my ear as I suddenly felt her arms wrap around me from behind.

  Surprised, I gnced up to see her smiling with eyes closed. My breath was blown away by how beautiful she was. The sun filtering through gave her an otherworldly glow. Her hair like shining silk. Its green hues comforting.

  "Yes, you are," I replied, leaning back into her embrace, "What brings you here? I expected you to be busy for a little more."

  Her eyes opened to reveal those golden emeralds. Sparkling jewels that I coveted most of all. Precious depths that held secrets only she knew. Secrets that enticed me. Secrets that I felt resonate within my heart as her expression turned sullen, pouting adorably.

  "It was boring," she mumbled, tightening her hold upon me, a light blush entering her cheeks, "I also missed you. So..."

  She was too adorable. In this moment, she wasn't a terrifying yandere or a powerful hunter, she was a woman who simply wished to hold that which was most precious to her. I felt my heart race at knowing that was me. I didn't always catch the nuance of things, but something about her becoming so soft and gentle made me understand.

  "I missed you as well," I replied quietly, hugging her arms to me, "Take your time."

  The glint in her eye told me that I had made a mistake in suggesting such a thing, but I didn't see it as one. I indulged her childish nature. The side of her that wanted to be selfish in this moment. The way she held me was different than before, as if a rge weight weighed upon her, but was suddenly released as she held me.

  I couldn't imagine what she was going through, even if I had an idea. I would never say that I understood the pain she held in her heart. I simply wished to ease it to the best of my ability, and if that meant being trapped in her arms...well, there were worse ways to be imprisoned. I chuckled to myself, leaning back into her.

  My fingers traced along her arm, feeling its well-defined muscles and its surprising softness. Closing her eyes once more, she seemed to lose herself to the sensation. Her head rested against mine and in that moment, no one else existed. It was just us, even as Maya stood nearby patiently with Azure in her arms, there was no one except Elizabeth and me.

  Looking over the city in that moment, my fear of heights retreated for a while. In her arms I was safe. In her arms, with the view of the city before us, I felt like the world was at my feet. However, I realized something. The world wasn't so far away as that.

  No, the world, my world, was already here. Holding me in their arms. It was so cheesy to think, but I couldn't deny how I felt. It was total completion. I felt whole when she was here.

  Something had always been missing in my life, but not anymore. I felt the giddiness in my heart as, for the rest of the day, no matter where we went, Elizabeth didn't let go of me. Even as she fell asleep once we returned to my apartment, she never once let go, and I never once tried to leave.

  -----

  Nikushimi