Chapter 31: Alvaric and His Confusion
Alvaric struck Zurath's body repeatedly and brutally. He looked like a madman. Lyrith, who had been standing at a safe distance, started walking toward Alvaric. She grabbed his hand firmly. Alvaric turned to Lyrith, his gaze sharp as if he would kill her right then and there.
Lyrith looked at Alvaric with unusual eyes—not with fear, but full of empathy. She felt slightly disturbed by how suddenly Alvaric had become furious and insane. She gripped his hand tighter, making the man jolt out of his emotional outburst.
"Alvaric," said Lyrith in a soft yet firm voice, "that's enough. You need to calm yourself. He can't fight back anymore. His face is already destroyed."
Alvaric fell silent. His breath was ragged, his body still trembling from the storm of rage and confusion. He turned slowly to face Lyrith, and for a moment, his eyes seemed capable of destroying anything in his path. But Lyrith's gaze didn't falter. She met his eyes with a calmness that pierced through the fury.
As if waking from a nightmare, Alvaric looked down. He saw his own hands, now covered in blood and filth. His fingers trembled. He dazed off, frozen in a moment that felt suspended in time.
Zurath lay motionless, his body battered and bruised. His face was unrecognizable, crushed beyond repair. Blood trickled out slowly, blackening in some places. Lyrith glanced at the lifeless body, then back at Alvaric. No words were exchanged, only the whispering wind carrying the metallic scent of blood.
When Alvaric looked at Zurath's corpse, he fell into a long silence. Seeing Zurath like that struck his heart like a bolt of lightning.
"I..." Alvaric's voice was barely audible. He sank to the ground, sitting weakly. His shoulders slumped, as if a mountain of weight had crashed down on his back.
"Did I kill him?" he asked softly, more to himself than to anyone else. His eyes were hollow, his voice cracked like glass on the verge of shattering.
Lyrith gave no reply. She only stood beside him, silent but unmoving. She held Niva on her back. At that moment, the rocks blocking the exit began to crumble. The Monster Girl was no longer there, but the broken floor leading down remained visible.
Lyrith turned her gaze away. Back to Alvaric, who was still in shock. She walked toward Zurath's body and carried it on her back. She began heading toward the exit.