Creatures of various shapes and sizes appeared in Lux's vision as he toured the Inner sanctum.
These creatures eyed the Half-Elf with great curiosity as he walked past their prison cells.
Some of them called out to Lux, using languages that weren't familiar to him. But he didn't have to know their language to understand what they were trying to tell him.
"Free us."
Those were the words that appeared inside Lux's head as he walked past these abominations, whom he believed to be Abyssal Creatures.
They were locked behind a purple barrier which held firm no matter how much they tried to attack it.
Seeing that someone had entered their prison, these creatures became quite lively and started to attack their barrier, hoping to catch Lux's attention.
Surprisingly, Blackfire materialized behind Lux and seemed to be observing these creatures as its Master walked past them.
It even flew towards one of the prison cells to take a better look at a demi-human creature, whose entire body was covered in black scales.
Two golden eyes stared back at the coffin, and a set of razor-sharp teeth appeared in the creature's mouth as it gave its observer a smile.
Blackfire lingered for a bit before moving to the next cell, observing another creature that piqued its interest.
Lux had warned the Black Coffin that it was allowed to look around but not to touch anything.
The last thing he wanted to happen was to free a bunch of Calamity-Ranked Monsters and allow them to rampage on the island.
After descending for nearly two hours, the light that illuminated the Inner Sanctum began to dim.
After three hours, the Half-Elf was submerged in complete and total darkness. Even so, he continued to descend the stairs that seemed unending.
If it weren't for his Dark Vision, he might have already turned back because an ordinary human wouldn't be able to see anything in front of him.
More hours passed and, just as Lux was beginning to think that he had walked for nearly half a day, he finally arrived at the bottom of the stairs.
Looking at his surroundings, he noticed that he couldn't see past a meter in front of him.
Because of this, the Half-Elf decided to summon a fireball in his hand. However, it didn't materialize.
He then took out a magical tool that created light. But no matter how many times he tried to activate it, the artifact didn't even produce a tiny spark.
'So, no sources of light work in this place,' Lux thought.
Just as Lux was thinking about what to do next, he felt something tug on his robes.
The Half-Elf then glanced at the two-foot-tall Skeleton that was standing beside him and smiled.
"Are you going to take me to her?" Lux asked.
The little skeleton nodded and made a gesture for Lux to follow him.
He smiled and followed the Little Skeleton, who was always a step ahead of him.
The two of them walked for nearly an hour before the Skeleton stopped and motioned for Lux to not move from where he stood.
The little guy then made chattering noises as if calling out to someone. Within the darkness, a similar chattering replied, as if telling his friend that he would be there shortly.
Although he couldn't see what was in front of him, the Half-Elf could sense that something or someone was approaching him.
A few minutes later, something unexpected happened.
The darkness in front of Lux shuddered as if it was afraid of something.
All of a sudden and without warning, the pitch-black wall that stood in front of him parted.
There, standing several meters away from him, was a young lady with long pink hair and eyes staring in his direction.
Her body glowed faintly, making her the only source of light in the darkness.
She was like a lonely star in the sky, waiting for someone to look at her and see her for what she truly was.
"Lux."
It was only a single word, and yet, her voice, akin to that of an angel's, reached his ears, making him shudder.
The young lady then gave him a sad smile, as she stared in his direction, not daring to move another step.
"Aurora," Lux said softly. "We finally meet."
The Half-Elf wanted to take a step forward, but an invisible wall was preventing him from doing so.
He could have broken that barrier if he wanted, but he didn't do it.
The reason?
The one that created the barrier was none other than the lonely girl in front of him, who didn't wish for Lux to be tainted by her Misfortune.
The two stared at each other for half a minute before Lux finally regained his composure.
'She looks similar to Queen Rhiannon,' Lux thought. 'But, she is more charming than the Queen.'
Aurora was a peerless beauty, and Lux believed that if she were to take a stroll in any city, all the guys would definitely look in her direction and be enchanted by her good looks.
After taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he managed to give the young lady a smile, which made the little Skeleton that was standing beside her give the Half-Elf a thumbs up.
"Thank you for coming to see me, but I will not allow you to take one more step forward," Aurora said softly. "I don't want you to be infected by my bad luck."
Lux didn't say anything and simply took out a necklace from his storage ring.
It was none other than the necklace, Fortuna's Tears, that Queen Rhiannon had given him before he left the Abyss.
"Take this to her," Lux ordered the little Skeleton beside him.
The Little Skeleton nodded its head and carefully held the golden necklace with the tear-drop-shaped pearl at its center.
It then walked towards its Master with steady steps.
When it finally arrived in front of Aurora, it raised its hands and offered the necklace to her.
A surprised expression appeared on Aurora's face as she took the necklace from the Little Skeleton's hands.
She then took a closer look at it before shifting her gaze to Lux in confusion.
"Wear it." Lux smiled. "That necklace is called Fortuna's Tears. It will prevent your bad luck from spreading to others."
"A-Are you sure?" Aurora asked half in doubt. "Will this really prevent other people from being infected with my bad luck?"
"We will know in a little while," Lux replied. "Please, wear it. It is a gift from someone who looks like you."
"Someone who looks like me?"
"Yes."
Aurora stared at the golden necklace in her hand for a few more seconds before raising it above her head in order to wear it.
When the tear-shaped pearl rested on her chest, the young lady felt something warm and gentle wash over her body.
The barrier in front of Lux shattered into countless pieces, allowing him to walk towards her.
When Lux was only three meters away from Aurora, the young lady subconsciously took a step back.
Sensing that there was a possibility that she would run away if he continued to close the gap between them, Lux decided to stop and reached out his hand to her.
Aurora looked at Lux's outstretched hand before shifting her gaze to his face.
Lux didn't say anything and simply gave her an encouraging smile.
The young lady then gingerly took a step forward.
The Half-Elf didn't move, but he nodded in approval of her action, encouraging her.
Taking another step, Aurora was now within a hand's reach from the handsome young man who had braved the darkness to find her.
"A-Are you sure it's safe?" Aurora asked in a worried tone. "Are you sure you will not get infected with my bad luck? I will not be able to forgive myself if you catch my curse."
"Don't worry," Lux replied. "Believe me."
The young lady clenched her fists tightly for a few seconds before reaching out to hold Lux's hand.
At first, she hesitated, but seeing the confidence in Lux's eyes, she decided to take a leap of fate and entrust herself to him.
Aurora closed her eyes and reached out her hand.
A moment later, she felt something warm, holding her hand, which made her slowly open her eyes.
"Let me introduce myself again," Lux said. "My name is Lux Von Kaizer. It's nice to meet you, Aurora."
A tear streaked down the beautiful girl's face as the dam inside her heart broke apart.
Feelings that she had suppressed for many years washed over her body like a flood, making her shudder.
A sob then escaped her lips as she covered her face with both hands, unable to stop the torrent of tears that were now streaming freely down her cheeks.
Suddenly, she felt two strong arms wrap around her body, holding her in a firm embrace.
"It's okay," Lux said as he patted her head. "Let it all out. You can cry on my shoulder."
Gaining his permission, Aurora no longer held back and buried her head in his chest.
Within that pitch-black darkness, the Misfortune's Beloved cried until she no longer had tears to shed.
