[Kitsumi]

"Oh yeah, I see it now," Lael spoke in a sarcastic tone. "This place is great."

Ilias rolled his eyes. "Patience," he said. "Just let me... ah!" he let out a pained gasp as he dug his fingers into his own wound, pulling them away and smearing his black blood in a cross-shaped symbol on the wall.

[Kitsumi]

Lael grabbed his arm, but was too late to stop him. "Are you fucking insane?" she hissed. "You're going to kill yourself doing stupid shit like that!"

"Watch," Ilias instructed. He was feeling incredibly dizzy, but managed to stay upright by placing his hands on the woman's shoulders, accidentally leaving black smears.

[Kitsumi]

The bloody cross began to glow, faintly at first but quickly growing in luminescence. The wooden wall of the shed appeared to crack and splinter in places, thin lines of light appearing to form the shape of a doorway. With a slight push, Ilias opened the door, revealing a light so bright that Lael had to shield her eyes.

[Kitsumi]

Upon realizing that the woman was blinded, Ilias took her hand and lead her forwards. Once they had crossed the threshold, the door shut behind them. The light dimmed, becoming more bearable.

Lael opened her eyes, gasping at the sight of an incredible white marble tower. It looked like something straight out of a storybook.

[Kitsumi]

"What is this," she whispered in a trembling voice. "Was the shed an illusion?"

"No, the shed is real," Ilias answered. He leaned against the wall of the tower, looking incredibly small in comparison to the dozen or more stories that towered above him. "In a way, it is this place that is false."

[Kitsumi]

Lael was only more confused now. "So... are you saying that this place isn't real?"

"Ah, no, that was a poor choice of words." Ilias paused, trying to figure out how he could explain it to her in a way that she would understand. "The door we passed through was a dimension door."

[Kitsumi]

"You see, right now we are in what is known as a 'pocket dimension'," he continued his explanation. "It only exists when it needs to exist. They are difficult to make, and therefore very rare. Some can exist almost indefinitely, but this one is only semi-permanent. Once the mana that was used to create it is depleted, it will cease to exist."

[Kitsumi]

"O...kay?" Lael spoke slowly as she tried to comprehend what she was being told. "So what happens if the mana wears out while we're in here?" she asked.

Ilias chuckled softly. "Don't worry, if the pocket dimension dies, we will simply be deposited back to our original dimension, in the same place where we entered."

[Kitsumi]

Well that was comforting, at least. Lael had a thousand more questions though... but those could all wait. For now, she had to tend to her companion's wound.

"Come on," she gently pulled him towards the huge stone door, which opened at her touch. "Let's get you cleaned up and resting so that you can start healing properly."

[Kitsumi]

Ilias was not used to being babied or coddled, so it was strange to have the woman fussing over him. He wasn't sure if he enjoyed the feeling, or if it annoyed him. But he did know that he didn't want to upset Lael again, so he decided to just go with it for now.

[Kitsumi]

Lael didn't waste any time. As soon as she entered the tower, she was pulling Ilias towards a plush seat, sitting him down. "Where can I get hot water, clean towels, and bandages in this place?" she asked. As soon as she had been given directions, she hurried off to find the items, giving the man strict instructions not to move.

[Kitsumi]

As she rummaged around, trying to find everything that she needed, the woman picked up a couple of other items she thought that she would need. Once she was sure that she had everything necessary to patch up her companion, she hurried back over to where he was sitting in the entryway of the building.

[Kitsumi]

"We need to wash it first, so that it doesn't get infected," Lael said.

Ilias raised one eyebrow. "I don't even know if I can get infections," he said. "I've never been sick or anything like that, at least."

The woman frowned. "Well, unless you're sure that it's not possible, I think we should take every precaution."

[Kitsumi]

The man couldn't really argue with that. So he sat back silently, gritting his teeth against the pain as she used a soft, wet cloth to gently dab at the wound.

"This is... very, very bad," she said. Her voice was soft, and her lower lip trembled slightly as she spoke.

[Kitsumi]

"I'll be okay," Ilias tried to reassure her. "Remember, my kind are very difficult to kill. If I've survived this long with this wound, then it probably isn't deadly for me."

The woman didn't look very reassured. "I think you're going to need stitches," she said, instead of acknowledging his words. "And since we don't have a doctor handy..." instead of explaining, she simply revealed the extra items that she had brought with her.