>>5529753>>5529878You spend some time staring into the endless energy of the chest, contemplating in silence. There was a mix of emotions in you. About this place, about the people you had encountered, about the foes you had defeated, and about why you were here in the first place. It was hard to find clarity, especially as forces within pulled and pulled at you in different directions.
But finally, you sigh. You didn't want to hurt people, certainly not those who were innocent. The world had dealt you a terrible hand, and you just wanted to save the one person you cared about most. Losing sight of everything else was inevitable, but now at least, you could reflect. You could become better, for yourself and for others.
You suddenly feel something small and smooth in your hand, and as you pull it out of the chest, the conflicting black and white energy slowly fades away until there's nothing but empty space left behind. You open you hand slowly. In it is a small crimson crystal, that glints in every which direction under the faint light. It's shaped a bit oddly, and if you look close you can almost see something shifting within. You clutch it tightly in your hand, but feel nothing. This was not like the flower, which you knew gave you vitality. You feel disappointed as your soul returns to its normal self. All that work for nothing. You doubt you would have nearly enough money if you resurfaced and sold this tiny thing.
And yet, a small part of you feels you made the right decision. You would do right to those you had harmed, and you would return to your mother all the better for it. You glance down to the white flower still pinned to your shoulder. It sits peacefully, fortunately unharmed by your decision. Even though you knew you would have to dig deeper into The Depths, you would not lose hope.
But for now... You need to rest. Your body aches, and your injuries need attention. You glance to the remains of the Mimax, which seem no livelier than when you first inspected the metal chest. This would be a good stopping point before going down... that.
You grimace, peering into the small round hole in the center of the arena. Old, brown vines sprawl out of it and onto the floor surrounding it, but peering into the hole yields nothing but darkness. It looks like a very tight squeeze.
You were more than happy to delay going down that.
(1) <span class="mu-i">Just go down anyways, risking injury for time.</span>
(2) <span class="mu-i">Take a short rest to attend to your more dire injuries.</span>
(3) <span class="mu-i">Take a long rest to really recover. What were the odds you'd get robbed twice?</span>
