Catgirls And Dungeons (Yuri)

"Fe…licia…"

That voice.

Even though it's soft—trembling, barely louder than a whisper—it's unmistakable.

It's Morvena's voice.

The moment we hear it, our heart stops.

The world seems to hold its breath with us. Time pauses. Space stills. Even the darkness recoils into silence.

"You're here…" she says again, her voice quivering like the flame of a dying candle. "I'm… so glad…"

A faint smile blooms across her lips, delicate and fragile, like it might vanish if we look too hard. Tears slip from the corners of her eyes, sliding down her cheeks in slow, glistening trails. Her body trembles—though not from pain. It's something else.

Emotion.

And then it hits us.

A wave. No—a tidal wave of feeling crashes through our soul.

Confusion.

Happiness.

Joy.

Disbelief.

She spoke.

She actually spoke!

She's awake!

"Y-you… you…" Alter stammers, her voice broken. She staggers forward a step, trembling. One shaking hand reaches out, fingers barely steady. Her lips part as tears spill freely down her cheeks. Her chest rises in short, gasping breaths, as if she's forgotten how to breathe at all.

Our heart clenches so tightly it hurts.

Not from fear.

But from the unbearable weight of love.

Of hope.

Of all the pain Alter has buried for centuries, now rising too fast to contain.

And me, I'm stunned too, frozen in disbelief.

Morvena… she's really conscious!

This is a miracle!

A miracle beyond miracles!

My soul feels like it's glowing, overflowing with relief and joy. Relief for Alter, who has suffered for so long. Joy for Morvena, who might finally be free.

For the first time in centuries… they can finally see each other again.

They can speak to each other again.

They—

"Tch."

Alter suddenly clicks her tongue, and all that warmth vanishes in an instant.

The joy in my heart falters.

Her eyes narrow. Her arm trembles, but not with hope.

But with fury.

With fear.

(Alter…?) I whisper, confused, the happiness in my heart now cracking with dread.

Then, before I can even process it, her body moves.

Fast. Too fast.

In a flash, she grabs Sheol—our divine blade of darkness—and raises it, aiming its gleaming edge directly at Morvena's throat. The six orbiting eyes around in the blade begin to spin, glowing faintly, their gazes locked onto the girl chained before us.

(WAIT—WHAT?!?!)

Panic explodes inside me like a firestorm.

(ALTER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!!)

"CALM DOWN, FELICIA!" she screams, her voice shaking with grief and rage. Her hands tremble, barely able to hold the weapon steady. Tears still stream down her face, but her grip doesn't waver. Not an inch.

"That's not Morvena!" she cries. "It's the demon! It's trying to trick us into setting it free!"

And in that instant…

Everything crashes.

No.

No, no, no, no—

Damn it.

My soul reels in shock.

I almost believed it.

I almost fell for it.

That voice, those tears… that smile… they made me I let my guard down.

But Alter… she saw through it.

She's still thinking clearly.

Thank the gods someone is!

Tch…

Demons.

So they really can be this cunning? This cruel?

To think… the corrupted version of Morvena could use Alter's love like this. Fake her voice, mimic her tears, twist her smile.

All just to manipulate her.

It's sickening.

It's despicable!

But still…

Still…

(Are you sure?) I whisper inside, the thought trembling through me. (She doesn't look like she's under demonic influence right now…)

Because according to Alter's memories, the signs are always clear. When someone is fully overtaken by the curse, their eyes change, always. They would shift into that unmistakable red, a hellish, blood-filled red, glowing with madness and hunger. It's the red of ruin, of chaos, of destruction.

Just like our eyes now…

But Morvena's eyes… they are completely different.

Despite being tired and weak, barely open more than halfway, they still shine.

That same bright, icy blue, filled with tears, gazes down at us.

Still alive.

Still human.

Still look like her from Alter's past memories.

So then…

What if it is her?

What if this isn't a trick?

What if she's really come back?

"No, Felicia," Alter mutters, biting down on every syllable. Her voice is sharp, pained, desperate to deny the possibility. She shakes her head, as though trying to physically cast the doubt from her thoughts. "You don't get it. Her mind—her soul—they were already devoured long ago. She's gone. There's no way she could suddenly come back. There's no way in hell! It's impossible!"

Her voice trembles, barely held together by the weight of everything pressing down on her. She grips Sheol tighter, steadying her hand as it shakes beneath the strain of doubt, rage, and heartbreak.

"You!" she snaps, voice sharp like breaking glass. "Don't you dare look at me like that. No matter what illusion you're trying to cast—I won't fall for it!"

Morvena's eyes widen at the accusation. Just for a moment.

But she doesn't flinch.

She doesn't plead.

She doesn't cry.

Instead…

She smiles.

A soft, gentle smile—fragile as snow, but enough to make our heart throbs.

"Good…" she breathes, her voice barely more than a sigh. "I'm glad… that you're cautious like that." She pauses, blinking slowly through the tears. "The old you… would've broken down the moment I said your name. You would've freed me… without hesitation. And that would've been a terrible mistake."

"Right," Alter narrows her eyes, voice cold and tight like drawn steel. "So? What now? What game are you playing this time?"

But Morvena only shakes her head, her smile lingering.

"No trick," she whispers. "If you're really unsure… then check my shoulder."

"Your shoulder?" Alter blinks. "You mean… the mark?"

"Yes…" Morvena gives a faint nod.

Thus slowly, and cautiously, Alter lowers Sheol and move its tip toward Morvena's shoulder. The blade's edge catches the edge of the white dress. With a careful tug, she pulls the white cloth aside, just enough to reveal the skin beneath.

And then… we see it.

Damn…

It's so much worse than I imagined.

The mark is no longer just a sigil or symbol. It has become a monstrous infestation, spreading like a burning root across her pale flesh.

From the center, black and red veins snake outward, glowing dimly with a pulsing rhythm—as if alive, as if some kind of dark lava is flowing beneath her skin. They wind along her skin like twisted vines, etching their way up her neck, down her collarbone, and deep across her chest. From the corrupted skin, a thick, blackened liquid oozes, hissing faintly as it meets the cold air, steam curling upward like smoke from a dying flame.

So… the corruption… it's taken nearly everything.

The only part of her left untouched—the only place not yet claimed by the curse—is her face.

And that's it.

Is this… how it really is, to be marked with the curse?

This… this is horrifying!

But then—

Alter suddenly freezes for some reason.

Her body stiffens, breath hitching sharply.

Her hands tremble.

And then, Sheol slips from her grasp and clatters to the ground with a dull ring that echoes like the breaking of a spell.

I feel it then, a weight rising in her chest, a swell of emotion, building too fast, too strong to hold back.

And then it bursts.

Tears spill from her eyes in rivers, unrestrained, flowing freely down her cheeks. One trembling hand lifts to cover her mouth as her knees nearly give.

"The curse…" she chokes out, voice catching in her throat. "It's… it's lessened?"

"Yes," Morvena says softly, a true smile blooms on her lips. "It's been pushed back."

Alter stares, breathless.

"So it's you?" she whispers. "It's really you? Not the corruption?"

"No… it's really me," Morvena answers, voice tender and raw. "But only for a little while. I can only… stay like this for ten minutes. The corruption will return… soon."

"That's enough!" Alter says suddenly.

Her voice cracks, but it's filled with so much raw emotion that it shakes the air around us.

"That's more than enough!"

And so, without another second of hesitation, she rushes forward. Her arms wrap around Morvena, pulling her into a desperate embrace, one that says everything words never could. She holds her tightly, as if afraid she might vanish.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she sobs into her shoulder, voice cracked and shaking. "I left you here… I couldn't save you… I promised I'd protect you, and instead I made you suffer in this hell for so long!"

"No," Morvena murmurs, her voice faint but full of warmth. She presses her cheek gently against Alter's hair, nuzzling into her. Her arms tremble, as if aching to return the embrace—but the chains restrain her, holding her back. "Felicia… the pain doesn't matter anymore. It's gone… I just missed you. I missed you so terribly…"

"I missed you too… so much," Alter cries. "So much it broke me."

"Really?"

"Nn!" she nods through the tears, arms tightening again.

And as I watch, happiness swells inside me.

Because finally… we are seeing a ray of light in this endless darkness.