Catgirls And Dungeons (Yuri)

"Morvena…"

I whisper—

At the exact same time Felicia does.

The name leaves our lips, like a shared breath, like a prayer.

And in that single moment, I feel it.

The pain she hides behind all her laughter and blade-work.

The sorrow she tries to outrun.

The loss she pretends not to grieve.

It's there, beneath every smirk, behind every brutal swing of her sword.

Then, her voice cracks.

Just barely.

"But look…" she chokes, swallowing hard. Her hand rises, trembling just slightly, gesturing toward the world around us—

The broken towers.

The splintered walls.

The endless sea of blood and bone, of countless zombies and skeletons surrounding us…

"Look at this place!" she shouts loudly, then quiet down, choking with emotion. "In the end… I was still too weak."

A single tear falls down from her eyes.

The wind is cold.

The silence that follows is colder.

And for the first time, I see her—not just as a warrior, not as a cursed princess, not even as a teacher.

But as someone who once lost everything, and is still trying to carry what little pieces remain.

———————————-

Holy shit…

Felicia's confession just now… that truth alone—it shakes me.

It saddens me.

And deep down… it terrifies me.

Because even now—even with her soul cracked, her body weakened to something barely stronger than a child's—Princess Felicia is still absurdly powerful. Trapped in this fragile form, she's still able to tear through hundreds of undead like it's nothing.

No hesitation.

No struggle.

No fear.

Just sheer, overwhelming force.

And I've felt it—lived it—through her hands, her movements, her presence.

Honestly? From what I've seen… she might even be stronger than Eris right now.

And that thought alone is staggering.

So then… I'm beginning to question.

What was she like in her prime?

When her soul was whole?

When her body was fully hers?

Just… how terrifyingly strong was she?

Gods, I can't even imagine!

But even more shocking than her strength… was her confession.

She said she was too weak.

Too weak?

Her?

TOO WEAK?!

What?

WHATT?!

If this is weak, then what the hell were the enemies she faced before?!

What kind of nightmares was she fighting that made this level of power not enough?

Demons?

Gods?

Something beyond that?

Oh god…

I shudder, just thinking about it.

———————

And then, suddenly, cutting through the spiral of awe and dread, Felicia's voice returns.

"I've answered your question," she says, her tone quieter now, steady. "Now it's your turn."

Right… my turn.

"Why do you crave power?"

It takes a second for me to speak.

"…Well," I start softly, voice trembling just a bit. "It's really simple, actually."

"I just don't want to be useless.

"I'm afraid… afraid of being left behind.

"I want to stand beside Eris. I want to fight with her. I want to protect her the way she always protects me.

"I'm tired of feeling helpless. Of just standing there while she throws herself into danger—while I… I just watch. Powerless. Worthless. Like I'm not even part of the world she lives in!

"And I hate that feeling. I hate it more than anything!!!"

As I finish my answer, silence stretches between us for a moment.

Then…

Felicia chuckles.

It's not mocking. Not sarcastic.

But a warm chuckle.

"Hey, that's already enough, you know?"

"Y-you think so?"

"Yeah. You don't need to save the world. You don't need to carry the weight of a kingdom or chase some grand noble ideal," she says, smiling. "You just need to protect what matters to you. That's more than enough reason to become strong."

And somehow… hearing that…

It lifts a weight off my chest I didn't even know was there.

————

Thus…

I feel it now.

A shift within myself, a spark of confidence beginning to take root.

If she believes I'm enough…

If Princess Felicia says it's okay to want strength just to protect what matters…

Then maybe—just maybe—I really can do this.

"Nn! I'll do my best to learn your sword skills!" I say, filled with new resolve.

Felicia flashes a brief, unreadable smile.

Then she turns, stepping forward through the blood-slick stone.

"Alright, lesson's over."

Her voice turns serious again.

She crouches and picks up two blades from the scattered debris, which are swords left behind in the chaos. They are, of course, both rusty, dented, imperfect… and yet, somehow, they hum in her grip like old companions.

And then…

As she turns slowly to her left, her gaze fixed far ahead, toward the center of the ruined academy, toward whatever still lingers at the heart of Luminaris…

I see a faint pillar of blue light, reaching the sky…

Ba-dump!

Ba-dump!

Her heart—our heart—begins to race, faster and faster!

An uneasy feeling creeps in.

I feel it.

Something's there, something's calling her!

Just like how this dungeon was calling for me before!

And Felicia's body, so strong just moments ago, starts to tremble.

Just slightly though, barely noticeable.

But I can feel it from the inside.

It's a tremor that starts in her chest and spreads outward, like a quiet panic whispering through her bones. And inside her mind… there are waves of emotions, the ones that she has been trying desperately to lock away now begin to seep through.

Fear.

Unease.

She doesn't speak of it, not directly.

But I know.

She's afraid.

…

Well, I don't know the full story yet, as she hasn't told me what truly waits ahead.

But based on what's I'm seeing here:

The corrupted mana bleeding through the air like poison.

The suffocating pressure hanging over this place like a curse.

The endless tide of undead.

And especially, the fragments I've glimpsed through her past…

I may not know everything, but I'm starting to put the pieces together.

"Morvena… she's here?" I ask, my voice shaking, somewhat dreading the answer.

And the moment I say that…

Our body jolts.

Felicia flinches, her breath catches.

She clenches her jaw, gripping her sword so tightly her fingers dig into her palm—hard enough to draw blood, the crimson drops dripping down.

Looks like… I was right…

"Please… bear with me," she whispers, voice barely holding steady. "Just a few more minutes."

"Nn. Don't worry," I say softly, swallowing down my nerves. "Just do whatever you need to do."

And with that… we walk forward, swords in hand.

More undead begin to swarm from the shadows—their numbers doubling.

No… tripling.