"Yes."
Maeve blinks. "That's it?"
Aldriana shrugs. "You ask. I answer."
"But… you don't have an explanation for it?" Maeve looks genuinely puzzled.
Now it is Aldriana who looks confused. "What… explanation do you need?"
"Well…" Maeve pauses. She does not even know what she wants to ask. What explanation do I need?
Suddenly –
"ARGH!!"
Then –
Boom!
Something explodes inside the cave.
Everyone is startled, but Aldriana reacts the fastest. She instantly dashes toward the sound. When she arrives, she gasps loudly.
"Oh no."
Arthur arrives ten seconds behind her, Liam on his heels.
The three of them stand where the fused man is supposed to be. Instead of a mass of heartstones with one visible eye, there is only a pile of heartstones soaked with blood. The part that was still flesh has exploded.
"What happened?!" Maeve arrives behind them, breathless. She sees the mess and covers her mouth. "Oh my god."
