Chương 69: 069

At first glance, it looked almost normal. Humanoid even, thin, tall, standing on two legs, its form mostly shrouded in fog. Then it moved, and any illusion of humanity shattered. The air around it warped, flickering like heat haze, its body glitching in and out of existence, as if reality itself couldn't hold it. That alone was unsettling. But then came the smile. A glowing crack split across its face, tearing through the darkness of its body.

The grin stretched impossibly wide, dragging its eyes into thin, shifting slits. The glowing slits hovered above, darting about like searchlights hunting something unseen. Its arms were twice as long as they should have been, knuckles scraping the ground as it walked. Wicked, hooked claws crowned its fingers, each as long as my hand. All in all? It was something straight from my nightmares. Dura stiffened beside me.

"What? I can't see anything from up here!"

"Good for you," I rasped, throat dry.

"Because whatever the hell that is… I'm never sleeping again."

"Analyze it," she snapped.

"Maybe I'll recognize it." I tried, but the menu didn't appear. Instead, paragraphs of nonsensical letters scrambled across my mind, shifting with every blink until a pounding headache erupted behind my eyes. Then its head snapped toward us. Those glowing slits locked on me. Instinct screamed: don't move. Don't breathe. Don't let it see you. Too late. Its jagged mouth stretched open, teeth like shattered glass catching the faint light. A wail tore through the cavern, piercing my ears like nails on chalkboard.

It moved. Glitching in five directions at once, leaving smears of itself behind, eyes wide and unblinking. Then… it jumped on the wall underneath us. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. And climbed.

"Oh shit." The words slipped past my horror-numbed brain, picking up speed and volume when, in the time it took me to blink, the monster cleared half the distance to us.

"Oh shit! It's coming!" Dura's head snapped toward me.

"Calm down! This wall's smooth! No incline, no handholds, it can't-." The thing stopped a yard below. It coiled, muscles bunching like a spring. I barely had time to suck in air before it lunged, covering the rest of the distance in a single bound. Claws sank into my back and side, tearing flesh like wet paper. Pain lanced white-hot through me, and I choked on a scream, blood spraying across Dura, the wall, and the monster itself.

"Fucking hell!" Dura snarled, wrenching one arm free to swing. It ignored her, maw opening wider in another screech, sinking broken teeth into my shoulder. This time, the scream tore out of me. Its teeth sliced through muscle and nerve, straight to bone. It shook its head, trying to rip my arm off. I shoved mana into the staff. Light erupted, searing the darkness. Through the blur of agony, Its form shuddered, the light breaking it down. Despite that, it bit deeper, pushing closer as if it could only think of me.

Dura cursed, spinning us into the wall. The impact jarred its teeth loose; one clawed hand tore free and sank into stone.

"It's practically melting and still fucking going for you!" she barked.

"Noticed," I gritted, vision swimming. A distant part of my mind hissed about blood loss, but the monster shook off its daze. Wide, glowing eyes locked on me again. Another shriek tore the air. Its glowing eyes burned through me, its mouth dripping red–chunks of my flesh between its teeth–before it lunged again. Instinct took over. I swung the staff. Agony tore down my arm as shredded muscle stretched. The blade slammed into its chest. The monster tumbled backward, smashing into the spiral below.

It hit the golden bubble, writhing as smoke rose, seared by the brilliance. Darkness crept at the edges of my sight, swallowing the pain.

"Oi!" Dura's voice cut through, sharp and raw. Her arm pressed against me, forcing me back from the void.

"Don't you dare die on me, you hear?!" A wet gurgle slipped from my throat. Then-.

"Nikolas!" Time's voice. Cracking. Fearful. Impossible. And yet… real. A being as old as him, afraid. For me. I focused on it and the warmth of Dura pressed against my front, forcing the nothingness away. I still had shit to do. I couldn't nap now. The monster shrieked, climbing again, body smoldering from the shield's light. We had maybe a minute. No more. We needed something, anything. A weapon. A hiding place. And then I saw it. Half-hidden in the stone, nearly imperceptible unless you stared. A cave.