Chapter 52: The Shadow that Swallowed Light.
Its thoughts reached me slowly.
Images formed in my mind, indistinct at first, then gradually becoming clearer. I saw the adventurers entering the underground complex. They moved through the tunnels, following a passage that descended farther into the earth.
They passed a section of the tunnel where the walls concealed something I now knew was there.
But they never stopped.
They continued deeper, unaware that an enormous chamber lay hidden behind the sealed stone.
Eventually, they reached a passage beyond the creature's territory.
They went beyond my territory, the ancient creature conveyed. Into the deep places. We do not follow them there.
I opened my eyes.
"So they never entered your chamber?"
They did not find the entrance.
I nodded. That made sense. The magical seal had concealed the chamber completely. Without knowing what to look for, the adventurers could have passed right by without ever realizing something lay behind the wall.
"Can you show me the way they went?"
The creature's head shifted slightly.
Another impression entered my mind.
A narrow passage. A descending tunnel. A route that wound through the earth before disappearing into deeper darkness.
I recognized the direction immediately.
It was the same direction I had sensed earlier, when Echoes Sight had revealed a presence beyond the creature's chamber.
Whatever waited down there, it lay along the path the adventurers had taken.
I turned to the others.
"The missing adventurers went deeper into the complex. The turtle doesn't know what happened to them, but it can show us the route they followed."
Kaede nodded.
"Then we should move before we lose any more time."
"Agreed," Adelgund said. "If anyone is still alive, we need to find them."
Albruna adjusted her grip on her staff.
"And if whatever attacked them is still down there?"
"We'll deal with that when we find it," Averhilda replied, though her hand remained firmly around her spear.
I looked back at the ancient creature.
"Thank you."
Its response came as a faint impression of acknowledgment.
Then I turned toward the indicated passage.
But before I could take another step, Echoes Sight stirred again.
I stopped.
Something was there.
Not the memories of the adventurers. Not the emotions of the small creatures. Not the immense, steady presence of the ancient turtle.
Something else.
It lay beyond the chamber, deep beneath the earth, where the tunnels descended into darkness.
I reached for the impression, trying to understand it.
The sensation was faint, yet it carried a strange weight. It reminded me of standing before something enormous whose true shape I could not see.
Something old.
Something patient.
Something that had existed long before the adventurers entered these tunnels.
Perhaps even before this underground complex had been built.
I couldn't understand what it was.
But I could feel it.
And for a brief moment, I had the uncomfortable impression that it could feel me too.
"Elsbeth?"
Adelgund's voice brought me back to the present.
I looked at her.
"What is it?" she asked. "You look as though you've seen something."
"I haven't seen anything."
"Then what did you sense?"
I hesitated.
The others were watching me now.
"There's something else down here," I said. "Something deeper than the place we're going."
Averhilda's expression hardened.
"Another monster?"
"I don't know."
"Can you sense whether it's dangerous?"
I closed my eyes once more, reaching for the faint impression.
Nothing clear came back.
No anger.
No immediate hostility.
Only that distant, patient presence.
"I can't tell," I admitted. "But we should be careful."
Kaede nodded.
"Then we stay together. Whatever we find, nobody rushes ahead alone."
I agreed.
With one final glance at the ancient creature, I followed the route it had shown me.
Kónos walked at my side.
The others followed close behind.
As we left the chamber, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was waiting farther below.
And that we were walking toward it.
***
The passage narrowed as we descended.
The walls pressed close on either side, their rough surfaces damp beneath the faint light of Albruna's staff. Water dripped from the ceiling, and the sound of our footsteps echoed through the confined space.
The air grew colder.
Then came another smell.
Metal.
And beneath it, something darker.
Blood.
I slowed.
"Do you smell that?" Kaede asked.
I nodded.
The scent grew stronger as we advanced.
Eventually, the passage opened into another chamber.
It was larger than the one we had left behind, its ceiling lost in shadow. The walls were uneven, and mineral deposits glimmered faintly beneath our light.
But I barely noticed them.
Because of what lay on the ground.
Adventurers.
Several bodies were scattered across the stone floor.
Some lay near the walls. Others had fallen in the middle of the chamber, their weapons abandoned beside them.
Nobody moved.
For a moment, the only sound was the quiet dripping of water from the ceiling.
Then Adelgund hurried forward.
"Check them! Quickly!"
We spread out.
Averhilda knelt beside one of the fallen adventurers, searching for a pulse. Kaede examined another, while Albruna moved between the bodies, her expression growing grimmer with every passing moment.
I crouched beside the nearest person.
There was no sign of life.
I moved to the next.
Nothing.
My chest tightened.
We had come here hoping to find the missing adventurers alive.
Instead, we had found a chamber full of bodies.
"Elsbeth!"
Albruna's voice cut through the silence.
I turned.
She was kneeling beside a man whose cloak had been torn almost beyond recognition. Blood covered part of his face, and his breathing was so faint that I could barely see his chest moving.
"He's alive," she said. "Barely."
I hurried to his side.
His skin was cold, and his pulse was weak. Whatever injuries he had suffered, they had left him dangerously close to death.
We couldn't carry him back in that condition.
Not without doing something first.
I summoned the G-Pen.
Its familiar weight settled into my hand.
I had used it to draw weapons, armor, and even an entire magical creation. But healing was different. It required more than simply creating something useful.
I needed to help the body repair itself.
I remembered my father.
The elemental attack.
The moment I had used my magic to ease his suffering.
I closed my eyes and began to draw.
The lines formed slowly, curving into a circle of soft, golden light. Unlike the aggressive patterns I used in battle, these lines were gentle and flowing.
There was no sharpness to them.
No force.
Only warmth.
The circle hovered above the injured man's chest.
The light settled over him, spreading across his wounds and beneath his skin. For a moment, the chamber seemed to grow warmer.
His breathing changed.
The shallow, uneven rhythm became slightly deeper.
The grayness of his face receded, replaced by a faint trace of color.
I opened my eyes.
The man remained unconscious, but his breathing was steadier.
"He's stable," I said. "But he needs proper treatment. We have to get him somewhere safer."
Kaede looked toward the passage behind us.
"The turtle's chamber. It's the safest place we've found so far."
"Agreed."
We carefully lifted the survivor.
Adelgund took one arm, and Averhilda took the other. Albruna supported his head while Kaede led the way.
I followed behind them, the G-Pen still in my hand.
My senses remained stretched toward the darkness behind us.
That presence I had felt earlier was still there.
It hadn't approached.
It hadn't withdrawn.
It simply remained where it was, somewhere beyond the limits of what I could understand.
Waiting.
I looked over my shoulder.
The chamber lay empty behind us, its scattered bodies silent beneath the faint light.
For a moment, I thought I saw a patch of darkness shift near the far wall.
I blinked.
Nothing.
I hurried after the others.
We had found one survivor, but we still didn't know what had happened to the rest.
And whatever had done this might not be finished.
***
We returned to the ancient creature's chamber.
The small, mineral-covered beings watched us enter. Their dark eyes followed our movements as we carried the injured adventurer toward a low stone wall near the edge of the chamber.
It wasn't much protection, but it placed him away from the main passage.
We lowered him carefully onto a folded cloak.
Relicta hurried to his side.
She had been waiting near the ancient creature, keeping her distance from the smaller beings. The moment she saw the unconscious man, her expression changed.
"Is he going to be all right?"
"He's alive," I told her. "I've stabilized him, but he needs more treatment than I can provide here."
She knelt beside him.
For a moment, she simply watched his face.
Then she reached out and gently touched his arm.
"I'll stay with him."
I looked at her.
She had been abandoned by the adventurers she had travelled with. Her belongings had been taken, and she had been left to fend for herself.
Yet now she was volunteering to look after a stranger who might not even regain consciousness.
"Stay behind the stone wall," I told her. "If anything changes, call for help immediately."
She nodded.
"I will."
I checked the survivor once more.
His breathing remained steady, though his face was still pale.
Satisfied that he was as safe as we could make him for the moment, I stood.
That was when I heard it.
A low metallic growl.
I turned.
Kónos had stopped moving.
Its body was rigid, the lion heads detached from the pauldrons and floated above the doll. Their jaws opened before descending toward its head.
CLACK.
They locked into place, their manes forming a protective helmet. The armor fitted together seamlessly.
The transformation was complete.
Kónos wasn't looking at the ancient turtle.
It wasn't looking at the small creatures.
It was staring toward the passage we had just returned from.
The direction of the fallen adventurers.
My stomach tightened.
"Kónos?"
The doll didn't look at me.
Its stance shifted, positioning itself between the passage and the rest of us.
The metallic growl deepened.
Adelgund immediately drew her sword.
"What is it?"
"I don't know."
But I had a bad feeling.
I reached for Echoes Vibration.
The ground carried the familiar movements of our party, the small creatures, and the ancient being resting nearby.
Beyond them, I sensed something approaching.
Or perhaps something moving within the deeper tunnels.
The impressions were too faint to distinguish.
I tried Echoes Sight.
The result was worse.
The emotional traces scattered before I could make sense of them, as though something were interfering with my ability to read them.
Whatever was coming, it wasn't behaving like anything I had encountered before.
"We need to move," I said.
Albruna looked toward the passage.
"Back the way we came?"
"No. We need to find out what's approaching."
Adelgund glanced at me sharply.
"You're suggesting we go toward it?"
"If we wait here without knowing what it is, we might lose the chance to prepare."
Kaede nodded slowly.
"She's right. But we don't leave anyone unprotected."
We all looked toward Relicta.
She was still kneeling beside the unconscious survivor.
"I'll stay," she said before anyone could ask.
"Relicta…" I began.
"I don't have a weapon." She lowered her gaze toward her empty hands. "If I come with you, I'll only slow you down."
There was no self-pity in her voice.
Only a practical understanding of her own limitations.
She had no weapon, and no reliable way to defend herself. The staff I had drawn for her had vanished the moment she touched it.
Taking her into an unknown confrontation would put her in unnecessary danger.
I didn't like leaving her behind.
But I couldn't deny that she was right.
"Stay close to the survivor," I said. "Keep behind the wall, and don't approach the passage unless one of us returns."
"I understand."
"If you hear anything unusual, call for the ancient creature's help if you can."
Relicta glanced at the enormous being resting nearby.
Its head had turned slightly toward us, but it made no move.
"I'll be careful," she promised.
I crouched beside her for a moment.
"We'll come back."
She nodded.
I hoped that promise would be easier to keep than the ones I had made before.
Then I stood and turned toward the passage.
Kónos was already waiting.
Its golden eyes remained fixed on the darkness.
I tightened my grip on the G-Pen.
"Let's go."
***
The passage seemed darker on the way back.
Perhaps it was because we now knew what awaited us at the other end.
Perhaps it was because the presence I had sensed earlier was no longer distant.
I could feel something changing in the earth.
The vibrations were subtle, almost imperceptible. They came and went, appearing in one place before vanishing in another.
I couldn't tell whether the thing approaching was walking, crawling, or moving in a way that had no equivalent in the physical world.
I only knew it was getting closer.
Kónos walked beside me.
The golden eyes of its lion pauldrons remained illuminated, and its small body carried a tension that seemed almost impossible for a creation made from ink and magic.
I glanced at it.
"What do you sense?"
The doll gave no answer.
Of course it didn't.
But its posture told me enough.
Whatever was ahead, Kónos considered it a threat.
The others followed in silence.
Adelgund kept her sword ready. Averhilda held her spear firmly in both hands. Albruna's staff illuminated the passage, while Kaede watched the shadows gathering between the rocks.
We reached the chamber.
And stopped.
Something was wrong.
At first, I couldn't tell what had changed.
The bodies remained where we had left them. The scattered weapons lay untouched. The chamber's walls and ceiling looked exactly as they had before.
Yet the darkness seemed different.
It gathered in places where it shouldn't have been.
Patches of shadow stretched across the floor, even though there was no light source that could have cast them. Other shadows clung to the walls, climbing over the stone in long, distorted shapes.
They had no clear outlines.
No connection to the objects around them.
They simply existed.
Kaede's voice dropped to a whisper.
"This isn't ordinary darkness."
"No," Albruna replied.
Her staff brightened, illuminating the nearest wall.
The shadow remained.
It didn't retreat from the light.
Instead, it seemed to deepen, swallowing the illumination around its edges.
I felt a chill travel down my spine.
I had encountered many strange things since arriving in this world.
Elementals.
Magical creatures.
Ancient beings whose thoughts were older than language.
But this was different.
I reached for Echoes Sight.
"Echoes Sight."
The chamber changed around me.
I searched for emotional traces, for the impressions left behind by whatever had entered this place.
Fear.
Pain.
Confusion.
The lingering emotions of the fallen adventurers were still present, but something else had begun to obscure them.
The impressions were fragmented, distorted, as though I were trying to read a page while someone repeatedly tore pieces from it.
I tried to focus.
There was a presence in the chamber.
I could feel it.
But I couldn't understand it.
It didn't resemble the ancient turtle or its smaller kin. It didn't carry the familiar emotional patterns of a living creature.
It felt wrong.
Not evil.
Not necessarily.
Just wrong in a way I couldn't explain.
I opened my eyes.
The shadows were moving.
They stretched across the stone floor, gathering around the fallen adventurers. One flowed up the wall before spilling across the ceiling. Another spread toward the passage behind us, cutting off the route we had entered through.
Adelgund stepped forward.
"Everyone, stay together!"
Averhilda raised her spear.
Albruna lifted her staff, and the crystal at its tip shone brighter.
Kaede moved closer to me, her hand resting on her blade.
Kónos stood at my side, its golden eyes fixed on the shifting darkness.
I summoned the G-Pen fully into my grip.
Whatever this thing was, I needed to understand it before it reached us.
I tried Echoes Vibration again.
The ground answered with a chaotic jumble of impressions.
There were movements everywhere, yet none of them followed a pattern I could recognize. I couldn't determine where the presence began or where it ended.
It was as though the entire chamber had become one enormous, shifting shadow.
Then the darkness moved.
Not like smoke.
Not like a creature crawling across the floor.
It flowed.
A vast wave of blackness surged through the chamber, spreading over the ground and climbing the walls. It swallowed the fallen bodies, the scattered weapons, and the mineral deposits.
Albruna's light flickered.
"What is that?!"
Nobody answered.
The shadows rushed toward us from every direction.
"Defend yourselves!" Adelgund shouted.
I raised the G-Pen.
Before I could draw a spell, the darkness reached us.
The light around Albruna's staff vanished.
The walls disappeared.
The floor disappeared.
Everything was swallowed by black.
I tried to reach out with Echoes Sight, desperate to find my companions.
The impressions scattered.
I couldn't hold on to a single one.
"Kaede!"
My voice vanished into the darkness.
No answer.
"Adelgund! Averhilda! Albruna!"
Nothing.
I reached out with my free hand, searching for someone—anyone—but my fingers touched only empty air.
I couldn't feel the ground beneath my feet anymore.
I couldn't tell whether I was standing, falling, or being carried somewhere beyond the chamber.
The darkness had erased every familiar reference.
There was no light.
No sound.
No direction.
I tried to sense Kónos.
For one brief moment, I felt a faint impression of its presence beside me.
Then even that disappeared.
"Kónos!"
Silence.
My heart hammered against my ribs.
I activated Echoes Vibration again, pushing my senses as far as I could.
Nothing.
I tried Echoes Sight.
Nothing.
The abilities that had guided me through the tunnels, revealed the hidden doorway, and allowed me to communicate with an ancient creature had become useless.
I was surrounded by a darkness I could neither see through nor understand.
And for the first time since arriving in Oikoumen, I couldn't tell where my companions were.
I couldn't tell whether they were alive.
I couldn't even tell whether I was still in the chamber.
I tightened my fingers around the G-Pen.
I was alone.
The shadow had taken them all.
What is this mysterious thing...
And how will Elsbeth defeat it?
Find out in the next episode, same time, same place.
