The tunnels were quieter now, though the air was thick with the lingering musk of blood and demonic essence.
Damien's stride never faltered, his hand resting casually at his side as if he were strolling through the streets of Delwig rather than a nest of death. Lyone hurried to keep up, blade still slick with the gore of his earlier kill.
"Hold." Damien's voice was sudden, sharp.
From deeper ahead, the clash of steel and the guttural roar of a beast rang out. Damien extended his hand, halting Lyone from charging forward. He moved in silence, eyes narrowing at the glow of sparks reflecting off the walls.
A warrior—a young man in Apnoch's squad—was being driven back by a mutated mana beast, its body twisted and hunched, black veins bulging across its skin.
The warrior's blade trembled with each block, sweat soaking his brow. His foot slipped on the damp stone and the beast lunged, claws poised to tear his chest open.
A streak of motion cut across the darkness. Damien's sword glead once in the torchlight. The beast's head toppled before its body hit the ground.
The warrior collapsed onto one knee, chest heaving. "T-thank you—"
Damien silenced him with a glance. "You're alive. That's thanks enough." He turned, eyes hard. "Leave. Get to the exit. Tell Apnoch and General Ivaan that I'm cleaning the tunnels. In case everyone gets out, no one should bother coming back to look for —or the boy."
The warrior froze. "But—"
"That's an order," Damien said. His tone was calm, but the weight of command in it pressed heavier than steel.
After a mont of hesitation, the warrior saluted stiffly, then staggered toward the exit, sword dragging along the stone.
Lyone frowned once they were alone again. "Why did you tell him that? No one should co looking for us? Didn't you say we were heading out?"
Damien resud walking, his expression unreadable. "We are. But first, we need to stop by sowhere."
Lyone blinked. "Sowhere? Where?"
Damien only gave him a sidelong glance, sothing cold flickering in his eyes. "You'll see soon enough."
The boy's stomach tightened at the ambiguity in his voice. Yet despite his questions, he followed, gripping his sword tighter.
Above ground, the situation was very different.
The city's eastern courtyard, where the tunnels had collapsed open, was now swarming with anxious soldiers and civilians.
~~~~~
Dust and blood stained the air as survivors erged one by one, their bodies battered, their faces haunted. Arielle stood at the barricades, eyes searching desperately for Damien and Lyone.
Each ti another warrior stumbled out of the tunnels, her breath caught. And each ti it wasn't them, disappointnt carved deeper into her chest.
"Damien… Lyone…" she muttered, fingers twisting together unconsciously.
The commander on duty ordered stretchers for the wounded, healers rushing to patch up injuries, but Arielle remained fixed in place. She didn't care about procedure. She cared about only two nas.
Minutes stretched like hours. The line of survivors thinned.
Then Captain Apnoch erged, armor dented, cape torn at the edges, a dark cut trailing down one side of his face. His n crowded behind him, half their number missing. The sight tightened Arielle's chest further.
She pushed through the crowd to et him. "Where is he? Where's Damien? Where's Lyone?"
Apnoch's expression twisted. He glanced back at his n, but no Damien appeared. "Not yet. They weren't among us."
Arielle's voice wavered despite her effort to stay steady. "Not yet…? Don't tell —"
Before she could finish, the last straggler stumbled out. It was the warrior Damien had rescued, limping, leaning heavily on his sword as if it were a crutch. His face was pale, but when his eyes fell on Apnoch, he straightened with all the discipline he could muster.
"Captain," he rasped, saluting.
Apnoch gripped his arm to steady him. "You're the last. Where are Damien and the boy?"
The warrior took a mont to steady his breath before replying. "He saved . Cut down a beast that nearly had . After that, he ordered to leave. Said he was sweeping the tunnels clean. Told to tell you… not to send anyone back for him or the boy. They'll co out when they're done."
Arielle exhaled sharply, but it wasn't relief—it was the tight, heavy kind of breath that cos before an argunt. She stepped forward, eyes narrowing. "And you listened to him? You left him behind?"
The warrior flinched under her gaze, but Apnoch raised a hand. "Enough, Arielle. You know as well as I do that Damien's orders aren't to be taken lightly."
Her jaw clenched. "That doesn't make it any easier."
"No," Apnoch admitted. His expression softened, just slightly. "But it should make it easier to trust him."
Arielle turned away, lips pressed thin.
Silence fell briefly as the wounded were escorted to healers and the soldiers regrouped.
Arielle remained at the barricades, arms crossed, watching the tunnel mouth with unblinking eyes. The words echoed in her head, again and again.
They'll co out when they're done.
She clenched her fists until her nails bit into her palms. Damien… if you get yourself killed down there, I'll never forgive you.
Still, when she thought of Lyone, a sliver of relief tempered her worry. If he was with Damien, then he was as safe as he could possibly be.
That small comfort was the only thing holding her together.
anwhile, deep underground, Damien led Lyone further into the darkness. The air was heavier here, tinged with the acrid stench of demonic essence. Every step they took seed to echo louder than the last.
Lyone broke the silence, his voice low. "Damien… where are we going?"
Damien didn't look back. "To the heart."
"The heart?"
"Where this network was built from. Where the experints began." His tone was flat, certain. "These tunnels weren't random. Soone dug them, reinforced them, marked them with arrays. And whoever did it, they left a trace. That's what we're hunting."
Lyone's grip tightened on his sword. He nodded, determination hardening in his eyes.
If Damien said there was sothing deeper in the dark, then he would follow him to the end of it.
User Comments
0 comments from readers