Chapter 328: Moving Deeper
Isolde shook her head calmly. "Perhaps. But we have no idea where exactly it was sealed. Searching for it would only waste time and expose us to more danger. Our main goal is the Abyssal Bloom."
Azrynn stared into the pitch-black corridor ahead, her face pale. "So... we really have to go even deeper..."
Adam glanced at her and asked gently, "Are you scared, Azrynn?"
Azrynn bit her lip for a moment before answering, her voice determined even if slightly shaky. "No... I can’t say I want to go back after we’ve come this far. Let’s continue."
Lilith tilted her head with a small, teasing smile. "If you’re that afraid, you can always wait here. We’ll come back for you later."
Azrynn’s eyes widened in panic. "Ehh?! That’s the same as abandoning me! In this kind of darkness... I’d be swallowed whole in seconds!"
Ignis let out a small laugh, her golden eyes gleaming with amusement despite the oppressive darkness around them. "Ehh? So you’re admitting you’re scared? What a scaredy-cat."
Azrynn’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Her voice rose slightly, defensive but not angry.
"It’s only natural to be afraid! This darkness is endless. We have no idea what’s waiting for us ahead. Anyone with common sense would be nervous in a place like this!"
Isolde’s crimson eyes remained fixed on the dark corridor ahead, her expression calm and collected. The flower on her Crimson Blossom Crown pulsed faintly as she spoke in a quiet, thoughtful voice.
"It’s true. The most primal fear known to all living creatures... is the fear of the unknown."
Adam’s crimson eyes shifted to Isolde, a flicker of appreciation in his gaze. "That’s an interesting way to put it, Isolde."
Lilith’s lips curled into a confident smile, her silver threads drifting lazily around her fingers. "Fear is for the weak. I won’t be afraid of this darkness."
SSSHHHHWWWIIIIIIRRRR—
A sound cut through the silence.
It was low at first, like a distant whisper, then it grew sharper—a slithering, scraping noise that seemed to come from everywhere at once. The walls, the floor, the ceiling—all of them seemed to vibrate with the sound. It crawled up their spines, raising goosebumps on every inch of exposed skin.
SHHRRRKKK— SSSHHH— CRRRKKK—
Azrynn’s body went rigid. Her bow slipped from her trembling fingers, clattering against the stone floor. Without thinking, she grabbed Adam’s arm with both hands, her nails digging into his sleeve.
"W-What was that?!" Her voice cracked, high and thin. Her yellow eyes darted wildly into the darkness. "Adam?! What is that?!"
Lilith’s smile faded. She reached out, gently but firmly peeling Azrynn’s hands off Adam’s arm. Her voice was calm, but there was an edge beneath it.
"Let go. If you panic, you’re useless. That’s probably just the... resident of this place."
Ignis wrapped her arms around herself, her flames flickering erratically. Her teeth chattered slightly despite the heat radiating from her body.
"I feel cold... all over my body. It’s like something is brushing against my skin but there’s nothing there..."
Adam’s Hunter’s Tri-Sense pushed outward, but the darkness swallowed everything. No shape, no presence, just that endless, suffocating void.
"It’s more terrifying than I expected," he admitted quietly. "And it’s just a sound. We haven’t even seen anything yet."
Isolde turned her head slowly, scanning the darkness with her crimson eyes.
"We should move deeper," she said, her voice steady but urgent. "The thickest darkness is where the Abyssal Bloom will be. We don’t know what will happen if we stay here too long."
Adam nodded, retrieving the Compass of Desire. The needle still pointed straight ahead, unwavering.
"She’s right. The longer we stay in one place, the more exposed we are. Let’s go."
He started walking, his boots echoing on the cold stone. The others followed close behind, Azrynn staying as close to Adam as possible without grabbing him again.
Isolde’s crimson eyes swept the shadows as she walked, her voice low and thoughtful. "This darkness... it might be the remnants of the Void race themselves."
Adam glanced at her, brow furrowing. "Why do you say that?"
Isolde’s Crown pulsed faintly as she continued. "The diary said the Void are immortal. The Goddess sealed them here, but she didn’t destroy them. What if the darkness itself is the Void? What if they’ve all merged together into a single entity?"
Lilith’s silver threads twitched around her fingers. "That’s... disturbingly plausible. But why would a Goddess be unable to destroy beings beneath her?"
Isolde shook her head slowly. "I don’t know. Perhaps there are limits to even a Goddess’s power when she descends to the mortal realm. Or perhaps killing them would have consequences worse than sealing them."
SSSSSHHHHHH—
The darkness shifted.
Adam’s Hunter’s Tri-Sense flared. His hand shot up, signaling everyone to stop.
"Something’s moving," he said, voice tight. "It’s all around us."
Ignis’s flames flickered wildly, casting erratic shadows on the walls. "I don’t see anything—!"
WHIP—!
Something dark and formless lashed out from the shadows, wrapping around Ignis’s ankle.
"Ignis!" Adam lunged, grabbing her wrist. Isolde’s blood tendrils shot out, wrapping around Ignis’s other arm.
Azrynn screamed as another tendril caught her leg, yanking her off balance. "It’s got me—!"
Lilith’s threads exploded outward, silver strands wrapping around everyone’s waists, anchoring them together. Her crimson eyes blazed as she pulled back against the darkness.
"Hold on—!"
WHOOSH—!
The darkness surged at Lilith.
A massive, shapeless maw opened beneath her feet, swallowing her whole in an instant.
"LILITH!"
Adam’s scream tore through the void. He lunged forward, claws extended, but the darkness had already sealed shut beneath her.
Isolde reacted instantly. Blood erupted from her palms, crimson tendrils shooting into the darkness where Lilith had vanished, wrapping around something that might pull her back.
But the darkness pulled harder.
Ignis’s flames roared to life, a blazing inferno aimed directly at the void beneath them. "BURN!"
The fire struck the darkness and was swallowed.
Adam’s body began to shift, scales rippling across his skin, his Ouroboros form surging forward. "I’ll tear this place apart if I have to—!"
CRACK!
The ground beneath him split open.
Darkness rose like a tidal wave, crashing over him before he could transform. He felt himself being pulled down, separate from the others, the cold void swallowing him whole.
"ADAM!"
Ignis’s scream was the last thing he heard before the darkness consumed everything.
