CHAPTER 60: A WORDLESS PLAN

"Some of the creatures of the Rift obey me," Nolan had said.

The gelatinous darkness obeyed Nolan like a faithful dog. But Nolan wasn’t special. He wasn’t even a Guide. And Eun-woo... Eun-woo was an Esper. One who closed Rifts with a wave of his hand and stopped creatures with a glance.

If that creature responded to Nolan, it should have responded even more to someone like Eun-woo.

It was a desperate gamble, and Rhys knew it. Eun-woo was weak, exhausted from the fight, barely breathing beside him. But they had no choice. If there was even the slightest chance he could control the gelatinous darkness, they had to try.

Rhys gritted his teeth.

The real problem was how to tell him. He couldn’t risk speaking. If Nolan heard them, all would be lost.

Then he remembered the instant when, for a brief moment, he had seen what Eun-woo felt. The colors that didn’t exist in this world. The strange warmth of something that wasn’t his. It had been brief, like the flash of a firefly before it went out... but he had felt it.

Maybe that connection was still there.

Eun-woo hadn’t expected it. And Rhys wasn’t sure how to recreate it. They weren’t in sync. They didn’t have a bond yet.

But that didn’t matter.

Because if there was even the slightest chance that Eun-woo could understand him... he had to try.

"Then you’re just as trapped as we are," Eun-woo replied coldly, his eyes fixed on Nolan’s. "You’re pretending to be in control, but the cave will collapse at any moment, and you know it."

"You think so?" Nolan kept the smile on his face. "Unlike you guys, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."

Eun-woo pressed his lips together. He said nothing. Rhys felt his pulse quicken against his.

Rhys closed his eyes for a second, and without letting go of Eun-woo’s hand, he thought about the message he wanted so badly to convey. The gelatinous darkness behind them, Nolan up front, aiming a gun, how that darkness obeyed Nolan. And then, even more intensely, Rhys thought about Eun-woo.

If the darkness responded to Nolan, then it could also respond to Eun-woo. It belonged to him by right, as an Esper.

"You can do it," Rhys thought, as if he could convey it through the pressure of his hand and the warm blood pulsing beneath his skin. "Only you. Make the creature listen to you."

He didn’t know if Eun-woo would get the message.

"I thought you were special," Nolan continued, lowering his voice. "But you’re a waste. An Esper with powers he doesn’t understand."

"And you, so pathetic you have to sacrifice others to get what you can’t on your own," Eun-woo snapped.

Nolan was silent for a second and his smile faded.

Rhys held his breath.

"Watch what you say," Nolan murmured, his voice low like a warning.

Rhys barely dared to breathe. The tension in the air was as thick as the creature stalking them from behind.

Nolan was losing his patience, and that was making him more dangerous.

Without letting go of Eun-woo’s hand, Rhys returned his attention to the message.

"Make the creature listen to you", he repeated mentally.

Then he felt a gentle squeeze on his fingers. Subtle, but firm.

Had that been a response? Had Eun-woo actually heard him? Or was he just trying to calm him down?

But before he could say anything, Eun-woo smiled. It wasn’t a friendly smile, nor one of relief. It was a sly smile, laced with irony and defiance.

"Don’t think you’re so clever, Nolan," he said. "I still have a few tricks left."

Then Eun-woo turned to Nebu and spoke with chilling calm:

"Get rid of Rong Ye."

Rhys felt his breath catch in his lungs. He turned to him, his eyes wide, just like Nolan’s.

"What did you say?!" Nolan yelled.

Before them, Nebu’s body began to undulate. Its ethereal surface rippled, then began to envelop Rong Ye. The wounded man’s body gradually disappeared into Nebu’s fluctuating, violet mists.

"No! Stop!" Nolan raised his voice, taking a step forward, the gun trembling in his fingers.

Eun-woo watched him without moving.

"Shoot if you want," he replied with cruel serenity. "But if you do, Nebu will disappear with Rong Ye inside. And there will be no way to get him back."

Nolan froze for a second. His eyes fixed on Eun-woo, filled with rage. And then, without warning, he swung the gun around and pointed it straight at Rhys’s chest.

"No!" Eun-woo shouted.

He ducked, pulling Rhys down with him, and they both fell to the ground just as a whirring noise cut through the air above their heads.

At that very instant, the gelatinous darkness rushed towards Nolan.

"Run, Nebu!" Eun-woo shouted, still dragging Rhys with him.

Nebu reacted instantly, turning and drifting down the tunnel in the opposite direction. Rhys and Eun-woo stumbled to their feet and followed him, without looking back.

"Rhys," Eun-woo murmured as he kept walking. "I sensed it."

Rhys looked at him out of the corner of his eye, still holding his hand.

"Did you sense it?"

"Your message. It was weak, very weak... but I did. I sensed it."

Rhys blinked, unsure whether he should speak louder or just run faster.

"You mean you heard it?"

"No," Eun-woo denied, shaking his head. "I didn’t hear your voice. I sensed what you meant to say. Just like I sense Nebu. It’s hard to explain..."

Rhys looked at him with a mixture of shock and relief. Then he gripped his hand tighter, as if anchoring himself to him would give him clarity.

"I wasn’t sure it would work," he confessed. "But I’m glad it did."

Eun-woo gave him a gentle look. Amid the chaos, there was a glimmer of tenderness in his eyes.

"Even though we’re not bonded yet... you’re my Guide, Rhys. You’ve been one for a long time. Of course I’ll be able to hear you, wherever you are. Even without words."

Rhys felt his chest tighten, not from exhaustion, but from the meaning behind that sentence. With every second he spent with him, with every word, every glance, even every silence, he felt himself falling more in love with Eun-woo.

Not because of his power, nor because of his strangeness, nor because of that superhuman way of facing the world. But because of his humanity. Because of the calm with which he spoke even when everything was falling apart, because of the tenderness hidden behind his gestures, because of the simple fact that, despite everything, he was still fighting.

"Was it difficult to control the creature?" he asked.

Eun-woo denied again.

"I’m not controlling it. I just... convinced it to attack Nolan."

Rhys looked at him, alarmed.

"You convinced it?"

"It’s hungry. I made it think Nebu devoured Rong Ye as a reward for helping us. That’s how it agreed to attack Nolan."

Rhys paled.

"And then?"

"After Nolan... he’ll probably come for us."

Silence fell over them for a moment, broken only by the tapping of their footsteps on the stone. Rhys felt a knot in his stomach.

He was right to feel uneasy because then, behind them, a harsh, panting voice reached them:

"Did you really think that would be enough?"

It was Nolan’s voice.

They both turned at the same time.

The gelatinous darkness enveloped Nolan completely. His silhouette was stained with dust and blood, but the gun still gleamed in his hand.

At that moment, the ground shook again. A dull roar ran through the tunnel, and before they could react, a huge rock fell from the ceiling and landed right in front of them, blocking their path. Nebu stopped dead in his tracks, shrieking in shock.

Rhys and Eun-woo also stopped. There was nowhere else to go.

Nolan also stopped, a few meters behind. He walked a few steps toward them, surrounded by the blackness that protected him like a shield.

He raised the gun with a swift gesture and pointed it at them. His arm remained steady, but his finger on the trigger trembled slightly, as if the shot had already been decided and was just waiting for one last excuse to detonate.

"You’re still pathetic, Eun-woo," he snapped through gritted teeth. "Trusting creatures as if they won’t devour you the moment you turn your back. But thanks," he added with a crooked smile. "At least you entertained me for a while."

Rhys didn’t think twice. As soon as he saw Nolan’s finger tense on the trigger, he turned to Eun-woo and hugged him tightly, wrapping both arms around him. Pulling him against his chest, Rhys shielded him with his own body, exposing his back to the gun.

If there was going to be a shot, he’d take it.

He wouldn’t let Eun-woo get hurt. Not again.

The gunshot tore through the air like thunder. Rhys’s whole body tensed, as if time froze the moment the bullet crossed the space between them.

He was afraid, he couldn’t help it. But more than dying, Rhys was terrified by the idea of living in a world where Eun-woo no longer existed.

That thought was what kept him grounded, what let him hold on to Eun-woo even tighter, even when Eun-woo tried to break away.

If that was the end, Rhys would at least know he’d protected him. That he’d done everything in his power to keep him.

And then, without warning, something fell from the ceiling.

It landed right between them.

The impact kicked up dust and splinters, sending Rhys and Eun-woo reeling, their hearts pounding.