CHAPTER 61: THE LINE

A figure emerged from the cloud of dust, a rifle raised. Instantly, the figure blocked the projectile that was headed straight for Rhys. The shot hit the barrel with a metallic clang and ricocheted off the wall, leaving a dent in the rock.

Rhys blinked, trying to process the scene, his arm still wrapped around Eun-woo, who remained stiff and gasping for air after the shot that had nearly hit them.

"Jess..."

Jess straightened up without losing her fighting stance, the rifle pointed at Nolan.

"Put the gun down, Nolan."

Nolan also recognized her immediately. His previously cold eyes showed genuine surprise.

"Jess? What are you doing here?"

"What I should have done a long time ago," the woman replied firmly, not lowering her weapon. "I can no longer ignore what you’re doing."

Nolan frowned.

"This is none of your business."

"When someone I consider part of my family decides to sacrifice lives, of course it’s my business."

Rhys remained silent for a few seconds. The confidence in Jess’s voice made it clear that she understood the magnitude of what was happening. That certainty struck him harder than any words.

"Did you know what Nolan was planning?" he asked.

Jess didn’t lower her gun or take her eyes off Nolan.

"I had a feeling, but I didn’t think it would go this far."

"I can’t believe you’re saying that," Rhys retorted angrily. "You’re always cautious. Could it be that you didn’t stop him sooner because you consider him a son?"

The words made Nolan show a different expression, as if something inside him had tensed.

Jess swallowed and spoke regretfully:

"You’re right. I knew from the start that Nolan had a special affinity with the creatures of the Rift. I even allowed The Imitator to remain in the settlement because Nolan convinced me it would be a security measure. He said it would keep outsiders from getting too close..."

Rhys clenched his jaw.

"A security measure? Is that what you call bringing interdimensional creatures into the shelter? Letting someone like Nolan do whatever he wants?"

"Rhys," Jess said without lowering her gun, "you’re not getting the whole picture."

"Of course I don’t understand!" he interrupted, his voice thick with rage. "How many more secrets did you keep? How many times did you look the other way because it was Nolan?"

Nolan didn’t intervene. His eyes remained fixed on Jess, as if Rhys’s every word affected him more than he cared to let on.

"I did what I thought was best to keep everyone safe," Jess replied, though her tone showed tension. "I didn’t imagine he would..."

"Exactly! You didn’t imagine anything!" Rhys pointed at her sharply. "You never leave anything to chance. If you let him do all this, it’s because, deep down, you thought the same as him."

Jess blinked, surprised by the harshness in his voice.

"No... I would never have allowed it to get to this point."

"Liar, if you let me," Nolan finally intervened, his voice low, almost sharp. "You always knew who I was, Jess. Always. And yet you still let me grow up with you."

Jess didn’t look at him. She kept her rifle pointed, not responding immediately.

The cave shook again. Small rocks and dust fell from the ceiling, falling all around them. Jess stood her ground and spoke calmly.

"This isn’t the place or time to argue. Put the gun down, Nolan. Let’s get out of here and settle this outside, where our lives aren’t at risk."

Nolan let out a short laugh.

"Do you think I’m that stupid? I know exactly what I’ve done, and I know you’ll never forgive me for it."

"You haven’t crossed that line yet," Jess countered. Her gaze flicked to Nebu, who was still floating with Rong Ye trapped inside. "As long as no lives are lost, that line will remain intact."

For the first time, Nolan seemed to hesitate. He kept the gun in his hands, but his voice lost its firmness.

"It’s the only way... The only way to get my family back."

Rhys frowned in confusion. None of it made sense to him. He turned to Eun-woo, searching for answers, and noticed how he tensed, his lips pursed, his gaze fixed on Nolan.

Rhys lowered his voice, leaning toward Eun-woo.

"What’s going on?"

Eun-woo breathed heavily before answering, almost in a whisper:

"Nolan can’t get his parents back anymore."

Although the words were low, Nolan heard them.

"What do you mean?" he asked angrily, turning his head toward Eun-woo.

Eun-woo seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if weighing whether to say it. Finally, he did:

"It’s impossible for them to come back... because they’re dead."

Nolan’s eyes widened in disbelief. For a moment, his face cracked, but it was immediately replaced with rage.

"That’s a lie! I have it on good authority that they’re not dead. Rong Ye’s father experimented on them and sent them to the other side of the Rifts. The creatures told me that if I gave them the life of a Guide, they could bring them back."

"Who told you that, Nolan? Where did you get that information?" Jess asked.

He ignored her completely. His gaze was fixed on Eun-woo.

"That’s not true," he muttered.

"Your parents were never on the other side of the Rift." Eun-woo nodded toward Nebu, which still held Rong Ye’s body. "They’re here."

The silence was absolute. Everyone stood motionless.

"What are you saying?" Jess muttered, still holding the gun.

Eun-woo did not hesitate.

"Some of their organs are in Rong Ye’s body."

Rhys felt a chill run down his spine. The revelation stunned him and, at the same time, left him feeling sick. It was too twisted to imagine how Nolan’s parents’ organs ended up in Rong Ye.

Eun-woo continued speaking.

"The first time I saw you, I felt something a little familiar. I didn’t understand what it was, so I let it go. But now it all makes sense: some of Rong Ye’s organs belong to your parents."

Nolan looked down for a moment. He looked devastated, as if the air had been knocked out of him. Jess took a firm step toward him, still holding the rifle.

"Nolan, listen. Put the gun down. Let’s get out of here. You don’t have to do this anymore."

But the sadness on Nolan’s face quickly turned to rage. The gelatinous darkness surrounding him stirred as if sensing his tension. Nolan lowered his weapon slightly, but his voice hardened again.

"Get rid of them," he whispered.

The creature launched itself at Jess in a swift, viscous motion. She reacted instantly, stepping back and raising her rifle to fire. The bullet pierced part of the dark mass, but instead of stopping it, it only made it vibrate and fragment.

Jess spun around and avoided being hit by one of the chunks of gelatinous darkness. Using the barrel of her rifle, she deflected another attack and fired again, this time aiming for the creature’s center. The bullet passed through, but failed to stop it. The black substance deformed and reattached itself, rapidly regenerating as it constantly shifted shape.

"Rhys, get away with Eun-woo!" Jess shouted, not taking her eyes off the enemy.

Rhys obeyed immediately, holding Eun-woo, who could barely stand. He didn’t know which way to run. Behind them, the enormous rock blocked the way, and in front of them were Nolan and the creature fighting Jess.

"Up there," Eun-woo said.

Rhys looked up and then remembered: Jess had come down from there. Before he could ask how to do it, Eun-woo turned to Nebu.

"Help us up!"

The gelatinous darkness launched another attack. Jess stepped in, blocking the attack coming straight for them with her rifle, and swung the weapon to push the mass back with all her strength.

The tunnel filled with a wet, unpleasant sound as the darkness stretched again, trying to envelop her. Jess rolled across the ground, sprang back to her feet, and fired another burst, trying to create some distance.

The creature, instead of attacking head-on, extended toward the ceiling and began dropping black filaments that sought to surround her from above. Jess noticed this in time and stepped back, aiming upward to shoot and sever the extensions before they reached her.

Due to this attack, Nebu, instead of helping Eun-woo and Rhys climb, stood above them forming a vaporous barrier to prevent the filaments from touching them.

"That’s all?" Nolan smirked. "I thought you were more skilled than this."

Jess gritted her teeth through heavy breaths. A line of blood ran down her arm, but she didn’t loosen her grip on her rifle.

"I’m not going to let you touch any of them."

The gelatinous darkness surged forward again. Jess rolled to the side and fired twice. The bullets hit the slimy mass, causing it to make a dull thud. However, the creature immediately recovered, as if the shots had had no effect.

The creature began to gain ground. Every time Jess managed to fire and open a gap in its mass, it closed in a matter of seconds, rendering her attacks nearly useless.

The gelatinous darkness hit the ground a few feet away from Jess, sending boulders hurtling toward Rhys and Eun-woo. Nebu expanded instantly, forming a misty shield that absorbed the blows before they could reach them.

Rhys tried to scale the wall, pushing Eun-woo to help him up, but the creature gave them no respite. Several filaments stretched toward them, forcing Nebu to retreat and cover them, preventing them from advancing.

Then, a roar echoed from deep within the tunnel.