CHAPTER 62: UNEXPECTED REINFORCEMENTS

Then, a roar echoed deep within the tunnel. It was the sound of hurried footsteps approaching.

Nolan looked up at the ceiling, his expression hardening as he heard the sound.

"What the hell?"

He didn’t have time to finish. Two figures burst from the opening above, falling awkwardly to the floor. Caelan was the first to rise, pistol in hand. Behind him fell Jae, brandishing a pair of short daggers.

"Jess!" Caelan shouted when he saw her.

His eyes, tense and determined, scanned the scene in an instant. The cave was plunged into darkness, barely illuminated by the faint light emanating from Nebu’s vaporous body. Caelan had to squint to make out the figures, and while he didn’t know what the creature was, from the way it stood between Rhys and Eun-woo, he could tell it was on his side.

The gelatinous darkness swirled toward the newcomers with a wet sound. Jess barely had time to react before a viscous mass stretched and lunged at Caelan. He fired twice. The bullets pierced the substance, but only succeeded in fragmenting the attack into multiple filaments that fanned out in all directions.

"Watch out!" Jess warned, pushing Caelan aside.

Jae slid to the opposite flank and, with a swift movement, cut several of the filaments that tried to reach them.

The vibrations caused Nebu to contract even further around Rhys and Eun-woo, forming a translucent barrier that absorbed the rock fragments. Despite the constant impact, Rong Ye, protected inside Nebu and still unconscious, remained safe.

"I knew we’d find you here!" Caelan roared as he got back up and fired again.

"How...?" Jess barely managed to get the question out before avoiding another attack.

"We followed you," Jae replied, not taking his eyes off the creature. "You were running too fast, but we still managed to catch up."

Nolan gave a short, mocking laugh.

"Then they’re even stupider than I thought. Following Jess led them straight to their graves."

"We have to get out of here as soon as possible!" Rhys shouted. "The cave’s going to collapse any moment!"

Jae ran toward Rhys and Eun-woo. As soon as he saw Nebu’s vaporous silhouette, he immediately recognized the creature that had attacked them in the river and raised one of his daggers, ready to throw it.

"Get away from them!" he snapped.

Eun-woo, still leaning on Rhys, raised his voice with difficulty.

"No! Nebu is an ally!"

Jae stopped, confused, while Nebu remained motionless, protecting them from the attacks.

"The only way out is through the opening Jess fell from," Eun-woo continued. "If you want to help, come up."

Jae was still puzzled by the fact that the same creature that had attacked them in the river was now acting as their ally, but he couldn’t refuse or stop asking in the face of the urgency in Eun-woo’s voice.

Dust and small stones rained down from the ceiling with each blow the creature made, making it clear they couldn’t stay there for long.

The creature swirled around itself, like a black wave that filled the tunnel. Jess fired several times, cutting off the first attacks, but the darkness continued to advance.

Caelan moved to the left flank, unloading his pistol until the clip was empty. Each impact tore holes in the creature that closed instantly.

"It’s no good!" Caelan shouted as he backed away.

"Keep shooting!" Jess ordered. "Don’t let it gain ground."

The darkness, instead of hitting head-on, launched multiple filaments toward the ceiling, dislodging rock fragments that rained down on everyone. One of them landed very close to Rhys, forcing him to cover Eun-woo with his body.

"Nebu!" Rhys shouted.

Nebu immediately expanded, enveloping them and blocking the impact of the stones. The fragments disintegrated against Nebu’s ethereal surface, but that meant Rhys and Eun-woo remained trapped, unable to move toward the exit.

Meanwhile, Jae began to quickly scale the wall. His size and build allowed him to find small footholds on the rock, moving forward nimbly even as chunks of rock fell from the ceiling. He moved with precision, twisting his body and hugging the wall whenever a fragment passed by him.

Jess shot upwards, severing some of the filaments.

"I can’t keep it away much longer!"

The creature hit the ground, sending up a wave of force. Jess and Caelan were pushed backward. Jae managed to stay on his feet, still clinging to the rock wall.

"Jess!" Caelan shouted, immediately getting up and firing again.

Nolan watched the scene with a mixture of fury and despair. His hand continued to tremble around the gun, but he didn’t fire. He seemed focused on maintaining control of the gelatinous darkness.

Jess aimed at the ceiling and fired several times, causing more rocks to rain down on the creature. The mass deformed to avoid the impacts, but for the first time, it slowed down.

"Now, Caelan!" she shouted.

Caelan darted to the side, firing as he went, trying to draw the creature’s attention.

Rhys, trapped under Nebu’s protection, was desperately trying to find a space to climb. Eun-woo, pale and weak, barely raised his voice:

"It’s no use attacking it... We have to go after Nolan..."

Rhys looked at Jess, but she was too busy dodging attacks. Each movement was heavier. His injured arm ached, his breathing was ragged, and his rifle was about to run out of ammunition.

The creature took advantage of a moment’s carelessness and launched a mass of goo straight at Caelan. He managed to dodge it, but the impact tore a groove in the wall, making the tunnel even more unstable.

Nebu, aware that the situation was worsening, emitted a vibrating sound and expanded its body, blocking several filaments that were moving toward Jess and Jae. Rhys felt him tremble above them, more unsteady than before.

Jess gritted her teeth.

"Caelan, cover me. I’m going to try to get close to the core."

"You’re crazy!" he shouted. "That thing’s going to..."

He didn’t finish his sentence. Another attack landed between them, separating them. Jess rolled on the ground, raised her rifle, and fired at point-blank range. The gelatinous darkness thrashed violently, but instead of retreating, it expanded in all directions, as if it had decided to crush them all at once.

Jae managed to cling to the wall in time, while Caelan crawled toward a rock that served as cover. Rhys watched helplessly, with Eun-woo leaning on his shoulder. He knew that if they didn’t find a way to escape, this cave would become their grave.

Jess stood up, covered in dust and with blood running down her forehead.

"We’re not going to die here," she said quietly, more to herself than to the others.

The exhaustion was evident. Jess’s hands shook as she reloaded the rifle. Caelan, panting, had a deep cut on his arm that he could barely move.

Nolan managed to hear her. His gaze softened for just a moment, and a sad smile appeared on his face.

"I could spare your life, Jess. You had nothing to do with what the Lee family or Blackwood did."

Jess shot while dodging a blow from the gelatinous darkness.

"Then you should let them go too. None of us here are responsible for what happened to your parents."

"I’d let them go... if they handed Rong Ye over to me," Nolan snorted. "I’m sure the creatures on the other side of the Rift can bring them back."

"You’re just kidding yourself," Jess retorted, blocking another viscous attack with the barrel of the rifle. "No one can come back from the dead."

Nolan gave a dry, almost mocking laugh.

"I have nothing to lose by trying."

After hearing that conversation, Eun-woo’s face seemed to light up, as if an idea had suddenly popped into his head. Then, he reached out his hand toward Nebu.

The creature reacted immediately. Its vaporous form vibrated, and in one swift movement, it expelled Rong Ye from within. Rhys barely had time to reach out and catch him before he fell to the ground. He laid him down gently, not understanding why Eun-woo had asked for this at that moment.

Instantly, Nebu began to contract. His luminous body, which until then had been a protective wall, shrank into a small sphere no bigger than a mouse. With his change of shape, the faint light in the tunnel disappeared completely, and they were plunged into absolute darkness.

Rhys gasped, his heart pounding in his ears. He placed one hand on Rong Ye’s chest, making sure he was still breathing, and kept the other on Eun-woo’s, feeling the trembling of his fingers.

"Damn it!" Nolan’s voice echoed with fury, thick with frustration. "Let’s get this over with!"

The gelatinous darkness responded instantly. Its body expanded inside the tunnel, filling it completely. Rhys felt the air suddenly disappear. His lungs burned, unable to find oxygen.

"Trust me," Eun-woo whispered, barely audible in the blackness.

Rhys didn’t get a chance to respond. The space narrowed, and the creature’s dense heat enveloped everything. Instinct screamed at him to fight, but he could barely move his arms.