CHAPTER 124: THE RED EYES IN THE DARK

Dila’s palms dragged frantically along the cold, jagged walls as she edged forward blindly, every scrape and bump making her flinch. Her soaked pajamas clung uncomfortably to her skin, each movement a struggle against both weakness and the slick floor. Her breath came in short, shallow gasps, mixing with the muffled thud of her heartbeat in the oppressive silence.

Suddenly, her foot slipped. She yelped, catching herself in a wide crack in the floor, just enough to cradle her frail body. She pressed herself into it, every muscle trembling as the wet stone bit into her skin. The thick, heavy thock-thock of whatever stalked her swished past her upper side, and for a moment she glimpsed it—or at least felt it—its presence huge, silent, but unmistakably there. A pair of glowing red eyes, sharp and cruel, swept past her, and then vanished into the shadows.

Dila’s chest heaved violently, her heart pounding like a drum against her ribs. Her voice caught in her throat, but her mind screamed: Is it a beast? Is it guarding this labyrinth or something? She didn’t dare move, didn’t dare breathe too loudly. Even though she couldn’t see anything in the suffocating black, the mere sense of those red eyes pressed on her like a weight.

Her fingers curled against the stone, trying to anchor herself, trying to stay unnoticed. I have to survive... I can’t let it find me... she thought, sweat and the remaining soak running together down her face, her entire body quivering in fear. The dark was absolute, her surroundings unknown, but that pair of red eyes haunted every corner of her mind, leaving her frozen and alert, heart hammering in terror.

Dila pressed her trembling back against the jagged stone, her chest heaving in ragged bursts. Her thoughts twisted between panic and desperation, but she forced herself to steady them. Think... you can think of a plan. You’ve done harder things than this... you got this. Don’t give up on me now. She clenched her teeth, whispering the words in her heart, trying to breathe strength into herself where none seemed to exist.

She shut her eyes tighter, straining her ears. Every drop of water that slid from the cracks above, every faint scrape of her own breath against the damp stone, every distant shuffle of the beast’s movement in the shadows—it all flooded into her mind. She no longer had the sharp edge of her eavesdrop passive skill, but her fear heightened everything, turning the silence into a living map around her. It was as though she could feel the world by sound alone, every faint echo rolling back at her like ripples on water.

Her body, however, betrayed her. The crack she had slipped into held her firmly, its jagged edges pinning her slender frame. When she shifted, even slightly, the stone pressed back with stubborn weight, making it feel like the labyrinth itself was holding her hostage. She tried to move her shoulder, then her hip, but the effort only sent a sharp sting down her side. Her chest tightened. She wasn’t just hiding in this crevice—she was stuck.

No... not like this... she thought, her breath shaking as realization crept over her. The beast was still out there. She could feel its weight pressing against the air, pacing slowly, its presence radiating through the darkness. And here she was, half-buried, unable to move properly. The fear clawed at her, threatening to drown her.

But then she forced herself to stillness, pressed her palm harder against the stone, and listened again. If I can feel the surroundings like this... maybe I can wait for its pattern... maybe I can slip free without it knowing... Her heart pounded wildly, but she clung to the thought like a lifeline.

Her lips trembled as she forced very silent bitter laugh through her tears. "And yet... I’m really stuck..." she whispered, her voice breaking against the stone that pressed into her. The words echoed back faintly, a cruel reminder of how helpless she was.

Tears welled in her eyes, spilling down her cheeks as her chest tightened with frustration. "It’s easy for me to think... that I’ll just slip out... resurface like nothing happened..." Her voice cracked at the end, collapsing into a quiet sob.

She pressed her forehead against the cold rock, her breath shuddering. The thought of escape had seemed so simple when she played it in her mind, but now her body told her the truth—she wasn’t slipping anywhere. The crack gripped her too tightly, biting into her waist and shoulders, holding her like a cruel cage.

Her tears dripped down, mixing with the dust and damp stone. For a moment she hated herself for crying, for being so fragile, but the weight of the situation pressed down harder than the stone itself. Still, even as her sobs shook her body, she bit her lip, forcing her cries into silence. She knew the beast was still near.

Dila’s heart lurched as a tremor in the air reached her ears. It was faint at first... a scrape... a weight shifting over stone... but her body knew before her mind could form the thought. The beast was coming back.

Her breath hitched, sharp and uneven, as she pressed her body tighter into the jagged crack that held her. The stone still bit into her ribs and arms, but she didn’t care. Her pulse thundered so loudly she feared the creature might hear it, might sense the frantic rhythm of her chest.

Then... silence.

She strained her ears, every nerve on edge, feeling the air like ripples spreading across water. Her strange sense sharpened, that echo of awareness pulsing outward from her body. The walls. The floor. The emptiness. And then... a distortion.

A presence.

Slowly... carefully... something lowered near her. She couldn’t see its shape, couldn’t form an image no matter how hard she tried. But there it was... two burning points in the dark. Two red eyes, unblinking, peering into the crack where she stand trapped.

Dila’s breath rattled, escaping her throat in sharp, uneven bursts. She bit down on her lip so hard it stung, desperate to muffle the sound, but her chest rose and fell too violently. Her body betrayed her.

The beast said nothing. It only stared. The silence around them was so heavy that even the faint scrape of dust shifting beneath its weight sounded like thunder. Dila’s vision blurred with fear, her blue eyes wide, unblinking, locked onto those crimson points that floated in the dark like a curse.

Her mind screamed at her to move, to fight, to do anything. But her body... trapped in the cruel grip of the crack... could only tremble.

The silence shattered in an instant.

Something enormous shoved into the crack, and before Dila could even flinch away, jagged claws clamped around her shoulders. The pressure was brutal, snapping her small frame against the rock. A cry tore out of her throat as she felt her body wrenched upward, dragged out of her hiding place.

Her back and arms scraped mercilessly against the stone with each pull. Sharp edges cut into her skin, tearing fabric and flesh alike, leaving burning lines across her body.

"Ahhhhhh!" she screamed, her voice raw, echoing into the hollow chamber. Her hands clawed helplessly at the jagged walls as if she could anchor herself, but the beast’s grip was too strong.

Another violent yank... her ribs collided with stone, her breath exploding out of her chest. "Ahhhhhhh! Please! No more!" Her voice cracked, desperate, pleading, but the beast gave no answer.

It didn’t care.

Her body jolted again, dragged higher, her silver hair tangling in the stone as fresh pain burned into her scalp. Her cries filled the darkness, each one swallowed almost instantly by the vast emptiness of the cavern.

The beast kept pulling... slow... unyielding... cruel.

Her vision swam with tears and sparks of pain, her trembling body scraping and tearing as it was dragged free from the snug grip of the rock.

The red eyes stared, cold and merciless, as if savoring each moment of her suffering.

The beast’s grip shifted. For a heartbeat Dila felt her body lowered, her feet brushing the cold stone floor. It almost seemed gentle.... like she was being spared. But before she could even draw breath, the claws lashed out.

A heavy strike cracked against her face, the impact so sudden it nearly spun her head the wrong way. The blow rattled through her skull, sharp white light flashing in her vision as if her mind itself had been jarred loose.

Her small body was hurled backward, flung helplessly into the darkness. She struck a stone pillar with a sickening thud, her fragile frame bouncing once before sliding down. Her cheek pressed hard against the rough surface, skin scraping, her silver hair spilling across her face in a tangled veil.

No sound left her lips this time.... not even a cry. The pain was swallowed by the crushing weight of unconsciousness. Her body twitched once, then went limp.

Her eyes, wide and unfocused for a moment, fluttered shut. The blue glow of life in them dimmed as her strength slipped away. She lay face-first against the cold stone, breath shallow, silent, unable to resist.

The beast loomed above, its red eyes gleaming through the shadows, watching as Dila’s fragile form finally stilled in its presence.