Chapter 64: Darkness englufed

The platform at the end was narrow. Only wide enough for one to two people to walk through.

Ormann walked three meters beyond the ledge before a limestone wall as big as a door blocked his way.

It was a dead end. No hinge for anyone to push the wall forwards.

But Ormann knew this was exactly what he was looking for. Inscribed on its surface of the wall was the symbol of a snake eating its own tail.

It was written in red, liquid ink. Ræzoň. It only appeared as soon as Ormann stepped foot on the platform.

"What symbol is that?" Sierra asked.

Ormann, with his back turned against everyone, said, "The Lindbergs."

"OH MY GOD!"

"WE GOT A PROMINENT FAMILY?!"

"We’ve really struck it rich this time!"

Excitement bubbled amongst the group. It temporarily blinded them from the dangers of the Quicksand Burrow. They wanted to get to the platform as soon as possible.

But a thunderous crash made them all stop.

The very last stalactite trembled slightly, before a crack split it in the middle.

The two halves fell down below, their chunks landing into the spiraling quicksand with barely a splash.

On the other side, Ormann stood on the edge of the platform, his arm still extended and burning with Ræzoň.

"What... what just happened..." Sierra uttered in disbelief.

Eren saw everything. Ormann destroyed the last stalactite and ensured no one could follow him.

"Ormann???"

Sierra swung her body and jumped onto the next stalactite.

The light died while she was in the air. Shocked, she fumbled through the darkness until she felt the stalactite in front of her.

She grasped at it with one of her hands, making contact. But gravity and shock made her grip slip. She hung on tightly, nails digging in the stalactite’s surface till her right hand barely grasped at the very tip of the stalactite.

"AHH!" Sierra released the tension in her body with a guttural scream.

Henry, Abe, and the others uttered sounds and gasps of fear as darkness engulfed the entire cavern.

And from the blackness, Ormann’s voice echoed.

"Sorry," he said with a solemn tone. "But opening this door requires a ruthless sacrifice. The Lindbergs want someone who is willing to sacrifice everything and everyone in order to win."

"Ormann?!"

Everyone called out to him, disbelieving of the betrayal. But Ormann turned around and waited for the limestone wall to open.

A split in the circular snake emerged. Beyond was a dark tunnel that led further onwards.

Ormann turned the flashlight open and walked through the tunnel, leaving everyone behind him in the darkness.

"Did... did he..." Sierra muttered, dread creeping up in her voice.

Celeste nodded. "Yeah. He left us for dead." She clutched the stalactite harder.

"Damn you, Ormann! We... we believed in you!" Henry and Abe cursed at the man’s fading figure in the tunnel.

"What do we do?!" Tori panicked. Behind her, Bernadette screamed as she felt her grip loosening on the stalactite’s slick surface.

It felt like the tendrils of darkness around were coiling up their legs, waiting to drag them down into the depths of the quicksand. It exacerbated the panic and horror building up inside them.

"Take out your sunspores!" Celeste shouted. "We need light."

But suddenly, the entirety of the cavern trembled. Gears droned in action. Stalactite debris fell from the ceiling like snow.

Pillars of stone punched down from the ceiling like pistons. They assaulted the spaces in between the stalactites, making traversal even more dangerous than before.

"KYAAAA!"

"Oh my god! We’re dead!" At this point, even Sierra was panicking.

"Calm down and bring out your sunspores! Your Reinforcements are running out!" Celeste shouted.

"I can’t!" Bernadette screamed. "If I let go of my hands, I’ll fall!"

A single-handed grip was already hard enough to do. The trembling ceiling made it impossible.

The red misty aura around their hands started to falter. They were running out of grip. But without light, they wouldn’t be able to replenish it with more Ræzoň.

Celeste gritted her teeth. Her Ræzoň-infused claws punctured into the stalactite, anchoring herself with one hand.

And with the other hand, she took out a handful of sunspores from her pockets.

She crushed them in her palms, breaking their stems and causing their caps to glow with a bright white light.

Their collective brightness spread far, like a miniature flashlight. It was enough luminance for Sierra and the others to see their hands properly.

"Calm down. If you follow my movements properly, we can get out of this alive." Her words gave the others their much needed composure.

Celeste twisted her body and turned around. "Eren—"

Something blurred beside Celeste, catching the words at her throat.

Sierra, Abe, Henry, and the others watched as Eren swung from one stalactite to the other beside them.

They looked at him, shocked.

"Eren!" Celeste called out to him. "What are you doing?!"

He headed straight towards the dark tunnel! He wanted to run after Ormann!

"Come back!" Sierra warned him with urgency. "It’s not worth it!"

Eren ignored her. He swung to the next stalactite just as a pillar punched down behind him. It barely missed him by a hair’s breadth.

"What’s he doing?! He’s going to run out of Psions!"

Beyond, there was nothing but darkness. The light from Celeste’s sunspores did not reach that far.

He’d have to traverse half the cavern with no light to guide him. And Eren didn’t use any sunspores himself. He used both hands to swing from stalactite to stalactite.

It looked suicidal.

But Eren trusted the Ræzoň in his hands. It engulfed his skin with warmth and overwhelming confidence. They clung onto the stalactites like glue.

Then, he waited. Once the searing heat disappeared from his body, he knew it was safe to leap to the next stalactite.

Darkness was of no hindrance to him.

He had already memorized the entire cavern. He could traverse it even with his eyes closed.