Chapter 62: The Cave Of Wonders (3)
Tamara’s reaction was a far cry from what Hinata had expected.
Even if he did jump the stairs, it didn’t quite warrant her shouting like he had committed a sin.
As awakened, their lives naturally revolved around dangers, and she of all people was meant to know just how strong he was and how much risk he was willing to take when he was curious about something.
Hinata’s gaze went dark instantly. "Tamara," he began, his voice low yet calm. "I don’t think what I did warrants you shouting like—"
Tamara didn’t even let him finish. Her mana shot outward in an instant, sending gusts of wind mixed with dust from the ground towards him.
"Are you fucking kidding me right now?! Did you even read what was written before you entered here?!"
Hinata tilted his head, his expression relaxing ever so slightly.
...’Was there anything written outside?’
Except for what he had scribbled down with his sword, Hinata could swear there was nothing else there.
Then... was Tamara imagining it?
Looking over at his companion and her obvious enraged demeanor, he pushed back those thoughts.
If she truly hadn’t read anything or wasn’t sure about what she saw, she wouldn’t have acted like that.
This singular fact made cold sweat run down his entire body.
What exactly could make Tamara behave so fiercely?
Tamara’s eyes lingered on him for a good moment. It was as if she was scanning everything about him. "You really didn’t see it?"
Hinata shook his head.
Tamara’s mana withdrew slowly, and a long, exhausted breath escaped her lips. Her legs buckled, and she fell to her knees while covering her face with her palm.
Hinata wanted to ask her what happened, but held himself back.
Whatever she had seen must have been bad — bad enough to leave her in this state.
After a long moment of thought, she raised her head and stared at the golden tiles. "Hina..." she said, her voice softer. "I think we’re going to die."
Hinata’s brows knitted together in a deep frown. "What happened?"
Tamara sighed, her palm over her face. "Can you remember what I told you about wills and also about the language of the Vanir clan?"
Hinata thought for a moment. Tamara had indeed told him a bit about wills, the wraiths, and the basics of the Vanir clan language which her elf mother had taught her, but he didn’t understand what any of it had to do with the current situation.
Tamara continued, dropping her hands. "Outside this very cave were written boldly: Do not enter. Those who enter can never turn back."
Hinata’s breath hitched at the words ’Never Turn Back.’
Wasn’t the sensation he had been feeling since earlier literally saying the same thing?
At the moment that thought passed through his head, something clicked within both Hinata’s and Tamara’s minds at the same time.
Tamara’s horrified gaze raised towards Hinata, who wore a dark expression.
....He had turned back.
"Hina, turn back now!" she yelled, her hands stretching out to turn her smoke around.
Hinata tried to turn around, but his body went stiff. He tried raising his legs, but they felt like they belonged to someone else.
Only his trembling eyes were within his control. He shut them for a moment. When he opened them, they were calm and unblinking.
He could feel it.
Something was creeping up his body, slowly making its way into his brain.
Hinata couldn’t think. He couldn’t feel anything. Slowly, his brain began turning off. His mind was going blank and nothing felt real to him.
[Hello...]
The sound came suddenly.
Tsssskkrrrshhh...
With it came a screech, like a broken radio being forcefully turned on.
[Hello...]
Then the sound came again.
It wasn’t a cheerful hello, or even the kind an enemy would offer a hero.
It was demonic.
Wrong in every sense. Like darkness and nothingness were trying to converse at the same time.
Tears rolled down Hinata’s face as the cave turned dark.
The figure of Tamara grew distant, then more distant, until it faded away into a background of pure darkness.
Then a creepy, grotesque figure appeared at the very edge of the dark. Dark purple eyes. A human-esque face. An elongated body that looked as if it had been stretched out.
The moment it spotted him, it grinned wide enough to tear apart the corners of one’s lips.
[Hello?]
The figure’s head twitched as it greeted Hinata with a squeaky voice.
Then it tilted its head as if trying to copy a human reaction, only for its body to fall further to the side in an unnatural manner. Its head cracked out of place and began wobbling slightly on its neck.
[Hello?]
Hinata wanted to swallow, but nothing came.
It was like he was only a head floating in the middle of nowhere.
He tried to calm himself, but the more he tried, the wider the creature grinned.
In an instant, the grin stretched as wide as its entire head.
The figure swayed back and forth, then suddenly rushed forward with frightening speed.
[Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello Hello.....]
Hinata tried to run away, but he was just a head.
The figure of the creature vanished in an instant.
Hinata was about to let out a sigh of relief when a loose head floated in front of him, and hot tears rolled down his cheeks.
The grotesque thing just stared at him, its body suspended midair.
[Hello?]
Its smile turned soft, eyes narrowing. With a cracked voice that sounded just like Tamara yet like an entirely different thing, it spoke.
By the way...
You know you’re dead, right?
’Huh?’
In one moment he couldn’t form a thought; in the next, he could. Hinata suddenly felt his body start falling into the void. It kept falling for seconds, then minutes, then hours, then for far too long.
He couldn’t force his way out or use his strength.
Helplessness.
An overwhelming sense of helplessness.
He was all alone again.
SKREEEEE-shhhhh
"Can we start moving? The corpse is starting to have an odor."
Huh?
The scenery of darkness had vanished. Instead, what greeted Hinata was a bright ray of sun and the odor coming from a dead Dire Wolf.
Tamara stood by his side, a pout on her face. "Hey, why are you ignoring me."
She raised her hand to place it on his shoulder.
Slap!
On instinct, or perhaps for another reason entirely, he slapped Tamara’s hand away. Although she was standing next to him, his brain couldn’t process her as a loved one at the moment.
Cold sweat ran down his forehead. His breathing turned ragged, and his head began bending to the side unnaturally.
"Hinata!" The sharp voice of Tamara cut through the haze in his mind, causing his eyes to gain light once more.
He raised his head towards her.
The beautiful young woman was biting her lower lip, her eyes filled with worry. "What happened, Hina?"
Hinata stared at her for a long moment, the warmth that had been in his eyes for the past few days completely gone.
Tamara noticed this instantly and immediately flinched. It felt like he wasn’t staring at someone he was close to, but at a total stranger.
What happened...
Where am I...?
Tamara stretched her hand forward and placed it on his cheek. "Did something happen? Are you tired?"
Oh...
So that’s what this is, huh?
Hinata snapped his head back and smiled warmly. "I guess I’m a bit tired."
Tamara, seeing his change in demeanor, relaxed with a sigh. "You scared me for a second there."
Her face brightened as she began talking about different things, while Hinata just stared into the depths of the cave.
"Hey," he began slowly, a wide cheerful smile on his face. "Why don’t we go inside already? It’s getting late."
Tamara placed her hand on her waist. "I told you that before, didn’t I?" She nodded as if confirming her own words. "Okay then, let’s go."
She stretched out her hand. "Can you maybe use your aether to cover the both of us? The smell is too much."
Hinata’s eyes widened, too wide for an actual person. "Why would I do that? If you can’t get past a little smell on your own, aren’t you just useless?"
Tamara quickly lowered her hand, her gaze falling. "I guess you’re right." She raised her gaze with new conviction. "Okay, let’s go. I can do this on my own."
Hinata didn’t say a word to her and just walked into the cave.
Tamara, however, didn’t move immediately. Her gaze darkened, nothing like it had been a moment ago, her eyes narrowing to a dangerous degree.
Hinata, noticing that no one was following him, turned back, though before he could turn fully, Tamara’s expression brightened.
Hinata frowned slightly. "What happened? Aren’t you coming?"
She rushed over to his side and held his hand. "Husband, you shouldn’t be so mean to me~"
Hinata clicked his tongue. "Then don’t act so useless."
Tamara just smiled, though there was a dark glint in her eyes. "Yes, Darling~"