Chapter 96: Sixth Sense
For a few moments, the group took the chance to rest and catch their breath. Adrian looked visibly drained, with Seraphim not far behind, she had tapped into the aspect of her Nightmare, after all. Meanwhile, Morgan — Briar — had succumbed to sheer mental exhaustion and now lay fast asleep on the ground.
It was no surprise. They had narrowly escaped the deadly labyrinth, where a single misstep could have spelled the end for all of them.
Some might call it luck. But for a certain Strider, that was nothing more than wishful thinking.
A few meters from the cliff’s edge, Klaus stood, staring into the distance where the grey fog thickened. There was no clear reason for this. Perhaps he was just absentmindedly staring into empty space, or maybe considering their next course of action. But truth was not that grand. The real reason why he was staring into the horizon had nothing to do with preparation or strategy.
His danger senses were going off the charts. Since the moment they had settled on top of this cliff, a certain feeling of premonition had refused to fade from his chest. Klaus tried to make sense of what had triggered such a sense of danger, but he couldn’t see anything. In light of his [Adaptation], he had no trouble seeing in the darkness, and as such, he could clearly make out the figures and silhouettes of the current party members.
Yes, that was indeed the case. However, he couldn’t see anything else.
Looking below, Klaus could see the protruding black coral below the cliff’s edge, bathed in the pale light that filtered through the dense fog. This sight was nothing unusual, it was just the typical landscape of the area. Even so, the sensation of a cold hand pressing against the back of his neck refused to fade.
He scanned the horizon again, narrowing his eyes as he focused harder, willing his senses to pick up any hint of movement or danger. But all he could see was more fog, swirling and thickening as though it had a life of its own. The air grew thicker and heavier with each passing second along with the uncanny silence.
A few seconds later, he soon realized the source of his unease.
It was the absence of anything. Or rather, the absence of something.
The place was too quiet and empty. Not long ago, there had been several Nightmare Carapaces roaming the terrain. In fact, they were so numerous that the party had barely managed to reach their destination with their lives and limbs intact. But now, the entire labyrinth was silent. It was as if those creatures had suddenly vanished from the face of the sunless void.