Chapter 117: EX 117. Betrayal
The ash-swept battlefield slowly faded behind them as Adrian and Eleanor chased after Eden, their boots pounding the cracked dirt. The haze of war thinned the farther they ran, the noise of clashing steel and burning roars growing distant. A few stray demons crossed their path, snarling, and eager, but they were weak, barely more than an annoyance. Eleanor’s katana danced like flashes of silver light, and Adrian crushed skulls with precision, dispatching them in moments.
But Adrian’s sharp gaze kept flicking away from the enemies and toward the fading skyline. They were getting too far.
His brows pinched together as he called out, voice edged with suspicion, "How far is this place, Eden?"
Eden didn’t slow. "Just a little more."
The answer didn’t sit right. Adrian’s jaw tightened, his instincts gnawing at him like a warning he couldn’t name. The warzone was far behind them now, too far. They were practically alone in demon-infested land, and still Eden pushed forward with unwavering certainty.
Adrian opened his mouth again, frustration growing, but before he could speak,
"We’re here," Eden said, voice calm.
Adrian and Eleanor looked ahead, and stopped cold.
In the middle of the charred plains stood something unnatural. A jagged cave entrance, black and hollow, yawned before them. The ground around it was untouched by the chaos of battle, as though the land itself feared it. There were no corpses here. No ash. Just silence.
Adrian’s eyes narrowed. "What the hell is that? How did that even get here?"
He didn’t get an answer.
As Eden suddenly darted into the cave without hesitation, swallowed by the dark before either of them could react.