Chapter 20: The Siren’s Deceit
I ran without looking back, plunging deeper and deeper into the forest. The cries of the tribe faded behind me.
Finally, out of breath, I stopped. I found the entrance to a cave, a dark crack in the rock. It was a good place to hide and gather my thoughts. I slipped inside.
Meanwhile, in the clearing, Yoo-Na was getting what she wanted. The tribe’s chief, grateful for having been "saved" by her, gave her information about a "wound in the earth" that was driving the animals mad. The rift.
Satisfied, she left in the direction he had pointed, alone, leaving me for dead. She was going to close the rift herself and take all the credit.
On my end, I was exploring the cave. It wasn’t just a cave. It was the entrance to a dungeon. The walls were too smooth, the corridors too regular to be natural.
After walking for a while, I arrived in a large cavern. Old torches, long extinguished, were fixed to the walls. And the walls themselves were covered in carvings.
The drawings were primitive, but clear. They showed humans, kneeling, worshipping a creature. A tall, thin, humanoid being with fish-like features: gills on its neck, huge, lidless eyes, and webbed hands. One of the "Creators." One of the parasites from the Abyss the director had spoken of.
I was looking at these writings, fascinated and disgusted, when a series of notifications exploded before my eyes in a golden light.
[System performance analysis in progress...]
[Detection of multiple feats exceeding current rank parameters.]
[Survival in extreme combat situation. Absorption of Aura concepts. Transgression of the code of conduct. Combat performance against higher-ranked targets.]
[Rank recalibration required.]