Chapter 83: Mutation
The door groaned open, the sound grinding through the thick, damp air. Moisture clung to Ren’s skin, the atmosphere of this place was heavy and suffocating exactly like being caught in a nasty nightmare. If not for Kai’s steady presence beside her, sheer terror and revulsion might have driven her to collapse. Her fingers tightened around his, seeking an anchor as the darkness exhaled a stench that coiled in its throat. This place smelled like a dead marsh. Was it for the monster in that cell?
A gust of cold wind slithered through the chamber, making the torchlight waver, its flickering glow barely piercing the void ahead. They stepped forward, their movements were quite slow and deliberate and swallowed by the vastness of the cell. The far end was lost to shadows, but she could make out Agara and Rail standing to the left, Siamon lingering to the right.
The nerve-rattling screeches had vanished, leaving behind a silence so unnatural it pressed against her skull. This was certainly a haunting devil.
"I can’t see it," Ren whispered, though every inch of her skin prickled with the undeniable sensation of being watched. She could feel his eyes lingering on her.
"Stay!" Kai’s warning was sharp, his arm was like a steel bar against her as she nearly stepped forward to watch.
And then...it struck.
Screech!
It was a blur of movement, faster than thought, like a phantom wind slicing through the darkness. The vile creature lunged, yanking against its chains with rabid desperation, the iron links rattling like a death knell.
Ren’s breath hitched, her entire body locking up as raw terror clawed through her. Fear? That was too tame a word. What the hell was this thing!? She couldn’t even name her hellish feeling.