Chapter 30: Vibration
The silence after the brief battle was more threatening than the sound of combat. The smell of blood, burnt magic, and sweat hung in the stifling air of the labyrinth. Eren looked at Kaela, kneeling on the ground, with the side of her left arm pierced by a still smoldering sacred bolt. She was trying to bite her own shoulder to stifle the growl of pain. Nyssa, further back, remained fluid but trembling — her body taking on an almost human form, with wide, opaque eyes. She flickered as if about to evaporate from panic.
Morwynn watched in silence, hanging upside down, nestled between two cracked columns. When she spoke, her voice was firmer than usual, almost... protective.
"We are close to collapse. They do not stop. They do not hesitate. And they do not think."
She released herself from the webs with a silent spin, landing lightly. One of her spider legs touched a stone wall covered in phosphorescent moss, and she whispered:
"We can go down. There are old routes. Forgotten. Barbed. But... breathable. We weave another fate."
Eren was silent for a moment, his eyes moving from Kaela to Nyssa, and then to Morwynn. His fingers were tense. His body, covered in soot. But his mind? Operating.
The system reacted:
[Risk of Annihilation Increasing.]
[Recommended Escape Path.]
"Even the system is suggesting I run. That’s never a good sign."
He gritted his teeth. Running was never his style. But dying here wouldn’t change anything. Not without knowing more. Not without turning the tables.
"Let’s go down, then. But slowly. If we’re going to fall, I want it to be in a place where they can’t follow us."