CHAPTER 57: HARROWING PLAN.

All I could see in sight was a vast expanse of darkness. A darkness that felt cold, chilling, and... real.

I had no idea how long I had been floating in it, however, I wouldn’t doubt if I were told a hundred years had already passed by.

’Yeah. A hundred years.’

In this weird, soul-crushing state, time seemed to have lost all meaning. Not only time.

...Even my ability to feel emotions was gone. A-Almost as if I’d lost the ability to do so.

As the emotions crawled out of me, I slowly slumped into a deeper slumbering state.

This weird scene of floating in an all-consuming void continued for as long as I could remember. But eventually, I felt a warm, soft light reach out to me, pulling me out of the living darkness.

"...."

My eyelids fluttered slowly, pain tearing through my cold blue pair of eyes. However, amidst blurry vision, to the agonizing soul-wrenching pain, I saw a familiar cracked sky, along with a bright, nightmarish azure constellation.

The azure light shone brightly, prompting me to close my eyes. However, I opened it again, only to be faced with the shade that was both eerie and familiar.

"Ugh." Groaning, I shifted my gaze to my surroundings, trying to assess my current situation.

Within what I suspected to be the same dune structure, Mia had a weary expression on her stoic face, a contrast that wasn’t so easily seen, along with her, were the twins- Aezel and Livia.

Everyone seemed fine- save for the blind girl- if only worried.

"..."

"..."

My gaze met with that of Aezel’s, a light smile creeping up on his features.

’Took you long enough.’

I smiled before turning to face Mia. Her soft lips parted, as though to say something, however no words came out.

"Hey," I said softly, scratching the back of my head.

Mia smiled, but then, a frown crept up on her features. "Next time you try to give up on me, you can forget about us."

I knew what she was talking about. I’d indeed almost given up on myself, however, her presence had ignited a burning flame within me.

One that wasn’t ready to die.

’Not until I’ve completed my missions,’ I thought, hands tightly clenched together.

However, on the bright side of things, I was now more certain this wasn’t some sort of side-effect of being stuck in the all-consuming darkness.

I was back. Back from whatever state that was.

Of course, like all things in this world, I knew the consequence that caught up to me had drawn me very close to death’s door. Too close even.

’I’ve to be more careful when next I attempt such suicidal missions.’

’Wait!’ A scowl marred my features. "What next time?! This will be the last time!’

"Shit."

In the frenzied state, I’d elicited a more harrowing pain from deep within. Groaning, as an unsightly expression crept up my features, I laid down my back, eyes staring at the bleeding sky.

’What a crappy body.’

Aggrieved, I tried to move my body, however, Mia was already before me.

"Don’t," Her hands reached out to me. "You need to get some rest."

I wanted to retort, but like any other day, she was right.

’I couldn’t even lift my own arms.’ A wry smile crept up my face as I eventually surrendered.

I gazed at the lightless void, basking in its surreal light. It was then that I heard approaching footsteps.

Tak, Tak.

"I thought you would really die back then. Tsk," Aezel said, sounding almost annoyed. "But as always, you just had to prove you were a tough rat to kill."

I didn’t see him, but I didn’t need to be told to know who had such a vulgar mouth.

"Bastard," I muttered under my breath.

Turning to face him with great difficulty, I was about to speak, when...

"Kgha, Kgha!"

I spat out a mouthful of blood, dyeing the ground a bright red, with a shade of golden-dark?

’Weird.’ My brows scrunched up despite the pain.

Mia’s expression showed some subtle signs of cracking there and then. Her gaze shifted towards Aezel, and he felt a cold chill run down his spine.

The crimson haired lady said softly, however the tone behind her words was anything but that.

"Stop it Aezel."

"Hum," Aezel took in a gulp of saliva. "Okay Mia."

I grinned, almost failing to stop myself from laughing hard.

...Any more attempts to speak and I would really be butting heads with the devil- death.

A light sigh escaped my lips, but I eventually surrendered to being quiet. And for once... no the second, or maybe the third time, I hated the fact that I was weak.

’I mean... I couldn’t even laugh when I really wanted to,’ I thought depressingly, hands tightly clenched together.

Gazing at the lightless void, I allowed my thoughts to trail off, and before long, I gave in to the darkness.

***

Before long, I was done resting, or at least, doing whatever that was. And of course, Mia and Aezel knew well not to disturb me while I was sleeping.

Even while they ate the delicious, juicy meat.

Thinking about how I had woken up to see them dining without me, an unsightly expression crept up my face. But it disappeared just as it came.

After all, they couldn’t possibly have waited for me to wake up before they had their meal, right?

Shaking my head, it was then that I took note of the blind girl more carefully.

"..."

Her eyes were closed, and she laid on the ground, as though...

’Don’t tell me she’s still unconscious.’ My eyes widened at the chilling realization.

After all, the longer she remained in such a state, the worse things were going to get for her.

My expression darkened as the chilling memories resurfaced. ’Being stuck in the all-consuming darkness, trust me, was the worst of all horrors.’

But considering the fact that she was probably the blessed of a God, she should be fine. I guess.

I let out a deep sigh, and took a bite out of the meat in my hands.

It was bland at first, but as I chewed on, the juicy soft meat and the subtle aroma it brought with it slowly melted into my mouth, dissolving almost instantly into a cold, soothing stream that went down my stomach.

"Hah. So... good." I said, eyes closed as I basked in the taste of the meal, somehow forgetting that I was at the critical point of relaying the mission’s result back to Mia.

Crunch, crunch.

"Yeah, that’s it."

"Dean," The crimson haired lady eventually called out.

Raising my head up to face her, I said under my breath:

"Ah, my bad."

A wry smile crept up my face as I scratched the back of my head.

Taking another mouthful bite, I just couldn’t help it, I continued:

"Anyway, the creature was as large as a house, with its eight segmented legs resembling tall obsidian pillars. Its form was similar to that of a nightmarish scavenger, in the sense that it also had a crab-like carapace, and a protruding humanoid torso- if it could even be called one."

A serious demeanor slowly crept into my previously unserious expression. I dropped the meal in my hands, and with a grim expression, I went about recounting the details to the best of my ability.

"Instead of a tough hide, the behemoth’s shell seemed to be made out of polish, lustrous metal. And worse, unlike the nightmarish scavengers, he was encased in an impenetrable suit of shining armor."

Mia’s indifferent expression showed signs of cracking.

"And the worst of it wasn’t its polished armor. It was the fact that it was covered in long, jagged spikes. And its humanoid torso had four mighty pairs of arms."

With a light sigh, I added:

"...And as if to make matters worse, I didn’t see any opening in any of its joints, unlike its counterparts."

Mia’s frown deepened, and Aezel simply grimaced, his thoughts known to no one but himself.

Catching my breath, I hoped I had managed to instill some sense of dread into her. After all, the only reason I kept ranting for so long was to stop—

"It’s probably just an awakened tyrant," Mia muttered under her breath, almost as though she were talking to herself than to the members of the cohort.

My expression darkened. "And a sequence 9 transcendent."

"Yeah," Aezel nodded, a grim expression creeping up on his features.

"Anyway, all that aside, it definitely isn’t something we can fight, nor should we think of fighting such a monster."

I raised a brow and said, "That’s no different from courting death."

Sighing, I added in exasperation. "We won’t even be able to penetrate its impenetrable suit of black, lustrous metal."

Having said all that, I turned to face Mia. And...

My face paled. ’It was just as I feared.’

Seeing the resigned expression on her face. That same look.

It already said it all. Sighing lightly, I said wryly, "Let me guess. You want to kill it."

Just like I expected, she didn’t reply, but her silence said it all.

"Hahaha."

I covered my face and laughed like a mad man, my maniac laugh echoing through the quiet dune structure.

Mia frowned. "We have no choice. To get to the Human Acropolis, we have to kill it."

Even Aezel who really wished to back out, and take heed to my warnings, had no choice but to nod grimly.

’Indeed, we had no other choice.’

To get to the human Acropolis, we had to head north. And since the nightmarish scavenger was blocking our path, it had to die!

"True," I calmly said. "I can’t argue against that. But I will tell you the cold, and simple truth Mia. We can’t kill it."

Her expression remained unchanged. It was still cold, and indifferent. But nevertheless, I didn’t allow that to bother me.

Not anymore.

"But," I laughed even more unsettlingly, the sound piercing right through their hearts.

Thump, Thump–!

"That doesn’t mean that it can’t be killed."

Aezel raised a brow. "Hmm."

His gaze shifted towards me before he said, "And how do you plan on doing that?"

"..."

Mia also glanced at me.

Their gazes stayed on me for a few seconds before I eventually said:

"Leave that to me."

Aezel frowned, and just as he attempted to speak once again, I cut him off.

"Just be prepared for tomorrow."

And then, I said while staring at the lightless void, almost as though I were talking to myself than to any other person:

"Things are gonna get pretty messy."

And with that, silence reigned supreme. With the only constant being the rapid pace at which our heartbeats echoed through the stifling quiet.

Before long, everyone slowly went to sleep, and as the last trace of strength left my body, as I slowly fell into unconsciousness, the plan slowly started to creep into my mind, pieces starting fixing into each other, and before long, they came together to form a...

"...."

Harrowing plan.

A single flash of bait, a detonation, and maybe, just maybe... survival.