CHAPTER 54: SOUND

"Watch out!" Rhys shouted, pushing Eun-woo aside.

They both rolled to the ground just as the creature landed with a thud. The ground shook under the impact.

Eun-woo barely had time to sit up when the creature turned its head towards him, its mouth opening with a high-pitched screech that made his ears hurt.

"Run!" Rhys shouted, standing in front of Eun-woo and raising the flashlight like a weapon.

As the creature lunged at them, Rhys landed a direct blow on one of its feathery ears. The impact resonated with a sharp crack, and the creature shuddered, letting out a high-pitched squeal. It staggered, clearly stunned by the blow, which gave them only a few seconds’ head start.

Rhys rolled to the side. The creature sped past, hitting the rock wall with a crack. Stones tumbled in its wake, but it didn’t seem to affect him.

"He doesn’t have eyes!" Eun-woo shouted. "He’s tracking us by sound!"

Rhys understood instantly. He caught his breath as he looked around. The creature whipped its head around in his direction, moving on all fours like an animal.

Eun-woo threw a rock toward the opposite end of the cave. The echo caused the creature to turn violently and launch itself in that direction, its claws scraping the rock.

Rhys crawled over to Eun-woo, and they exchanged a quick glance. Eun-woo pointed firmly at the slimy mass that, in the flickering light of the flashlight, looked like a huge block of thick, dark jelly. It stretched from wall to wall.

Just to the left, one of the walls featured an irregular opening, wide enough for them to crawl through one at a time. It might not be a way out, but at least it would get them away from the creature.

Without needing words, Eun-woo drew a trajectory with his fingers: the creature, the gelatinous darkness, and the exit.

Rhys raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t entirely sure how they were going to pull it off, but Eun-woo’s plan was all they had. After a brief pause, he nodded resignedly.

The creature screeched again, and then did it again, over and over again, each screeching higher, more insistent, as if it were calling them.

Rhys felt a chill run down his spine; at first he thought it was just an animal roar, but the sounds weren’t random. They bounced off the walls, the ceiling, the floor.

The creature was measuring the space... it was locating them thanks to the echo.

The revelation flashed through Rhys’s mind, but he didn’t have time to utter it. The creature darted toward them with unnatural swiftness, gliding like a shadow folding in on itself.

Rhys pushed Eun-woo aside, and they both rolled on the floor. The flickering beam of the flashlight slammed into a wall, blurring the creature’s shape for a moment. It spun around sharply, already preparing for another attack.

"There," Eun-woo whispered, pointing with his chin at the crack through which they escaped from the mass of darkness.

Rhys didn’t need an explanation. He rummaged around in the dirt and found a loose stone; he dragged it carefully along the floor, guiding it toward the crack. The scrape was barely a whisper, but it was enough to make the creature’s next screech shift direction. Eun-woo mimicked the gesture with another stone, pushing it until it was lost under the edge of the dark mass.

The creature stopped dead in its tracks. It squealed once more, and then, with an abrupt movement, launched itself toward the source of the sound.

The darkness stirred just a second before impact. The creature collided head-on with the thick mass, and it expanded with a shudder, then closed around the creature with a viscous sound. The creature struggled, but couldn’t break free. The darkness absorbed it like an insect trapped in amber.

"Run!" Rhys shouted, pulling Eun-woo along.

They ran along the edge of the cave until they reached a tunnel, not knowing if they would find an exit or go deeper into the cave once they entered.

"Did that work?" Rhys asked, still running.

"For now..." Eun-woo gasped. "We’re just delaying it."

"Then we’d better not be here when it gets out."

The narrowness of the tunnel gradually gave way until it opened into another cavity, wider and damper, with stalactites hanging from the ceiling. They didn’t have time to stop and look at it. They crossed from one end to the other and entered another tunnel. The floor beneath their feet was slippery with moisture.

They ran for several minutes without letting go. The flashlight trembled in Rhys’s hand, casting shadows that seemed to move on their own.

"Maybe... we’re running in circles," Eun-woo said breathlessly. "We’re not getting anywhere."

Rhys stopped dead in his tracks. He looked around, trying to spot any formations, cracks, or any signs. Then he bent down, picked up a stone from the ground, and walked over to the nearest wall. With the sharp edge, he carved a deep mark into the rock.

"If we see this again, we’ll know you were right," he said, giving Eun-woo a quick glance before running on.

The tunnel seemed endless. It turned left, then right, then narrowed again. Several more minutes passed, until, suddenly, the marker appeared in front of them.

They both stopped dead in their tracks.

"No way..." Rhys muttered.

And then, the creature’s screech rose in the distance.

"It’s already free," Eun-woo said.

Rhys urgently raised his flashlight, scanning the walls and ceiling. Then he saw a narrow passage several feet above them.

"There. I’m going to lift you up," Rhys said. "You can reach it."

Eun-woo hesitated for a second, but nodded. Rhys laced his fingers together and bent down. Eun-woo carefully stepped onto his hands and then his shoulder, nimbly climbing up to grab the edge of the chute. He pulled himself up and, once secure, extended an arm.

"Give me your hand."

Rhys pushed himself up with Eun-woo’s help and managed to climb inside. The shaft was narrow and damp, with barely any room to move.

Eun-woo motioned for him to hand over the flashlight. Rhys handed it to him, and Eun-woo held it firmly as he walked ahead.

They had to walk through the narrow passage hunched over, at times almost crawling, with their knees scraping the rough stone.

Then a subtle sound brought them to a halt. At first, it seemed like only the murmur of running water in the distance, but then they made out words. Barely intelligible fragments. Rhys and Eun-woo looked at each other, their breaths drawn in.

They waited a few more seconds.

And...

Yes, they were voices.

They resumed their journey, more slowly now, guided by the echo that was becoming increasingly distinct. A man was arguing with someone else, his deep, angry voice echoing through the vent.

"No way..." Rhys muttered, frowning.

One of the voices was Eun-woo’s. There was no mistaking it.

"You let them get away," the man accused angrily.

"They won’t get far," the other Eun-woo replied with disturbing calm.

"I’m not going to start the ritual until those two are dead," the man replied, in a threatening tone.

Rhys’s heart was pounding. Eun-woo, beside him, looked as stunned as he was. Without exchanging a word, they turned off the flashlight and walked a little further down the shaft until they reached the edge, where it emptied into another rock cavity at the top.

There, the atmosphere changed. Torches mounted on the walls cast a warm glow, revealing every corner of the vast underground chamber.

Lying in the middle below was Rong Ye. Unconscious and motionless.

Walking around him was another Eun-woo.

And in the background, sitting against the wall with a grim expression, was Nolan.

"That’s a bit disappointing," the other Eun-woo said, his tone almost indifferent as he circled around Rong Ye’s motionless body. "The Esper you sent me doesn’t resemble the others. He’s weak. Not even linked to his Guide."

Nolan looked up, confusion flickering in his eyes.

"Are you saying Rhys is a Guide?"

"He is," the other Eun-woo replied without hesitation. "Though strangely enough... when I met him years ago, I didn’t sense it."

Nolan clicked his tongue in frustration.

"If we had known before, we would have done this a long time ago."

For a second, silence fell over the room again. Then Nolan spoke again, more slowly, as if thinking out loud.

"So... Rhys wouldn’t be more useful to us than Rong Ye?"

The other Eun-woo stopped. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"Exactly."

Up above, Rhys felt something freeze in his chest. He quickly pulled back from the edge, dragging Eun-woo with him, alarmed by what they’d just heard. But as soon as he took a step back, something cold and solid touched his back.

He turned sharply.

The dim light from the torches was enough to reveal the whitish silhouette of the creature.

"What luck," came the other Eun-woo’s voice from below. "Rhys walked straight into our hands."

Then, with a swift and brutal motion, the creature hurled Rhys and Eun-woo down.