CHAPTER 58: THE CREATURE AND THE RIFT

The wall exploded with a deafening crash, sending shards of stone tumbling in all directions. The impact shook the cavern. The air filled with dust and pulverized rock.

From the thick cloud, a figure emerged: it was Nebu, floating in the dust, its eye-orbs glowing in the darkness.

Nolan instinctively twisted away, releasing Rhys for a split second. Rhys slammed his elbow into his jaw, knocking him to the side. He immediately got up and launched himself at the Rift without hesitation. He reached out desperately, fingers splayed, trying to reach Rong Ye, but the gap between them was too wide to close in time.

The giant hand had already begun to retreat and Rong Ye disappeared into the light of the Rift.

"No!" Rhys’s scream echoed off the rock walls.

Then the Rift flickered sharply, vibrating as if it were about to close around the hand emerging from it.

The sudden pressure caused part of the giant arm to begin to bleed a golden liquid, as if it were being trapped against a slamming door. Its fingers immediately opened in reflex.

Rong Ye fell to the ground, and Rhys rushed over, crouching to pick him up, and as soon as he touched him, Rong Ye let out a scream of pain. But Rhys ignored him, gritting his teeth, and dragged him away from the threshold of the Rift.

Everyone present turned to look at Eun-woo’s figure. His silhouette seemed taller and stronger against the glare of the Rift.

The creature took a step back. It was no longer smiling.

"You shouldn’t be able to do that..." it whispered.

Eun-woo didn’t blink.

He stared at the creature and walked towards it.

The creature retreated, but every step it took seemed to weaken it. Its shape dissolved into fluctuating edges, as if Eun-woo’s proximity dissolved its boundaries. The strange thing was that it felt no pain, felt nothing, it simply disappeared.

"What are you?" the creature asked.

"An esper," Eun-woo answered matter-of-factly. "The last one left."

Eun-woo stopped a few steps away. The ground beneath his feet creaked, as if it couldn’t hold him.

"And it is my duty to get rid of despicable beings like you," he continued, calmly bowing his head.

Eun-woo reached out.

And the creature screamed.

The scream was visceral, more animal than human. Its body convulsed and dissolved like smoke. In an instant, nothing remained but a flickering shadow, floating toward the Rift, pulled as if called back to the other side.

Nolan stared at the scene with wide eyes. Terror erased any trace of arrogance. He had backed away until he had hit the wall and now simply watched, unable to move.

Eun-woo looked at him, finally.

And Nolan felt what the creature had felt: fear.

Fear of a power that did not belong to this world.

"You promised something in return," Eun-woo said. "But it wasn’t your place to offer it."

Nolan trembled.

"What are you...? What are you...?"

Eun-woo took a step toward Nolan, his gaze fixed on him, ready to end it all. But as soon as he looked away, the Rift flickered again.

The vibration grew more intense, and the giant hand, still bloody, seized the moment to open it even more tightly and free itself completely. The walls trembled as the fingers braced themselves against the edges to push themselves forward.

The giant creature reached out once more, this time toward Rhys and Rong Ye. Rhys hugged Rong Ye tightly, trying to shield him with his own body as the other cried in pain. He pressed himself against the cave wall like a cornered mouse, his gaze fixed on the fingers reaching out to crush him.

Before he could reach them, a figure blocked his path. Nebu emerged from the dust, floating swiftly toward the creature. Its body vibrated intensely, and from its core, it launched a series of electrical discharges that slammed into the giant arm. Sparks lit up the cave, but the attack had no visible effect.

The giant creature barely reacted. In a swift motion, it closed its fingers around Nebu and threw him against the nearest wall. The rock cracked with a crash, and part of the ceiling collapsed.

Eun-woo spun around, alarmed by the crash. And it was just then that Nolan took advantage of the distraction. He staggered to his feet and ran toward the opening Nebu had created earlier by crashing into the wall. He disappeared into the wreckage without looking back.

The giant hand rose once more, aiming directly at Rhys and Rong Ye. Eun-woo reacted instantly and launched an attack with all his remaining energy. The blow was strong and deep; the flesh of the arm split open, and golden blood fell in great quantities to the ground.

But the creature didn’t back down. Instead of stopping, it struggled to open the Rift further, pushing hard against the edges. It was then that, through the light, the enormous eye that belonged to that limb became visible. It moved slowly, as if searching for someone.

Eun-woo raised his hand and closed his fingers tightly. The Rift began to respond. The air vibrated, and the portal began to close. However, the giant creature also resisted. The walls creaked and the ground trembled. Eun-woo stood his ground, but a trickle of blood began to run from his nose. His breathing became labored.

Rhys rushed toward him without a second thought. He grabbed him by the shoulders and held him tightly to keep him from collapsing. Even so, Eun-woo held his hand outstretched.

The silence grew unbearable as the Rift and the creature struggled for dominance. But finally, with a final burst of energy, the giant hand withdrew and disappeared on the other side.

The Rift closed with a dull sound, leaving behind only the deep pools of golden blood that spread across the ground.

Eun-woo fell to his knees, dragging Rhys with him.

The power left him as suddenly as it had taken over. His eyes returned to their usual color. His body trembled with exhaustion.

"Eun-woo..." murmured Rhys.

Eun-woo barely raised his face. There were tears on his cheeks. He didn’t know when they had started falling.

"We got Rong Ye back..." he whispered.

Rhys nodded.

Before they could say anything else, they both turned around at the sound of a muffled groan. Attention immediately shifted to Rong Ye, who was lying partially collapsed on the ground, hunched over, his eyes half-closed, his face twisted in pain.

"Rong Ye!" Rhys ran toward him, with Eun-woo trailing behind.

"It hurts..." Rong Ye murmured, breathing heavily. "I think... my ribs are broken..."

Rhys gently bent down and helped him lie flat, but every slightest movement tore a cry of anguish from Rong Ye’s lips. When he was finally flat on the ground, Rhys tried to touch his chest with his fingertips, barely a graze, but Rong Ye cried out again, this time with his eyes squeezed shut.

Rhys looked up, desperately seeking Eun-woo’s help.

Eun-woo shook his head slowly. He was exhausted. His breathing was uneven and his body was shaking. He had no energy left to heal the fractures; he could barely stand.

He gently leaned toward Rong Ye and ran a trembling hand across his forehead. Immediately, Rong Ye fell into a deep sleep, his face still tense even in sleep.

"We can’t move him like this," Rhys said. "It’s dangerous. We need something to carry him... a stretcher, anything."

They both looked around, but the ground was covered in debris, loose rocks, and dust. Nothing useful.

Then, from the mist floating in the air, a translucent silhouette emerged: Nebu.

Eun-woo sat up with difficulty.

"Is there anything you can do for him?"

Nebu vibrated for a few seconds, then its shape began to change. Its mass reshaped into a flatter form, with several tentacles extending from the sides like supports. A kind of floating board, ethereal and vaporous like a cloud.

Rhys and Eun-woo exchanged a glance before carefully lifting Rong Ye onto the surface Nebu offered. Rong Ye’s body settled there, while Nebu hovered a few inches above the ground, holding him with surprising stability.

A low, creaking noise echoed overhead. Small rocks began to fall from the ceiling.

"We have to get out of here," Rhys said, looking up with a tense expression. "The cavern could collapse at any moment."

Eun-woo nodded, panting.

"Nebu, show us the way out."

The creature silently turned and began to float in the opposite direction to where the Rift had been minutes before. Rhys took Eun-woo’s arm, helping him walk, and together they followed.

As they delved deeper into the tunnels, the torchlight began to dim behind them, unable to reach the far walls. Darkness was rapidly engulfing everything, and the only point of reference remained the faint glow emanating from Nebu’s translucent body.

"I lost my flashlight," Rhys murmured guiltily. "I’m sorry."

"It doesn’t matter," Eun-woo replied in a low voice, barely audible over the distant echo of falling rocks. "As long as we keep walking together, shoulder to shoulder, and behind Nebu, we shouldn’t get lost."

Rhys nodded, tightening his grip on his arm a little.

And so their figures faded into the gloom, while behind them the cavern creaked, giving way little by little.