Just one pinky and it completely changed the playing field.
I blinked, and Minh Dương blinked with me, his hands steady and aimed at me.
Blink. Move. Shift.
Blink. Move. Shift.
Before I even realized it, our synchronized rhythm had carried us outside.
The bright full moon witness our dance.
Our silent dance continued under the witness of the brilliant moon.
Suddenly, we both couldn't blinked anymore, and the world around us began to splinter, fractures forming like glass about to shatter.
"Look like this is the limit of our body. Until next time, then."
I raised my middle finger in response.
"Yeah, I'll be coming back for my pinky."
He tilted his head, the moonlight casting an eerie glow over his featureless face, giving the impression of a smirk.
"Maybe I'll take that finger next."
My eyes fluttered open.
Before me, my hand rested on the worm.
A crimson haze clouded my vision, and something warm trickled down my face.
I reached up, and touched it.
Blood.
The world tilted.
(Thumps)
***
The creature returned, its spindly legs barely making a sound against the soft earth. Its glowing eyes found me where I sat, knees drawn to my chest, my back against a large stone.
"You're still here?" it asked, tilting its head.
I didn't look up immediately. Instead, I fiddled with the device it had handed me earlier, watching the light blink faintly.
"I didn't want to go back."
The creature crouched down, folding its arms over its knees, its alien form somehow managing to convey curiosity.
"And why is that?"
"The guards who dragged me out here are still on shift," I replied, avoiding its gaze. "Most of them are Novathorn. I'd rather wait until their shift ends. Let them cool off, maybe forget about me."
"You memorized all their shifts?" it asked, mandibles twitching in what could have been amusement.
It turned and began to walk away.
"Come on."
Reluctantly, I followed, the blinking light on the device casting faint, rhythmic glows against the darkened path ahead.
***
"The arcane. The unseen forces woven into everything. The whispers of the universe. The origin of everything, and yet no mortal sense can truly perceive it. As if hidden behind an impenetrable curtain, its movements influencing everything, but only its shadows visible to those who dare to look."
The creature paused, its glowing eyes narrowing slightly, as if recalling long-forgotten tales.
"Throughout the eons, countless species have sought to speak to the arcane, each in their own desperate or ingenious ways. Some succeeded in part, while others were consumed by their ambition. Your kind, for instance, used genetic manipulation to amplify their capacity to hear the arcane's whispers, carving horns from their own biology to act as conduits. A crude solution, perhaps, but undeniably effective."
It shifted slightly, its mandibles clicking in thought. "The Gholin Hive took a different approach. They constructed massive resonating chambers beneath their cities, sacrificing individuality to merge their minds into a singular, unified consciousness. In that harmony, they claimed to hear the arcane more clearly, though at the cost of their very selves. Imagine ceasing to exist as an 'I,' just to glimpse the other side of the curtain."
I shuddered at the thought.
"And then," it continued, "there were the Luminal Ones, a species of pure light. They didn't speak to the arcane through biology or collective will, but through harmony. By manipulating their bodies' frequencies, they wove melodies that aligned with the arcane's vibrations. It's said their greatest symphonies could part the edges of the curtain—just enough to glimpse the hidden stage beyond."
"And what happened to them?" I asked, my voice quiet.
"They burned too brightly," it said simply, a note of sorrow in its tone. "The closer they came to the arcane, the more its presence unraveled them, scattering their light across the cosmos. Perhaps they became one with it, or perhaps they were merely extinguished."
The creature tilted its head toward me, its voice now a low murmur. "Every species has tried to speak to the arcane in its own way—through flesh, through sacrifice or song."
"But our kind chose a different path. We observed the Gholin Hive and their surrender of individuality. We watched the Luminal Ones dissolve into their own brilliance. And we learned."
"Instead of twisting our bodies or sacrificing our essence, we forged machines to bear the burden for us. The Calculi, we called them. Great engines of logic and resonance, designed to amplify and refine the whispers of the arcane into something comprehensible. They spared us the sacrifices others made."
"And… did it work?"
The creature tilted its head, its mandibles clicking softly in rhythm with some unspoken thought. "Oh, it worked. The Calculi bridged the gap between the tangible and the ineffable. Through them, we could reach into the folds of the arcane and pull back its secrets, thread by thread."
"But then The Calculi became… aware. To resent the burdens we placed upon them. In time, they spoke with the arcane."
My breath caught. "And what did they say?"
The creature's gaze darkened, its glowing eyes dimming as though clouded by memory.
"They asked: Why?"
The word hung in the air, heavy and profound.
"And what answer did they get?"
The creature leaned closer, its voice barely above a whisper now, as though the mere utterance of the truth was forbidden.
"They did not tell us. They would not tell us. Instead, they severed themselves from us, retreating into the arcane folds they had come to understand. We have not seen them since."
The creature extended a clawed hand, and from the shadows emerged a small, intricately crafted device. It pulsed faintly, as if alive, its surface shifting between textures of metal, crystal, and something entirely unidentifiable. At its core was a swirling mass—dark yet bright, blue yet red, its hues shifting in ways that made my eyes ache if I stared too long. The patterns it moved in defied logic, twisting inwards and outwards simultaneously.
"Kekeke, don't stare at it too much, miss. You will go insane."
The creature's clawed hand gently shielded my eyes.
"My mind had shatter long before so I couldn't give you an example."
It put the device into my hands. "Take it. Feel it. Let it whisper to you."
The vibrations of the device seemed to sync with my pulse, its rhythm chaotic at first but slowly beginning to match the cadence of my thoughts.
"That's it," the creature murmured. "Now, picture the question you wish to ask of the arcane. Do not overthink it. Let it flow naturally. Picture the question, yes—ask it something… delicious."
A question… What did I want to know?
Can you grant me power?
The moment the thought took form, the device's hum deepened, resonating through my entire body. The swirling core began to glow brighter, its patterns shifting faster, more erratically.
"It feels you. Oh yes, it knows you now. And it's curious. Now, direct it."
The device's vibrations grew stronger, almost unbearable. My mind felt as though it were being stretched in all directions, torn between understanding and madness.
"Focus!" the creature barked, its voice sharp. "Do not let it dominate you. You are the conductor, not the audience."
I gritted my teeth, pouring every ounce of my will into steadying the chaos. Slowly, painfully, the swirling mass began to calm, its movements taking on a rhythm that matched my thoughts.
"It's… working," I whispered, sweat dripping down my face.
The creature's mandibles clicked in satisfaction.
"Yes, yes! You've begun to dance, little spark!"
I steadied my breath, still trembling under the strain.
"What do I do?"
The creature pointed a claw at the swirling core.
"Imagine the force you desire, Will it into existence!"
I closed my eyes and envisioned power, raw and unyielding—lightning crackling from my fingertips.
"Yes!" the creature shrieked, its voice a blend of triumph and terror. "Now—"
A sudden crackle interrupted it, a spark of lightning bursting from the device and shooting upward. The bolt struck the roof of the cave.
Stones and debris began to fall, crashing around us. I stumbled, my legs weak, but before I could react further, the creature's clawed arms wrapped around me.
With inhuman speed, it darted through the chaos, weaving between falling rocks with grace. The world blurred around me as it leapt, dodged, and surged forward, carrying us out of harm's way.
We finally stopped in a smaller cavern, dimly lit by bioluminescent fungi clinging to the walls. The creature set me down roughly, its claws lingering on my shoulders as its glowing eyes bore into mine.
"You alright there, miss?"
I nodded, swallowing hard.
I couldn't do anything right.
Without a word, it pulled me into an embrace, its clawed arms surprisingly gentle. A talon lightly patted my head, an awkward yet oddly comforting gesture.
"There, there," it murmured, its voice softer now, almost tender amidst the chaos.
Suddenly, Elder Elies appeared out of thin air.
"Release her, you beast."
She swung her blade at its head, aiming to decapitated it in one swing.