The chamber beneath the tree was eerily silent, its size reminiscent of a large living room. Every remnant of life that once filled the space—furniture, decorations, and personal belongings—had long since decomposed. The air carried a faint, musty scent, heavy with the weight of time. At the room's center, a geyser-like surge of Advent energy pulsed, emanating from an adjacent space. The trio had learned quickly to avoid venturing near its source; stepping too close would age them in an instant.
Kuro stood upright, still in his sensory form, his surplus of organs contracting as he scanned their surroundings.
"We're in Kael's living room," he said, his voice calm but laced with purpose. "There should be a kitchen, his bedroom, his children's bedroom, and a bathroom. Maybe even a basement, but with the tree's growth, I doubt it has survived." His gaze drifted toward the origin of the Advent geyser. "We'll skip the bedroom. That's where the Advent is pouring out from."
Luke turned toward him, his expression skeptical. "You know a lot about Kael's home."
Kuro hesitated for a moment before responding. "I am… quite familiar with it. Yes."
The answer was vague, but Luke decided not to press further.
The trio divided the search, each taking a different room. Kuro headed to the bathroom, Eleanor to the children's bedroom, and Luke to the kitchen. Each of these spaces was farther from the Advent stream's path, meaning they were less affected by time's ravages. Faint traces of furniture and decorations still lingered, clinging to existence in defiance of the tree's oppressive energy.
Kuro's Search – The Bathroom
Kuro stepped into the bathroom, his heightened senses absorbing every detail. The room was surprisingly spacious, but time had claimed nearly everything. Where there should have been a large wooden bucket serving as a bathtub, there was only an empty patch of ground. The toilet, a simple but deep hole in the ground, was the sole surviving feature.
Kuro's sensory form allowed him to perceive beyond sight. He felt the faint vibrations in the stone walls, the shifting weight of the decomposed wood, even the faint whisper of energy coursing through the air. Every creak and tremor told a story of age and decay.
As he continued his meticulous search, a sudden jolt ran through his heightened senses—a sharp, rhythmic pulse.
Thud.
Kuro froze, his claws instinctively flexing.
Thud. Thud.
The vibrations were coming from beneath the floor, faint but unmistakable. And they weren't confined to just the bathroom—they resonated under every room.
Something was alive beneath the house.
"Kuro! Eleanor! Regroup quickly!" Kuro's voice bellowed through the chamber as he bolted back toward the living room, his claws clicking against the stone floor.
Eleanor's Search – The Children's Bedroom
Eleanor stepped cautiously into the children's bedroom, her breath catching at the sight before her. The room was larger than she had expected, clearly designed for two children. The frames of two small beds stood on opposite sides, barely clinging to structure, their wood rotted and fragile. Between them was a small cabinet with two empty candle holders, the faintest traces of wax still clinging to their surfaces.
A worn, rotting bench rested against the far wall beneath a window, but the view outside was now nothing but dirt and stone. The walls were once adorned with intricate wooden paneling, their designs faintly visible despite the rot. At the center of the room lay a tattered carpet, its colors faded into muted shades of gray and brown.
But it wasn't the room's decor that shocked her—it was what lay atop the carpet.
A skeleton.
It was humanoid, sprawled in a twisted, desperate pose. Its right arm stretched toward the doorway as if clawing for escape. The bones were brittle and darkened with age, suggesting they had been here for centuries. But there was something else—something that made Eleanor's stomach twist.
This wasn't the skeleton of an Abnormal or another specialized race. Its structure was too ordinary, too familiar. It had to be human or elven, but judging from Kael's history, she was certain it was the former.
Her thoughts swirled, unease gnawing at her. Who were you? Why did you die here… and what were you running from?
Her musings were cut short by Kuro's voice, booming through the chamber.
"Luke! Eleanor! Regroup quickly!"
Eleanor snapped to attention, her instincts taking over as she sprinted back toward the living room. At the door, she glanced back at the skeleton one last time. There was something haunting about it—something that felt… wrong.
Luke's Search – The Kitchen
The kitchen was sparse but more intact than Luke had expected. The remnants of a wooden table sat in the center, its edges splintered but still upright. Along the walls were the decayed remains of shelves, their contents long since reduced to dust. A large stone hearth dominated one corner, its surface blackened from countless fires that had burned there in centuries past.
Luke scanned the room, his thoughts racing. This must have been the heart of their home. Meals prepared here, children running in and out. A place full of life… and now, nothing.
As he stepped closer to the hearth, he noticed faint markings etched into the stone—symbols he didn't recognize. Could this have been Kael's? Some kind of enchantment? Or just decoration? He reached out, tracing his fingers over the grooves.
Before he could ponder further, Kuro's voice cut through the air.
"Luke! Eleanor! Regroup quickly!"
The urgency in Kuro's tone snapped Luke out of his thoughts. He bolted from the kitchen, his boots skidding slightly on the slick stone floor.
Back in the Living Room
Luke and Eleanor burst into the living room to find Kuro already there, his form shifting back to his base build. His many eyes and ears retracted, replaced by his more balanced humanoid frame. His claws flexed, and his sharp eyes scanned the room, his body tense and ready.
"Get ready," Kuro growled, his voice low and dangerous. "We're not alone."