The silence was heavy now, broken only by the labored breathing of the three companions. They sat slumped against the walls, their exhaustion palpable after the relentless battle. The fluxipede was gone, but the air still shimmered with the oppressive force of the advent surge. It pulsed steadily through the room, a geyser of raw energy spilling outward like a river tearing through the fabric of time itself.
Luke leaned back against the crumbling wall, letting his head tilt upward. His eyes were fixed on the strange glow of the surge, his thoughts a storm of questions and theories.
That fluxipede was too strong. He frowned, recalling its almost supernatural resilience. I know they said it's an adventivore, but just how concentrated is the advent in this place?
The surge was mesmerizing, its light flickering in an endless pattern of chaotic motion.
Aldric said that advent is the basis of all energy. Does that mean everything to ever exist has advent? Whether it be physical, mental, or conceptual? Is that why this surge feels so much more concentrated than the essence of the three of us? Luke's hand trembled slightly as he examined it, noting the faint lines of premature aging etched into his skin. Time is such a powerful concept—far more potent than a hunter who can shoot well, a beast who can change forms, and a few lines of code that reshape objects.
Eleanor shifted nearby, her sharp eyes darting toward the far wall. Something flickered in her expression—realization, followed by a faint grimace. She pushed herself up on unsteady legs, brushing dust from her tunic.
"Guys," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "Follow me real quick."
Luke and Kuro exchanged a glance but didn't hesitate to comply. They rose and trailed behind her as she led them out of the surge's epicenter and into the children's room nearby.
The room had fared little better than the rest of the decayed house. The fluxipede's fight had left deep scars in the walls, its legs piercing through plaster and wood like brittle paper. Two decomposing bed frames sat against opposite walls, their wooden slats reduced to splinters. A small table stood off-center, its candleholder rusted and bent. Beneath the window, a bench sagged under years of disrepair, the light filtering through the cracked glass doing little to dispel the gloom.
But what drew their attention was the skeleton. It lay on the carpet, still decomposing, its bony arm reaching out toward the doorway as if in a final act of desperation.
"I saw this before," Eleanor murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
Luke stared at the remains, his brow furrowed. "Whose carcass is it?"
"A human," Kuro answered in his sensory form, his voice layered with the eerie harmony of multiple tones. His many eyes blinked in unison, and his keen ears twitched as he studied the remains. A strange anger twisted his features.
Without a word, Kuro shifted back into his base form. He towered over the skeleton for a moment before slamming his paw down, shattering the fragile bones into dust. His lips curled into a grim, almost satisfied snarl.
"What was that for?" Luke asked, his tone a mix of confusion and unease.
The room fell into a tense silence. Kuro turned to face him, his expression dark and unyielding. The golden hue of his eyes burned with a venomous intensity.
"Luke," Kuro said, his voice low and deliberate. "Allow me to make this clear: there is nothing us abnormals hate more than humans."
Luke stiffened, his breath catching in his throat.
"If it wasn't for Aldric's letter," Kuro continued, each word dripping with venom, "or the fact that I know you want to kill Solen—" He took a step closer, the room seeming to grow colder as an almost tangible bloodlust emanated from him. "—I would've killed you. Tortured you. Dragged your corpse for the people to feast on."
Eleanor's hand instinctively went to her bow, her movements slow and deliberate. The tension in the room was suffocating, and even she wasn't certain she could stop Kuro if he chose to act on his words.
But Kuro didn't. Instead, he turned away, brushing dust and bone fragments from his fur. Without another glance, he stalked out of the room.
Eleanor lingered for a moment, her hand still hovering near her weapon. She glanced at Luke, her expression unreadable, then silently followed Kuro, placing herself between the two. Even she knew, however, that Kuro's hatred for humans far outweighed any fear he might have of her.
Luke stood in the ruined room, the oppressive silence pressing down on him. I'll have to be careful from now on, he thought, his gaze drifting to the shattered remains of the skeleton. I can't assume Kuro will be on my side for everything. In fact, it's probably safe to assume he'd value the life of any abnormal over mine, no matter what.
Shaking off the thought, Luke followed them out.
"Anyway," Kuro said as they regrouped in the corridor, his voice startlingly normal after his earlier outburst, "let's go back. If the abnormal relic was here, the fluxipede would've found it, and we definitely wouldn't have been able to defeat it then."
Eleanor and Luke both nodded in agreement, their steps slow and deliberate as they made their way back to the entrance. The advent surge still pulsed, its energy aging them with every second, but the damage was less severe now. The holes the fluxipede had torn in the walls allowed the force to dissipate more evenly.
Kuro took the lead, acting as a shield against the worst of the surge's effects. By the time they emerged, all three of them looked noticeably older.
Luke rubbed at his face, feeling the coarse growth of facial hair that hadn't been there before. He estimated that he'd aged about ten months—four from the original entrance, four during the fight, and two more on the way out. Eleanor had only aged six months. Her golden hair was longer, but otherwise, she seemed unaffected.
Kuro, however, had aged seven years. Five years going in, two years coming out. Yet his beastly form bore the years with ease. He looked no worse for wear, and his youthful energy remained intact.
This is so unfair, Luke thought bitterly, rubbing at the unfamiliar stubble. I aged ten months and look more disheveled than him aging seven years.
Kuro, unfazed, glanced back at them. "All right," he said, his tone brisk. "We've checked one of the three locations. The next two are deeper in the abnormal kingdom, but they're way further into the labyrinth."
He turned and began walking toward the entrance hole, the sight of its fleshy black tentacles marking the threshold of the abnormal kingdom.
Time resumed as they left the vicinity of the tree. Birds chirped, and leaves drifted lazily from the canopy above. The oppressive weight of the surge lifted, leaving them feeling lighter, though their fatigue lingered.
When they reached the hole, Eleanor and Luke both grabbed onto Kuro as he leapt downward. The world blurred around them, and once again, they descended into the depths of the abnormal kingdom.