The Spoilt Beauty And Her Beasts-Chapter 515: Monitor his heartbeat

Isabella stood frozen.

At first she thought she imagined it. Osiris had been moving so slowly earlier, so carefully, that watching him climb out of sight had already made her stomach twist. The rock swallowed him whole, the fiery crack glowing behind him like a throat of molten stone ready to burn anyone stupid enough to come close.

But he kept going anyway.

He kept going without looking back at her.

That alone was enough to tick her off. Annoying man. Always acting like he knew what he was doing, even when he didn’t. Even when he was weak. Even when he had no powers. Even when he was pretending he wasn’t one wrong move away from getting cooked.

She waited.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Five.

Her foot tapped once. Twice. Then harder. The heat in the cavern grew thicker, the air turning into a heavy blanket of fire that clung to her skin. Isabella fanned herself, scowling, shaking her hands like she could toss the hot air away.

Where the hell was he.

He should have come back down by now. Even if he took a moment to study the moss, he would have said something. Teased her. Smirked. Annoyed her. Something.

"Bubu," she muttered under her breath. "Monitor his heartbeat."

There was a pause. A strange static hum filled her skull as the system scanned.

Then silence.

Isabella’s breath stopped.

"Bubu...?"

The system didn’t reply right away. That was never a good sign. The system always replied immediately unless something was interfering. Isabella pressed a hand to her stomach out of habit, chewing the inside of her cheek.

Glimora paced in a tiny circle nervously, two paws on her cheeks, ears down.

"Bubu," Isabella whispered again, her voice tightening, "what is going on with him?"

The system’s voice finally chimed in her mind. Cool. Neutral. Unbothered by the level of panic rising in her chest.

"He is further out of range than expected. His vitals are unstable."

"Unstable," Isabella snapped, instantly agitated. "What does that even mean."

"Fluctuating. High stress. Severe exertion."

"Okay but is he alive."

"Alive."

Barely.

The word hung unsaid, but she heard it anyway.

Her dressing slapped against her leg as she stepped forward toward the rocks, heart pounding way too fast.

"Osiris!" she yelled. "HEY! OSIRIS! Answer me!"

Only the echo answered back, bouncing off the walls like a taunt.

No reply.

Nothing.

Not even the sound of movement.

Her breath hitched. Her throat grew tight. Her palms went clammy.

Glimora grabbed the hem of her dress, whining softly.

...

Osiris climbed deeper into the fissure. The heat thickened with every step, wrapping around him like molten chains squeezing his ribs. The Firemoss pulsed brighter the closer he got. It wasn’t just reacting to him. It was waking.

He reached out.

The moss twitched.

A low vibration rippled through the crack, shaking dust loose from the stone walls. Osiris froze. His breath caught. Something moved behind the moss. Not a plant. Not a vine.

A shape.

A thing.

Before he could pull back, a tendril shot out and wrapped around his forearm. Heat seared into his skin instantly. Not warm. Not burning. Violent. Like liquid fire poured straight into his veins.

His entire body jerked.

The scream tore out of him before he could stop it.

Raw.

Hoarse.

Agonized.

It echoed down the cavern and through the rocks like a beast being torn open.

The tendril tightened, pulling him toward the crack. More tendrils shot out, latching onto his chest and shoulder. Fire bit into him, carving glowing red marks across his skin that pulsed like veins of magma.

Osiris clawed at the stone to anchor himself, teeth gritted, breath breaking. His vision blurred as the moss dragged more heat from him, drinking his fire like it belonged to it.

Another scream ripped out of him, louder, deeper, cracking through the mountain.

Then the shadows behind the moss shifted.

Something emerged.

Something faceless.

Something hungry.

And Osiris braced himself, fighting through the pain, because he realized exactly what was happening.

The Firemoss wasn’t the threat.

It was the monster hiding inside it.

...

"Ahhhh." It echoed out of the crack, sharp and broken. Isabella froze. She was supposed to feel excited that something finally happened. She couldn’t. That scream didn’t sound normal. It sounded like someone being mauled alive. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Oh gods," Isabella whispered, voice cracking. "He’s not... he can’t..."

She couldn’t even finish the thought.

She stepped forward again.

Only for her entire body to freeze mid-step.

Her muscles locked. Her knees stiffened. Her arms stayed suspended in the air like someone hit pause on her existence.

"What the hell!" Isabella snapped, trying to jerk forward. "BUBU. Let me move."

"It is not advised," the system replied calmly.

"It wasn’t a request."

"It is not safe."

"I don’t care!" she shouted. "He is up there alone and he is screaming and you want me to stand here like a statue?"

"You are a pregnant woman. Entering the fissure puts you at lethal risk. My duty is to protect you."

Isabella’s jaw dropped.

"Oh my—Bubu. Bubu. Unfreeze me this instant. I swear I will break your entire spiritual interface into digital crumbs if you do not move my legs right now."

"No."

"NO?"

"No."

Isabella made a strangled noise. "You always do this. You always freeze me. Without warning. Without telling me. Without permission!"

"Stabilizing user is a priority."

"I’m not a toddler, Bubu!"

"You are currently acting like one," the system said calmly.

Isabella gasped, scandalized beyond belief. "EXCUSE YOU?"

Glimora covered her face in embarrassment for both of them.

But even with the arguing, her heart pounded too fast. Her breath trembled. The heat pressed against her skin. Sweat dripped down her spine. Something in her chest kept tightening like a fist around her ribs.

Because Osiris still wasn’t answering.

Something was wrong.

Something was very wrong.

...

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