The group had no idea whatsoever that they were being watched and discussed by two mysterious youths... Instead, they focused on the darkness they walked into.

Stepping into the cavern felt like crossing the threshold to another world.

Scratch that! It couldn’t be described as another world. Instead, it is more like another nightmare entirely.

The moment they crossed the mouth of the cavern, they felt it immediately; as if the atmosphere itself had changed.

The air outside the cave had been cold and dreadful; thick with crimson fog and the scent of decaying trees, yet compared to what lingered within this place, the forest suddenly seemed merciful...

The first thing that greeted them was the smell. It struck them like a physical blow, almost forcing them to reel backwards.

It smelled of rotten flesh, wet blood, decay, and something burnt or diseased; all of that was mixed together into one suffocating odor so vile that it felt alive.

The smell crawled into their nostrils and cling stubbornly to their throats like invisible parasites.

Even Valmyr, who normally grinned at danger like a lunatic visibly grimaced.

"Aetherium be damned..." He muttered, scrunching his nose as he took in the sight of the cavern.

The tunnel around them breathed; at least, that was the only way they could describe it.

The humid air moved strangely through the tunnel, warm and damp against their skin like the breath of some colossal beast sleeping in the darkness ahead.

Every inhalation made by them carried the taste of iron... And death.

Crimson puddles spread across the rocky floor beneath their feet. At first glance, they resembled rainwater reflecting red light, but the moment Kaeloris’ Lantern illuminated them properly, the truth became horrifyingly clear...

It was blood... Or something close enough to look like it!

The puddles were thick and dark, almost syrup-like, spreading unevenly through cracks in the earth. Occasionally, bubbles rose from beneath the surface before bursting with soft wet pops.

Drip! Drip!! Drip!!!

The sound echoed endlessly through the tunnel, causing them to slowly raise their gazes upward...

Up above, twisted crimson stalactites hung from the ceiling of the tunnel like the fangs of some gigantic beast...

Others rose from the ground below in jagged formations that look sharp enough to impale a person instantly.

Those stalactites did not resemble ordinary stone. If anything, they look organic; as though they were alive.

Their surfaces pulsed faintly beneath the Lantern glow while veins of scarlet glowed beneath them. From their sharpened tips, thick crimson liquid slowly dripped downward...

Every drop struck the ground with an unnaturally loud echo. Like the sound of blood falling inside the heart of gigantic creature.

But that was not the only sound that was unsettling...

Because from deeper within the tunnel... Shrieks echoed!

The sounds drifted through the darkness on distorted waves. Some resembled human screams, others sounded like eerie laughter. And some were like the cries of starving ghouls...

The sound twisted together into something dreadful enough to make even breathing difficult. Just hearing it was enough to make chills crawl down their spines...

"I really don’t want to go in there..."

As always, Veyrath was the first to complain. For once, his usual dramatic flair was nowhere to be found.

His face had paled considerably while his fingers tightened nervously around the handle of his Cauldron as he looked into the deeper darkness ahead...

He looked genuinely afraid. No! He was genuinely afraid.

And honestly, nobody could blame him. If anything, they were able to empathize with the failed Alchemist.

The thing is that since they’ve arrived in the Nether Lands, they’ve had lots of bad lucks when it comes to caves.

First it was the one they were staying where Regaleon had killed a bear; and the other was the one at the waterfall. That cave was supposed to be beautiful but they all know how it turns out...

If something beautiful could be so dreadful, then what about something that was downright ugly and creepy...

Yet despite all that, Regaleon was calm as he replied. "We need to."

His voice was serious with an undertone of grimness. Even he couldn’t deny the danger associated with this place as his instincts kept on screaming endlessly beneath his Armour.

It was warning him that everything about this cave felt wrong. Not merely dangerous... But also wrong.

The Nether Lands itself already felt cursed enough, yet this place felt deeper than that. It was older somehow... Like a wound carved directly into reality itself.

Veyrath groaned loudly at his words. "Remind me again why we are doing this?"

Regaleon did not reply. He had no need to as he already explained the purpose of this hunt of theirs.

He had told them that they couldn’t just sit around all day, wondering and dreading when the next danger would come for them.

No! They had to be proactive, not reactive.

And since they chose to start with the Wights, who led them here, then they were going through with this no matter what. This would be their starting point as hunters within the Nether Lands, not prey.

Seeing Regaleon’s silence, Veyrath cursed under his breath and muttered.

"I really don’t know what terrible sins I committed in my past life to end up with someone like you."

Hearing that, Valmyr burst into laughter immediately. "Hahaha! Maybe you were a criminal..."

Then he grinned wickedly, eyes shining with mirth and he added, "... A really annoying one."

Veyrath glared at him and spat threateningly. "You know, one day I’m going to poison your food."

"And I’ll still survive." The failed Vanguard stated simply.

Veyrath paused, then insulted. "That’s because your stomach is probably made of steel."

The others almost smiled as they listened to their banter. These two might really be the death of them one day...

The deeper they walked into the tunnel, the more dreadful the atmosphere became.

The tunnel narrowed gradually as they advanced. Regaleon kept on observing the surroundings and noticed that the walls looked strange...

Their surfaces bulged faintly in certain areas, almost resembling flesh hidden beneath layers of crimson stone. Vein-like patterns spread endlessly across the walls while black growths protruded from cracks like tumors.

Really, just looking at it made the entire tunnel felt disturbingly organic. As though they were walking through the throat of some primordial creature.

Also, as they walked, their footsteps echoed wetly; like the sound of something squishy and crunchy.

Somehow, it seems the ground beneath them had become softer as uneven patches of crimson slime spread across the floor while fragments of broken bones cracked quietly beneath their boots.

The humid air grew hotter the deeper they went. And at this point, sweat had slowly gathered across their skin despite the coldness that existed outside the tunnel. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Even Kaeloris’ Lantern seemed a lot dimmer within this place. As though the golden light struggled against the oppressive darkness that pressed around them...

The glow that once illuminated a hundred meters of space before suddenly glowed less than ten meters. Just enough for the group to see one another.

HAAAAAH!

Suddenly... Sylveris yelped.

The sound exploded through the tunnels, smashing the silence that had thickened apart.

Instantly, everyone reacted as weapons rose and Aether surged...

Aureleah’s Cloak twisted violently as her twin Daggers gleamed with deathly intent...

Even Vaelorin nearly unleashed flames instinctively as he pointed his Staff towards Sylveris...

"What happened?!" Caelestra asked sharply, silver Coins gleaming as they orbited around her.

Sylveris looked embarrassed as she pointed downward nervously.

"S-Sorry... I think I stepped on something."

Everyone lowered their gazes and a horrific silence descended immediately afterward.

There were bones... Human bones; as the tunnel floor was littered with skeletal remains.

Skulls stared upward from the darkness with empty sockets while broken ribs, shattered limbs, and scattered vertebrae covered the ground like discarded trash.

Some skeletons looked ancient. Others looked fresh. In fact, one skull still had strips of rotting flesh hanging from it while others still wore fragments of rusted armour.

Vaelorin swallowed hard; his lashes trembling as he spoke in a shaky voice. "Just how many people died here...?"

Nobody answered him because no one wanted to think about it as the implications alone were horrifying.

The deeper they looked... The more bones they noticed as entire sections of the floor was layered with skeletal remains so densely packed that avoiding them was impossible.

Every few steps, the group heard the crunching sounds beneath their feet. It was like they were walking through a graveyard littered with corpses...

Still, they didn’t allow fear to hold them back as they continued moving forward, carefully and cautiously.

And as they walked, none of them noticed the shadow that trailed behind them silently...

The playful youth from earlier moved effortlessly through the darkness, with his green eyes observing everything carefully.

Unlike before, the laziness within his expression had faded considerably. Now, he looked thoughtful... And concerned.

Looking around him, the though to himself that all of these could only be the work of one sinister race...

"It seems the Sauryeans are up to something again." He muttered quietly.

His gaze swept across the cave walls before he approached one of the stalactites and touched the scarlet liquid dripping from its sharpened tip.

The instant the substance touched his finger, his expression darkened. The substance was blood... Real human blood.

Rubbing the thick liquid between his fingers, his brows furrowed deeply.

"What exactly are the Sauryeans up to this time...?" His voice became quieter as he pondered. "Are they trying to create more Crimson Nests? But I don’t think there is nothing important to them in this forest. Unless..."

His gaze drifted toward the endless bones scattered throughout the tunnel and this time, his face hardened completely.

Whatever this was, it wasn’t normal. In fact, nothing involving the Sauryeans was ever normal or harmless.

He then exhaled slowly. "It really need to report this to the Sanctuary."

He turned slightly as though preparing to leave; but then he glanced toward the deeper darkness where Regaleon’s group had disappeared.

Then he groaned dramatically. "Ah! Screw it." He scratched his cheek lazily. "Asterion can yell at me later."

Then a grin slowly spread across his face.

"For now, I’ll just make sure these idiots can survive long enough to become useful."

Then his body slipped back into the darkness; not through magic nor Aether. It was simply through terrifying skill. Like a hunter, or chameleon, disappearing into the fog.