It was... feathers! The place was a completely empty semi-circular room, with nothing inside except scattered feathers on the floor. Everyone stepped inside and looked around at the sticky walls and the floor in astonishment.
If he lives here, why is there nothing here? Where is his food and drinking water? Elena felt her heart clench violently, and Meryl's body trembled lightly beside her.
Alvin knelt down and touched the ground with his fingertips, then brought them to his nose. It was a foul smell, like that of decaying corpses.
In contrast, the atmosphere in the room was strangely fresh, and this contradiction made Alvin feel uneasy.
While examining the place, Tulip's eyes fell on the entrance—where the creature stood with a cold expression. They had only been here for a few minutes...
When did the creature get here? Tulip shook Alvin's hand in fear, while with his other hand, he hugged his doll tightly.
"What is it, Tulip?" Alvin asked in confusion. The two girls stared at the child, then they all turned to where he was looking—only for the blood in their veins to freeze and their bodies to stiffen in shock.
How did they not sense his presence? No, the real question is: how did they not hear him coming? Their sensory level was 8—they should have heard his footsteps as he ran in!
"Get back!" Alvin said urgently. This wasn't part of their plan! He was the only one at the front now, with Elena and Tulip behind him, and at the rear stood a tense Meryl, trying to pour all her focus into the life threads connecting her to her friends.
— [This... is terrifying!]
A message from 'Moldy Bread' in the public chat.
— [Give us a scene worth watching before you die!]
A message from 'Ballet Dancer' in the public chat.
Alvin was breathing rapidly as he drew his sword from the inventory. The moment he unsheathed it, the creature vanished—leaving them all in stunned disbelief. In the next instant, it was beside Meryl, who was already gasping for breath.
It kicked her square in the chest, sending her flying. Her body slammed into the sandy wall behind her, then collapsed to the ground.
"Meryl!" Elena screamed in terror as she saw Meryl lying motionless, silent. Even her eyes were eerily still!
The thread of life inside her... had been severed! They felt it snap, then fade away instantly!
Alvin moved before anyone else, rushing to fight, and shouted at the panic-stricken Elena, "Take Tulip and run—"
His words were cut short by the blow the creature struck him with, launching him as well… unconscious!
Now, only Elena remained—with Tulip hiding behind her. As for their two friends, they were...
Her heart began to pound uncontrollably as she saw the sand slowly covering Meryl's body…
She turned her eyes to Alvin—and saw the same thing happening to him.
Was the sand… swallowing them?
Elena felt sharp stings coursing through her body, and her mouth filled with blood. The creature stood before her, staring in silence. So why…? Tulip…
She looked at the small child behind her—he was clutching her hand with a trembling body, tears soaking his flushed face.
Tulip's body was saturated with poison, and Meryl's life thread had been severed—which meant her body was no longer healing from the venom flowing through it! At this rate, she would die from the poison before Elena could get her friends out of here!
The creature walked toward her calmly, and Elena stepped back in fear. It paused for a moment—then suddenly vanished and reappeared right in front of her, just centimeters away.
Its stench was unbearable—completely at odds with its beautiful outward appearance. Elena slowly raised her gaze to its green eyes; they were deeper than anything she had ever seen... breathtakingly deep.
"Ting!"
Elena cautiously lowered her eyes toward the floating digital screen. It was a message from Tulip. She read it quickly, then turned her gaze back to the creature.
In the next moment, brilliant blue flames burst from Tulip's body, violently spreading to fill the entire large room and reaching into the corridor leading outside.
Blazing blue flames—meant to be cold, as Tulip had mentioned in the message. They caused no burns, only a sensation similar to the pain of burning.
It was a defensive mechanism used by the Belita creatures to escape from predatory beasts.
Elena tried to take advantage of the situation. She ignored the pain surging through her and attempted to plunge her dagger into the creature's chest.
But it grabbed her hand violently and yanked her toward it, then kicked Tulip away, sending the child flying. He immediately lost consciousness, the blue flames vanished, and the room returned to its previous state.
"Tulip!" Elena cried. The moment she moved her legs to run toward him, the creature struck her hard in the side, sending her crashing into the wall… where she joined her friends in unconsciousness.
— [I expected that! It's far stronger than them!]
A message from 'Mint Sapling' in the public chat.
— [This… is disappointing! I was hoping for something better!]
A message from 'Womanizer' in the public chat.
— [I need to find better hunters to watch. These ones are a waste of time!]
A message from 'Lipstick' in the public chat.
And hundreds of other messages filled the public chat—angry, frustrated viewers from different planets. Some had already started searching for other channels to find something more exciting, while others continued watching… intrigued by the creature that resembled a Drivalisk.
Suddenly, a faint light appeared in the center of the room. All the planets fell silent and focused on what was coming. The creature turned calmly to see the source of the light.
It began as a tiny, faint seed of light, then it moved and grew larger, slowly taking on an indistinct shape. The creature was forced to close its eyes for a moment from the brilliance of the light. When it opened them again, a young man stood before him!
His skin was as white as marble, glowing softly. His hair was black and slightly curly, with emerald strands, falling to his shoulders. His eyes were blue, with a golden glint!
— [He… is truly beautiful!]
A message from 'Womanizer' in the public chat.
"I didn't expect the rumors about your existence to be true!" The young man spoke in a voice that resembled a gentle breeze, filled with the scent of roses.
— [I knew his power from his appearance and voice!]
A message from 'The Pink Widow' in the public chat.
The young man walked calmly, and the chain that adorned his foot made a soft sound. He smiled slyly as he examined the creature with a cunning look. He raised his hand, signaling for the creature to kneel before him in complete submission.
— [Is he one of us? I've never seen him before.]
A message from 'Severed Leg' in the public chat.
— [Maybe he's one of the fire creatures.]
A message from 'Abandoned Palace' in the public chat.
"I can see what you're hiding behind all that beauty!" The young man whispered into the creature's ear, whose head was bent low. "It hurts, doesn't it?"
The creature nodded softly. "I'll free you from all this pain, and in return, you'll be my loyal servant. What do you think?" he whispered, making the creature raise its head with wide eyes.
Is this possible? The Severin had told him there was no salvation from the intense pain he felt, that he had to live with it. Everything about him ached—his chest, his stomach, his muscles, even his mind.
"Beautiful sir, do you want to know what you are? What your origin is? How you became this way? And why you're in pain? I can tell you everything you wish to know!"
Yes, he wants answers to all of these questions. He opened his eyes to the world six months ago and spent much of that time in an empty white room, just like his mind. There were no memories, no voices telling him who he was or why he was here.
After giving him a bit of information, the Severin placed him here, in this room, to be alone once again. "Tell me, please." His lips moved soundlessly, yet the young man knew exactly what was said.
— "You shall have what you seek!"