Suddenly, he raised his hand—his finger slicing through the air as it pointed toward the top of the cliff. Rudra and Keave's eyes followed the motion instantly.
"The gleam in their pupils shifted, as if bewitched. Their faces drained of color, pale like Drace's, and their bodies froze—lifeless, like stone."
At the crest of the cliff, two enormous eyes stared down at them. Eyes that seemed not of any creature, but of the stone itself—still, yet alive. Veins crawled through the trembling pupils, flickering faintly, as if a hidden breath moved within them.
Sunken deep in shadowed hollows, the eyes wavered slightly, and around them spread a ring of coarse brown hair. Each pupil fixed on a different target—one on Rudra, the other on Keave. Their gaze was so intense it felt as though the ancient heart of the rock itself was watching them.
For a heartbeat, even the wind held its breath. Like Drace, the blood in their veins seemed to freeze. Their flowing breaths… simply stopped.
Moments ago, Rudra—still trembling with excitement—had tried to melt the ice that had gripped his veins. The same hand that had so skillfully and joyfully savored the velvet softness of a touch now began to withdraw, slowly, cautiously.
"This stone was never hard… because it was never a stone at all," Rudra whispered to himself, the words spoken silently, as if weeping inside.
Keave's gaze never left Rudra. His heartbeat raced; his hands were numb. The density of fear thumped relentlessly in his mind, like a ticking clock that could not be stopped.
A faint spark of courage flickered in Keave's chest as he watched Rudra struggle against the frozen blood. He began to pull his hand back slowly—but the spark died before it could ignite.
Then—from between them—came a deep, harsh, heavy sound.
It rolled across the air like a living thing, vibrating through the wires of their hearts, sending their pulses into a frenzy. The sound… they had heard it before.
Keave and Rudra stood at opposite corners of the stone. The growl came from the surface between them. Their eyes jerked toward it—their gaze locked—and their hearts froze.
The cliff, which had appeared as a massive, round, yellow stone, now trembled in a sickening, unnatural way. Wet, slimy movements rippled across the surface—repulsive, yet unmistakably alive. The soft, velvet-like texture, once alluring, was tearing apart.
The stone's surface was splitting open slowly, deliberately. Its previous charm had curdled into something grotesque.
Keave's eyes drank in every moment. Crackling sounds echoed in his ears. "This could be anything… but not a stone. After today, I'll never look at a stranger rock the same way again."
The surface twisted, reshaping itself into a massive, horrifying mouth. Roars erupted from within, each crack exhaling a fresh wave of terror.
Rudra watched as the yellow surface flaked and broke apart. A repulsive face emerged—the brightest horror of the century, the embodiment of death itself. His last words—whispered silently, through tears—lingered in his mind.
The mouth was monstrous. Thousands of needle-like teeth lined every corner and crevice. With every roar, thick saliva dripped down, the teeth moving as if alive. A long, thin tongue slithered outward, coated in viscous slime.
This was no ordinary mouth. There were no lips—only rows upon rows of jagged, yellow-white teeth. Between them, elongated tongues protruded like tendrils, writhing independently.
Suddenly, the entire surface of the stone shuddered violently. Keave and Rudra, pressed against it, were thrown forward, tumbling onto the ground.
Their hearts raced. The stone shifted beneath them. Limbs frozen, minds blank—they had no idea what to do.
Then Rudra felt something soft against his hands. Blinking, he saw a familiar, beautiful face—Drace. Drace lifted him up quickly. Rudra's mind had stopped working; his hands moved, but his thoughts could not. Finding someone beside him, he grabbed that hand without speaking—and ran.
They circled the monstrous stone and reached Keave. He lay face down, unconscious, in the same state as Rudra. Drace kicked him gently in the stomach. Keeve groaned and sat up.
"Well, you're finally awake," Drace muttered."Hey, Keeve, stand up!" he shouted.
When Keave didn't respond, Drace kicked him again. Keeve snapped awake instantly, anger and disappointment etched across his face. Before he could speak, Drace grabbed his hand and pulled him along.
"For the fucking sake, wake up from your fear already!" Drace muttered, running.
None of the others replied.
"You wanted to touch the velvet stone," Drace said bitterly, "and now you see where it leads."
Shaking off the shock, Drace quickened his pace. Moments later, both Rudra and Keave whispered in astonishment:"But… what was that?"
Drace glanced back. "Your alluring velvet-surfaced stone," he said.
Keave turned to look. What had seemed like a simple rock before was no longer. Thick, long legs—like a spider's, but far more grotesque—burst from its surface. The yellow had turned completely black, coarse hair sprouting everywhere.
It was alive.