The tunnel exploded with motion. The shadows screeched, their limbs scraping the walls like claws on glass. Green light pulsed in their hollow chests, throbbing in rhythm with the Heart that pounded inside Eris.
"Move!" Selene's voice cracked, raw but commanding.
Jonas fired a burst behind them. The bullets ripped into one figure, but instead of blood, shards of dust and smoke burst outward. The creature staggered, but didn't fall — it reformed, limbs stretching like melted wax.
"Bullets don't stop them!" Jonas shouted.
"Then don't waste them!" Mara barked, pulling Selene along.
The tunnel twisted sharply, forcing them to squeeze through a jagged gap. Eris stumbled last, the glow under his skin flaring bright. The shadows lunged, but as his shoulder brushed the wall, the carvings nearest him lit like fire.
For an instant, the stone itself seemed to repel the creatures — they hissed, recoiling.
"Eris!" Liora cried. "Whatever it's doing, keep close to the walls!"
He had no time to question. He pressed himself along the carvings as they ran, the symbols sparking faintly at his passage. The shadows followed, slower now, but unyielding.
The tunnel opened suddenly into a cavern, the ceiling vanishing into darkness. Stalactites hung like the teeth of some buried beast. Their footsteps echoed too loudly here, bouncing in every direction.
Selene pointed across. "There—an exit!"
A jagged archway shone faintly with natural light, maybe an opening to the surface.
They sprinted. The shadows poured in behind them, dozens now, their screeches merging into one monstrous roar.
Halfway across, the ground trembled. Cracks split through the cavern floor, and dust rained from above. Jonas swore, nearly losing his footing.
"Earthquake?" Mara gasped.
"No," Selene hissed. "They're calling the ground."
The floor buckled. A chasm yawned open between them and the exit, swallowing chunks of stone. Liora screamed as her footing slipped, but Eris grabbed her wrist, dragging her back just in time.
Behind, the shadows surged closer, unstoppable.
Jonas raised his rifle again, desperation in his eyes. "We're cornered!"
"No," Eris said, his voice trembling yet fierce. He stepped toward the edge, the Heart blazing beneath his skin like molten fire. The carvings on the cavern walls responded, sparking to life in spiraling waves.
The shadows froze, recoiling from the light. For a heartbeat, the cavern seemed to hold its breath.
Selene's eyes widened. "The Heart… it recognizes you."
But Eris's legs shook, the weight of the Heart's power threatening to crush him. He didn't know how long he could hold it.
"Go!" he shouted, veins glowing like threads of lightning. "I'll keep them back—just run!"