March 3rd, 2012 — 12:00 PM
Asura Academy — Class C Homeroom
Perspective: Axel
The bell rang, signaling the end of the morning classes.
Normally, we had to suffer through another 2 hours of lectures, but the instructors had some mandatory staff meeting today.
I stuffed my math notebook into my bag, zipping it up with a dramatic flourish.
The Dark Wolf does not tolerate messy storage.
"I'm leaving. I have a shift at the tavern today."
Kaiser stood up from the back row, slinging his worn canvas bag over his shoulder.
Before he could take 2 steps, a flash of pink hair cut him off.
"Meow~"
Elfina blocked his path, her blue eyes wide and pleading as she tilted her head.
The entire front row of Class C froze.
Delyra dropped her lipstick, letting it roll across the floor.
Mira stopped mid-nap, her head lifting from her desk.
She is possessed!
The representative has clearly been possessed by a low-grade forest spirit.
"I'll be back tonight. Be good."
Kaiser sighed, reaching out to pat her head.
"Meow~"
Elfina leaned into his hand, closing her eyes happily.
Kaiser walked out of the classroom, leaving a trail of absolute silence behind him.
Daniel slammed both fists onto his desk, the wood creaking under his weight.
"He's stealing her! I'm telling you, he's stealing our representative!"
"You're just mad because you don't know how to meow, Daniel."
Roman leaned against the wall, tossing a pebble.
"I can meow! I can meow like a tiger!"
"Tigers roar, you idiot."
"Shut up, both of you."
Milo kicked his chair back, his green eyes burning with annoyance.
"She clearly likes him. It's not a theft if she's throwing herself at his feet."
"You guys are completely blind."
I stepped forward, flipping my hair back.
They do not understand the complex web of female psychology.
"Then why did she meow, Axel?"
Daniel crossed his massive arms.
"It's obvious. She's too shy to confess her love to me. She's practicing on Kaiser first. He's just a training dummy."
Daniel and Roman stared at me, their mouths slightly open.
Milo stared at me for 3 seconds, then picked up his bag.
"You are actually insane. Get help."
Milo walked out, shaking his head.
Xavier Reyes hurried after him, clutching his notebook to his chest.
Daniel, Roman, and I followed them out of the classroom, rushing toward the main exit gate of the academy.
"Wait, Xavier."
Roman caught up to the stuttering boy.
"Why are you running with us? You don't even talk to girls."
"I-I have a theory."
Xavier adjusted his glasses, his eyes darting around.
"Kaiser... he must have used some kind of black magic. A mind-altering curse. That's the only logical explanation for why a Class C representative would behave like a domestic animal."
Roman stopped in his tracks.
"Black magic?"
"It makes sense. He's a witch."
Daniel nodded, his face deadly serious.
Of course.
Kaiser has resorted to forbidden arts to bypass my superior alpha aura.
"We have to save her. To the gates!"
I pointed toward the courtyard path.
We sprinted through the stone archways, arriving at the massive iron gates of the academy.
The path was completely blocked.
A crowd of boys was already waiting, forming a solid wall of anger.
"Look at this."
Roman pointed.
Cassius Valerius stood in the center, fine black scales glittering on his forearms.
Beside him was Virion, his arms crossed, looking calm but intense.
2 other Class B students stood behind them, holding heavy weapons.
On the other side of the gate, Xylar Vesperis adjusted his silver spectacles.
Christian Finch was sitting on the stone wall, looking at the clouds.
Eirian Vidya was tapping a complex beat against his thigh.
Orion Rhymeria stood next to them, holding a leather bound book.
The entire hierarchy of the academy is here.
All of them waiting to gangbang Kaiser for kissing the representative.
"Step aside, Cassius. The chances of you winning her affection is zero." Xylar spoke in a calm, cold drawl.
"Don't care who are you but... He touched her. He must be removed." Cassius glared, his silver eyes flashing.
"Can we hurry up? The sky is perfect right now and I hate being stuck in this line." Christian stretched his feathery arms.
"You're off beat, bird-boy. The warzone of this standoff is terrible." Eirian tapped his foot faster.
"A refined gentleman does not fight in the dirt, yet Kaiser has crossed a line that requires physical torture." Orion closed his book with a snap.
"The Lumin Codex states that purity must be defended. Kaiser's actions are a direct threat to the natural order." Virion adjusted his collar.
Roman stepped to the front, raising his hands.
"Listen to me! If we are divided, we are weak! If we stand together, we are strong! We must unite!"
Xylar pushed his spectacles up, staring at Roman with disinterest.
"Who is this cartoon character? He looks like a cheaper version of the other one."
"We take out our competition first! The magicless thief! Once he is gone, we can settle this!"
Roman pointed toward the main building.
"A crude alliance, but logically sound."
Xylar nodded.
"I agree. The deadweight must be purged."
Virion stepped forward.
"He's coming."
Eirian stopped tapping his foot.
My heart hammered against my ribs.
The battle for Elfina's future begins now.
"Why do you even want her, Xylar? You're a book nerd." Daniel grunted, sizing up the Class A scholar.
"Her magical gifts defy traditional spell formulas. I must study her." Xylar did not look back.
"She is the only one who told me to eat my vegetables in the cafeteria once. She doesn't fear my pressence." Cassius stared at the ground.
"She has a future S-rank's potential. An individual of that caliber must not be wasted on a deadweight." Virion crossed his arms.
"She smells like the wind before a storm. It is a scent that makes me want to fly." Christian smiled, looking at the trees.
"She has perfect beauty. Walking next to her makes the world feel beautiful." Eirian stepped into line.
"She is the only representative who doesn't use noble status for influence. She is sincere." Orion adjusted his cuffs.
"She bought us the stars on valentine's day! And she's really pretty!" Daniel grinned.
"She is mine to possess!"
A shadow fell over the stone path.
Kaiser walked out of the archway, holding a small wooden toolbox.
He stopped 5 paces away, looking at the wall of boys blocking the gate.
He blinked.
"Uhh... guys. I have a shift at the tavern. Can y'all move?" Kaiser asked, looking completely relaxed.
"Nobody is moving." Cassius glared down at him, his silver eyes flashing.
"You're not leaving this gate, deadweight." Daniel cracked his knuckles.
"Look, I know what this is about." Kaiser held up his hands.
"You guys want to mug me. You want to steal my 5 coppers. I'm telling you, I spent 3 of them on soda. It's not worth the fight." Kaiser sighed.
The suitors stared at him, their expressions blank.
"Dumbass, it's not that! You stole what belongs to us!" Orion yelled, adjusting his cuffs.
"Oh. You mean the electricity." Kaiser nodded.
"I confess. I've been stealing from the academy for a long time. I hooked up my custom batteries to the main power lines. I think I stole about 24,000 volts of electricity this week alone. If you're here to arrest me for the utility bill, you'll have to talk to the dean." Kaiser explained.
Everyone looked completely dumbfounded.
Are you serious right now?
He actually thinks we're here to collect utility taxes?!
What kind of idiot is this guy?
"Stay in your limits, you magicless trash!" Daniel pointed a finger at Kaiser's chest.
"If you ever get close to Elfina again, I'll snap your legs in 3 places and bury you in the forest!" Daniel warned.
"Yeah! Stay away from her, you zero-mana rat! We'll make sure you can't even crawl to the cafeteria!" Roman spat on the side of the road.
"Haha... you see... I'm not the one in trouble here." Kaiser gestured toward us.
"Because... my best friend is here. He's my relative." Kaiser added.
The crowd looked around, shocked.
"A relative?" Christian asked, tilting his head.
I stepped forward, my mouth dry.
Wait.
Did he just say relative?
Hold on... why am I trying to fight HIM?!
I remember the dungeon.
I remember the Floor 18 boss. The S-rank demon. The monster that could have wiped out our entire squad with a single claw.
And I remember Kaiser standing over its corpse, looking like an absolute god of death while I was crying on the floor.
If I fight this guy, he won't just beat me up. He'll erase my bloodline.
My emotions definitely got the best of me. The Dark Wolf must choose his battles wisely. And this is not a battle. I must run...
I made a run for it.
Kaiser reached out, grabbed my shoulder, and turned me around.
"My best friend, Axel!" Kaiser smiled.
Everyone looked dumbfounded.
"You're the deadweight's relative?" Xylar asked, looking back and forth between us.
I shook my head 5 times.
No. Absolutely not. Please don't drag me into this!
"Not just a bestfriend, a long-distant relative!" Kaiser patted my shoulder.
"That's impossible! As far as I know, Axel has no relatives in long distances!" Daniel yelled.
"Yeah, exactly! He's just like one of us!" Christian nodded.
"Axel, you need to control your damn servants. They're hella annoying." Kaiser sighed.
Daniel looked pissed.
"Did you tell him I was your servant, Axel?!" Daniel glared at me.
I shook my head 10 times, my hair flying.
No! I swear I didn't! Please stop looking at me like that!
"Who are you?!" I screamed, backing away.
If I pretend I don't know him, they won't murder me.
Yes. The path to survival is absolute denial.
"Bro, you don't know me? I'm Jim's son!" Kaiser looked offended.
"Jim who?" I asked, sweating.
"You know there is a road that goes around your house?" Kaiser asked.
"There is a street and road going across every house." Eirian sighed.
"And after going and going it takes a sharp turn." Kaiser gestured with his hands.
"There are no straight roads every single one turns." Eirian muttered, tapping his foot.
"You know where it leads?" Kaiser asked, looking at me.
"Where?" I asked.
"Your father's bestfriend's house jim! and I am jim's son." Kaiser smiled.
I broke free from his grip and ran over to Daniel and Roman.
"I don't even know i had relatives, guys trust me i don't know this guy!" I yelled.
Kaiser stepped toward me again.
"bro what do you mean relatives, then who am i?" Kaiser asked.
"Who?" I asked, my voice cracking.
"Kaiser! Your bestfriend!" Kaiser grinned.
I am going to get a massive migraine.
The sheer stupidity of this conversation is giving everyone a headache.
"Axel, what's the meaning of this? You came here to protect your friend and fight us?" Xylar asked, his voice growing cold.
"Bro, you betrayed us? How long have you two been friends?" Roman asked.
"Axel, you better not tell them our relationship as besties, you better not!" Kaiser warned.
"I DONT KNOW MYSELF!" I screamed.
"Look, im telling you he's a very close friend. He even texted me for relationship advice." Kaiser pulled out his phone.
"Look at these messages where he asked Elfina for feet pics." Kaiser showed the screen to the crowd.
Oh no.
The evidence.
The sacred scrolls of my pride.
"It weirded Elfie out so much she was crying in her room. He's a terrible romantic." Kaiser shook his head.
The crowd went absolutely wild.
"You Rat!" Cassius roared.
"He must be put to the ground! How dare he ask an angel like her for feet pics!" Roman yelled, drawing his weapon.
"This is disgusting!" Christian glared.
"Purge the traitor!" Orion yelled.
"Beat these two. Axel is clearly a traitor and friend of our competition." Xylar ordered.
"Run." Kaiser whispered.
We ran.
We ran like two dogs escaping a fire.
We burst through the gate and sprinted into the streets of the capital, the crowd close behind.
"Get back here!" Daniel screamed.
Behind us, a barrage of magic and weapons erupted.
Cassius slammed the ground, casting a gravitational pulse that cracked the cobblestones behind our heels.
Virion released a high-frequency acoustic blast that shattered a nearby shop window, the sound wave clipping my ears.
Eirian threw 3 fire-infused throwing knives that whistled past my head, their heat singeing my hair.
Christian launched wind-slashes from his feathery wings, cutting down a wooden sign right above us.
Xylar cast a flurry of light arrows that rained down like shooting stars.
"Kaiser! Do something! They're going to vaporize us!" I screamed, jumping over a fruit cart.
"I need a spark. Axel, channel your lightning into my toolbox!" Kaiser yelled back.
I didn't think. I just did it.
I let my lightning magic flare, sending a bolt straight into the open slot of his wooden box.
Inside the box, Kaiser had packed sulfur dust and magnesium powder.
The electric spark ignited the mixture, causing a massive chemical reaction.
A blinding white flash and a thick cloud of sulfur smoke billowed out, completely engulfing the narrow street.
The suitors behind us coughed and stumbled, their magic hitting the smoke instead of us.
We sprinted around 3 corners, slipping into a damp alleyway behind a bakery.
We collapsed against the brick wall, panting heavily.
My lungs were on fire.
My legs felt like jelly.
And it was all because of the trapper standing next to me.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" I gasped, looking at him.
"I wanted to make a new male friend." Kaiser explained.
"I only have girl friends at the academy. It's a sad life, Axel. I wanted a friend apart from Rigel." Kaiser sighed.
"So I was the only sacrificial lamb?!" I asked.
"Yep, you." Kaiser nodded.
"Also, we are going on a journey today." Kaiser added.
"A journey? Where?!" I demanded.
"The abandoned depths." Kaiser pointed toward the jagged mountains rising behind the capital.
"We have to gather some materials." Kaiser explained.
"I'm not coming!" I yelled, turning to leave.
"See you there, bestie." Kaiser grinned, showing my phone in his hand.
Wait.
My pocket is empty.
How did he pickpocket me?!
"Kaiser! Give that back!" I screamed, running after him.
He didn't stop.
He led me straight into the central transit plaza, dodging through the midday crowds with infuriating ease. Before I could tackle him, he swiped his academy card at one of the outer district teleportation terminals.
A flash of blue light consumed us.
When my vision cleared, the warm breeze of the capital was gone, replaced by a biting, high-altitude chill.
We were standing on a rocky precipice near the jagged peaks of the northern mountain range. There was nothing here but dead trees and grey stone.
Where are we?
This is completely unregulated territory!
I followed him for a grueling hour, my designer boots scuffing against the harsh gravel. By the time we reached the base of a massive, shadowy ravine, I was out of breath and thoroughly annoyed.
"You realize this is completely insane, right?" I snapped, wiping sweat from my forehead.
"We're here." Kaiser pointed ahead.
Carved into the side of the mountain was a massive, gaping cavern.
Thick, rotting wooden barricades had been nailed across the entrance. Even in the broad daylight, the shadows inside the cave seemed to swallow the sunlight, leaving a pitch-black void that made my stomach drop.
No.
Absolutely not.
I don't do caves. And I definitely don't do abandoned caves.
"What is this place?" I asked, taking a step back.
"The Deepvein Excavation Site." Kaiser said, digging through his bag.
"It was abandoned 11 years ago. Supposedly because of weird paranormal activities and anomalies. People went in and didn't come out." Kaiser explained casually.
My heart completely stopped.
"Paranormal?!" I yelled, my voice cracking.
"Are you insane?! Why would you bring us to a ghost mine?! What do you even want in there?!" I demanded, gripping my blade.
"Platinum and aldermite." Kaiser said, pulling two strange contraptions from his bag.
He handed me one. It was a crude, leather-strapped helmet with a glass bulb wired to the front.
"Put this on. I made them." Kaiser ordered.
He walked over to a pile of rusted debris near the barricade, rummaging around until he pulled out an old, heavy iron pickaxe.
I pulled out my phone—which he had finally handed back—and quickly searched the local forums for the Deepvein site.
I am a scholar of survival. I must know the risks.
I scrolled through the results, my blood running cold as I read a highly-rated post.
Local legend says the miners didn't just die down there... they became part of the stone. Explorers report hearing the 'Tommy Knockers'—the rhythmic, metallic tapping of dead miners still working in the dark. Some say they found deep shafts that weren't on any blueprints, and inside... freshly lit candles burning in oxygen-deprived tunnels that had been sealed for a decade.
Ghosts.
Literal, actual ghosts.
"Kaiser, we can't go in there!" I panicked, showing him the screen.
"Did you know they used to excavate raw galena and chalcopyrite here? Highly conductive materials. It's a goldmine." Kaiser ignored my screen, stepping up to the rotting wooden barricade.
He swung the pickaxe, shattering the decayed wood with a loud, violent crack.
The sound echoed into the absolute darkness.
He is a complete idiot.
He has no sense of self-preservation! But if I run back now, I don't know the way to the teleportation zone. And I'll look like a coward.
I swallowed my fear, strapping the helmet onto my head.
"Fine. But if I see a ghost, I'm sacrificing you to it." I muttered, following him into the dark.
Kaiser pulled a small, brass-cased device from his pocket. It had a glowing dial that ticked rhythmically.
"What is that? A spatial depth gauge?" I asked, genuinely impressed.
"You built a topographical mapping tool out of spare parts?" I asked, looking closer.
"No, I bought it for 1 gold coin at the market." Kaiser said, tapping the glass.
I rolled my eyes, groaning.
Of course he did.
I overestimated his engineering. He's just a rich fraud with a death wish.
We walked deeper.
The air grew heavy instantly, like breathing through wet wool.
The temperature fluctuated wildly—one minute it was freezing cold, raising goosebumps on my arms, and the next it was stiflingly hot, making my collar stick to my neck.
But the worst part was the sound.
A low, constant hum vibrated in my teeth. It sounded like the mountain itself was singing a deep, mournful note.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
I froze.
"Did you hear that?" I whispered, spinning around.
The darkness behind us was absolute. The bulb on my helmet only illuminated 10 feet of jagged stone.
"Hear what?" Kaiser asked, continuing to walk.
"Footsteps. Someone is walking behind us." I hissed, my chest tightening.
We entered a wider tunnel.
I turned around again to check our six, but my breath caught in my throat.
Where did that come from?
"Kaiser! I'm leaving! I'm done!" I screamed, pointing behind us.
"There were not 2 tunnels here a second ago! It was just 1! Why are there 2 now?!" I yelled, absolute horror gripping my spine.
Kaiser looked back, completely unfazed.
"Oh. Yeah, the spatial dimensions in here are fractured. It causes paranormal hallucinations. Just ignore it." Kaiser shrugged.
"Ignore it?!" I shrieked.
"How can you be so calm?! The mine is clearly haunted!" I demanded.
We turned a corner, our helmet lights illuminating a massive, rusty metal grate door set into the stone tunnel.
Bolted to the bars was an old, rusted warning sign.
WARNING. EXTREME ANOMALIES. POINT OF NO RETURN.
"Okay, look." I stepped in front of the gate, blocking him.
"Logically, this is suicide. We don't have a spatial mage. We have no rations, no climbing gear, and you are literally magicless. We are going to die down here, Kaiser." I reasoned, stating pure facts.
Kaiser just smirked, gripping his pickaxe.
"Platinum, here I come." Kaiser said, pushing past me and shoving the heavy grate open.
It screamed on its rusted hinges, echoing into the abyss.
I followed him, shivering uncontrollably as the gate slammed shut behind us.
"I hate dark places." I muttered, wrapping my arms around myself.
"Why?" Kaiser asked, swinging his pickaxe at a cluster of glowing green ore embedded in the wall.
"When I was 8, my little sister and I got lost in the Blackwood Forest." I admitted, staring at the shadows.
"It was pitch black. We heard wolves. She cried for hours, and I... I couldn't do anything. I couldn't protect her. I was just as terrified as she was. Since then, if I can't see what's in the dark, my mind fills it with monsters." I explained, my voice dropping quietly.
I don't know why I told him that.
A true alpha never reveals his weaknesses.
Kaiser struck the wall, chipping away a chunk of the green stone.
"Don't worry. This malachite won't hurt you." Kaiser said, picking up the heavy ore and tossing it into his bag.
We walked deeper.
The air grew so thick it felt like trying to breathe underwater.
Suddenly, with a sharp fizz, both of the bulbs on our helmets died.
Absolute, suffocating darkness swallowed us.
"Kaiser!" I screamed, panic exploding in my chest.
"Relax. The ambient void mana in this sector drains standard batteries. That's why I brought you." Kaiser's voice echoed in the blackness.
I felt him press a heavy metal cylinder into my hands.
"It's an Arc-Capacitor. Channel your lightning into it. Keep a steady output of 100 volts." Kaiser ordered.
I didn't argue.
I instantly flared my mana, gripping the cylinder tightly as golden electricity danced across my palms and fed into the device.
The helmet bulbs flickered back to life, casting a stark, blinding light into the tunnel.
I sighed in massive relief, wiping sweat from my eyes.
I turned around to tell Kaiser we needed to leave.
But the words died in my throat.
The path we had just walked down was gone.
Instead, a solid, seamless wall of grey stone stood directly behind us.
I blinked, the helmet light flickering.
Where the blank wall had been, a narrow, crumbling stone staircase now descended into the earth. It hadn't been there a second ago.
And walking up the stairs, moving with a jerky, unnatural rhythm, was a man.
He wore the tattered rags of a miner's uniform. His skin was stretched tight over his skull, grey and leathery. But the worst part was his mouth. His jaw was unhinged, hanging completely open in a silent, unnatural scream.
"Stay... down... with... us..." The creature rasped, its voice sounding like grinding stones.
I couldn't move.
My brain screamed at my legs to run, but they were locked in place. My breath stopped. A primal, freezing terror flooded my veins.
This is it. I am going to die.
Kaiser didn't hesitate.
He reached into his bag, pulling out a handful of white powder and a cheap iron lighter.
"White phosphorus and barium nitrate." Kaiser muttered.
He flicked the lighter and threw the powder directly into the flame.
FWOOSH!
A blinding, intense flash of green-white fire erupted in the tight tunnel, consuming the staircase and the creature in a roar of heat.
I threw my arms over my face, the heat singeing my eyebrows.
When I lowered my arms, the stairs were gone. The creature was gone. It was just an empty, solid stone wall again.
Kaiser grabbed my collar, dragging me down the actual tunnel.
"Run!" Kaiser yelled.
"What was that?!" I screamed, stumbling after him.
"A hallucinogenic anomaly. It preys on fear." Kaiser explained as we ran.
"The flashbang I just made burned up the stagnant, dead oxygen in this sector. It clears the hallucinogens in the air, but we have to keep moving before they build up again!" Kaiser pulled me around another jagged bend.
We slowed to a stop in a massive, cavernous room.
The architecture here was completely wrong. The support beams were twisted, jutting out of the walls at unnatural angles, like ribs tearing through skin.
Kaiser checked his brass dial.
"Depth: 1,400 feet." Kaiser read out loud.
Tap. Tap.
I heard footsteps again.
I instantly lunged forward, clinging to the back of Kaiser's coat like a frightened child.
I do not care about looking like an alpha anymore. I just want to survive...
"Did you hear that?" I whispered, my voice trembling.
Tick... Tock... Tick... Tock...
A rhythmic, metallic ticking echoed from the deeper tunnels.
"A clock?" I asked, looking around wildly.
"Impossible. This place was sealed 11 years ago. Mechanical springs don't run that long without winding." Kaiser whispered, his eyes narrowing.
"Hmm~ Hmm~"
A soft, sweet humming drifted through the heavy air.
It sounded like a little girl.
We both froze completely. In the dead silence, another sound became painfully obvious.
Thump... Thump... Thump...
A massive, slow heartbeat. It wasn't coming from us. It was coming from the walls.
We edged forward, our lights sweeping across the floor, until we found a circular shaft cut directly into the ground. Heavy iron rungs were bolted into the stone, forming a ladder that descended into pure blackness.
Right next to the ladder was a skeleton.
It was wrapped in rotten mining clothes, slumped against the wall.
"AHHH!" I screamed, stumbling backward.
Kaiser instantly slapped a hand over my mouth, pressing me against the wall.
"Shut up." Kaiser hissed in my ear.
Hmm~ Hmmm~
The little girl's humming instantly grew louder, responding to my scream.
"The noise is coming from below us." Kaiser whispered, slowly releasing his hand from my mouth.
Kaiser crouched down next to the corpse, ignoring the smell of ancient dust and bone. He reached into the skeleton's rotting jacket and pulled out a leather-bound journal.
He flipped it open, shining his light on the yellowed pages.
"It's dated 1997." Kaiser whispered.
I looked over his shoulder, reading the frantic, blood-stained handwriting.
Day 14. Or 15. I don't know anymore. The exit vanished. Thomas went to check the ventilation shaft and never came back. We heard him tapping on the walls for three days, but the sound kept moving. The air here makes us see things. Yesterday, Greg saw a staircase. He said a man was standing on it, telling us to come down. The man's jaw was broken open. Greg walked onto the stairs, and the stone just swallowed him. He was eaten alive by the wall. I barely escaped. Now I'm alone. I have no water. No food. I keep hearing the little girl humming. She's getting closer. The walls are beating like a heart. I can't let her find me.... I can't let the walls take me...
The final entry was just a jagged line of dried blood.
He slit his own throat.
He killed himself rather than face whatever is down there.
I stared at the page, my entire body shaking.
The stairs.
The man with the unhinged jaw.
If Kaiser hadn't burned that hallucination... the wall would have eaten me alive.
"We have to go back." I grabbed Kaiser's arm, tears actually welling in my eyes.
"Kaiser, we can't do this! We have to find another way! I'm not going down there!" I begged, abandoning all my pride.
"We can't go back, Axel." Kaiser closed the journal, his voice tight.
"The path is gone. The dead air is rising. If we stay here, the hallucinogens will build up again and we'll end up exactly like this guy. We have to find a ventilation draft. The only way up is to go down." Kaiser pointed to the iron ladder.
"How can you be so calm?!" I demanded, my chest heaving. "We are going to die!"
I paused.
The beam of light shining from Kaiser's helmet was trembling.
I looked down. His hand was gripping the journal so hard his knuckles were white. He was shaking.
"I'm scared too, Axel." Kaiser admitted quietly, looking at me.
"This isn't normal. This isn't just a monster we can punch. But if we sit here and cry, we die like Martin did." Kaiser pointed at the skeleton.
I wiped my eyes, a stray tear slipping down my cheek.
I am supposed to be the pride of my family...
But I am terrified of the dark.
"I hate this." I choked out, wiping my nose.
"I know." Kaiser patted my shoulder gently.
"I thought you were just dragging me here to be bait." I sniffled.
"I am. But I need my bait alive." Kaiser gave a small, shaky smile.
"You're an awful friend." I muttered, gripping the Arc-Capacitor tighter to keep the lights bright.
"I'm the only one you've got right now." Kaiser said, stepping onto the first rung of the iron ladder.
"Don't look down. Just look at my hands. Follow me." Kaiser instructed.
I nodded, my throat tight, and climbed onto the ladder above him.
We descended one by one.
The deeper we went, the colder it got. The air tasted like copper and old rust. The darkness pressed against our lights, eager to swallow us whole.
Hmm~ Hmmm~
The humming grew louder.
I have to survive.
I refuse to die in a hole with a guy who steals electricity.
The deeper we went, the colder it got. The air tasted like copper and old rust. The darkness pressed against our lights, eager to swallow us whole.
"Hmm~ Hmmm~"
The humming grew louder.
We hit the bottom of the ladder, stepping onto solid, uneven bedrock.
Kaiser swept his light across the cavern. Multiple tunnels spiderwebbed out from this central hub, plunging off into different directions.
The walls here were glittering. Even in the dim light, I could see veins of silver and raw quartz snaking through the rock.
"Look! Silver!" I pointed, my greed momentarily overriding my terror.
"We can fill our pockets and get out of here!" I urged, stepping toward the wall.
"Ignore it." Kaiser grabbed the back of my coat, pulling me away.
"Silver isn't worth the weight right now. We are currently at 2,500 feet. Platinum and aldermite only form naturally past 3,000 feet due to the extreme tectonic pressure and mana density required to stabilize their isotopes." Kaiser explained, looking down at his brass dial.
I groaned, looking down at my ruined designer boots.
My clothes are covered in centuries of dirt.
My hair is ruined.
And now this psycho wants to go even deeper into the ghost mine.
"You are completely obsessed!" I snapped, my fickle nature boiling over.
"We could just take the silver and be rich! Why do we need aldermite?! And why does it have to be down there?!" I complained, shivering as the temperature dropped again.
"Because the silver won't help with my inventions. Now shut up and listen." Kaiser whispered, turning his head.
"Hmm~ Hmmm~"
The sweet, innocent hum of a little girl echoed from the left tunnel.
"We go right." Kaiser pointed.
We walked for what felt like an hour. Every time the humming seemed to drift closer, Kaiser would take a sharp turn down a diverging shaft to put distance between us and the sound.
I am exhausted.
I am terrified.
I don't even know if this guy knows where he's going, or if he's just guessing.
Tap... scrape... tap...
I stopped.
That wasn't a hallucination. That wasn't a ticking clock.
That was the distinct sound of boots dragging against gravel.
"Kaiser." I whispered, my voice completely hollow.
"Footsteps. Directly ahead."
Kaiser raised his hand, signaling me to stop. He slowly reached into his bag, pulling out another handful of white powder.
From the shadows of the tunnel ahead, a silhouette emerged.
A person.
An actual, living person?!
"Hey!" I yelled, a massive wave of relief washing over me.
I took a step forward, completely overjoyed.
"We're not alone! Hey, we're over here!" I called out.
Kaiser's hand slammed into my chest, shoving me back so hard I almost fell over.
"Don't move." Kaiser hissed, his eyes locked on the figure.
The person stepped into the harsh beam of our helmet lights.
It was a boy. He looked exactly our age, maybe 14. He was gaunt, his skin pale and covered in soot. He wore a tattered, oversized miner's uniform and carried a small, worn leather satchel across his chest.
But what made my stomach drop were his eyes.
They were completely, pitch black.
"Oh, thank god!" The boy smiled, throwing his hands up in relief.
His voice was warm, bubbly, and full of frantic energy.
"Please don't worry, I'm not a monster! I know I look a mess, but the dust in here is terrible!" He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
I stared at him, my relief warring with pure terror.
"Who are you?" Kaiser asked coldly, not lowering his hand.
"I'm Lucian! Lucian Aston!" The boy stepped closer, completely ignoring Kaiser's aggressive stance.
"I've been stuck down here for the past few day! I got separated from the main shaft when the lights went out. I am so lucky I met you guys! I thought I was going to starve to death down here!" Lucian talked fast, his words spilling out like a waterfall.
Few day?
The mine has been closed for 11 years.
I looked down at my wrist.
My expensive chronometer watch was spinning wildly. The hands were ticking backward, then forward, then vibrating in place.
Time distortion.
We can't even tell what time it is.
"You guys look like you know what you're doing! Are you explorers?" Lucian asked, his black eyes wide with curiosity.
"I'm looking for platinum and aldermite." Kaiser said flatly.
Lucian's face lit up.
"I know exactly where those are! I passed a massive vein of them on my way up! I can lead you right to them!" Lucian offered eagerly.
"But... in return... could you help me find something?" Lucian's bubbly demeanor faded slightly, his hands gripping the straps of his satchel.
"What?" I asked, swallowing hard.
"Cinderite." Lucian whispered.
He looked down at the ground, his voice dropping into a desperate, fragile tone.
"My mother... she's sick. She has The Hollowing Fever. The doctors said she only has 2 weeks left. Her bones are calcifying. She sacrificed everything for me and my sister to have a good life. I can't just let her die." Lucian explained, tears welling in his black eyes.
"The only cure requires a rare compound made from cinderite. It costs an absolute fortune on the surface. But I read it can be mined here naturally. I came here to find it myself." Lucian looked up at us, his face pleading.
"I'm terrified. I've been walking in the dark for so long. I think... I think I might have the fever too. And my sister. We're all on borrowed time." Lucian sobbed quietly, wiping his eyes with a dirty sleeve.
He's just a kid.
A kid trying to save his dying mother.
My chest tightened. My elitist pride melted away entirely.
"We have to help him, Kaiser." I said, turning to my supposed best friend.
"If he knows where your rocks are, it's a fair trade. Plus, there's a little girl humming down here and we need to escape her." I reasoned.
Lucian gasped, nodding frantically.
"I heard her too! She's a Banshee-Class anomaly! But look!" Lucian pulled a crumbled piece of parchment from his satchel, unrolling it.
"I found a map in the surveyor's office! There's a ventilation area on the absolute lowest level. It connects straight to the mountain surface. It's an emergency exit. If we go down, we can escape!" Lucian pointed to a faded red X on the map.
Kaiser stared at the map, then at Lucian's black eyes, for 5 long seconds.
"Fine." Kaiser finally nodded, lowering his hand.
"Let's reset first. We need a safe corner." Kaiser commanded.
Lucian eagerly led us down a dry, narrow passage that looped away from the main tunnels, muffling the terrifying humming.
We sat down in the dirt.
Kaiser pulled out a package of dry military rations and a canteen of water, tossing a biscuit to me.
"Eat." Kaiser said, holding a piece out to Lucian.
"Oh, no thank you! I'm completely full! I found some old rations yesterday!" Lucian smiled, waving his hands politely.
I took a bite of the biscuit and nearly gagged.
"This tastes like salted cardboard." I complained, forcing myself to chew.
"You're very brave, Lucian." Kaiser said, completely ignoring my complaints.
Kaiser's voice was surprisingly warm and soft. It was a tone I had rarely heard him use.
"Fighting your fears to save your mother... that takes real determination. I promise you, we'll find your cinderite and we'll all escape together." Kaiser smiled at the boy.
Lucian beamed, looking at Kaiser with pure admiration.
"Thank you! You're a real hero!" Lucian cheered.
We packed up and started moving again, guided by Lucian's map.
"So, Axel! What do you like to do on the surface?" Lucian asked cheerfully, walking next to me.
Normally, I would brag about my talents and my achievements.
But right now, I just feel small.
"I... I honestly don't know anymore." I admitted, looking down at my hands.
"I complain a lot. I think I'm better than people, but when things get dark, I'm just a coward. Fear completely tangles my mind." I confessed quietly.
"That's okay! Everyone is scared sometimes! When I was a kid, I loved drawing and scavenging for pretty rocks to distract myself!" Lucian laughed, bumping my shoulder affectionately.
I couldn't help but smile back. His energy was infectious.
"I like to sing. And I love music. It helps me focus." I admitted.
"What about you, Kaiser?" Lucian asked, turning around to walk backward, facing us.
Kaiser stared blankly at him.
"I spent my childhood reading a lot." Kaiser answered flatly.
"Reading is boring! Come on, what else did you do?" Lucian pressed, smiling widely.
"I've set a lot of traps in the forests." Kaiser joked, adjusting his bag.
"Oh! For hunting animals?" Lucian asked.
Kaiser didn't answer. He just kept walking.
Yeah, animals.
Definitely animals.
"Here it is!" Lucian stopped, pointing to a massive, jagged fissure in the cavern wall.
Kaiser stepped forward, checking his depth gauge.
"Depth: 3,200 feet." Kaiser noted.
The walls inside the fissure were choked with thick, heavy veins of dull grey and shimmering white metal.
Kaiser immediately went to work. He raised the iron pickaxe, striking the quartz-like stone with precise, brutal efficiency. Sparks flew as he cleaved the rock, extracting heavy chunks of raw platinum and the glowing, slightly warm aldermite ores.
"That's enough." Kaiser shoved the ores into his bag, wiping sweat from his face.
"Now for your cinderite." Kaiser looked at Lucian.
"It's deeper." Lucian pointed toward a tunnel that sloped drastically downward.
"Hmm~ Hmmm~"
The humming was back. It was louder this time. Much louder.
"She's approaching." Lucian warned, his voice dropping to a terrified whisper.
"We have to hurry. But listen to me! The little girl... she's scared of light!" Lucian explained quickly.
"Your helmets can fight her! All we have to do is turn them off, wait for her to get close in the dark, and then shine the light directly at her face! It will blind her and we can run!" Lucian grabbed my arm, his black eyes wide.
I frowned, looking at him.
"How do you know that?" Kaiser asked.
"Yeah, that's not exactly general knowledge." I pointed out.
Lucian blinked, stammering slightly.
"I... I read it in a paper! Yeah, a newspaper before I came down here! That's what most paranormal creatures fear, right? Light!" Lucian offered a quick excuse.
Kaiser stopped walking.
"What paper?" Kaiser asked, his voice dead flat.
"Uhh... The Aethelgard Tribune!" Lucian nodded enthusiastically.
Kaiser stared at him for a few seconds.
Then, Kaiser smiled broadly and stepped forward, fist-bumping Lucian.
"Oh, that one? I read it too. Yes, that's wonderful!" Kaiser praised him.
Lucian sighed in relief, smiling back.
But as Kaiser turned his head, the light from his helmet caught his eyes.
They were ice cold.
Kaiser was glaring at Lucian with absolute, murderous intent.
He knows something...
We descended into the deepest, scariest area of the mine yet. The walls were covered in thick, black sludge that smelled like rotting meat.
"Hmm~ Hmmm~"
The humming was no longer echoing. It was right on top of us.
"She's here." Lucian whispered, backing away.
At the end of the tunnel, a silhouette stepped out of the shadows.
It was a little girl in a torn, filthy dress.
But her head was completely wrong. Her jaw hung open unnaturally wide, scraping against her chest, and her eyes burned with a piercing, demonic red light.
CRACK!
Both of the glass bulbs on our helmets shattered simultaneously, raining glass down my neck.
Absolute, suffocating pitch blackness swallowed us instantly.