Ike's words pull me back to reality, and I feel my mood fall immediately. I almost forgot about the predicament we are currently in.
"About that…" I trail off, "I… I don't think we should continue with this journey. I-it has become increasingly more dangerous as we went further. We almost drowned, then Mami Wata tried to almost kill us, then a Nephilim who is not supposed to exist also tried to kill us…" I clench my jaw tight, "I now realize how ill-prepared we all were for this… I was ill-prepared."
"So, you want us to abandon everything and leave?"
I cringe. Well, when he says it like that… "Not like that, not everything. I am saying that maybe we should stop for now. Find the others and regroup, then find a safe place far from here and think things through. Honestly, I have no more courage to toddle blindly around without knowing where I am going. I had like to summon Tchio somehow and demand that he tells me clearly what it is that I am supposed to do—I simply can't move on otherwise."
Ike observes for a long time, his expression unreadable.
"Say something," I whisper.
He sighs. "Vyswe'eyaga, you do realise that something of great magnitude is happening here, right?"
"What?" I ask belatedly.
"The nature of the Nguo had always been elusive, but everything that we have witnessed so far… What happened to Mami Wata, the Nephilim? What is a creature so dreadful doing in a place like this? Regardless, everything connects to your mission here.
"I… I know that." A frustrated sound escapes my lips. "I know that. But this… all this is bigger than any of us—it's much bigger than me. And the further we go, the more dangerous it becomes, and monstrosities more harrowing than the next reveal themselves."
The sound of my heavy breathing was the only thing heard for long seconds. "I fear what we are going to find at the end of this, but I know that whatever we found we are not ready to face it. This is going to end very, very badly. That is why… we should take a step back, think things through, we… we can't just charge in blindly."
Ike does not respond; he scrutinizes wordlessly, and it feels like judgment.
"You're right."
"I am? You, you think so?"
He nods. "I agree that continuing without having an idea of what awaits us would be suicidal. So, let's regroup with the rest and devise a plan from that point."
I smile, relief flooding me. "Y-yes. We should do that."
"Then, how do you plan to find them?"
My face falls.
I… I don't know. I also remember that I don't have the Compass anymore. I never got it back from Kayin ever since I lent it to him when I started sailing into the Nguo, and without even that, there is no way to get out of here.
"Can you not find them using your 'spiritual senses'?" He asks after seeing my reaction.
"M-maybe… I could do that." I clench my jaw in apprehension. "But… I don't think it would be wise to attempt that in this place. It has become very apparent that this place is teeming with several extraordinary beings, some of which can sense when they are being Gazed upon and stare back." A Nephilim is already too much to worry about. "I don't want to risk attracting any of their attention. I would have liked to locate them using the Compass, but they are too far, and my essence imprint must have faded long ago."
"Hmm…"
"There might be another way, I think." I raise my palm between us, and in a split second, a small mirror appears in it. I hesitate before saying, "I could try to scry them. After what happened with the…" I frown, "monkeys, and Dalisso, and getting separated. Kayin and I later exchanged our insignia, in case it ever happened again. I think it should be safe if we employ this method. From what I have observed, no worldwide scrying network—nor anything resembling the empire's system—has ever been established. So, no one should be able to detect us."
Ike looks at me with a puzzled expression before nodding gravely. "Then… let's do it."
I nod, then turn my focus to my mirror, pressing my index finger against its surface. I trace Kayin's Contact Mirror's insignia with my essence. We exchanged them back when we escaped Dalisso's Subspace. Contacting someone else in this manner is such an unfamiliar experience and seems very outdated. To think they need to memorize every insignia—potentially thousands, drawn from every acquaintance—and then manually write it down…
With the old empire's scrying network, such a hassle would have never been needed. My mirror's nexus still holds over a hundred insignias; they are the contacts of my family, friends, and other acquaintances from my life in the empire. Yet now, all those signatures lie dormant, with the network having been shut down.
The surface of the mirror ripples before displaying Kayin's reflection, and I find myself leaning closer in unease at the sight of his expression.
"Kayin? What is wrong? Where are you?"
"Don't raise your voice," he whispers.
Ike leans in too, his voice serious as he says in a low voice; "Are you being pursued, Kayin? Are you alone?"
"He is not." Another voice says. It is Sazayi.
Kayin distances the mirror from his face for us to see not only Sazayi, but Gamba and Azikiwe by his side.
My eyes dart between them, searching. "I don't see Ewa… and N'jobu."
There is a short pause before Kayin answers. "They were not with us when we wafted up here." He looks between Ike and I. "I guess they are not with you as well."
I shake my head, and Kayin and Sazayi make complicated faces.
"With some luck those two are together," Gamba eventually says, "Even if it is not the case, I'm sure they will be alright."
"I hope so," Sazayi says after a bit.
"Do you know where you guys are?" Ike asks. "And is there a way for us to reach you?"
Kayin tightens his jaw. "I'm not sure, but this place… something very wrong is happening here. We were washed up in another tunnel system, one completely different from the Nchāren one. With no way to backtrack, we were forced to go deeper, and then..." he pauses, "we heard people."
People?! Here?
"How is that possible?" Ike asks, voicing the question I have been asking myself.
"Don't ask me. It was a group of three cloaked individuals, they were headed to the spot where we first landed, and from what we heard; they might be aware of our presence."
"It must have the earlier seism," Azikiwe adds. "So, you be careful on your end; they might have more people scouring the area."
"Yes," Kayin says. "Anyway, their presence here is no coincidence, isn't it? They are further connected with this evil, you have been assigned to remove."
I nibble on my lips nervously without answering, long seconds of silence follow before I speak up.
"We should first focus on finding Ewa and N'jobu… then leave. We have no idea of the number of people—probably hostile to us—here, and we are likely outnumbered. This is not something we should hastily charge into. So, let's go to a safe place and think more carefully about what to do... Maybe even get some proper help for this." At this point, I am even willing to expose my heritage if it can help to persuade people.
Kayin and Sazayi wear troubled expressions while Azikiwe and Gamba's are completely neutral, and I feel some relief wash over me to see that they are seriously mulling over my words.
Kayin's expression darkens, a fear familiar to mine flashing in his eyes.
He exhales in a trembling note, then nods to himself. "Y-yeah… Let's try that." Then he looks me in the eye, uncertainty all over his face. "But Vyswe'eyaga, from how things have been unfolding… I seriously doubt things would be that easy."
I feel a knot forming in the pit of my stomach at his words.
"We don't know where these tunnels may lead. Reuniting will be a tricky endeavour. We will try to find Ewa and N'jobu on our end at least while steering clear of those cloaked people scouring the tunnels, then I will contact you if we find them… or if something else arises. Be careful, you two."
The surface of the mirror ripples, Kayin's image disappears, and complete silence returns.
At my side, Ike grunts, then gets to his feet. I look up, staring at him blankly. He stares back, then raises his hand to me.
"Let's get going, shall we?"
I hesitate for several seconds before taking his hand. I am scared—I'm so scared I can hardly breathe.
His hold tightens on mine, steady and reassuring. "I was once told there is no insurmountable obstacle in this world, no matter how daunting it may seem. Life has a way of testing us, but its trials are always just difficult enough to be overcome—if we are bold enough to face them."
I let out a bitter laugh and shake my head. "This isn't about trying to pass an evaluation or mastering a complex spell or other such mundane things, Ike. We are talking about life and death here. This is not something that I, or our small group, can prevail on alone. I… I am responsible for our predicament. I pleaded for you all to continue travelling with me; you are here because of me. I have stupidly put everyone's life in danger because of my own selfishness. This is not something that I, or our small group, can face alone."
"That's where you are mistaken, Vyswe'eyaga, the essence of it is the same. I think that the boy prophet chose you for a reason—it must mean this is something you can overcome." He smiles gently. "You simply need to believe it yourself… because I believe in you."
I don't answer. Instead, I turn my gaze away from him.
That is the problem—I am not that intrepid, not that capable. I know my limits… and this is it.
When I think back on it, I remember how dissatisfied Tchio looked when he assigned me to this mission. If that isn't proof enough of how inadequate I am, I don't know what is.
I am not fit for this.
But at the very least, I should make sure that we all leave this place safe and sound.
Ike watches me for a while, then sighs. "Let's focus on reuniting with the others for the time being."
"Mmmh... Let's do that."