After their brutal fall into the depths, Zerath and Kert struggled to get back on their feet.
A light cloud of dust still lingered around them.
But above all—
The darkness was absolute.
Impossible to see anything.
Even the outlines of their own hands vanished into the darkness of this विशाल underground cave.
Kert immediately turned his head in every direction.
— I hate this place…
His voice echoed faintly in the dark.
Hinata slowly raised a hand in front of her.
At once, an emerald aura enveloped her fingers.
Then several small green flames appeared around her before gradually illuminating the surroundings.
A faint light.
But enough to reveal what was in front of them.
And immediately—
The three froze.
Less than ten meters away…
A pair of gigantic eyes was watching them in the darkness.
Bulging eyes.
Motionless.
Immense.
Each one seemed almost as large as a door.
Kert instantly turned pale.
— WHAT THE HELL IS THAT HORROR?!
Zerath immediately raised a hand in front of him.
— Stay calm!
But even he struggled to hide the tension in his voice.
The creature had made no sound.
It was simply there.
Watching them from the darkness.
And the worst part…
Was that it had probably been there from the beginning.
Maybe even before their fall.
Or worse—
It had been slowly approaching them all this time in the darkness without them noticing.
Then suddenly—
The enormous eyes slowly pulled back.
Before disappearing completely into the black depths of the cave.
Kert swallowed hard.
— Do you think… it's still somewhere around…?
Zerath kept his gaze fixed on the darkness.
— Let's stay cautious…
He tightened his grip on his improvised spear.
— Because this doesn't reassure me at all.
Hinata slightly frowned before slowly raising her hand above her head.
The emerald energy suddenly changed form.
The green flames burst into a blinding light that violently tore through the cave's darkness.
And immediately—
More creatures appeared.
Everywhere.
Kert's breath caught instantly.
The monsters were gigantic.
Their bodies vaguely resembled naked mole rats warped by monstrous mutations.
Their pale skin seemed almost translucent in places.
Huge sensory hairs ran across their bodies, constantly vibrating as if detecting movement in the dark.
And above all—
They were countless.
Dozens.
Maybe more.
Impossible to count them exactly as the cave seemed filled with their massive silhouettes.
Hinata's light immediately triggered violent agitation among them.
The creatures began to move nervously.
As if they hated the light.
And yet…
No cry came from them.
Not a single howl.
Only the terrifying sound of their massive movements against the rock.
GROOOOH…
CRAAAK…
The ground trembled slightly under their motion.
Then suddenly—
Massive jaws opened in the darkness.
Rows of long, sharp teeth appeared brutally.
Sharp enough to crush stone.
Zerath's eyes widened immediately.
— HINATA! Turn off that light right now!!
The creatures seemed to be becoming aggressive.
Hinata reacted instantly.
The blinding light vanished at once, reverting to simple green flames floating around them.
Darkness immediately reclaimed the cave.
And in the shadows—
The rumbling continued.
GROOOOH…
The creatures were still moving somewhere around them.
Hinata and Zerath remained on guard, bodies tense.
Meanwhile, Kert had literally clung to Zerath's arm with a mix of fear and panic.
— I want to go home…
The ground continued to vibrate under the monsters' movements.
Then suddenly—
Silence.
Total.
No more sound.
No more movement.
Nothing.
Hinata slightly intensified her flames to illuminate the surroundings more.
Then she slowly blinked.
The area now seemed completely empty.
The creatures had disappeared.
Zerath watched the depths of the cave with suspicion.
— Those were clearly mutants…
He frowned.
— But they looked more like burrowers than predators.
Hinata let out a soft sigh of relief.
— That would explain why they didn't attack us.
She observed the tunnels carved into the rock around them.
— They probably feed on minerals… or something like that.
Then she added calmly:
— But certainly not humans.
Kert finally let go of Zerath before exhaling nervously:
— Thank goodness…
He glanced back into the darkness with fear.
— Because those things… honestly, I'm still shaking…
Hinata gently raised her hand before snapping her fingers.
Immediately, two small emerald flames appeared above Zerath and Kert's heads, floating like small living lanterns in the cave's darkness.
The greenish light faintly illuminated their faces.
Kert immediately looked up with concern.
— Uh… I hope that's not going to burn my hair—or my whole head?
Zerath let out a slight smile.
— That's practical…
Then he looked at Hinata.
— But honestly, I think it'd be better if they floated above our hands rather than over our heads.
Hinata simply shrugged.
— As you wish.
She snapped her fingers again.
The flames immediately left above their heads and floated just above their open palms.
Zerath nodded slightly.
— Perfect.
He then looked into the dark depths ahead.
— Now… let's focus on getting out of here.
The trio began to move slowly through the cave.
But after barely a few steps—
They stopped dead.
All three of them.
The sight before them was completely absurd.
Kert stood there, mouth open.
— Damn… Is this a joke…?
Even Hinata let out a soft sigh while Zerath observed the surroundings with concern.
— The risk of getting lost just increased considerably…
Before them stretched a vast network of underground tunnels.
Dozens.
Maybe hundreds.
Huge galleries extended in every possible direction.
Some passed above others.
Others were connected by openings carved directly into the rock.
The whole now resembled a true living labyrinth.
A gigantic underground territory carved out by the creatures they had seen earlier.
And the more they observed the tunnels…
The more certain things became obvious.
The mutants they had encountered were indeed burrowers.
Their monstrous teeth were probably used to tear through rock.
Their enormous claws must allow them to dig these gigantic galleries deep underground.
Even their eyes suddenly made more sense.
Though enormous on a human scale, they actually seemed tiny relative to their titanic bodies.
Like almost useless organs.
Which probably meant one thing:
These creatures saw very little.
Or not at all.
They seemed to rely mainly on vibrations, movement, and perhaps heat.
Hinata's intense light probably attacked them directly.
But the small floating flames…
Did not seem powerful enough to truly disturb them.
Zerath exhaled slowly before crossing his arms.
— Well…
He looked at all the tunnels in front of them.
— Which path do we take exactly?
Hinata observed the galleries for a few seconds before answering honestly:
— No idea…
She slightly raised her eyes toward the rocky ceiling.
— But now that I think about it… we could maybe just go back out through the opening above.
She slightly extended her hand.
— With my mana, I can technically fly up there.
Kert immediately turned his head toward her with a blank stare.
— What…?
Silence.
Then his face slowly broke down.
— Wait. YOU COULD HAVE JUST FLOWN OUT?!
He immediately pointed at Zerath with indignation.
— And we jumped down here to come join you?!
He clenched his teeth.
— Seriously… why do I keep following people like this…?
Hinata blinked slightly before awkwardly shrugging.
— Honestly… I didn't understand why you jumped either…
Then suddenly—
GRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH—!!!
A monstrous roar violently exploded through the depths of the tunnels.
The three froze instantly.
The sound wave tore through the entire cave with terrifying force.
Their hair was pushed back under the pressure.
Even the emerald flames flickered dangerously.
Kert instantly turned pale.
— What was that?!
Zerath immediately tightened his grip on his spear.
— I don't think whatever made that sound is the same type as the mutants from earlier…
Then suddenly—
BOOOOM.
The entire underground shook.
Chunks of rock fell from the ceiling.
And with a monstrous crash—
The opening they had fallen through was abruptly sealed by a massive cave-in.
Kert stared at the blocked ceiling in despair.
— Damn it… Is this a joke?!
GRAAAAAAAAAAHHH—!!!
The roar echoed again.
Closer.
This time, even the rock vibrated beneath their feet.
Hinata immediately turned her head toward the depths of the tunnels.
Her expression hardened instantly.
— I think that thing is heading toward us…
She quickly looked at the multiple galleries in front of them.
— We need to disappear from here immediately!
Zerath immediately pointed to a tunnel on their right.
— THAT WAY!!
Without hesitation, he immediately started running.
Hinata followed right after him.
And behind them—
Kert instantly panicked before sprinting after them.
— HEY!! WAIT FOR ME!!