Limping into the tunnel, I was shocked to find it was dark. Usually, these hills are sites struck by Aetherium meteors. The meteors are embedded into the hill, which leads to the growth of aether crystals in all parts of it.
While I couldn't understand the science behind aether crystals growing on rocks just because a meteor smashed into a hill, I had seen it so often that I just had to accept it.
I guess I was used to seeing aether crystals sticking out of all parts of the hill, illuminating the path—but it wasn't the same here. Everywhere was dark, and only in the distance could I see a faint azure glow, casting long, flickering shadows on the tunnel walls.
"Did the meteor fall recently or something?" I couldn't help but ask.
But then I noticed something else. The meteors were usually embedded somewhere at the top of the hill. Yet, the path to the azure light kept going lower.
This made me wonder if the meteor had actually burrowed through the hill and gone deep into the ground.
'Come on, Lucius. You've seen only one Aetherium mine—you can't possibly know if this is unusual or not!' I reminded myself.
Shrugging my worries aside, I kept moving, listening to my footsteps echo eerily against the cold stone walls. As I descended deeper into the bowels of the earth, the faint blue light grew brighter.
I didn't have my wet handkerchief with me, so breathing was twice as hard, forcing me to breathe through my mouth. Unfortunately, I couldn't do anything for my watering eyes.
My vision became so blurry I could barely see what was ahead. All I could do was follow the light. At this point, I was considering stopping—the conditions were too harsh to continue.
I leaned on the cold wall and shut my eyes tight. Using the back of my hand, I wiped away the tears on my face. And then, a thought randomly popped up.
'I've never been close to an Aetherium meteor before. Since I'm here, I might as well check it out.'
'But I can barely stay here. How can I survive if I go deeper?' I countered the strange thought.
'Miners survive it every day. My case shouldn't be different, right?' another thought countered my reasoning.
'I'm safe already. What's the point of getting that close to the mine now? It's not like I won't get the chance to do that when I finally start doing the mining work,' I argued again.
'Come on, don't be a joy killer. Taking a peek won't kill me,' another thought insisted.
I grabbed my head and tightened my closed eyes. Why were these contradicting thoughts popping up?
Have I lost control of my mind too?
Sigh.
'I guess I'll take a look and put my mind to rest,' I decided.
Pushing myself off the wall, I moved at a slow pace, hoping to get this over with and finally rest my injured leg. The path down was a bit dangerous—if I slipped and fell, I might end up rolling down the tunnel, and new injuries were the last thing I needed right now.
Thud!
My body froze at the heavy footsteps that echoed from behind. I was yet to react when a low growl rumbled through the darkness, causing my heart to skip a beat.
'I was followed?' My heart raced, and my body trembled.
Quickly, I spun around, my heart pounding in my chest as I searched for the source of the sound. And then I saw it—a pair of gleaming eyes glinting in the dim light, fixed on me with predatory intensity.
"Grrrrr!"
"Fuck my life!" I yelled.
Before I could react, the mutated coyote lunged from the shadows.
"Fuck!"
With a cry of alarm, I stumbled backward and fell to the ground as I grappled with the creature in a desperate bid for survival.
While on top, the coyote's jaws snapped at my throat, but I held its head back with all the strength I could muster. I felt its claws slashing through my skin like a hot knife through butter.
I fought back with all my strength, but I only managed to keep its jaws away from my throat. There was nothing I could do about the vicious slashes on my arms and body.
'When did it start following me?'
'How didn't I notice?'
Numerous questions nagged my mind, but Lia's image flashed across my eyes, and the most important question came to mind:
'If I die here, who will look after Lia?'
For a moment, it felt like something snapped in my head, and all the fear vanished as a newfound strength washed over me.
'Yes… I need to do this for Lia! I can't die here—for Lia!'
An image of Lia crying beside my corpse appeared in my head, causing my eyebrows to knit in fury.
"Get off me!" I growled.
With a sudden surge of adrenaline, I managed to push the coyote away, sending it tumbling to the side with a yelp of surprise.
I quickly tried to rise to my feet, but my foot caught on a loose rock and I tripped. The next moment, I found myself rolling down the rough tunnel floor. During my descent, my body struck against many uneven parts of the rocky trail, tearing my skin apart.
Bam!
With a deafening crash, I slammed into a leveled floor at the bottom of the tunnel, the impact knocking the wind from my lungs, and my vision blurred for a moment.
My lips parted, and I tried to scream, but I couldn't make a sound. My vision was red—it felt like blood got into my eyes—but it didn't stop me from noticing the bright blue light pouring down on me from the left side.
"Fuck my life," I cursed as I looked to the right.
Even with my blurry vision, I could make out the coyote's figure limping down the slope.
"God, I'm tired," I muttered as I turned my attention to the bright blue meteor beside me.
This was the end of the tunnel—there was nowhere to run.
'I guess this is it,' I chuckled bitterly.
The effects of the adrenaline had faded, and a deep feeling of tiredness consumed me. I wanted nothing more than to sleep and have a good rest, even if it meant eternal rest.
[What about your sister? Do you not wish to save her?] a voice echoed in my mind, but I was too tired to be startled.
"Haha, haha… I'm hearing things already. It's either I've gone crazy or this is what you experience before death." I smiled bitterly.
[You seem to have lost hope. Disappointing. I had higher expectations of you.] the voice said.
"Do you think a dying boy cares about the expectations of a voice?" I retorted, shutting my eyes.
It didn't matter whether the voice was real or just my thoughts fabricating sounds in my final seconds of life.
"I'm sorry, Lia…" I muttered.
[What if I can give you the power to save yourself and your sister? Will you do my bidding?] the voice asked in a sinister tone.
Buzz!
My eyes snapped open. Even if I was going crazy, the thought of Lia's life after my death bothered me greatly. If there was a way I could stay alive and protect her, why wouldn't I take it?
[You don't have much time. You have to make a decision now,] the voice chuckled mischievously, and I frowned.
Its words reminded me of the limping coyote just a few meters away now. I could hear its footsteps and low growls.
"You know, you sound like the devil," I said in a serious tone.
[So what about it? What have the heavens done for you?] the voice responded in a mocking tone.
"Good point," I admitted with a nod. "Fine, fine. Go ahead. Save me and give me the power you promised. I don't think there can be anything worse than the life I'm living right now."
[The one you're about to become part of is far worse. The only difference is—you won't be so helpless anymore,] the voice laughed sinisterly.
Buzz!
As soon as the voice stopped speaking, the Aetherium meteor glowed fiercely, and a powerful beam of energy erupted from it, completely engulfing the figures of the two coyotes—Not even leaving a trace behind!
Watching this happen, I couldn't help but remember the beam from earlier. So whatever was hiding within this meteor was responsible for the death of the team sent to work here.
{Now…} the voice said.
Before I could react, I felt something stab into my chest. It shattered my ribcage and pierced my heart directly.
"Aah!" My narrowed gaze noticed a purple tendril sticking out of the meteor.
However, this thing didn't just stab me—it was flowing into my body.
"Aah!" I gasped painfully as I felt a scorching liquid entering my bloodstream.
It felt like magma was flowing through my veins.
I couldn't breathe or even lift a finger.
I laid there with my eyes fixated on the tunnel ceiling, while tears of blood rolled down my cheeks.
[Consider yourself lucky, child. The power I grant you today is coveted by the most powerful beings in the universe. When this is over, you will have no equals,] the voice assured.