BOOM! BOOOM!
The barrier trembled.
A dull vibration spread through the ground beneath thier feet as another impact struck it's surface.
BOOM!
The transperant barrier rippled violently before stabilizing once more.
Outside, the corruption horde continued its chant.
"Break the wall..."
"Heed the call..."
"May darkness itself fall..."
"Rise...Burn them all..."
The voices echoed through the forest in the perfect synchronisation.
Not a single word came early.
Not a single word came late.
Hundreds of throats spoke as one.
The sound alone was enough to make one's skin crawl.
Mora instinctively moved closer to Adri, clutching the old women's sleeve as another impact shook the ground. Adri placed reassurung hand over her shoulder but never took eyes off the horde of cor.creatures beyond the barrier.
Limbo stood quietly beside them.
Unlike others, his attention wasn't fixed on the chanting or the overwhelming number of corrupted creatures. His eyes wandered from one figure to another, carefully observing every moment.
Something felt... wrong.
At first glance it looked like an assault.
An army had gathered, the barrier was under attack.
Yet the longer he watched, the stranger it became.
It felt like this attacks weren't for killing...
Only handful of corrupted creatures were actually striking the barrier. Most remained still. Some slowly walked around the outer edge of the sanctuary, inspecting the surrounding. Others crouched near the ground, dragging their claws through the soil before moving elsewhere. A few simply stood motionless, staring towards the house as though waiting for something.
"... That's odd," Limbo muttered under his breath.
Adri glanced sideways.
"What is?"
"They're not trying to break in."
Her brows knitted together.
"What do you mean?"
Limbo kept watching.
"If they truly wanted to destroy the barrier, every one of them would be attacking. Instead..." he narrowed his eyes, ".. they're doing something else."
Another impact landed.
A faint crack appeared across the barrier before fading slightly as mana flowed to repair it.
The sight made everyone's expression change.
The sanctuary was no longer untouchable.
The chanting grew louder.
So did the pressure.
Mora suddenly froze.
"...Ah..."
Her hands instinctively moved to the sides of her head
Adri immediately knelt beside her.
"Mora?"
The little girl squeezed her eyes shut.
"I...hear it again..."
"What do you hear?"
"The voice..."
Not the chant.
Not th corrupted creatures.
The other voice.
The one hidden beneath the endless noise.
"...listen..."
A faint whisper echoed inside her mind.
"... don't..."
She tried to focus.
"...not..."
The chant swallowed the rest.
"Break the wall..."
"Heed the call..."
"...darklord...bring the darkness..."
Mora clenched her fists.
".. Please...."
The pressure inside her head intensified until tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I almost heard it..."
"But... I can't..."
Adri gently embraced her, trying to calm her breathing.
"It's alright."
"You don't have to force yourself."
But Mora shook her head.
"It feels lonely..."
The words caught both adri and Limbo off guard.
"It doesn't sound angry."
"It sounds..."
She struggled to find the right word.
"....like someone who's trying very hard to reach me."
Silence settled between the three.
Limbo slowly lowered his gazed.
Every time Mora heard that mysterious voice...
The corruption's chant became stronger.
Almost as though it was trying to drown it out.
Without another word, limbo activated Area Scan.
Mana spread outward from his body, flowing silently through the sanctuary before Crossing the barrier.
His perception expanded.
The damaged barrier.
The corrupted creatures.
The dead forest.
Everything entered his awareness.
One by one, he traced their movements.
The more he observed....
The more convinced he became.
These creatures weren't acting randomly.
They were moving according to patterns.
Some measured distances, some inspected trees, some circled the sanctuary.
Only a few attacked.
"... they're searching..."
The words escaped his lips before he realised it.
"For what?" Adri asked.
Limbo slowly shook his head.
"I don't know."
"But they're definitely looking for something."
Just then, a strange vibration spread through his chest.
The mysterious object the Guardian had given him reacted once again.
A familiar notification appeared before his eyes.
[ Signal interference detected]
The message flickered.
Another line began forming beneath it.
[Source proximity increa—]
Static distorted the letters.
The notification broke apart before disappearing completely.
Limbo's eyes narrowed.
"...Again."
The system had never behaved like this before.
Information was precise up until now....
It was failing.
Almost as if another force was interfering with it.
Before he could think further —
BOOM!
Another strike landed.
This time the crack remained.
Thin.
Small.
But unmistakable.
The barrier had been damaged.
For several long movements, neither side moved.
The chanting continued.
The barrier continued to trembling.
Then...
It stopped.
Abruptly.
Every corrupted creature froze where it stood.
The chant ended as if someone had cut of off mid-sentence.
An unsettling silence spread through the forest.
Even the wind seemed to disappear.
Mora slowly looked up.
"What happened?"
Nobody answered.
Because nobody knew.
One corrupted creatures slowly raised his hand.
Nothing more.
No words.
No roar.
No command.
Yet every other creature immediately obeyed.
The ones attacking stepped back.
Those circling the sanctuary stopped walking.
Then, as quietly as they had arrived...
They began retreating.
One after another.
Orderly.
Calmly.
Without hesitation.
Without looking back.
The entire horde disappeared deeper into the corrupted forest.
Limbo didn't move.
Neither Adri did.
Bothe simply watched until the last figure vanished among the dead trees.
"...Did we escaped?"
Mora's innocent question broke the silence.
Limbo couldn't answer.
Because it didn't feel like victory.
How can there be victory without battle.
Something about the entire encounter felt incomplete.
As though the attack itself had never been the real objective.
After several cautious minutes, limbo approached the damaged section of the barrier.
Black residue clung to the surface.
Beep claw marks scarred the earth beneath it.
Scattered among them were strange symbols carved into the soil.
He crouched down and examined them carefully.
"They weren't made by chance..."
He murmured.
"They left these behind intentionally."
Adri walked closer but remained silent.
For once...
Even she had no explanation.
Limbo activated Area Scan one last time.
His perception stretched beyond the sanctuary.
Past the damaged border.
Past the retreating corruption.
Further than before.
For the briefest instant—
He felt it.
A massive presence.
As if unknown... ancient.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then....
It vanished.
The scan collapsed.
Cold sweat formed on Limbo's forehead.
Whatever had been hiding beyond the forest...
It wasn't one of the corrupted creatures.
And it wasn't something he was ready to face.
Not yet.
The forest fell silent once more.
Too silent.
Leaving behind only questions...
Questions none of them could answer.
Miles away traka with some people.
Someone spoke.
"That ant thought...he.. could resist the darkness," Hahahah.... laughter truly blinded frog in well.
"How can someone Walk knowing it's hell-whole, and jump."
"Ant after ant...."
Haha..
"Shut.... Up... " Traka spoke.
We're not here for sideseen.
We're for whole...