I slowly stepped inside this part of the passage.
I put both of my hands up while still holding the torch. It was necessary for me to appear peaceful. Most of my body was covered in scratches and blood, and a part of my shoulder had melted. I didn't really look that trustworthy.
In front of me, there were four people resting who did not really look threatening at all. They did not even have any weapons out after seeing me approach.
All four of them were men, probably around eighteen or nineteen years of age, with one probably being in his twenties.
I did not walk towards them. I just stood there with my hands up as I spoke.
"I am friendly."
They were still sitting down on the ground with relaxed faces. I could see that even if they looked innocent, it did not mean that they were scared.
That was actually troubling. The ones who can hide their emotions are always tricky to deal with.
One of them stood up. He had similar clothing to the other three, red fabric from head to toe, with a mask hanging from his clothes. He was slightly shorter than me, with brown eyes, black hair, and a brown skin tone. He was the one who looked to be in his twenties.
However, I was more interested in their clothes. What could be the reason for such clothing? The red fabric and the mask were too excessive and could easily get anyone's attention.
Masks suggested that they worked in something that required their identities to remain unknown, and yet I had seen their faces.
I was also sure that no matter how they looked, they could not really be innocent. They had survived so far in whatever this place was.
If necessary, I would have to kill them before they tried to do anything to me.
The one who stood up maintained his distance and spoke with a smile that did not quite reach his eyes.
"We are friendly too. You can lower your hands, but answer me. Is it already the winter solstice?"
While he said that, his voice remained calm, matching his expression.
His eyes scanned my body, suddenly stopping and widening once they reached my shoulder, before he quickly regained his composure.
I lowered my hands, pushed the torch into the ground and looked toward the other three, who had also stood up.
I looked back toward the one in front of me.
The man did not show any kind of dissatisfaction after looking at my state.
He was probably debating if I was a Sleeper or not after seeing that I was moving around naked. I would have to find clothing soon. Maybe one of the dead bodies nearby would have some.
I nodded toward the one in front of me, confirming to him that the winter solstice had indeed arrived.
His smile turned a little sad as he let out a small sigh. That allowed me to form a few theories.
I started taking a step towards him.
"My name is Kiyotaka and I am a Sleeper. When I opened my eyes after falling unconscious in the waking world, I appeared in this cave."
He listened to what I said, but then gestured for me to stop walking by raising both of his hands. His gesture told me that he was not trying to intimidate me.
"I am sorry, Kiyotaka, but I am going to ask you to stay there until the rest get here. It is nothing personal. We are just trying to make sure you are not dangerous. You can call me Hawk."
The first thing my attention went to was the word others, which implied there were more than four people. It was highly risky for me to let my guard down. I had no idea what the others might be like.
He asked me to call him Hawk. I doubted it was actually his real name. It was probably an alias or something he just came up with. I wanted to try and find a hidden meaning beneath the name Hawk, but I did not bother without more information.
Understanding what he meant, I took a step back and glanced into the dark tunnel to see if that monster was nearby.
It was understandable that he would ask a stranger to maintain their distance.
"Thanks for understanding."
After he said that, the other three stood waiting as my eyes moved between them.
Hawk pointed toward one person.
"He is Deer."
So the alias of this one was Deer. He also had black hair, brown eyes, and a brown skin tone, and he was slightly shorter than Hawk.
Then Hawk pointed to another.
"Crow."
He also had black hair, a brown skin tone, brown eyes, and a similar height to Deer.
Then Hawk pointed to the last one.
"Cow."
Him too. They all had the same hair, eye, and skin color. The only differences were their heights and facial features.
My brain began to form a bunch of theories. The four of them had names of animals, they wore clothes that kept their identities hidden, and they even shared the same physical features. The explanation that made the most sense was classification.
It seemed to be classification based on features, but then there were their names. I could not really find any structural similarity between those specific animals even if I wanted to.
In reality, my knowledge about animals was far too lacking. I did not even know their key strengths. All I really knew was that dogs were in the zoo.
I made a mental note of the similarities between these four men.
"Don't mind them not being so talkative. They actually didn't have that good of an experience with others, so they can be rather awkward."
Yes, I was confused about that too. They were being too awkward by not saying anything. I considered Hawk to be the leader, but the others still looked a little uncomfortable with me around.
I would not fully trust whatever Hawk was saying, considering the clothes they were wearing and the way they were classified. But I would at least treat his words as close to the truth for now.
I was also not sure if their physical features were actually real or just another disguise.
"Hawk, can you tell me where exactly we are?"
Hawk went silent for a second as he glanced toward the other three. Then he closed his eyes, sat back down onto the ground, and gestured for me to sit down too.
I followed his lead as he told me something that raised my curiosity.
"Guess until the others come, I will tell you the basics of the Trapped Land."
He said Trapped Land. Trapped.
That was the exact same word the Spell had told me before I fell unconscious.
"Kiyotaka, you probably heard it when you went unconscious. 'Change what it means to be trapped.' That is exactly where the name Trapped Land comes from, because no one has been able to decipher and change what it means to be trapped. No one knows what it is, maybe except them."
I felt stupid.
I had foolishly thought that just like the first nightmare, I was the only one who was different. My thinking had been so surface-level that I even failed to entertain the idea that others might have heard the same thing.
But I could not dwell on my own mistakes for too long.
Hawk talked about "them", which was a vague term. He was still explaining, so I did not interrupt him.
"You may question what 'them' refers to. In the Trapped Land, there are a total of five cities named Dark City, Echo City, Flame City, Storm City, and Light City. They basically refers to the leaders of each city. There are five cities, so there are five leaders. It is a rumor that they know what trapped means and how to change its meaning, but they are purposely not doing it. But that is not important right now. If I were to talk about history, hours would pass and we wouldn't even touch the ceiling. What I know is like a drop of water compared to an ocean of what the leaders know. So, I am going to talk about where we currently are."
Again, these names had specific meanings. Dark, Echo, Flame, Storm, and Light. Were these names decided based on the characteristics of the land the cities were built on, or were the meanings more metaphorical than literal?
I had no way of knowing yet, and I did not force him to answer. It was indeed true that we needed to talk about where we were currently trapped rather than the whole world.
"This is a labyrinth. That is the only logical thing about it, and there is only one monster in it. But do you know what this heartbeat is?"
Finally, he mentioned the thing that I had been most curious about.
There was a heartbeat that was beating 720 times a minute. It was already there when I opened my eyes.
In fact, it was still beating.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
I nodded to Hawk, and he nodded back. His eyes closed slightly as I noticed his hand began to shake from fear, before he quickly grabbed it with his other hand to stop the trembling.
"There is a name the people of the Trapped Land have given to these entities. They are called 'Horrors Beyond Comprehension'. You cannot see them or even know what they actually are. You just realize you are already in their presence."
He looked me directly in the eyes while speaking.
"But thankfully, us humans are so insignificant in their eyes that they don't even bother hunting us. It is said that if you were somehow able to see how a 'Horror Beyond Comprehension' truly looks, you would glimpse the truth of existence, and that information would corrupt you. Somehow, we have just ended up on top of one of these 'Horrors Beyond Comprehension'. We won't die, but just the thought that we are so close to the absolute truth is terrifying. The lower we go, the closer we will get to eternity."
This was addictive. Just the thought of something that you could never understand.
Something that you could not comprehend. I wished to comprehend it.
"We were drowned in the ocean and managed to save ourselves, but in the process, we ended up here. The way we came from no longer exists."
That was the last thing he said before his expression turned serious. Right after, I heard a bunch of footsteps coming towards us.
His eyes had turned cold, but mine did not.
Step. Step. Step.
From the dark tunnels, I saw the light of a torch and three people walking towards us. They all had different physical features and wore armored suits. One armor was silver, one was black, and one was magenta, each covered in various patterns.
The first one to enter the passage was around seven feet tall with red hair and scars running over one of his eyes. Only his face was visible; the rest of his body was covered in silver armor. He carried a spear that was covered in blood.
The second one had his entire body covered in medieval-style armor, consisting of a layer of steel with chainmail underneath. There was only a tiny slit in front of his eyes to look ahead. On his waist, there was a sword, and on his back, he carried a bow and arrows. The color of his armor was pitch black.
The last one wore magenta armor that only covered his vital areas, such as his joints, knees, face, head, chest, and lower body, while keeping his arms and legs exposed, perhaps for mobility. He carried both a shield and a sword... He also had a lean yet muscular build.
They all entered the passage, and the one with the silver armor and red hair tightly grabbed Hawk's head. His hand was large enough to grasp Hawk's entire head.
"Aye bitch, who is this son of a beggar sitting there with that big cock of his? Makes me want to cut him up just because of that pretty face."
My eyes shifted to the other two who had just arrived. The one in the black medieval-style armor simply sat down against the cave wall.
Meanwhile, the one with the shield opened his face visor, revealing a crystal-white face and white hair. He smiled toward me and waved.
Hawk slowly forced a smile and looked down.
"Sir Bear, he is a Sleeper that just happened to wake up here."
My eyes went to cow crow and deer... They were sitting on the ground in a cornor visibly uncomfortable.
Bear. So this was the codename of the one with red hair. His tone of voice and choice of words revealed a lot about his personality. Not even Ryueen talked this way.
Bear took his spear and aimed its sharp edge right against my throat. He spit on my face, and his saliva slid down my cheek.
The white-haired one just kept smiling.
I had expected this. Hawk was buying time so his superiors could arrive.
...
In reality, I had been waiting for them to come.
Bear pulled the spear away from me and kicked me directly in the face, causing me to fall flat against the ground. Then, Bear walked over, placed his heavy, armored foot right on top of my throat, and stared directly into my eyes with a smirk.
"Has this sperm not developed the ability to feel scared?"
There were two routes I had decided on to escape this maze: either through association or through destruction.
In the destruction path, I had actually planned to activate The [Vow of Life & Death]right here to incapacitate every single one of them.
Then, I would use their bodies as bait to train the monster to obey me.
Bear finally glanced down at my shoulders and noticed that I was not just scratched, but that I had actually survived an encounter with the monster.
However, that destruction plan had quickly fallen apart. To train a monster, I had to make it think that I was its master, which was not possible with this specific creature since it attacked without a second thought. I also was not strong enough to defeat it outright.
There were also severe side effects to the Vow of Life and Death. Let us say I activated it, killed these guys, and somehow even tamed the monster. What then? Once I moved upward, the risks and dangers would change, and for that, I needed every single one of my senses intact, or else I would probably die.
So, the method I chose was association.
I opened my mouth, but because he was choking my throat, no actual sound could come out. Instead, I simply shaped my lips to form the words.
"I am not a liability."
That was what my lips communicated, and Bear released his pressure on my throat.
"Prove it."
The only way to survive was to reveal my aspect.
***
Bear finally left me alone after I told everyone my Aspect and even showed it to Bear. My throat had gotten a red mark because of how badly he had stepped on it.
Bear looked toward the other two as the one with minimal armor stepped forward and sat down with both of his hands on his knees.
A bracelet appeared on his hand that had three dim colors: red, gray, and green. He then took the gauntlet off his hand.
"This bracelet is a Memory which shines red when its holder is lying, green when telling the truth, and gray when hiding something regarding the question."
As he said those words, the dim green light of the bracelet began to brighten, which meant he was telling the truth.
"So this is how we are gonna do this. Since you have such an important Aspect, it's only good for you to either join us or die right here. I will ask you a question, and then you can ask me one."
The bracelet did not light up with any dim color this time.
He took the bracelet off his hand, held my hand, and pushed it on.
In my mind, I went through all the red clothing, the masks, their names that resembled animals, and how the four were probably classified into a group.
But I chose to ask none of that when my chance would come. In fact, I would not ask anything.
This was a trap.
"All I want is to remain alive. I don't care about your secrets at the moment unless they threaten my life."
The bracelet began to light up with its green light. I had successfully lied.
"That guy knows what talking gets him."
Bear actually complimented me.
The one in front of me just nodded while staring into my eyes. Actually, it was not a guy but a girl. I had suspicions after seeing her hands and thighs, but her voice just confirmed it.
"Then guess you have no questions for me to answer."
I could not help but wonder what these guys actually stood for. In front of them, I was covered in scratches and even showed hints of surviving the monster, not to mention being naked, yet not even a single one of them seemed uncomfortable about it. Instead, they were just chilling on top of one of the Horrors Beyond Comprehension. They had seen hell.
"So, Kiyotaka, answer me. The echo of screams that passed us just half an hour ago, did you have your hand in it?"
That question was another trap. I had no choice but to reveal that they died because of me, but that would make it look like I was manipulating them by obeying them effortlessly despite my skills.
I had to question them back to show that I was not hiding my true ability from them.
"I indeed had my hand in it, but I would prefer if you were more open with your question if you don't want me to hide anything."
It might almost seem like I was trying to anger them, but in actuality, I had taken myself out of a bigger problem. If I had just directly told them how I killed the seven of them, they would question why I was being so easy to deal with if I was so smart. It would make them paranoid that I was planning something, so by asking this question, I actually removed those doubts.
"How did you escape the monster, where is it right now, and how did they die?"
Over the span of the next few minutes, I began to tell them exactly what had happened. How I escaped the monster, how I got these scratches, how my shoulder had melted, how those screams happened, and how I made it here. During this, the bracelet only lit up green.
The place had gone eerily quiet; only the heartbeat of the Horror Beyond Comprehension could be heard.
I began reading everyone's facial expressions.
The girl in front of me was curious.
Bear by the rocks was impressed.
Hawk was suspicious.
Cow, Crow, and Deer were anxious.
I had no way of reading the one with medieval armor.
Even if on the surface no expression really showed on them, just their body language, the way their eyes narrowed, shifted, or looked at each other, as well as even the smallest expression possible was enough to completely read others.
The girl in front of me opened the armor that was covering her back and took out a set of clothes. They were the same as Hawk's, fully red with a mask, though this one was slightly bigger.
"Last few questions. Do you have any kind of hatred or grudge towards us? And what are the chances of you betraying us?"
It made sense for her to ask this after listening to how I escaped the monster. She had to find out if I was a friend or a foe.
Hawk had basically betrayed my trust and Bear had treated me like an animal. It would not have been weird if I held a grudge toward them.
Actually, the correct answer to make them drop their guard was to say I held a grudge but was powerless.
But if I said it, the bracelet would flash red because I did not hold any grudge. The last thing I would never have is situation under control.
"I don't. In Hawk's eyes, I was someone who came from the direction of screams with injuries from the monster, while Bear probably tried to kill me to not have to carry a liability in this labyrinth. I don't hold either a grudge or hatred towards any of you. I will only betray you if it's a kill-or-be-killed situation and your dying helps me to stay alive."
There was not a single lie in what I said.
They just looked at each other, but no one really rebuked me for saying I would betray them if I could survive.
They would do the same. They would betray one another if they could survive; that was the logical way forward.
What they might be shocked about was me not holding any grudge, which was true. I did not hold any grudge against them.
"Last question."
Her voice held curiosity.
"The way you escaped that monster just now, can you lead it towards us the same way so we can use its momentum and pierce it with bear's spear."
...
If I refused, I would have to fight them.
"I can, but in return, I want something."
My hand began to rise up and moved toward Hawk.
"To make a Binding Vow with me that when I bring it to you, if anyone were to betray me, he will die too."
The girl was not here when I told my name to Hawk, yet she knew my name. Her body had muscles that were important for combat, telling me she was not a utility type either. If she did not have some kind of utility ability, she should not have any way of knowing what was happening here beforehand.
Crow, Deer, and Cow were too scared around these three; they would not help either.
Hawk, it's you.
Hawk was the utility and communicator of this group. If he died with me, they would have no way to connect with each other.
"You bit-"
Suddenly, Bear began to curse and lunged toward me.
Oh?
Truly interesting. So Hawk was more than he presented himself to be.
The girl gestured for Bear to stop.
The girl stared into my eyes.
"What about making that Binding Vow with me?"
I shook my head, saying no. They could not kill me after I had just said that I could bring the monster to them.
"I will do it."
Just then, Hawk accepted it, making the other three look toward him in shock.
The girl in front of me sighed, then pointed toward herself.
"I am Parrot."
Then she pointed toward the one with medieval armor.
"He is Owl."
So the medieval armor one was a male.
Now she pointed towards me and also handed me the red clothes.
"Starting now, you are Cat."
Guess to survive, I joined some kind of organization.
Bear moved and kicked Hawk hard on the face.
That... Deletes the possibility of him being some kind of hidden leader... He is more than he seems but less than what I assumed.
***
I wore the clothes given to me. They had a nice fit, but in looks, they could be considered really bad. I put my hand in the pocket and then paused.
There was something in it. Without taking it out, I just checked its structure.
It was the same bone fragment I had of Dry Water. How did it get here? I had checked this clothing before wearing it, and nothing was here.
"What's wrong?"
Parrot tilted her head. She was back in her armor.
"Nothing."
I took the torch back from the rocks, but it was about to go out.
I looked toward Parrot, and she aimed a look toward Deer.
Deer activated his Memory, and a brand-new torch appeared in his hand.
Deer, you are now dear to me, and I am gonna save you.
I took the torch from him and looked into the dark tunnels. I had actually memorized the way, but there was no good reason to tell them about it.
The faster we get it done, the faster we will escape.
I started running into the dark tunnel until I made a few turns and went out of their line of vision.
I kept walking until I reached the passage where I had left the seven to die. They were all killed badly, but it did not take much effort to find all seven of them.
They died in a tragic way, but what interested me more was the fact that none of them were missing. Even though bites were taken from them, they were not eaten as a whole.
I took the torch by the wall and began inspecting it.
They are different... Guess one of my worries are over.
***
Kiyotaka had gone away to lure the monster while the seven of them stood in that passage. Bear was holding Hawk by the hair, dragging his head up.
"Look at this guy, he has grown wings to make his own decisions!"
Hawk did not say anything and just took the beating.
Parrot had to interfere.
"Bear, if you act impulsively one more time, I will have no choice but to tell Lizard about it."
Bear looked toward her with anger and stepped forward, readying his spear.
Just then, a voice spoke. It was a old and heavy voice that was filled with both wisdom and hell.
"How are you sure that he will come back?"
Parrot was taken off guard for a second after hearing Owl talk. He usually stays silent and sleeps.
Bear stopped walking toward her and looked toward Owl before going back to the rocks.
"He has a utility Aspect. To survive, he needs us more than we need him, so I just expect him to not run away."
Another sound came from Owl.
"You are correct, he will come back. But you should still have made a Vow with him. After all, what you are doing is hoping that he will come back. That naive way of thinking won't get you too far."
Parrot did not refute anything and just nodded.
"Why didn't you force him to make a Vow that makes him listen to us?"
Owl was curious as to why she did not do something so beneficial for them and rather went the equal route with him.
Parrot put her hand to her armored waist and looked toward the tunnel Kiyotaka had gone into.
"Talking with him gave me the same feeling as when I talk with Lizard. I didn't want to do extra when we were getting work done."
Owl shifted a little and began to close his eyes.
"There is no need for an owner and slave relationship when companionship can get you further. Good job."
After saying that, Owl began to take a nap.
A few moments passed.
Parrot saw it a few tunnels away, a cyan light was running toward them.
"Get ready, Bear."
Bear did not say anything back. He walked to the middle and got his spear ready.
Then they saw it. Kiyotaka, with torn clothes, was running toward them with everything he had while the monster ran after him. That man held no expression of fear on his face.
"Yeah, I get what you said, Parrot. He really reminds me of Lizard too. For that, I will beat him extra."
Parrot took a few steps back, giving Bear enough space to thrust his spear forward.
"You do you, I guess."
Kiyotaka and the monster kept getting faster and faster as the creature bounded along the rock walls. Within seconds, Kiyotaka ran past Bear.
The monster jumped from the walls straight toward Bear. Strands of glowing cyan saliva and boiling blood flew through the air, splashing onto Bear's armor. The liquid immediately began to hiss and melt through the metal, crawling inside toward his skin.
The monster was close enough to touch, thrusting its sharp claws forward.
A wild grin made its way to Bear's face as he pulled his spear back and drove it hard toward the creature's chest.
...
..
.
Everyone's eyes widened at the sight.
The monster's claws suddenly expanded, rushing straight toward Bear's face, but Bear managed to dodge it by tilting his head. At the same instant, the spear impaled the creature's chest completely.
...
There was no victory.
Instead of dying, the monster's body instantly dissolved into a thick, boiling liquid of glowing cyan. The entire weight of the melted creature fell directly on top of Bear, covering him from head to toe.
Bear's armor melted away. He collapsed onto the stone floor as horrific screams escaped his throat.
It was a agonizing sound. The cost of killing the monster turned out to be Bear himself.
Cow, Crow, and Deer closed their eyes tightly, their bodies shaking with terror. Owl just sat there, watching silently, while Hawk remained on his knees. Kiyotaka stood a short distance away, his eyes fixed on the scene.
Only Parrot stepped forward in a hurry, raising her shield, her expressions hidden completely beneath her armor.
She hoped to fling the acidic liquid away using her shield. She ran toward him, but the heavy voice of Owl stopped her in her tracks.
"Parrot. You are wrong in this one. Bear is too far gone. Step back and quit hoping."
Parrot stopped walking. She stepped back, her fingers gripping her shield in pure frustration as the agonizing screams echoed through the cavern.
Then, the noise stopped. Bear was dead, and the liquid had completely dissolved his armor, leaving his lifeless body bare on the stone.
...
Then, all hell broke loose.
The cyan liquid began to solidify, sinking directly into Bear's pale flesh. His skin turned a gray. Without making a single sound, the corpse began to break, snap, and expand.
Its arms and legs elongated, snapping out into thick, twisted limbs. The nose melted flat into nothingness. The eyes dropped out of their sockets entirely, leaving hollow black holes with a single, glowing white dot in the center.
The body was changing into an entirely new monster.
It rose up on two powerful legs, opening its wide mouth to reveal rows of countless jagged teeth. A long tongue hung low, dripping acidic saliva that hissed as it touched the ground, The spine extended and became a tail, stones began to burst violently out of its spine and let out cyan light.
There wasn't a single sound that escaped while this happened.
Owl finally stood up, while Hawk moved to cover the three terrified.
There was a reason none of them had moved to strike the beast while it was changing.
The heartbeat. It had grown incredibly loud, echoing through the entire cavern.
THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD.
They did not know what the sound meant, but the sheer weight of it made their bodies refuse to move.
THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD.
The transformation was complete. The new creature stood over eight feet tall, possessing a perfectly healthy, terrifying body built for killing. Every single bone and nerve had been broken down and rebuilt. It was a brutal process.
Thankfully, Bear had already died while being melted alive.
THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD.
THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD.
THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD.
But amidst the noise, something even worse happened to Kiyotaka.
THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD.
A familiar whisper from the Spell echoed in his mind.
[You have defeated an Awakened human, Kath.]
Without him calling for it, the Divine Ledger appeared directly in his hand, its pages glowing faintly.
He tried to stop it. He tried with all his power to hold it back, but fate did not care about his desires. The force of the Spell was cruel.
The monster looked towards them and smiled.
"Guark."
Finally a sound came.
"GUAAAAAAAAAAARK!"
It laughed.
On the same time....
Kiyotaka felt dissapointed because Kath died.
********
Was this setup chapter a good chapter? Not going to drag this mini-arc, don't worry, I have learned from my past.
Not really much to say in a setup chapter... Keep your eyes open.
Actually, there's something I'd like to know.
As you may have guessed, after returning, I am trying a new way of presentation... The minimal style. Tell me if it is good or seems novice... Cus I can't help but notice I have started to use way too much "I" and "As"... I just repeat words gotta work on it fr If I wish to write my own stuff one day.
That's it.
Peace.