{..> whispers from the void <..}
[[ ¡¡¡ SHHHHHHH ¡¡¡ ]]
Even the wind underwent a sudden transformation. Everyone looked around instinctively, sensing an approaching danger
[[ SHHHHHH ]]
The shift happened again.
"What is this...?"
"The next problem,"
Sai muttered, scanning the perimeter.
"Hey...!"
Jinso looked down at his hand; Abyss had begun to tremble violently. The energy within it was racing at an unnatural speed. It wasn't just Abyss—every single sword present started to vibrate. The energy inside each blade began to surge, reaching a fever pitch.
Suddenly!!!!
It was as if the wind itself had died. A long, heavy silence fell over them. The leaves stopped rustling, the sounds of small insects vanished, and the silence wrapped around them like a thick, suffocating fog.
"This is something else entirely..."
Izuma stared at his sword. As someone who could sense the movement of shadows and the very breath of the forest, Izuma realized a terrifying change was taking place through his blade.
"Something else??"
Sai looked at him, confused.
"It means the chances of this being a Seeker are low. Because the color currently glowing on my blade is not what appears when it senses a soul," Izuma said, raising his sword toward Sai to show him. He was right; the hue emanating from the metal was completely different from its usual warning sign.
"Then what is it?"
"VELKRATH," the girl said firmly.
"What's that?"
"It's a creature known as the hunter that hides in the shadows and devours souls. He is the primary reason no one enters this Nethavana... this beast."
"Humans might not come here, but clearly, you can," Sai remarked, giving his sword a sharp swing.
"Sai!" Jinso warned, looking at him
"What? I'm just stating facts. She knows all about this place, yet she tried to hunt us down. And now she's giving us a lecture?"
"Sai... why bring up the past now? It was just a misunderstanding on her part..."
"A misunderstanding? This?!"
Sai pointed to the wounds on his body for them to see.
"She didn't kill me... if she had, you guys would probably still find a way to blame me for it!"
"Sai, this is not the time to argue!"
Haru stepped forward, his voice firm.
"What argument? I'm just stating the facts. Now you're saying I shouldn't even speak against her? She attacked me without even knowing the truth!"
"But you were the one who said not to kill her, Sai!!"
Haru raised his voice.
"That's because... I... well..."
Sai struggled to find a response. He looked at her again; those eyes had a strange pull on him, leaving him momentarily speechless.
"This is no time for bickering. Both of you, calm down,"..
Izuma said, his focus entirely on their surroundings.
"The coming danger might be invisible. If we lose our focus now, it will lead to our destruction."
Izuma gripped his sword tighter.
[[ krrr.. krrr.... krrr..]]
The sound of shadows shifting.
"Be careful!" he warned.
Suddenly...
[Thump... Thump... Thump...]
A vibration echoed beneath the soil where they stood. Something was moving through the earth itself.
"There's something under here,"
Jinso noted, watching the ground.
[Thump... Thump... Thump...]
The sound repeated. It wasn't the natural movement of the earth; it was something else, lurking in the forest, waiting for the perfect moment to hunt.
Between the trees, a dark, smoke-like essence began to flow and surround them. In the darkness, two eyes snapped open.
They weren't red...
They weren't silver...
They were colorless and hollow, like the eyes of the dead.
"!!!!! SAI !!!!!"