Chapter 22 Splitting in two

Chapter 22 Splitting in two
That same suffocating sense of ancient power hung in the air as Nightshade’s group reached their destination.

Before them stood a massive, swirling rift of violet energy—the gateway to the monsters’ domain.

“So, this is it?” Jasmia asked, her voice trembling as she stared at the jagged tear in reality.

“This is it,” Nightshade confirmed.

But as they stepped through, the magic flared violently. A surge of energy tore through the group, splitting them apart. Lori and Nightshade were thrown into a world of fire, while Jasmia and Tsukia were cast into freezing darkness.

The girls landed hard in a cavern where the ceiling was a living carpet of swarming bats.

“Where are the boys?” Jasmia panicked, her head snapping left and right.

“The portal split us,” Tsukia said calmly, already drawing her steel. Her guard was instantly up.

“No! We’re going to die!” Jasmia wailed, clinging tightly to Tsukia’s arm.

“Protect me! You’re the fighter, Tsukia! I’m just the support!”

Meanwhile, Nightshade pushed forward, his voice tight with urgency. He could only hope the girls hadn’t landed somewhere worse than where he and Lori were.

They stood in a cavern where rivers of orange lava bubbled beneath fractured stone platforms, eerie guttural roars echoing from the glowing depths. Suddenly, the magma erupted.

A Maglasaur, a massive serpent-like dragon plated in volcanic rock rose from the fire. The ground shook under its weight. Prioritizing the girls’ safety over a glory kill, they chose to flee.

They darted into a side cave filled with glowing minerals and a pool of cool water, narrowly avoiding the beast’s snapping jaws.

“That was close,” Lori panted, wiping soot and sweat from his face.

“We have to find them.”

Miles away, in a cavern where the ceiling was a living carpet of leathery wings, the air was filled with screeching chaos.

Tsukia moved like a blur, fending off the swarm while Jasmia prayed loudly behind her. Tsukia pushed her sword to its limit, channeling her inner reserves through steel.

“It’s… never-ending!” Tsukia gasped, her movements slowing as exhaustion crept in.

“We’re doomed!” Jasmia cried.

But Tsukia’s fear twisted into something sharper—cold, focused rage. Driven by the need to protect her friend, black veins spiderwebbed across her skin. Her eyes darkened to a terrifying pitch. With a guttural shout, she swung her blade in a wide arc.

A massive shockwave of pure energy tore through the cavern. In an instant, the entire swarm was incinerated, leaving only drifting ash. Her sword dropped to the ground, and she collapsed from exhaustion.

Jasmia rushed forward, eyes wide with awe, and threw her arms around her.

“Wow! Tsukia, you’re a savior!”

The moment shattered as the earth itself groaned. A violent tremor ran through the labyrinth, shaking its bones.

Lori braced himself against a jagged wall.

“What was that?” he asked sharply.

Nightshade went still. His vampire instincts picked up a familiar resonance in the air.

“It’s Tsukia,” he whispered. “We need to hurry!”

That blast wasn’t just a signal of her location—it was a beacon. And every predator in the lair would be heading straight for it.

They pushed deeper into the dark and eventually reached the heart of the nest.

There, asleep, lay the Queen—a monstrous bat with a massive wingspan and fur like matted iron.

The girls tried to slip along the wall, but Jasmia’s boot hit a loose stone. The sharp clack echoed like thunder.

The Queen’s eyes snapped open, piercing red orbs burning with malice. With a deafening roar, she spread her wings, sealing the exit.

“Stand back!” Tsukia commanded, her voice breaking from exhaustion. She raised her blade, forcing out the last of her power.

The Queen lunged.

On the other side of the lair, tension finally snapped.

“By the way,” Lori said, stopping.

“If you ever betray Tsukia—if you’re just using her as a battery—I’ll kill you.”

Nightshade gave a dry, humorless chuckle. “Is that so? You’re awfully protective of a girl you barely know, Captain.”

“I know her well enough,” Lori snapped.

“Do you? Or are you just addicted to the taste of her potential?” Lori shot back.

Suddenly, Nightshade’s knees buckled. His eyes flickered scarlet to black, over and over. His skin turned deathly pale, and his fangs slid down, grazing his lip.

“Are you okay?” Lori asked, hand moving toward his dagger.

“Blood,” Nightshade gasped, trembling. A hunger he had been suppressing all day finally tore through him.

“I… I need it. Now.”

Lori watched him for a moment. “I thought you didn’t need blood to survive.”

“To survive, no,” Nightshade spat through gritted teeth.

“But to hold back the Undo? To keep my mind from being swallowed by the dark? Yes.”

Lori knelt and unsheathed his dagger. “I’ll give you mine. But answer me first. Why her? You could’ve stayed at Rank 8. Why risk everything for a girl?”

Nightshade didn’t answer. He couldn’t. But the look in his eyes—desperate, possessive, unspoken—said everything.

Lori understood then. It wasn’t attachment.

He was falling for her. And he was terrified of it.

“Hahaha,” Lori chuckled softly, strangely calm. Nightshade was just as cursed as the rest of them.

He slit his arm, the scent of iron filling the cave.

“Fine. Drink. But don’t you dare let her get hurt.”

Nightshade didn’t hesitate. Driven by something beyond reason, he sank his fangs into Lori’s arm.

While blood was spilled in silence below, the upper cavern became a storm of shadow and sound.

Tsukia, pushed to her limit, let the black veins take full control. With a single shockwave, she erased the swarm.

But the Queen remained.

The massive beast lunged, and steel met fangs in a burst of sparks. Tsukia was driven to her knees, her eyes turning pitch black. Then—one clean strike.

The Queen’s head hit the ground.

Tsukia collapsed beside the carcass, gasping as the black veins faded. Jasmia rushed forward, sobbing with relief.

“You did it, Tsukia!”

But the celebration was swallowed by the earth again. A deep tremor shook the labyrinth.

Lori steadied himself.

“What now?”

Nightshade went still again.

“It’s her,” he whispered. “We’re close.”

And for the first time, Tsukia could feel it too—his presence cutting through the dark like iron through silence.

He was near.

And she wasn’t sure anymore if she should run from it… or walk straight into it.