The creature's body suddenly tensed.
Its three-pointed tail snapped forward like a spear.
Kai clenched his fists and braced himself.
"…Run," he whispered.
The monster lunged.
But before it could reach him
"Stop."
A sharp metallic crack echoed through the chamber.
The creature's body froze mid-air.
Kai blinked.
The monster was suspended just inches away from him, its claws twitching uselessly in the air as if something invisible was gripping its entire body.
Kai slowly turned his head.
Ren stood behind him, one hand slightly raised.
The small necklace around his neck glowed faintly.
Kai stared.
"…Ren?"
Ren's expression had completely changed.
The air in the room suddenly felt heavy.
Then with a violent motion, the creature was slammed into the floor.
The entire chamber shook.
Before it could recover
Ren clenched his hand.
The monster was yanked upward and smashed into the ceiling, metal bending under the impact.
Then again.
Floor.
Ceiling.
Floor.
Ceiling.
The creature's massive body crashed again and again as if controlled by an invisible force.
Kai stood frozen, eyes wide.
"…What the hell…"
With one final motion, Ren hurled the creature across the chamber. It slammed against the wall and slid to the ground with a heavy thud.
The room fell silent.
Kai slowly turned toward Ren, still completely stunned.
"…Since when can you do that?"
Ren looked at the faint glow of the necklace in his hand, then back at Kai.
"I know… it's hard to believe."
Kai didn't respond.
Ren exhaled quietly.
"…Sorry I kept it a secret from you."
Kai stared at him.
Ren glanced toward the creature, which was beginning to move again.
"I'll explain everything."
His voice hardened slightly.
"…If we get out of here alive."
The crystal pulsed once more.
And the creature slowly began to stand again.
The creature's body twitched.
Then slowly… it began to move again.
Kai's eyes widened.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
The dents in its body started pulling back into place, its dark skin stitching itself together like nothing had happened.
It was healing.
The creature lifted its tail.
The three pointed tips aligned.
A sudden glow built at the center—
"MOVE!" Ren shouted.
A thin beam of burning light shot across the chamber.
Ren and Kai dove in opposite directions just as the laser carved a glowing line across the metal floor.
Kai rolled to his feet, breathing hard.
"Ren!"
Ren looked toward him.
"Do that thing again!"
Ren shook his head quickly.
"I can't!"
Kai blinked.
"What do you mean you can't?!"
Ren clenched his fist, frustrated.
"That much just now… was luck."
The creature slowly stepped forward again, its tail twitching as another glow started to build.
Kai swallowed.
"…Then what do we do now?"
Ren's mind raced.
Then—
A faint voice echoed inside his head.
Soft.
Broken.
"The… crystal…"
Ren froze.
"…take it."
His eyes slowly turned toward the glowing crystal behind them.
The voice whispered again.
"Take… it…"
The creature suddenly lunged again.
Ren barely reacted in time as its massive claw swung toward him. He stumbled back, the attack missing his chest by inches.
"Ren!" Kai shouted.
The monster's tail lifted again, preparing another strike.
Ren's eyes darted to the crystal.
The… crystal… take it.
The voice echoed again in his mind.
Without thinking, Ren turned and sprinted toward the platform. The creature rushed after him, its claws scraping loudly across the floor.
Kai tried to block it.
"HEY! Ugly!"
But the creature pushed past him.
Just as the monster leapt—
Ren grabbed the crystal.
The moment his hand touched it—
Everything stopped.
The creature froze mid-movement.
Then slowly… it lowered its head.
Its massive body dropped to one knee before Ren.
The room fell silent.
Kai blinked in disbelief.
"…What's happening to it?"
The creature remained kneeling, completely still.
Kai scratched his head.
"…Why isn't it attacking?"
Ren stared down at the glowing crystal in his hand.
"…Is it because I took the crystal?"
Kai suddenly laughed nervously.
"Huh. Was it really this easy?"
He looked at the crystal.
"Only if we knew earlier."
Ren shook his head slightly.
"That aside… we should run before things get worse."
Kai looked at the kneeling creature.
"Then what about this thing?"
Ren stepped past it cautiously.
"Just leave it like this."
He glanced back once.
"It won't chase us… if not… probably."
Kai stopped.
"…What do you mean by probably?"
But Ren was already heading for the exit.
After a few seconds, Kai hurried after him.
The two of them disappeared down the corridor.
Minutes later, they finally emerged from the abandoned facility and stepped outside into the night air.
They were safe.
Or at least… for now.
High above the entrance, a black figure stood silently in the shadows, watching them leave.
The figure waited until Ren and Kai disappeared into the distance.
Then it moved.
Slowly, it entered the facility.
The chamber was quiet again.
The creature still knelt in the center of the room, motionless without the crystal.
The figure approached it calmly.
A sword slid from its sheath with a quiet metallic whisper.
"The crystal is gone," the figure said coldly.
"You have no reason to live now."
The creature didn't move.
"You did your job well."
The sword flashed once.
The creature's head fell to the floor.
Dark silence filled the chamber.
And the figure disappeared back into the shadows.
Coming soon
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