Chapter 132: Trap

Chapter 132: Trap The Descent Into White The southern passage stretched endlessly before them, a narrow corridor carved from ancient stone that seemed to swallow their footsteps. Naia’s breath came in visible puffs as she walked beside Mika, the cold seeping through their armor despite their steady pace. The silence between them was broken only by the echo of their boots against the weathered stone floor. "How long have we been walking?" Naia asked, her voice echoing softly off the weathered walls. Mika’s earth-blade remained ready in her grip, her eyes scanning every shadow and alcove they passed. "Long enough to know we’re being led somewhere specific," she replied, her tone clipped with concentration. Naia glanced back the way they had come, thinking of the split in the courtyard. "I hope Ester and Soren have found something on their path. Viva needs her sisters right now." The passage had been monotonously straight for what felt like hours, with no branching paths or distinguishing features to mark their progress. The only constant was the gradual descent, the floor sloping downward at an almost imperceptible angle that made Naia’s ears pop occasionally from the changing pressure. "There," Naia whispered, pointing ahead to where the corridor finally opened into a wider chamber. They emerged into a circular room with several passages branching off in different directions. The walls were covered in the same weathered stone, but here the surfaces showed signs of deliberate carving—symbols and patterns that had been worn smooth by countless years of neglect. A flutter of movement in the shadows above made them all freeze. The creature descended slowly, its form shifting and undulating in ways that defied easy description. Naia recognized it immediately—an Eren humic, one of the rare beings that had bonded with her friend during his time in the otherworld. Mika’s reaction was immediate and violent. Her earth-blade swept upward in a killing arc, the weapon humming with deadly intent as it carved through the air toward the descending creature. "No!" Naia threw herself forward, her own blade intercepting Mika’s strike with a ringing clash of metal. The impact sent vibrations up both their arms, but Naia held firm, her eyes blazing with protective fury. "What are you doing?" Mika snarled, her face twisted with confusion and anger. "That thing could be—" "It’s Eren’s humic," Naia said firmly, not lowering her blade. "Look at the patterns on its form—those are bonding marks. This creature is connected to him." Mika’s expression shifted from aggression to understanding, then to mortification. She lowered her weapon immediately, stepping back with her hands raised. "Gods, I’m sorry. I almost forgot... the stress of this place, everything that’s happened..." The humic settled on the stone floor between them, its form pulsing with a gentle rhythm that seemed almost like breathing. Up close, Naia could see the intricate patterns that marked it as bonded—swirling designs that glowed faintly with inner light. "It’s alright," Naia said, reaching out cautiously toward the creature. "We’re all on edge." The humic tilted what might have been its head, studying Naia with intelligence that was unmistakably aware. When she extended her hand, it brushed against her fingers with something that felt like warm silk. "If the humic is here," Naia said, excitement creeping into her voice, "that means Eren and Viva are close. These creatures rarely travel far from their bonded partners." As if understanding her words, the humic rose from the floor and began moving toward one of the branching passages. It paused at the entrance, turning back to gesture at them with motions that were clearly meant to convey ’follow me.’ "It wants us to come with it," Naia observed. "Then that’s where we go," Naia said without hesitation. They followed the humic deeper into the complex, the passage growing narrower and more treacherous with each step. The carved symbols on the walls became more frequent, their meaning lost to time but their presence somehow ominous in the flickering light cast by their torches. "Are you okay?" Naia asked quietly, glancing at Mika as they navigated a particularly steep section of the path. "I’m fine," Mika replied curtly, her attention focused on the treacherous footing. "Are you sure? You seem—" "I said I’m fine!" Mika’s voice exploded in the confined space, echoing off the walls with startling intensity. "I’m okay, you hear me? Stop asking!" The sudden outburst caught Naia off guard, making her take an involuntary step backward at the vehemence in her friend’s voice. Before anyone could respond, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble. The vibration started as a barely perceptible quiver, but within seconds it had grown to a violent shaking that sent loose stones raining down from the ceiling above. Cracks appeared in the floor, spreading outward like spider webs as the ancient stonework finally succumbed to whatever force was attacking its foundations. "Move!" Naia shouted, but her warning came too late. The floor collapsed completely, sending both figures—and the humic—plummeting into the darkness below. They fell through empty air for what felt like an eternity before landing hard on a surface that felt like packed earth mixed with something that crunched unpleasantly underfoot. Complete darkness surrounded them. The torches had been extinguished in the fall, leaving them blind in the underground chamber. Naia could hear Mika moving around her, groaning and checking for injuries, but she couldn’t see anything beyond the vaguest of shapes. Then the humic’s body began to glow. The light started as a faint shimmer along the creature’s surface, then grew steadily brighter until it cast a pale, ethereal illumination throughout their new surroundings. Naia gasped at what the light revealed, her hand flying to cover her mouth in shock. They were in a vast underground cavern, its walls lined with alcoves that contained the skeletal remains of countless individuals. Bones were scattered across the floor where they had fallen, creating a carpet of death that stretched as far as the humic’s light could reach. The air was thick with the smell of decay and something else—something older and more fundamental than simple death. "What is this place?" Naia whispered, her voice barely audible. Mika’s expression remained unchanged, as if the macabre sight was nothing more than an inconvenience. "Let’s go," she said flatly, already moving toward where the humic was indicating they should proceed. They picked their way carefully through the bone-strewn chamber, the humic’s glow casting eerie shadows that danced across the walls like trapped spirits. The alcoves seemed to watch them as they passed, empty eye sockets following their progress through the necropolis. The passage they followed began to slope upward again, and Naia found herself grateful to be leaving the bone chamber behind. The humic increased its pace, its movement becoming more urgent as they climbed. "It wants us to hurry," she observed, having to jog slightly to keep up. Soon they were all running, following the glowing creature through twisting passages that seemed to go on forever. The walls gradually changed from rough stone to something smoother, more deliberately constructed, until finally they emerged into a space that was so different from what they had been traversing that it took their eyes a moment to adjust. Everything was white. The walls, the floor, the ceiling—all of it was covered in the same pristine white material that seemed to glow with its own inner light. The transition was so abrupt that it felt like stepping from one world into another entirely. They had barely begun to explore this new environment when the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from somewhere ahead. The humic immediately dimmed its glow and pressed itself against the wall, and Naia and Mika quickly followed suit, hiding behind what appeared to be architectural features built into the white surfaces. A group of guards passed by, their armor clanking softly as they conducted what was obviously a routine patrol. They moved with the casual efficiency of people who had walked these corridors countless times before, their voices carrying brief snippets of conversation that were too distant to make out clearly. Once the guards had disappeared around a corner, the two women emerged from their hiding places and continued following the humic. The creature led them through the white corridors with increasing urgency, its form pulsing with what Naia interpreted as excitement. They reached a junction where four passages branched off in different directions. The humic paused only briefly before heading down the leftmost path, but before they could follow, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from multiple directions. "They’ve found us," Naia said grimly, drawing her weapon. Guards appeared at the mouths of three different passages, their shouts of alarm echoing off the white walls as they spotted the intruders. More voices joined the commotion from behind them, cutting off their retreat. Mika drew her earth-blade, its familiar weight steady in her grip as she assessed their tactical situation. They were outnumbered and surrounded, with enemies approaching from multiple angles in an environment that offered little cover. "Ready, Naia?" she asked, her voice calm despite the chaos erupting around them. Naia drew her own weapon, the blade singing as it cleared its sheath. "Ready."