Laura quickly scanned the surroundings, realizing the situation was becoming increasingly dire. With this conclusion in mind, she firmly said: “Let’s go! We need to get out of here now, or we’ll be crushed. This place won’t hold for much longer!”

As soon as Laura uttered those words, another tremor shook the cave, this time much more intense than the previous ones. It became evident to everyone that even if they ran with all their strength, they wouldn’t reach the light at the exit before being buried under the rubble.

“We’re not going to make it in time. The path to the exit normally takes ten to fifteen minutes, but even running, we might cut it down to five. However, I doubt we even have a minute before everything collapses on top of us” Arthur commented, observing the cracks spreading rapidly around them.

Laura bit her lip hard, recognizing that Arthur was right. Deep down, she already knew it: even if they gave everything they had to reach the exit, they’d be crushed before they got there. Of course, Victor might be an exception.

She knew better than anyone that, in critical moments, he could display extraordinary speed. However, for her, the reality was different. Laura was fully aware that, one way or another, her attempt to escape would end in death.

Lost in thought, Laura turned her gaze to the anomaly before her, known as [Angel of Death]. Amidst the chaos, she once again found herself fixating on the figure that had already helped her on countless occasions. Though the idea was insane, Laura decided to turn to it for help once again.

It was their only chance of survival. Even Victor, with his extraordinary speed, could hardly make the return journey in just five minutes. This was beyond anything any human—even the fastest runners—could achieve.

With her decision made, Laura opened her lips and firmly declared: “Follow me... As crazy as it sounds, I have a plan that might work”

Arthur and Victor exchanged a brief glance, with confusion evident on Arthur’s face. He had no idea how they could get out of this situation. Although he possessed an anomaly that might save him, it wouldn’t be enough to protect both Laura and Victor as well. He was trapped in a no-win dilemma.

Victor, on the other hand, had some idea of what Laura intended to do, and as she admitted, it sounded completely crazy. However, within seconds, as his eyes analyzed the surroundings, he understood the reasons behind her decision.

Even he, who considered himself relatively fast by human standards, doubted his ability to escape the cave in time. Furthermore, the longer they hesitated, the more imminent the total collapse of the structure became.

Without saying another word, Laura began walking toward the anomaly, which remained still, watching her intently. Laura knew that, although it had saved her several times, those instances had been mere coincidences—moments when her needs perfectly aligned with the anomaly’s presence at the right time and place. This time, however, though the situation seemed similar, the circumstances were completely different.

“Wait, are you serious? Are you really going to ask an anomaly for help?” Arthur questioned, finally understanding Laura’s intentions as he walked behind her.

Without responding, Laura kept her gaze fixed on the anomaly ahead. Just steps away from it, Arthur, unsure of what else to do, decided to trust the solution to Laura. In the end, she was their only hope left. With a new tap of his cane against the ground, the veil of shadows concealing them dissolved, fully revealing the three of them.

With confidence, Laura approached the anomaly, which observed her with blinking eyes as it tilted its head. After spending so much time around it, Laura had learned that this reaction was a sign of confusion. Now, she understood why: the anomaly likely hadn’t expected to find her in the cave, just as Laura hadn’t expected to see it there either.

***

(POV – Protagonist)

I just stood there, staring at Laura. The situation was so absurd that I didn’t even know how to react. Why on earth was she here? I could think of several possibilities, yet I still couldn’t understand her presence. Moreover, besides Victor, there was that other man carrying anomalies. The situation was so bizarre I could barely describe it.

“I don’t know if you can understand my words, but I believe you can feel what I’m trying to convey” Laura began, crouching down and gently placing her hand on my head.

Her hand trembled, and though Laura was smiling, her smile was clearly forced. In other words, she was so terrified that the fear only made her more afraid. Though it didn’t make much sense, I could feel it clearly from her. That’s why I kept my eyes fixed on Laura, waiting for her next words.

Laura opened her mouth several times, only to close it again right after. It was clear she didn’t know how to start or what to say. My inability to speak, combined with her uncertainty about whether I could understand her, probably made things even harder for her.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Even so, I stayed silent, waiting for her words. I wasn’t sure if it would be a long speech or something more straightforward, but in the end, Laura’s request was surprisingly simple. So simple, in fact, that it didn’t need words to be understood.

“Please... help us”

The place fell silent after Laura’s quiet plea for help. I blinked, noticing how obviously scared she was. But even in the face of fear, she asked me for help. I didn’t know if it was because she trusted me or because I was her last hope in this desperate situation, but either way, I didn’t care about the reason. What mattered was that Laura had asked for my help.

I didn’t say anything to Laura—I couldn’t. My body lacked organs like lungs or vocal cords. Silently, I turned my head and looked at my Alter Ego, who observed the scene from the ceiling, swinging his legs. He had made a sort of swing with the cords hanging above him.

I didn’t think or say anything to my Alter Ego either. If it truly was me—a part of myself that knew me better than anyone, that understood all my desires without words—then it would understand my look, my feelings… it would understand my command.

Without a single word, my Alter Ego locked eyes with me, blinking slowly as it tilted its head. Its expression suggested it might not have understood, but in the next moment, it leapt from the swing, landing softly on the ground. The tremors continued to reverberate throughout the place, a clear warning that the collapse was imminent.

The smoke that incessantly emanated from his body began to retract and shift, as if it had gained a life of its own. With this movement, it became clear that he had understood what I wanted to do. Naturally, I turned my gaze to Laura. She seemed confused, watching my Alter Ego suddenly move behind me. That’s when our eyes met.

Laura blinked rapidly, probably puzzled. It was understandable; after all, she had no way of knowing if I had understood her request. Unable to speak to confirm, any other response might have seemed odd.

Nodding, for example, would make it clear that I fully understood what she was saying, something that perhaps wouldn’t be wise to reveal at that moment. Besides her, Emily, and Victor, I had no idea how the others would react. For now, talking was out of the question—definitely not the time for it.

A thick black smoke began to slowly surround us, descending from above like a growing shadow. My eyes turned to Victor and the other man, who were a little farther back, watching the scene unfold due to my Alter Ego’s actions. One single thought crossed my mind: "They're too far away" At that instant, the black smoke trembled slightly, as if it had reacted to my concern.

Fragments of the black shadow detached, twisting like ropes, advancing toward Victor and the other man. Both had cautious expressions, though the man seemed more distrustful than Victor. Still, Victor showed some understanding of what I was trying to do—or, at least, I hoped he understood my intentions.

The shadow wrapped around their waists, lifting them gently and bringing them closer to me. Once they were freed, their gazes naturally fell on me. I stared at them in silence, blinking my eyes while tilting my head slightly to the side. The man and Victor exchanged a brief glance before Victor nodded. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it seemed like both had reached some kind of understanding.

With every passing second, the tremors increased in intensity, as if the collapse was imminent. Surprisingly, the structure still held up, even though it seemed ready to collapse at any moment. Finally, my eyes turned to the woman who had brought me here. She remained kneeling on the ground... Honestly, I wasn’t sure whether I should help her or not, but the simple thought of her body being crushed under thousands of stones left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Finally, I made another shadow rope emerge, enveloping the woman and pulling her closer to me. At first, she seemed confused, but when she realized it was me, she simply resumed murmuring prayers while babbling incoherent words that I chose to ignore.

When everyone was gathered around me, my Alter Ego floated above us, its form seeming to gradually expand. More precisely, the black smoke that constantly emanated from its body began to grow, spreading more and more.

Soon, it enveloped us completely, forming a sort of dome around us. Inside this dome, an infinite darkness dominated, but my golden eyes, shining like candle flames, provided faint illumination, allowing everyone around me to still see.

"What the hell is this?"

Hearing the question from the man whose name I still didn’t know, my eyes turned in his direction. In that sea of darkness, the golden light emanating from my eyes focused solely on his figure. He also stared at me for a brief moment but quickly looked away, slightly turning his face while raising his hand in front of his eyes. It made sense—considering my eyes were the only source of light at the moment, the intensity of the glow was probably blinding him.

The sound of the collapse soon echoed, one crash after another as stones began falling above our heads. It felt like the entire place was giving way. While I couldn’t measure the exact magnitude of the collapse, it was clear the whole structure was crumbling. The crashes went on for a long time, and since we were in the heart of the cave, it was almost certain we would be completely buried.

Of course, this wasn’t something that worried me much. I didn’t feel pain, didn’t need to breathe, and even in the total darkness caused by the falling stones, I could use my shadow-moving power to escape. However, the others wouldn’t have the same luck; if they were hit, they’d be crushed to death. So I remained still, waiting for the collapse to end.

It didn’t take long for everything to come to an end. The crashes stopped at some point, and silence took over. A simple thought crossed my mind: I wanted to leave that place. As if it understood my desire, my Alter Ego began to act. I heard sounds from outside—something being moved... or rather, thrown. Finally, the shadow surrounding us began to slowly retract.

Slowly, rays of sunlight began to invade the infinite darkness. The shadow, created from my Alter Ego, gradually retreated, returning to its body. I gave a quick glance at Laura, Victor, the man, and the eccentric leader of the bizarre cult from before—all seemed fine.

My Alter Ego, apparently satisfied with completing its task, finished retracting the shadow that formed the protective dome around us. Without any ceremony, it dissolved into smoke and returned inside my body.

Laura, Victor, the man, and the cult leader watched the scene in silence. For a brief moment, I wondered what thoughts were crossing their minds at that moment. However, that wasn’t what intrigued me the most.

As soon as I left the cave and the altar behind, I felt a heavy gaze fixed on my back. When I turned around, my eyes met those of the being that had been freed. A smile persisted on its face as it watched me closely, as if waiting for something.