Surrounded by sights beyond comprehension, Kai'Sa's previous beliefs crumbled—this subterranean world was not devoid of light. Yet the illumination around her felt wrong, unnervingly so. An unease circled in her chest, like vultures over carrion.

Phantasmal purple glimmers emanated from the cave walls, glowing indentations arranged parallel to the ground in rows, resembling the discernible rhythm of a fluorescent purple heart beating behind a cage of ribs. The light was diffused, as if seen through a thin membrane, obscuring its true nature.

The rib-lined tunnel made young Kai'Sa think of a giant creature's thorax.

But what kind of beast would have ribs so vast? It seemed more appropriate to imagine herself within a massive chrysalis.

Following the light, Kai'Sa descended further, nibbling on the scant water skins and spoiled peaches she’d found in the ruins.

This meager nourishment, after enduring three days of starvation, was precious to her.

Kane, ghost-like, trailed behind Kai'Sa, burdened by the weight he carried. His steps were hindered by the food and water weighing him down and the spear that was heavy for a ten-year-old. On top of that, his injured body and the need to remain silent to avoid alerting Kai'Sa made it difficult to keep pace.

He dared not call out to her, fearing she might miss her destiny and be led to an inevitable death.

In the darkness, he prayed to Nasus, hoping they could both see the sun of Shurima once again.

Though he knew it futile—Nasus, lost in the sands, could hardly hear a child's whispers.

Thinking of the lurking danger, Kane half-wished for a miraculous system to activate in his mind with a ‘ding’—a vain hope quickly discarded as he struggled to keep up.

The butt of his spear found no mark on the smooth, hardened ground. He realized the rocks beneath had been polished not by flowing lava, but by the constant passage of 'those things'.

He knew what awaited him...

The Void creatures, the very beings he would soon confront, were at the tunnel's end.

...

At the tunnel's end lay a vast cavern.

Here, the light grew more intense, casting an eerie purple glow throughout the cave.

The pathway twisted and forked, extending in all directions—upward, downward, branching out like a sinister web.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Above Kai'Sa was a spiraled pathway, its ridges like vertebrae. Perhaps she could climb her way out following this steep, narrow track.

Then, not far below, a rustling noise drew her attention.

"What's that..."

She instinctively covered her mouth, peering down a steep incline to see a writhing mass of creatures in the abyss.

Nature could not have birthed such grotesqueness, so utterly repulsive and fear-inducing at mere glance.

Clusters of warm, purple glowing eyes fixated on her, more numerous than stars in the sky.

These were beings from another realm, their distinct limbs hooked onto the abyss's edges, pulling up more of their abhorrent forms.

Their bodies were primitive and terrifying—coated with rough, purple-black carapaces, sprouting bony protrusions, their flesh the color of dead fetuses.

Enormous jaws, lined with uneven, comb-like teeth and gaping to the throat, oozed with vile mucus.

Matching their massive, diamond-shaped heads were their conjoined chests and protruding spines—housing what, in biological terms, could be called a heart.

But this was no ordinary heart; it was a mass of energy emitting an ancient purple glow, the sinister light filtering through the chitin and sinew, illuminating the cave walls.

"Monsters!"

In an instant, Kai'Sa recalled the terrifying tales her father used to tell her.

Monsters filled the underground, lurking in the dark, dragging travelers to their doom, with none returning unchanged.

Once mere stories, now they confronted her in the flesh, hunger replaced by fear anew!

The evil Void creatures had already detected Kai'Sa, driven by insatiable hunger and an unstoppable urge to kill, they swarmed up the slope, encircling the girl.

Kai'Sa gripped her dagger, desperate to defend herself.

One creature, not much larger than Kai'Sa, lunged first. She rejected its ugliness from the depths of her being, with unprecedented coordination, thrusting her dagger with all her might.

As she was tackled to the ground, the creature's bladed limbs easily sliced through the delicate skin of her arm, spattering blood on the chitinous shells, greedily absorbed.

Yet, her blade found its mark and pierced the pulsating heart of the beast.

The force of its pounce sent them both tumbling down the slope, deeper into the abyss.

Kane, arriving too late at the cave's entrance, could only watch as Kai'Sa rolled away. It was as if an invisible rope had bound their waists in that moment.

This rope, named fate, suddenly tautened, pulling him forward as he began to run.

With unprecedented speed, he dashed through the tunnel, past the scything blades, barreling through the throng of creatures and plunging into the abyss.

Unaware of the steepness beneath his feet, he was launched into the air before crashing onto the hard rock, tumbling gracelessly deeper down.

...

Kane awoke to new pain. As he tried to push himself up, he found his left arm unresponsive, save for the agony.

Thankfully, his ribs were intact, but his lungs, barely recovered, began to cough up blood.

But these weren't his greatest concerns—it was Kai'Sa...

Unconscious Kai'Sa lay within his peripheral view, beside the pierced creature.

The glow from its chest had dimmed, no longer pulsating with life.

From what Kane knew of Void creatures, it was dead.

He crawled over, his breath catching, nearly coughing blood at the sight—Kai'Sa's wounded arm was covered by a strange epidermis.

The monster's carapace had affixed itself onto her flesh!

"Three days of endurance, and this step... finally successful!" Though hidden all the while, Kane felt an unparalleled sense of participation, as if he were the one bonded.

Tears streamed down his face in excitement. If not for his wounded body, he would have rolled on the ground, celebrating this hard-won first victory.