Everyone was shocked by what they had heard, and they began to question Dante’s mental state. Perhaps he had started to ramble due to the heat of the cave or the presence of some kind of steam causing delirium that seeped deep into the cave. The pulse of their hearts quickened, and their steps grew more urgent toward the cave openings, hoping that his words were nothing more than fleeting delirium. They expressed their hope that Dante’s words were merely fantasies and illusions. The few steps they took toward the entrance of the cave, which separated them from uncovering the truth and distinguishing reality from illusion, felt like an endless march.

But, despite the heavy atmosphere and the time that seemed to stand still, they reached the cave entrance and entered, trying to find answers. They then found themselves rushing through the cave’s passages, following the strange green light. The closer they got to the light’s source, the more they felt that this was just a nightmare or a hallucination. Eventually, they reached a chamber filled with rocks glowing green, exactly as Dante had described. All their hopes were focused on the absence of eggs, wishing these were just rocks. Their hearts raced, and all that was in their minds was:

“Please, let this be a hallucination.”

But those hopes and that phrase began to fade quickly from their minds, shattered and replaced by despair when they saw an enormous quantity of eggs stretching out before them as far as the eye could see. Inside those eggs was a miniature version of that monster. Despair began to consume them, and their options vanished as the scene shifted to a collective aversion to the cave. Everyone was in a state of hysteria—screaming, panicking, and terrified.

At this terrifying moment, the enemy leader stood up and called out with pride and arrogance in his voice:

“Why? Why are you running, you fools? What can you do in front of the master? You are mere beggars in the face of the master’s might. This is your reward for defying him. These are all your mistakes. There is no escape for you now; the master’s children will feast on your sins.” He began to laugh maniacally.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Anger overtook Mike, and his mind could no longer keep up with what was happening around him, or perhaps it was hard for him to believe this reality. His voice rose as he screamed angrily at the enemy:

“Are your minds empty? Are you that foolish? This creature can’t save you from here! You will die here too, you idiots. That monster doesn’t see you as his subjects. You are just food for his children. This is why you were brought here. This is why we were brought here—to be nothing more than a meal for his children.”

Mike couldn’t hide his anger and frustration, and his shouting became more intense and violent:

“I didn’t intend to say this, but this will be our grave. All of this is because of you, you damn failure. Your attack on the submarine maintenance team ruined our plan to escape, and now they can’t continue their work. They need at least a month to recover from their serious injuries and start over. When will the eggs hatch? And what will happen after that? Will we even have enough time to return to the village?”

The enemy leader laughed again, but this time mockingly:

“If that’s what the master wants, so be it.”

Mike charged forward and began to throw punches in anger at the enemy leader, shouting:

“How can you be so numb, you fool?”

“Now, after hope has returned to me, knowing I can see my son and wife again… you stole him from me, and you stole my will to live as well. But even in this state, I won’t betray the people I promised to get off this island. Even though I’ve lost all hope, I will not fail again, even if it means I have to fix those submarines myself. We will all get off this island, even if it means walking over my dead body.”

Jonathan tried to calm Mike with his wisdom, placing a hand on his shoulder and saying:

“Nothing good will come from this panic. Let’s return to the village and come up with a new plan. Stop this wailing, you’re just making things worse. We need to use our remaining time to come up with a new strategy to solve this crisis.”

Mike replied, trying to gather himself and calm down:

“You’re right. I’m sorry for the panic. We can’t stand by now. Retreating is no longer an option. Let’s go back to the village immediately and come up with a new plan. This panic won’t help us. It’s time to act and find a solution to our problem.”

End of Chapter Fourteen