I focus on my body. The flames of my very being twist and condense under my will. With a deep breath, I push my body further than I have before. As long as my flames weren’t visible, I’d never had a reason to go further. Until now.

When my body is in this controlled state, it expends less energy, but pushing it further has never been worth the mental strain, despite the possible increased efficiency.

Another breath and I wrestle with my control to push myself one step further. It’s hard. I can feel a headache coming on from the strain, but I need to try. I don’t need to reach the same strength as the others, just enough that I can hopefully pierce the skin of whatever creature we find hiding in the shadows.

With all my concentration, I condense my body, but even swinging my spear in this mental state might be hard. I don’t really need to worry about slipping to where my flames become visible; I’ve grown enough that it isn’t an issue anymore. Unless I push myself now, I won’t be able to manage this level of control in a fight.

The goal is to pierce the stealth-rats’ skin. If I can do that, then I’ll have nothing to worry about. I don’t need to worry about being hit. In fact, I can use their attacks to my advantage. I doubt they’ll expect their attacks to be pointless to me. The only one of them that knows is nothing more than a pile of ash.

I don’t need to be the most skilled spear-user. I just need them to think they got me so I can pierce them before they realise their mistake.

No! There’s no reason to risk myself for those two. Just leave them and find another way.

My focus collapses at the intrusive thought. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to move forward with their rescue when my own mind refuses to agree with me.

I try to enter my mind and forcefully unravel the knot in my strands of thought, but it is nothing more than a wasted effort. I can rearrange some of the loose threads that represent many of my thoughts or desires in line with the rope’s overall direction, but the knot remains stiff.

I can hardly leave my team behind. If I am the only one to get out, I would feel horrible.

Why? I’ll be free. Who cares about those who put me in this position in the first place?

I know they did, but I don’t want to leave Remus and Bunny behind. Nobody deserves to be trapped. They don’t deserve to be imprisoned by those stealth-rats.

But helping them doesn’t help me escape. So there is no point in doing so.

Yes, it does. There’s no way I can escape with my strength as is. I need them for their strength at the very least.

…

The knot is quiet. Does that mean it’s finally agreeing with me?

I sigh in relief before returning my focus to controlling my body. There’s no time to waste.

I return my body to the same level of physical as before. With my spear in hand, I strain my mind to keep my body steady as I strike the weapon forward. The bladed tip bounces off the stalagmite I used as a target. I leave only a scratch on the rock.

There has to be something else to it. My swing is definitely stronger, but it still doesn’t come close to what I need. I’ve a few ideas if I could practice with my flame, but those monstrosities are attracted to any light I give off, so I can’t try them out.

I close my eyes again and bring my body back to the limit I can continually manage. The strike with my weapon is momentary. I don’t need to hold my body in its extra physical state for any longer than the attack takes to hit.

Once more readying my weapon, I step forward and command an impulse through my body. For an instantaneous duration, I feel the spear move with an ease I couldn’t have managed before. The blade once more rebounds off the stone. With the impulse of control ending, the spear jerks my arms wide.

A jolt of pain runs through my mind from the backlash of the sudden explosive push past my limits. My control is lacking, but this is still far more than I could have accomplished back in my tribe.

The stalagmite has a rather large indent marring its surface now. It’s not the clean cut through I was hoping for, but it’s still pretty good progress.

“Can you not be quiet with your practice? What if you bring down one of those massive things?” Jav complains as he looks nervously up at the ceiling.

He’s almost a completely different person without Remus by his side. His nervousness and impatience are almost contagious, but I can’t let myself fall victim to those if I want to have a chance of escape. It’s something that the knot is actually useful for. I can feel a catalogue of emotions — primarily fear — that I’m able to work around because of the knot. Something far better for my survival than the amplification of those feelings as the last version of the knot caused.

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“What’s a bit of training going to help right now? We should be looking for a body for Grímr.”

“No. A few hours won’t make a difference if they’ve taken Remus and Bunny captive. I need at least enough strength to not be worthless in the fight. Or do you think you can take on whatever’s in those shadows alone?”

“It’s not like we can’t escape if things get tough.”

“Do you really want to stake our lives on that?” I ask. “We need to be as prepared as we can. At the moment I won’t be able to pierce most creatures’ skin. If I can get to that point in only a few hours, don’t you think that’s worth it?”

He grunts and digs his feet through the loose soil, but says nothing. That’s enough of a confirmation for me. Time to push that impulse as far as it can go. I’m not looking forward to the headache that’s coming.

❖❖❖

“So, what do we have to do for Grímr to take a body?” I ask as we creep toward an area void of glow-bugs that isn’t so large as to hide one of those arachnid monstrosities.

“Incapacitate, but don’t kill it. Doesn’t matter if we have to cause some damage, as long as it can’t scratch at Grímr.”

“What if I burn it?”

He glances up at me as he crawls along the ground. “No fire. We don’t want to attract anything that’s not what’s in front of us. Only use it if there’s no other option.”

We still have no idea what we’re sneaking up on, so we split to approach from differing directions. As I move to the side, I notice something strange. The bugs that should be visible on the other side of the dark area disappear. The glowing lights dim as I put the darkness between me and the bugs.

Is the darkness not caused by a lack of bugs? The light doesn’t cut off immediately, so I don’t think it is something solid blocking the way.

Whatever it is, I’ll figure it out when I’m closer.

I approach with my spear raised, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. I keep my eyes peeled for anything that might attack. From the corner of my eyes, I notice that the light behind me is dimming now as well.

I stop where I am and check the darkness again. The way everything goes dark reminds me far too much of the Void Fog for my liking. I stare into the darkness. No matter how much it worries me, I know this isn’t the Void. It doesn’t have that same feeling. This darkness doesn’t have that intense emptiness I’ve only ever felt from the Void Fog.

I can’t see Jav through this darkness. Hopefully, we’ll reach the creature at the same time.

A rustling noise of something sliding across soil and stone reaches me. The darkness suddenly intensifies to where the bugs behind me disappear.

I hear a startled yelp from Jav through the darkness ahead of me. I rush forward. Jav must have been attacked before I was ready.

My feet almost stumble right into him when he finally comes into view. The shroud surrounding us makes it so I can barely make out his outline. In fact, the only reason I can see him is because he’s moving. Wait, no. As I look closer, I realise there’s something moving under him. Somehow, even though it’s as close as Jav is, it is almost impossible to see.

“Sit still,” he grunts at the creature underneath him. “Solvei, bring Grímr here. It’s not ideal, but it’ll do for now.”

I do as he says and carry Grímr closer to the creature Jav is struggling to grapple with. It’s a rather strange sight; Jav obviously has far more strength than whatever it is, but considering it is three times larger than him, it throws Jav around. He tries to dig his feet into the ground, but the loose soil hardly helps.

I crouch down over the creature and put my weight into holding it still. Now that I know my weight increases with greater control in my body, it makes this easier, but the lizard below me still jerks me around with strength I can’t compete with.

Grímr crawls down my arm and up the spine of the creature. Only now that I’m as close as I am, can I see it properly. A pale white lizard with short legs wriggles under my arms. Its head is wider than its body and has what I think are gills at the back. Aren’t gills only for fish? There isn’t any water around, is there?

Jav lets me take over the job of pinning the thin lizard. Instead, he grasps its head and front legs and holds them tight. I realise why the moment Grímr cuts into the back of its neck. Its struggles until then feel like token efforts in comparison. It bucks me off and I’m forced to dive back on it in an awkward position to keep its back legs from clawing at Grímr.

Grímr himself is fast and efficient. Somehow avoiding many of the blood vessels as he cuts a path into its spine. Once he has dug deep enough, he slides each of his thin legs into the cut and buries himself inside.

The lizard’s desperate struggles collapse into disorderly twitches. It continues sporadically twitching for almost a minute before it stops moving.

Jav lets go and I follow his lead, giving the white lizard space. The first thing I notice is that the darkness has receded and I can see the glow-bugs again.

The lizard’s body jerks again. I look to Jav, but as he does nothing but watch, I remain still. A few more twitches along its body and I watch as it rises to its feet. The lizard’s head twists to look our way and I notice for the first time, it doesn’t have eyes.

“Everything good, Grímr?” Jav asks.

The lizard, no, Grímr, opens his mouth and hisses in response. Upon hearing himself, he stops and settles with a nod of his head.

“Alright. We’ll have to look for a stronger body. Something you’ll actually be able to fight with. But for now, you’ll have to settle with that.”

As I watch the lizard that Grímr has taken as his skin, I can’t help but think about the darkness it could shroud itself in. “Hey, Grímr. Do you think you’d be able to recreate that darkness?”

I’m not sure whether it’s possible. Grímr might be able to take over its body, but does that mean he can replicate their abilities?

He tilts his head at me, but he doesn’t move, so I can only imagine he is trying. His white scaled tail twitches and his back legs jerk forward, sending him toppling. Just as I’m about to drop to my knees and see if he’s okay, the area around him darkens.

The darkness only surrounds Grímr. Not nearly as wide-spanning as the lizard managed, but he succeeds in shrouding himself in a black mist that makes him almost impossible to spot in the dark cave. It’s quite the amazing ability. It’s hard to say whether this would beat the camouflage of the stealth-rats.

“Looking for a stronger creature might be unnecessary for now.” I try to look Grímr in the eye before remembering he doesn’t have any. “What do you think about sneaking into those stealth-rats’ camp?”