Kane looked up at the sky, his eyes narrowed, a grim realization dawning upon him. 'Crap! Why is our luck so problematic?' he thought. 'Just when we thought we had a path forward, a new and terrifying obstacle emerges.' The ominous gathering of storm clouds overhead, combined with Cassie's recent vision, sent a chilling premonition through him.
Nephis, her gaze sweeping over the darkening sky and then fixing on Kane, spoke with an urgent, decisive tone. "We need to move, now. There's no time to waste." As Nephis turned to him, Kane immediately grabbed Cassie, his movements swift and sure, and helped her stand up, steadying her trembling form. His face, usually composed, was even paler than usual, and there was a clear, panicked look in his eyes, reflecting the urgency of the situation. "Now! Help me get her back on the scavenger!" he urged Sunny, his voice tight with desperation.
Sunny, understanding the immediate need, immediately summoned his Echo, the hulking Carapace Scavenger materializing with a shimmer of black chitin, and Cassie was quickly helped onto its broad back.
The silver-haired girl, Nephis, raised her head, her gaze piercing the gloom, and looked at the rapidly darkening sky. Soon, her expression hardened, a mask of grim determination replacing her usual impassivity. Without saying anything further, she did as Kane had asked, her movements precise and efficient, preparing for the desperate dash. Cassie seemed a bit disoriented by the sudden urgency and the shift in plans. She grabbed the makeshift reins they had fashioned for her and helplessly turned to her friend, her voice small and laced with apprehension, "Neph? What is going on? What's happening?"
Changing Star glanced at her, her eyes briefly softening. When she eventually spoke, her voice sounded heavy, imbued with a weight of foreboding. It sounded pretty much exactly the same as usual, calm and controlled, yet it carried an undeniable sense of gravity: "A storm is coming, Cassie. A big one."
Meanwhile, Sunny, ever resourceful, sent his shadow to climb on top of a tall pillar of crimson coral, a towering natural formation that offered a temporary vantage point. From its elevated position, the shadow looked ahead, its senses extended, trying to understand how far the cliffs they were aiming for truly were. From the look of it, there was still a considerable distance to go, perhaps several kilometers across the treacherous labyrinth. However, the giant statue, their previous sanctuary, was already much further away behind them, a distant silhouette against the tumultuous sky. Going back now would have been suicide, a reckless attempt to outrun an impending catastrophe.
Kane, his mind racing, quickly assessed their surroundings, his senses reaching out, trying to find any hidden paths or alternative routes. He turned to Nephis, his voice tight with a mixture of hope and desperation. "We're about three or four kilometers away from the cliffs. Do… do you think we can make it?"
She scowled, her lips thinning into a grim line. "If we take the most direct route. Maybe," she conceded, the uncertainty in her voice a chilling acknowledgment of the immense challenge ahead. Sunny hesitated, then asked, "What about the monsters? The scavengers that are swarming the labyrinth?" Changing Star looked ahead, her gaze steely, and gritted her teeth. "We'll have to cut through," she stated, her voice cold and resolute, leaving no room for argument.
Sunny thought, 'That's it? That's the plan? Just run directly through the monsters? This is insane.' As Sunny was fruitlessly trying to come up with some devious trick, some ingenious strategy to save them from the impending doom, Nephis turned her head and glanced at him, a puzzled expression on her face. "What are you waiting for? Run!" she commanded, her voice cutting through his thoughts.
With that, all four of them started to move at top speed, a desperate dash against the encroaching storm. Heavy drops of rain were already beginning to fall on the cracked ground, splattering against the crimson coral. Strong winds howled ominously between the coral blades, sending bits of black mud and dry seaweed flying through the air, whipping around them like angry spirits. With storm clouds gathering rapidly in the sky, sunlight dimmed even further, and a cold, oppressive twilight descended upon the labyrinth, shrouding the already eerie landscape in a deeper gloom.
Sunny was running with all his might, his legs pumping, his breath coming in ragged gasps, as though his life literally depended on it—because it actually did. He was leading their small group, choosing the straightest path toward the cliffs with the constant, real-time guidance of his shadow, which darted ahead, sensing the terrain. Nephis and Kane were a step behind him, their forms moving with a fluid, powerful grace. The scavenger carrying Cassie was stomping through the thick mud with its eight powerful legs in the back, its movements surprisingly swift despite its bulk.
Without the need to avoid monsters and with the terrifying realization of death breathing down their necks, they moved with amazing, almost impossible, speed. Side passages and crimson walls flashed past them in a blur, a dizzying array of twisted coral and dark fissures. There was no need to hold back and conserve strength for the long run—if they were even a minute late to reach the cliffs, their lives would be over, swept away by the storm. They had to give it their absolute all, every ounce of strength, every fiber of their being.
Kane was fully prepared to fight a series of bloody skirmishes all along the way, bracing himself for constant confrontations with the labyrinth's inhabitants. But, to his surprise, the monsters did not give them much trouble. The scavengers seemed to be as panicked as they were, sensing the impending deluge. The bulky beasts were busy trying to hide inside the coral mounds or burrowing underground, seeking refuge from the approaching storm. On the rare occasions when one of them showed aggression, a quick slash of the sword from Nephis or Kane, or a threatening clack of a pincer from the Echo, was enough to make the monster change its mind and retreat.
However, no matter how fast they were moving, the storm was faster, a relentless, unyielding force of nature. The rain quickly turned into a pelting downpour, each drop becoming a torrent, a relentless assault that stung their skin. The winds grew exponentially in strength, striking against their bodies with enough force to make them stumble, to threaten to knock them off their feet. The light dimmed even further, reducing visibility to almost zero, making it nearly impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.
Kane thought, his mind filled with a grim realization, 'Even these things are afraid of the sea, afraid of what the storm will bring. We need to make it to the cliffs, and we need to make it fast.' Finally, a blinding bolt of lightning tore through the suffocating darkness, illuminating the chaotic scene for a brief, terrifying moment, followed almost immediately by a deafening thunderclap that reverberated through the very ground.
The waters were slowly, insidiously, rising back. Kane couldn't determine where the water was coming from, whether it was the returning sea or simply the deluge of rain, but with each passing minute, it was rising higher. Soon, it was up to his knee, then up to his waist, making running almost impossible, transforming the muddy ground into a treacherous, churning river. The speed of the group slowed down considerably, their desperate dash turning into a struggle against the rising tide.
It was then, in a sudden, blinding flash of lightning, when they saw a dark, imposing mass of stone ahead. The cliffs. They had made it. Almost at the same time, a terrible rumbling sound came from the depths of the labyrinth behind them. Turning back, Kane saw a colossal, crushing torrent of black water rushing through the crimson forest, a devastating wave of liquid destruction. Some distance away, a tardy scavenger, still attempting to burrow, was caught by it and thrown against the coral walls. The unbreakable carapace of the mighty creature cracked and burst open like a rotten egg, its life extinguished in an instant.
Kane thought, his eyes wide with horror, 'Seriously, we need to climb that statue, or we'll be crushed like that egg.' He turned to Nephis, his voice urgent, "Time is up! Start climbing!"
She caught Sunny by the arm, her grip firm. "Dismiss your Echo!" she commanded. Sunny, his mind racing, didn't know whether the scavenger could scale the sheer cliff face. In any case, Cassie wouldn't have been able to hold on if it did. He quickly helped the blind girl get down from the Echo's back and then, with a thought, sent the monster back to the Sea of Soul, dismissing it just as the black water surged closer.
Kane, without a moment's hesitation, immediately transformed his armor into sharp claws, forming powerful grips for climbing. He then scooped Cassie into his arms, ensuring she was secure, and began scrambling up the cliff face, his movements swift and determined. As he was climbing the statue, it suddenly shuddered violently, a massive tremor running through its ancient stone, due to the impact of the black water crashing against its base.
Cassie, her voice small and trembling, asked, "What... is it, Kane?"
Kane spoke while climbing, his voice strained from exertion, "The black waters made a sudden, massive impact against the statue. They're rising fast!"
Cassie asked again, her voice filled with apprehension, "What about the others, Neph, Sunny?"
Kane replied, his gaze fixed on the ascent, "Don't know, Cassie. I hope they are not in danger. We have to keep climbing."
After reaching the top of the statue, Kane safely dropped Cassie, ensuring she was secure on the stable ground. He was about to go back down, his mind already set on helping his companions, when suddenly Nephis reached the top, pulling herself over the edge. Her face was grim. "Sunny is still down there," she stated, her voice tight with urgency. Kane immediately braced himself to go back down, but Nephis, ever practical, took out the golden rope, one of Cassie's Memories, and started to climb down herself, her movements swift and practiced. After picking up Sunny, who was about to be dragged away by the surging sea, they reached the top together, pulling him to safety.
Kane and Sunny both laid down on the platform, gasping for breath, their bodies aching, their minds filled with a profound sense of relief. They thought, in unison, 'We survived. We actually survived.'