And so, they kept moving forward. Inside, the cave seemed stable. I mean… It didn’t look like it was going to collapse or anything, and besides that, there were signs of recent use.

  Andrew and James kept going, but they didn’t find anything unusual, and Mónica only detected insects and small animals in her area. However… On the path Erin and Misaki took, they found a trail of blood and shards of red crystal.

  "Mónica, can you determine what creature this belongs to?" she asked while shining a light on the blood. "And also, tell me what this crystal is."

  "Okay, give me a moment," Mónica replied. Using her Heim, she analyzed the blood. "It’s… human… And that red crystal is blood."

  "I see. Tell the others," Misaki said to Mónica, then turned to those with her. "Let’s keep going."

  "Okay," Erin agreed.

  They followed the blood trail for a while until they reached a large area of the cave. It seemed to have been shaped by human hands—or something else.

  It looked like a room; the walls were smooth, and rock pillars supported the ceiling. In the center stood some kind of altar, and around it were long chairs embedded with red crystals. The blood trail started from the altar and… There was a strange creature there.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  "This is…" Misaki muttered.

  It seemed to be part of a bizarre cult that performed human sacrifices, and the creature was part of it.

  "It’s dead," Mónica said telepathically to the group. "And the place looks empty, but…"

  "Yeah, yeah, we know," Misaki replied.

  Some monsters couldn’t be detected using aura—that’s what she meant.

  "Get ready just in case," Misaki instructed.

  "Got it," the others nodded.

  "I’m calling for reinforcements, just in case, okay?" Mónica told them. "Oh, and the other group is already heading your way."

  "Understood," Misaki said to Mónica, then turned back to the group. "Let’s keep going."

  That room was connected to other hallways, which, for some reason, had brick walls. They went to investigate. The hallways contained several smaller rooms, but they only held red crystals, although… These were human-shaped and clothed. Only a few were completely intact.

  "Damn…" Erin muttered.

  "Hmm… It doesn’t look like we can go any further. We need to bring in the investigation team. We’re pulling out for now," Misaki said.

  And well, according to Mónica, there was no more path to follow. Because of that, they turned back, but at that moment…

  Slash

  A red crystal arm had just fallen. Misaki had cut it with her Makt ability.

  "Huh?" the soldier reacted.

  "Ah!" Erin gasped.

  Misaki said nothing.

  Standing in the middle of the hallway was one of those human-shaped crystals. Though… part of its crystallization was fading. It had turned back into skin, but… it looked strange.

  Even stranger was the man’s face—it was dark, and the little that was visible showed deformities and a wide, eerie smile. It was barely human. Seeing him, one couldn’t shake the feeling that something was… wrong, deeply wrong. He was recognizable as human, yet at the same time, he was something entirely different. Even his limbs were unnaturally long, and he was bleeding.

  Gunshots rang out. The soldier fired his rifle, loaded with Makt-enhanced bullets. The crystallized man shattered into pieces and collapsed to the ground. At that moment, other human figures began emerging from the darkness of the rooms.

  All those crystals were alive.

  They were people.

  |||||

  "Damn… But…" Eliah said. "Since when did these guys join Yggdrasil?"

  "With capital letters, and an I in the end" I told him.

  "…Huh? Ah, never mind. But tell us."

  "I’ll explain later."