Naseria

Chapter 4

They had been walking for what felt like an eternity, their footsteps the only sound breaking the oppressive silence. Not a word had been spoken since Izek's last outburst, the tension from it still lingering like a heavy cloud around them. Each of them followed closely behind Shen, their steps measured, placing all their faith in his ability to lead them through the unknown.

Yet, even as they placed their trust in him, doubt gnawed at the edges of their thoughts. There were no signs, no markers, nothing to indicate if they were heading in the right direction or merely wandering deeper into unseen dangers. Shen walked with quiet confidence, his form a solitary beacon in the blackness, but even that assurance did little to quell the creeping uncertainty.

The silence between them grew heavier with each step, pressing down on them like the weight of the air itself. The tension was palpable, an unspoken fear that none dared voice aloud. They all felt it—the growing wariness, the sense that with every step, they might be straying further from safety, deeper into something far more dangerous than they could comprehend.

"Stop," Shen's cold voice cut through the dead silence, echoing down the empty darkness. Everyone halted instantly, exchanging uneasy glances as they tried to assess the situation.

Henric stepped forward, his brow furrowed in concern. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice low as he approached Shen.

"This is the end," Shen said calmly, placing his hand against what seemed like an invisible barrier. "There is no path ahead."

Henric, his eyes narrowing in frustration, reached out and pressed his palm against the invisible wall. The surface was cool and smooth, completely solid, as if the air itself had crystallized into an impassable boundary. He ran his fingers along it, searching for a seam, a crack—anything that might indicate a hidden mechanism or door. But the wall remained stubbornly unyielding, without the faintest hint of an opening.

"Nothing..." Henric muttered under his breath, his frustration mounting as he continued to search. "There has to be a way through."

Shen remained silent, his hand still resting on the barrier, his expression unreadable. The others watched anxiously, the oppressive stillness settling in around them once more, as if the very air had grown thicker, more suffocating. The question that loomed over them now was no longer where to go—but how to escape from the trap they had unknowingly walked into.

"There must be a way out. Calm down, everyone, and search our surroundings carefully," Beatrice's voice broke through the rising tension, firm but steady, trying to calm the growing panic.

With a collective nod, they all spread out, running their hands along the cold, invisible wall, pressing at it, tapping it, hoping to find some hidden switch or weak point. Their movements became more frantic as the silence stretched on, each passing moment amplifying the unease that gnawed at the back of their minds.

Suddenly, the only light source flickered, then blinked out entirely, plunging them into complete darkness.

"Shit!" Shen cursed sharply, his voice breaking the thick silence as he tossed the now-useless lighter to the ground. The sound of it hitting the floor echoed unnervingly in the pitch-black space.

A heavy, suffocating darkness surrounded them now, swallowing any sense of direction. The air felt colder, heavier, as if the shadows themselves were pressing in on them, watching their every move.

"Stay close!" Henric's voice called out, trying to cut through the panic that began to bubble up in everyone's chest. But in the oppressive blackness, even his voice felt small, swallowed by the unknown that now surrounded them.

They stood still, their breaths shaky, straining their ears for any hint of sound in the suffocating silence. For a moment, there was only the sound of their breathing—until, from the depths of the darkness, something faint stirred.

"Shen, what are you—" Sherry's voice trembled as she spoke, her words catching in her throat as she watched Shen, the closest to her, slam his fist into the invisible wall with a sudden, furious force. The sharp sound of his knuckles colliding with the barrier echoed in the darkness.

"Are you crazy?! Shen, stop it!" Henric shouted, rushing forward to grab Shen's arm in an attempt to pull him away. But Shen's cold stare cut through the tension like a blade, his eyes glinting with a fierce, almost desperate intensity. Without a word, Shen roughly shrugged Henric off, tossing him aside with a force that sent Henric crashing hard to the ground.

"Don't bother," Shen said, his voice cold and detached, as if the violent outburst meant nothing to him.

Henric groaned as he pushed himself up, his expression shifting from shock to anger. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he growled, rubbing his sore shoulder.

But Shen didn't respond. His fist, bloodied from the repeated blows against the unyielding wall, clenched tightly at his side. The others stood frozen, watching him warily, unsure of what to do or say next. The heavy silence returned, broken only by the sound of Shen's labored breathing and the distant, unsettling rustle from the unseen depths of the darkness.

Sherry took a hesitant step forward, her voice softer now, yet tinged with fear. "Shen... this isn't the way. We'll find a way out, but not like this."

Shen didn't turn to face her, his eyes locked on the wall, his voice an icy whisper. "There is no way out."

Izek, his face flushed with anger, stepped forward and shouted, his voice ringing through the darkness, "Even so, it's not a reason to hurt yourself. Don't be stupid!"

But Shen ignored him, his fist once again slamming into the invisible wall with relentless force, blood splattering from his knuckles. The sound of his repeated strikes echoed hollowly in the empty space, his focus unwavering.

Seeing that words were getting them nowhere, Henric, Ad, and Osborne rushed forward, desperate to stop Shen before he hurt himself further. They grabbed his arms, pulling with all their strength, trying to restrain him. But despite their combined effort, Shen's monstrous strength overpowered them with ease. His body tensed as he threw them off one by one, as if their resistance was nothing more than an annoyance.

Henric staggered backward, struggling to catch his breath. "Dammit, Shen! Stop this! You're going to kill yourself!" he yelled, his voice strained with frustration.

But Shen's cold, distant expression remained unchanged, his eyes locked on the wall as though it was the only thing that existed. His fists, now battered and raw, kept pounding against the barrier, driven by some force none of them could understand. The others, powerless against him, stood frozen, watching in helplessness as Shen continued his futile assault, the sound of flesh against the wall mixing with the eerie silence of their trapped world.

"Stop it! Stop it, you crazy man!" Beatrice screamed, her composure shattering as she watched Shen stubbornly batter his fists against the wall, heedless of the blood running down his arms.

Shen's breathing was ragged, each punch harder than the last. "Trust me," he growled between gasps, his voice hoarse, as he wound up for another strike. "This is the only way... OUT!" His fist came down once more with a sickening thud.

For a moment, it seemed like nothing had changed, just the same futile strikes against an unbreakable barrier. But then, a faint crack echoed through the air. The sound was barely audible at first, but it reverberated in the oppressive silence, sending a shockwave of disbelief through the group.

Shen paused, his bruised hand hovering in the air. Slowly, the others turned their attention to the wall where, at last, a small, jagged crack had formed. It was faint, almost imperceptible, but it was there—a thin fracture in what had seemed like an impenetrable barrier.

The sight of the crack stunned them all into silence, disbelief flooding their expressions. Shen, breathing heavily, looked back at the others, his eyes wild with a mix of triumph and pain.

"See?" he whispered through clenched teeth. "It's working."