Crowned

Arc 3, Chapter 79: There Are Two Sides to a Coin.

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The boy kept his head down. He didn't bother look up at Baseball. Not that he could, the cave tunnel was so dark... He was scared that if he didn't watch his feet he trip and fall. Baseball kept his eyes ahead on the darkness. His guilt ate at him from the inside out. He knew he deserved it... He wanted Nickel to love him so badly... And ever since Balloon and him started dating—... They never really talked much. Not as much as he wanted Nickel to, anyway. He felt guilty for thinking such things.

The cave walls slowly grew further apart, and the cavern expanded. The glowing from Nickel's claws could no longer reach the walls. Nickel stopped and looked around, puzzled. His anxiety and nerves raised. Baseball continued further and looked back at the lack of light.

"Nickel? Why'd you—?" Baseball then stopped abruptly as he walked straight into something. Which could not be seen in the darkness. He yelped and stumbled back.

Nickel snapped his head up, and jogged over. "What was that...?!" He asked, and as he got closer he froze as his glowing claws illuminated a massive door. He furrowed his brows, studied every detail. The gilded skull patterns... engravings in a language he couldn't understand. They didn't even look like normal letters, more like runes. "What...Is this..." He whispered.

Baseball backed up, the door was connected to a pristine wall, the darkness stretched on beyond. "That's... uh... I don't know..." He shook his head, confused.

"I don't th-think we should be here..." Nickel warned, he turned to Baseball with a concerned look on his face, "We should leave..."

Baseball shook his head, "Are you crazy?! We've been walking for god knows how long! We can't just go back!" He yelled, the echo bounced along the walls. It sounded like it went for miles. Baseball then tried to push the door open.

"Baseball... I don't think that's a good idea...!" Nickel whined, taking a step back. His gaze shot along all the signs which pointed to this place being deadly. Skulls... There was even red marks on the pristine wall. He took a second step back and heard the crunch of some sort of twig, his gaze averted to the ground. The sound's origin turned out to be bones. They were piled near the walls... He did NOT like that. "B-Baseball?!" He shook, his eyes wide.

Baseball studied the door more closely. A hand print in the centre... Purple. With a skull mark. Similar to the gateway they had used to get here. "Nickel—Come here— You need to touch this!" He gestured to to the door, then froze at the sight.

"Wh-What happened here...?!" He whispered, his lip quivered as he went back towards Baseball.

"I don't really want to find out..." Baseball replied in a scared, hushed tone. He started to second guess this whole door Idea... "D-do you think whatever... Killed them came out of this...?!" He asked, worried.

Nickel looked over the scene again... Hand prints... Bones... Bodies... Blood on the walls... Scraping marks. The pristine walls had been scratched. Nickel realized something very quickly, "Th-these people weren't trying to... Get away from the door..." He muttered with revelation laced in his tone, "They were trying to get in...! The were running from something!"

Baseball flinched, "Running, from what?!" He asked, with panic.

"I think t-that's the part we don't want to stick around for..." He ran up to the door... Unsure if his theory was correct, but it was better than doing nothing."you said I needed to touch s-something here?!" He asked.

"The mark... In the centre..." Baseball turned to it. His gaze firm, but his stance faltered. His nerves were beginning to get to him. He had a feeling something was wrong... Not like he was being watched, but something else. Like he was being listened to.