Bob nodded slightly, thus agreeing with Saeyo's statement. Saeyo was right, after all. How else were they supposed to escape from this inhabited pentagon?
But that was enough for them. Both fell silent. Not out of fear, but out of caution. They'd already talked more than enough. If they didn't stop, they could end up as food for the Dreadspawn at any moment. Now there were only two rules they had to stick to.
First, to be as quiet as possible, and second, not to wake the monsters under any circumstances.
When Saeyo turned to his left, his eyes fell upon the figure who had brought the two of them to this stinking chamber and was now sleeping in the corner to their left. But that was not what Saeyo was focusing on. He was interested solely in the hole in the wall to the right of it. The entrance to the endless cave system through which they had travelled to reach where they were now.
Their footsteps were soft, and they steered clear of the food scraps scattered all over the floor as best they could. They'd often had to avoid half-eaten apples, rotten Dreadspawn flesh and dead plants. All of that could very quickly ruin one's appetite. For this reason, Saeyo's hunger vanished in a strange way, not long after witnessing that gruesome sight.
Slowly, they approached the cave entrance. But just before they were even close, Bob accidentally stepped on something on the floor, causing a strange sound to echo through the chamber.
Cracks spread beneath Bob and the noises grew louder and louder. But suddenly… everything fell silent.
All four Dreadspawns were awoken from their brief slumber by the commotion. Saeyo and Bob were frozen to the spot. Every pair of eyes that did not belong to them was turned towards them.
Saeyo's heart was pounding against his chest. He knew his life was about to end. All the wishes and dreams he'd always imagined were shattered in a single, fleeting moment. He'd never manage to defend himself, let alone Bob, against four gigantic centipedes. Saeyo hadn't even imagined encountering such colossal Dreadspawns. The only ones he could kill were simple, weak and small Dreadspawns. But these? He could forget about that.
Saeyo took a step back and looked desperately at Bob, hoping that he would help him. Bob saw the fear and hopelessness in his eyes. He confirmed the remaining thoughts racing through Saeyo's mind:
"That's it… We've lost. I'm really sorry, Saeyo."
He wasn't wrong. It was the end for them. There was nothing they could do about it. Normally, in a situation like this, Bob would transform to save Saeyo's life. But that's not possible anymore. If Bob hadn't transformed earlier to defeat the stranger, their situation would be completely different.
Several hours had passed since that happened, but unfortunately that wasn't enough. He was still more than a day short. After all, he had to wait thirty-six hours for his body to fully recover from his last transformation.
The centipedes stared soullessly into their souls with their hollow eyes. But that gaze did not last long. They turned around in panic and immediately scurried behind their shelters, where they were no longer visible, in the hope of avoiding something.
'Are they hiding from… us?'
It didn't take long for Saeyo's question to be answered. A strange sound rang out from all sides at once. At first, Saeyo couldn't make sense of these words. But as they were repeated over and over again, they became increasingly clearer.
However, the message was not addressed to Bob and Saeyo, but to the four Dreadspawn:
"Didn't I warn you not to accidentally bring someone alive with you! You're useless. Can't you just follow your orders properly for once? You worthless creatures!"
The unfamiliar voice was loud and struck Saeyo's senses from every single direction at the very same moment.
'Who's speaking to us?'
At first, he didn't dare to find out who the voice belonged to. But then he turned to the left, to the right and even behind him. Yet he could find no definite source. However, a thought crossed his mind that answered this question. It was not a person speaking to the Dreadspawn, and whom they feared. But the room itself.
Bob seemed to have come to the same conclusion. It felt as though the whole room was trembling. The dust that had gathered on the walls fell away and accumulated in the air in front of Saeyo and Bob.
Saeyo's helplessness caused him to breathe through his mouth. His breathing went completely out of control.
The dust formed into a sphere, which then split into two halves. It changed shape and began to resemble a cloud of mist more and more. In a single hurried breath, this mist flew into Saeyo's ears, where it found its way into his brain. Saeyo fell to the floor, and Bob met the same fate.
The same voice that had spoken before threw all of Saeyo's senses into confusion. He felt dizzy, since this time it was not the room that was speaking, but the mist. And at that very moment, the mist was enveloping his brain.
"I'm truly sorry that Kadrios brought you here. I'll ask him to get you both out of here safely. They're really useless. They don't even have functioning eyes that I can use."
Bob flinched at the very moment the voice rang out in Saeyo's head.
'Is the voice in his head too?'
The voice gave them both a moment to calm down before adding:
"I haven't entered your heads, but have made friendly contact with you. And your defences were far too weak to interrupt or prevent this contact. Trust me when I tell you that I have no malicious intentions."
Saeyo was still lying on the floor, whilst Bob had still not fallen.
'Now it can read my thoughts as well…'
But Bob's strength did not last forever. He grew restless and roared:
"Get out of my head!"
The strange voice made another attempt to contact Saeyo:
"Tell your friend to calm the hell down! If you want to get out of here, you just have to complete one task."
Saeyo tried to stand up as he spoke to Bob:
"Calm down, Bob. There's no point in acting rashly now. It won't even help if you act carefully. After all, even the centipedes are hiding. You won't be able to change anything. That's why I recommend you listen to what the Mist has to say.
Ever since they attracted everyone's attention, the Dreadspawn haven't dared to come out of their hiding places. They're still cowering in their corners, keeping as quiet as they possibly can.
Bob accepted Saeyo's advice, and rightly so. At the moment, they had nothing that could change the situation. It was therefore clear that if they wanted to survive, they had to do as they were told.
Saeyo stood up and surveyed the entire room once more. Only this time, he paid attention to everything his eyes could see. He examined the walls, but nothing immediately sprang to mind. Yet just as he was thinking this, he made an important discovery. He looked at the wall with the crystal. It was the same crystal situated in the centre of the room.
Then he noticed the three centipedes waiting for someone. He saw two poorly drawn figures, with several eyes fixed upon them, and the same figures each placing a hand on the crystal. Saeyo understood the meaning behind these drawings. How had he not noticed it sooner?
'I've figured it out! I understanding it!'
Two of these drawings had already come to life. The first picture shows the moment they were brought to this strange place. The other picture shows the moment Bob drew the Dreadspawn's attention to himself. But the drawing in the third picture shows the future. A moment that had not taken place yet. That meant it could happen at any second.
It was also the only picture in which blue ink had been used. The reason for this was now easy for Saeyo to interpret. The crystal marked in blue was the key to all the questions.
Saeyo didn't linger for long and walked straight towards the centre of the chamber. Beneath the floating crystal at this centre was a clock without hands. This was because the pointed tips of the breathing crystal acted as the clock hands. The smallest one pointed towards the first wall, with the entrance to the seemingly endless cave system, whilst the larger tips pointed towards the other walls. The only difference was the largest tip. It pointed towards the ceiling. Yet there was no drawing to be found there.
Saeyo approached the breathing crystal. With every step he took, his body began to feel heavier. All of Saeyo's senses were telling him to stop right there. Nevertheless, he paid no attention to them. He did not listen to his body, but to his heart, and that heart told him not to give up. And he didn't.
Slowly, he began to feel dizzy and his vision darkened. Yet the incomprehensible whispering of the strange voice grew louder with every breath. Although Saeyo could no longer see his surroundings, he could sense which direction he needed to go.
Bob noticed that Saeyo was heading towards the crystal and asked in surprise.
"What are you doing, Saeyo?"
That was the last thing Saeyo heard before his ears went numb. Nevertheless, Saeyo did not leave his question unanswered. It hurt all over his body as he tried to speak, but in the end he did not fail. He was just a few steps from the crystal and replied:
"To the origin of this voice."