’Thud.’
I hit the ground hard.
My body skidded a few meters across the snow before finally coming to a stop.
I lay there for a second, staring up at the shifting gloom.
The iron grip on my ankle released me.
Groaning, I pushed myself up to a sitting position. My clothes were torn and my skin stung from the friction, yet I was alive.
Which was a bit surprising since I expected to be attacked and torn apart the moment I was separated from the group.
Instead, I had merely been dragged here; not a single monster laid a hand on me.
’But where am I?’ I squinted, my eyes adjusting to the deeper darkness of this secluded spot.
Just as I turned my head, I met a pair of violet eyes staring at me.
’It is that wolf!’ I instantly recognized it.
The shadow wolf was sitting on its haunches ten meters away, watching me with a calm, unblinking gaze.
’No... It’s not the same.’ I realized.
My instincts screamed at me instantly.
This was different.
The previous ones had been hollow puppets, mere shapes made of shadow. This one felt solid. A heavy, suffocating pressure radiated from its form, making the air around it tremble.
This was the real deal.
Probably the Night Devourer itself.
’Greetings, intruder.’
A voice echoed inside my head.
I gulped, my throat dry.
The voice was deep and resonant, vibrating against my skull.
I took a sharp breath to steady my racing heart. Panic would only get me killed faster here. I closed my eyes for a brief moment, focusing my mind to activate the Mental Thread technique.
’Likewise,’ I projected the thought back, keeping my mental voice as steady as possible. ’I presume you are the...’
’Yes. I am the Night Devourer you lot speak of.’
The wolf lowered its head slightly, its violet eyes locking onto mine.
’But my real name is Nemo. And this is only a part of my consciousness. Not the real me.’
’I see.’
I muttered the words in my mind.
So the main body was busy fighting the Blood Marquis outside. That explained why I was still breathing.
’Then,’ I asked, ’what is it you seek from me, Sir Nemo?’
Nemo’s violet eyes narrowed slightly.
’You are different from the others. You carry a scent. A scent of something far ancient and... powerful.’
The wolf leaned in closer. Its snout was inches from my face, yet I felt no breath, only a cold void.
’Ancient?’
My thoughts spun.
Was he talking about Virion? Or perhaps Lady Nisha?
It seemed unlikely. I hadn’t been in contact with either of them for a while. A physical scent would have faded long ago.
’But maybe he isn’t smelling my body.’
Creatures of this rank and type might perceive the world through aura, mind, or soul signatures. If he sensed the lingering traces of a Primordial or a Transcendent on me, it would explain his hesitation to kill me immediately.
’I need help,’ the wolf continued, interrupting my deduction. ’And you, little intruder, might be the only one capable of providing it.’
My eyebrows shot up.
A Monster Overlord asking a human for help?
’Help?’ I asked, letting a bit of skepticism bleed into my mental tone. ’You are an existence that rivals natural disasters. What could a weak half-elf possibly do for you?’
’Do not play humble with me,’ Nemo growled in my mind. ’I know how ’weak’ you are. I have already felt that strange flame you possess. And more importantly...’
The wolf turned its head, looking toward the invisible ceiling of the dome.
’...you seem to have a connection to that parasite.’
My brow furrowed.
’Other parasite?’
’The human male,’ Nemo clarified, its voice dripping with disdain. ’The one who stood beside you, smiling while his intent was cold as ice. The one you were watching with suspicion the entire time.’
’Bane.’ My mind clicked instantly. ’Are you talking about him?’
’Precisely,’ Nemo continued. ’But even though you walked together, I could taste the thick, bitter distrust rolling off you. You two are not allies. You are more like two predators wary of each other’s territory.’
I stayed silent as I processed this. The Night Devourer was sharper than I thought. It had accurately read the subtle tension between Bane and me that even Uru’en had probably missed.
’Let’s say you are right,’ I finally admitted, deciding not to deny it. ’But why bring him up?’
Nemo’s violet eyes darkened, the shadows around him rippling with agitation.
’Because that man... he is dangerous,’ Nemo continued, turning his gaze back to me. ’More so than the loud one in the red robe raining blood on my shell. The red one wants to kill me. That I can deal with.’
The beast bared its teeth. It was a grimace of pure, unfiltered hatred.
’But the other one... he plans to enslave me! He waits for the moment I am exhausted, the moment my focus is entirely on the battle, to sneak into my Heart and bind my soul.’
’Oh!’ I made a surprised expression while thinking about my hunch being correct inwardly.
Bane really was trying to tame this thing. And it was intelligent enough to realize the strategy: Let Yaro weaken the beast, then strike at the critical moment.
It was a simple yet brilliant plan.
’But why tell me all this?’ I asked. ’Since he is already in your domain, why don’t you just crush him?’
’I cannot,’ Nemo admitted, the frustration palpable in the mental link. ’He is elusive. Although I hate to admit it, his control of darkness is almost as good as mine. He wears the shadows like a second skin. Besides, the moment you were taken, his true colors were revealed. So he shed his disguise and slipped away from your friends and vanished from my immediate sight.’
My eyes widened slightly.
’So he already left the dome.’
’Right,’ Nemo confirmed. ’But he has a way to come back, thanks to that strange cat.’
...Did I hear a cat?