MTLNOVEL Chapter 281: The Soul Calamity
The courtyard was quiet, except for the sound of water gently lapping against the stone.
The battle was over, but the group moved with a sluggish weariness that came only after true exhaustion.
Since they'd entered the maze, they'd had to fight sharks, a soul squid, and the bone takers without much rest. And since they were not immortal, they needed the rest.
Ren knelt beside Thorn, who was still conscious but now slumped against Elias, his face pale from blood loss.
The cauterized stump where his hand had once been was already dark and roughened, but it was no longer bleeding.
"Let me take it from here." Ren said softly, placing a hand on Elias' shoulder.
Elias nodded and stepped back, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked exhausted, but alert. His eyes flicked toward the opening, watching them for any signs of danger.
Ren reached into his spatial pouch and brought out a small black kit sealed tight with wax string.
The water he'd drained was still in the pouch, but thankfully, the things he kept inside didn't interact with one another or everything else in the pouch would be wet.
He quickly undid the kit, revealing salves, wrappings, thin bone needles, and thread soaked in a healing tincture. The smell was sharp and bitter, strong enough to sting the nose.
"This will sting." Ren warned, his voice calm.
Thorn grunted, attempting a smirk. "Already been set on fire once today. Might as well make it a theme."
Ren worked in silence, his hands quick but careful. He cleaned the wound again with a sterilizing wash, the hiss of bubbling pain loud in the quiet of the courtyard. Thorn hissed through his teeth and clenched his good hand.
Zuzu sat nearby, her arms wrapped around her knees, watching them with a worried look. She hadn't spoken much since the battle ended. The sight of Thorn's missing hand had shaken her.
It was like a wake up call that there truly was danger here. She could die at any time.
Lilith stood with her back to the group, her throwing knives still in her hands, and her shoulders tense. Even though she said nothing, Ren could tell that she was a bit shaken. Not because she'd been in any true danger, but because the bone takers had reminded her of her brother, whom she'd had to kill with her own hands.
"Lilith." He called with a soft smile and she turned towards him. "Go." He said softly.
Lilith gave him a nod and without another word, made her knives disappear. She walked toward the nearest wall, crouched, and then leapt up, her body disappearing into the faint darkness above as she began climbing.
Zuzu watched her curiously but said nothing. Ren continued tending to Thorn's wound.
Minutes passed before Lilith returned, her boots scraping against the wall as she slid the last few feet and landed lightly beside the group, sending water splashing and sloshing around.
"Don't even think about climbing above the maze to escape anything." She said, her voice flat. "There's something dangerous up there. We won't all make it."
"Damn." Elias whispered. "What kind of something?"
Lilith shook her head. "Didn't get a good look. Just a feeling. Wrong. And strong."
Ren nodded. "Then over the maze is off the table."
Once he had finished wrapping the stump with gauze and bandages, he reached into his pouch again and pulled out a coiled length of green vine.
"We need rest." He announced, standing slowly. "We'll move when Thorn's strong enough to make it. No sooner."
He raised his hands and with his Tithecraft abilities, let them slither from his arms and up into the air. They twisted, coiling into thick nets and then weaving themselves into hammocks that stretched between the tall walls of the courtyard.
The vines formed a network of foot bridges between all five hammocks, so that one wouldn't need to come down into the water to move to another hammock.
They helped Thorn into his hammock after a change of clothes from the dry collection in Ren's pouch.
"You're making those too comfortable." He muttered, trying to smile through the pain. "Might not want to leave."
"You'll leave." Ren said with a smile. "You've got a new arm to build."
Thorn blinked. "A what now?"
Ren's smile morphed into a grin. "You know as well as I do that we won't get out of here fast enough to reattach the arm for you. So, instead, we'll carve and bind a new hand. A blood-bound one."
"It won't replace the real thing, but it'll be yours. A strong material that responds to your commands just like a normal arm. How do you feel about an arm made of dragon bone? Or wood from the Deep? Just a punch from that arm can kill some monsters in one blow."
Thorn stared at him. "You're serious."
"Always."
One by one, the group climbed into their hammocks.
Zuzu curled into hers and was asleep within a few seconds, her soft snoring filling the air.
Elias lay back in silence, his sword clutched to his chest like a lifeline.
Ren was the last to lie down.
Or so he thought.
A moment later, the hammock dipped slightly as Lilith climbed in beside him. She tucked herself under his chin, her arms wrapping around his chest.
"You're warm." She murmured.
"So are you."
They lay in silence for a while, the splashing of water down below the only sound.
Then Lilith asked, so quietly he almost missed it. "The Soul Calamity. The one you mentioned before. Was it me?"
Ren opened his mouth but had no idea what to say. Should he admit that it really was her, or lie to make her feel better.
But Lilith knew him just as much as he knew her, and his hesitance was answer enough. Her body stiffened slightly, and her voice trembled. "It was me."
She didn't sound angry. Just… hollow. Like someone expecting an answer they already feared.
"I don't want to become the Calamity that you saw." She said. "The way the power takes over… when I use Soul Dominion too much, I feel it scraping at me. Like it wants to change who I am. Like I'm losing pieces of myself."
Ren swallowed, his arms tightening around her.
"You're not her." He said.
"But I could be."
"No." Ren said firmly. "Because I'm here. Because you're not alone."
She looked up at him, her eyes glowing softly in the dark.
"You trust me, don't you?"
She nodded slowly.
"Then trust me when I say this. I won't let you fall. Not to Soul Dominion. Not to anything. As long as I breathe, Lilith, you won't be alone."
Lilith pressed her face against his neck, burying herself in his warmth.
"Promise?"
"Always."
The tension melted out of her slowly, like ice thawing beneath the sun.
"I love you." She said quietly, her voice trembling.
Ren smiled into her hair. "I know."
They held each other in silence, his fingers gently tracing circles on her back.
Lilith shifted slightly, her hand resting over his heart. "Thank you. For staying. For not being afraid."
"I'm always afraid." Ren said honestly. "But I'd rather face it with you."