Nicholas shook his head, unsure if he had heard correctly or even seen correctly. By the time he glanced back at Gin, the demon had already slipped his mask back on, his cocky attitude returning as if nothing had happened.
Before Nicholas could speak, Gin cut in. "That's all you'll be getting from my story… probably." He sounded casual, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in his voice, like even he wasn't sure how much he wanted to share. "If you wanna ask anything else, go for it."
Nicholas raised an eyebrow. "Why the sudden willingness to share?" He resumed walking, falling into step beside the demon.
Gin shrugged. "You're a dead man walking, so… it doesn't really matter what I tell you, does it?"
Nicholas let out a dry chuckle. It seemed the demon still planned to kill him. And that second person he wanted to kill… for all Nicholas knew, he could be the other target.
"I… guess?"
"That, and it's fun messing with you." Gin chuckled.
Nicholas resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Gee, thanks. Glad I'm useful for something."
They were about to step into the next room when Gin opened his mouth again.
"Yeah, that's probably your only use—"
The sentence was abruptly cut short as Gin's foot stepped into thin air. The demon nearly plummeted into what seemed to be a bottomless pit, if not for Nicholas grabbing the back of his jacket at the last second.
"—e? Umm…"
Gin dangled for a moment, staring down at the abyss. Slowly, he turned his head to look at Unknown, who was merely staring at him.
The only sound that escaped Unknown's mouth was a quiet, amused "heh."
Gin cleared his throat. "My bad, Big Man. You have more than one use."
Nicholas smirked slightly before pulling him back up. "I know I've said this before, but you should really get those eyes checked out."
Gin scowled, muttering a curse under his breath. This was getting ridiculous. Unknown had saved his ass again. At this rate, he might actually start owing the masked vigilante a favor.
"Fuckin' hell," Gin muttered as he dusted himself off and peered into the hole. "How deep do you think it goes?"
Nicholas shrugged and summoned a dagger into his hand. "Shall we test it out?" He didn't wait for an answer.
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the dagger into the pit. It clinked against the walls a few times before vanishing into the darkness below.
They waited.
And waited.
A full minute passed. No sound. No impact. Just silence.
Both Nicholas and Gin instinctively recoiled from the edge, as if the abyss itself had taken a breath and was waiting for them to step closer.
"…Yeah, let's not fall in there." Gin deadpanned.
"No kidding." Nicholas exhaled slowly. "That's not just deep, that's unnatural."
Gin took a step back, shaking off the lingering unease. "You think this is one of those pits where if you fall, you just keep going forever?"
Nicholas glanced at him. "Like a loop?"
"Yeah."
"Maybe. Or maybe it's just endless?"
Gin hummed in thought. "Wouldn't that make it the same thing? I mean, either way, you're not getting out."
Nicholas didn't reply, still staring into the pit. Something about it gnawed at him, a strange, unsettling feeling he couldn't quite place.
"…There's an opening on the other side of this… room, hole, thing." He pointed.
Gin squinted, trying to calculate the distance. "It's about… seven meters?"
Nicholas shook his head. "Closer to six. Also… you know metric?"
Gin shrugged. "I know both metric and imperial. Old farts only know imperial, while some of the younger folk are more familiar with metric."
Nicholas nodded absently, filing that information away. He wondered if the demon had actually gone to school. And how old was he, anyway?
Supposedly, before the meteor struck, America was one of the few countries that used the imperial measurement system, while the rest of the world primarily used the metric system. Khybernus advocated the metric system, and as such, at one point or another, a new school curriculum was adopted, only in Fusionight City, where students were required to learn both systems. Nicholas's generation was the last to learn both systems; everyone after had only been taught metric.
"Think I should try to jump it?"
Nicholas's head snapped toward Gin so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash. He crossed his arms in an X, his expression a mix of exasperation and disbelief.
"Absolutely not. Surely the Mind placed something that lets us pass safely without, you know, falling to our doom."
Gin clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Oi, why are you clicking your tongue in annoyance? Do you actually have a death wish? If so, go right ahead, dickhead, Nicholas thought, doing his best to restrain himself from just shoving the demon into the hole. He felt oddly proud of himself for his self-restraint.
"The world record for the furthest standing long jump is about four meters, I believe," Nicholas started, breaking the silence.
Gin raised an eyebrow. "What about the furthest running jump?"
"I think it was around nine meters. While this does seem to be about six meters or seven, I wouldn't chance it. Are you confident?" Nicholas questioned, arms crossed.
Gin seemed deep in thought before finally nodding to himself. "I think I can make it." Without another word, he turned on his heel, walking back to give himself some running distance.
Nicholas exhaled sharply, shaking his head. He wasn't exactly a fan of this course of action, but if the demon was set on it, he wouldn't stop him. He just wondered how he was supposed to get across.
Then Gin turned back, looking strangely uneasy. "...Mind giving me a countdown?"
Nicholas gave him a blank stare. "You're serious?"
Gin simply waited.
Nicholas sighed. "Sure… whatever."
He started counting down. With each number, his unease grew. He wasn't sure why, but his gut told him this was not a good idea. Yet when he finally shouted, "Go!" the demon burst into a full sprint.
Nicholas held his breath as he watched.
For a moment, it actually looked like Gin was going to make it.
Then gravity reminded him of its existence.
Gin's momentum faltered mid-air. His body began to dip, and before Nicholas could react, the demon was plummeting—
But just before he disappeared into the bottomless void, Gin's hands shot out, catching the ledge.
With a strained growl, he hauled himself up, arms shaking, muscles tense. He collapsed onto the ground, chest heaving, sweat rolling down his forehead.
A beat of silence.
Then, still lying there, Gin started laughing.
It was breathless, almost hysterical, full of raw adrenaline. He clutched his stomach, shoulders shaking with mirth before finally propping himself up on his elbows.
"How's... that?!" he gasped between bouts of laughter.
Nicholas simply stared at him. "...You're even more reckless than I am."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Gin said, still catching his breath.
"...Take it as you will."
Without another word, Nicholas raised a hand, summoning a tendril of darkness. The inky rope slithered from his palm, latching onto the ceiling like an organic grappling hook.
Gin perked up. "Oi, wait a minute. Wait a damn minute."
He got up, eyes narrowing as he sent a glare at Nicholas.
"You could've made a rope at any time?" His voice rose in disbelief. "Why the hell didn't you do that before I jumped?!"
Nicholas shrugged, feeling the corners of his mouth twitching upward. "You were so adamant about jumping. I couldn't find it in me to tell you there might be another way."
A small, smug heh escaped him.
Gin's glare intensified. His jaw tightened, and for a second, Nicholas thought Gin might actually charge at him.
"You dark sunnova—!" The demon cut himself off, his expression shifting. His gaze flickered to the side.
"There's another entrance," he noted, tone suddenly casual. "On the same side, you're on. Looks a lot narrower, though."
Nicholas frowned, leaning slightly to check—but even while holding onto his tendril, he hesitated. He didn't trust himself not to slip into the pit.
"And?" he asked, glancing back at Gin. "What do you want me to do with that information?"
The demon shrugged. "Nothing. Just figured you'd wanna know. You seem like the type who prefers knowing all possible choices before making a decision."
Nicholas blinked.
While that was true, he was a bit surprised Gin had picked up on it.
"So, what's the plan, leader?" Gin called out, snapping Nicholas from his thoughts.
Leader? He raised an eyebrow but dismissed it. "I'll try getting in that new way you found."
Gin nodded and stepped back, waiting.
Using his tendril for momentum, Nicholas swung across the room in a smooth arc before hurling himself through the narrow passageway. He landed in a crouch, rolling forward to absorb the impact before standing up and dusting himself off.
As he took in his surroundings, he frowned. A maze stretched out before him, its winding paths disappearing into the shadows.
"Let's split up," he muttered, glancing toward the other end where Gin stood. "I haven't seen any cameras in this area. We might be able to catch the Mind by surprise. Tell him I fell in the hole or something."
Gin raised an eyebrow. "Not sure it's smart to split up, but… whatever." He gave a lazy peace sign before striding off into the darkness.
"You'll be fine alone, right?" Nicholas still couldn't help but ask as he saw Gin's form leaving.
"If he isn't armed I'm fine. If he is… oh well." With that, Nicholas could no longer hear or see Gin.
Nicholas exhaled, feeling an odd sense of relief. While he had managed to relax a little around the demon, he still refused to let his guard down.
He turned toward the maze's entrance, ready to strategize his way through—
Only for his legs to give out beneath him.
His body hit the ground hard, face smacking against the cold floor.
For a moment, he just lay there, stunned.
...Now that I think about it, he realized sluggishly, I haven't slept much, have I?
Not to mention eaten anything.
His limbs felt heavier than before, the exhaustion pressing down on him like an unbearable weight. His head spun, his thoughts sluggish.
I need to get out soon. His fingers curled into weak fists. I'm tired. So fucking tired.
At this point, he'd shove down anything if it meant regaining even a shred of strength.
He forced himself onto his hands and knees, breathing hard. His vision swam, but he gritted his teeth, pushing through the fatigue. He had to keep moving.
This wasn't the place to collapse.
Not yet.
Nicholas forced himself upright, shaking off the lingering exhaustion as he started making his way through the maze, using an old technique: stick to the left wall. It wasn't foolproof, but it was better than wandering aimlessly.
"It's dark… fortunately, that doesn't mean much to me," he muttered, mostly to break the eerie silence. "I should probably think about what my cover story is going to be, right..? Huh—"
He stopped.
Something felt off.
A creeping sensation ran down his spine, like unseen fingers grazing his skin. He turned, scanning the darkness behind him, but there was nothing. Yet, deep down, he knew he wasn't alone.
Then, a wet, slippery sound echoed through the maze.
Nicholas tensed.
"Well, that's not creepy at all," he muttered under his breath, shivering slightly.
Deciding not to take chances, he picked up the pace, leaving behind wisps of dark mist at intervals to ensure he wasn't running in circles. But no matter how fast he moved, the noise remained, growing louder, closer, more insistent.
Then he saw it.
A towering figure stood in the path ahead, nearly three meters tall.
Nicholas froze.
Its back was turned to him, but even from this angle, it was wrong. Uncanny.
Its elongated neck stretched unnaturally high, its head bobbing slightly as if struggling to hold itself upright. Its bloated, fat-ridden torso sagged grotesquely, the rolls of flesh rippling with each tiny movement. Nicholas couldn't discern its exact skin tone through the darkness, his night vision wasn't perfect when it came to colors, but he could feel the wrongness of it.
Then it turned.
Nicholas fought back the bile rising in his throat.
Its grotesquely oversized eyes bulged out of their sockets, unblinking. Its maw was disturbingly wide, stretching far beyond what should have been physically possible. Its mouth seemed to be missing its lips, and its inside consisted of jagged, uneven teeth. Worst of all, where a nose should have been, an elongated trunk-like appendage twitched and writhed.
His entire body screamed at him to run.
But he didn't. Not yet.
The creature remained eerily still. Despite its terrifying presence, it made no move toward him. It didn't even seem to acknowledge him at all. Is it blind? Or can it just not see in the dark? The thought passed through his mind just as another, much worse, surfaced. Was this thing related to that damned Wendigo?
No.
The Wendigo had been different. More than just terrifying—it had radiated a primal, insatiable hunger, an evil far beyond just its appearance. This thing… It was horrible, but it didn't carry the same weight.
"Still… It's something similar, alright," he muttered, barely above a whisper.
Unfortunately, even that was too loud.
The moment the sound left his lips, the creature jerked toward him, its twitching eyes locking onto his form.
A moment of silence.
Then it screeched.
A high-pitched, inhuman wail reverberated through the maze, making Nicholas's ears ring.
"…Shit."
He turned and bolted.
The creature lunged forward, its massive frame moving far faster than it had any right to. Nicholas swerved around corners, barely keeping ahead as the wet, slippery sound of its flesh slapping against the ground filled the air behind him. He focused on his path, relying on his dark mist markers to avoid dead ends.
But it was gaining on him.
The heavy sound of its breath, raspy and unnatural, loomed over him, closer with each second. A quick glance over his shoulder confirmed his worst fear, it was almost on him.
Damn it!
With no time to think, Nicholas spun mid-sprint, summoning a dagger in his grasp. As the creature lunged, he stabbed upward, burying the blade deep into its grotesque, pulsating gut.
A wet, meaty squelch.
The creature reeled back, letting out another ear-piercing shriek. Its bulbous eyes darted wildly as it staggered away, massive hands gripping the wound as dark ichor oozed from the gash.
Nicholas exhaled sharply, stepping back into a guarded stance, his heart pounding against his ribs.
Then he noticed it, a hole in the ceiling. His escape route.
It was directly above the abomination. If he was quick enough, he could use the creature as a stepping stool and get out of this accursed maze.
The monster collapsed onto its rear, still clutching its wound with those grotesquely oversized hands. Nicholas hesitated, considering whether to finish it off and end its suffering.
But then their eyes met. The creature's gaze… wasn't just monstrous anymore. There was something eerily human about it. Then, it spoke.
"Helf eeee…" It uttered.
Nicholas froze. Was it just him… or did it try to say 'help me'? The thing wept, though instead of tears, thick black ichor dripped from its bulging eyes.
Nicholas took one last look at it and noticed a look he was familiar with.
The look of a living being in absolute agony.
A breath hitched in his throat.
Without thinking, he dismissed the lingering darkness he had left behind in the maze and sent out his healing mist. It drifted toward the creature, knitting the torn flesh back together, stopping the bleeding.
The creature's weeping subsided. It simply sat there, watching him.
Nicholas held its gaze, and for a long moment, neither of them moved.
Then, unable to bear looking any longer, he averted his eyes toward the hole in the ceiling. How am I going to climb up there?
A sickening squelch echoed.
He turned back. The creature was now standing in front of him.
Nicholas didn't move. Didn't dare to move. His entire body screamed at him to run, but fear locked his limbs in place.
The creature slowly raised a hand. Nicholas clenched his teeth, bracing himself. But instead of striking him, the creature pointed at the hole above.
Nicholas blinked.
It was asking him, wordlessly, but undeniably, if that's where he wanted to go. He swallowed hard and gave a slow, cautious nod.
Without hesitation, the creature lifted him effortlessly, holding him up so he could reach the opening. Nicholas climbed inside, pausing for just a second to glance back.
The creature gazed up at him with those hollow, almost human eyes. Then, as if their brief interaction had never happened, it turned and shambled away, disappearing into the darkness.
Only then did Nicholas notice the black vein-like patterns running along its body. His stomach twisted. How had he not seen them before?
And just like that, memories flooded back— The homeless thug he helped take down in the supermarket three weeks ago during the snowstorm. The detective questioning him about black substances. And the three stooges. One of them had been holding a vial filled with some black liquid. He'd hesitated to take it. Why?
Nicholas's pulse hammered in his ears.
"Just what… what the hell is happening in this city?"
He shook his head and pressed forward, crawling through the narrow passage until he found a ventilation shaft. It was wide enough to squeeze through, so he did just that.
Below, a labyrinth of rooms sprawled out beneath him, filled with grunt workers, most likely serving the Mind.
The Mind.
Nicholas clenched his fists.
If that bastard was behind this, he was going to pay.
Then he found a large room with dozens of monitors. Staring at those monitors was none other than the Mind, seemingly frantically searching each of the monitors for something, or someone.
Before Nicholas decided to drop down and give the Mind a beatdown, he noticed a peculiar screen.
He paused, eyes narrowing as he scanned the dozens of flickering screens before him. And there, on one of them, was Gin.
Tied up. Dangling above a vat of acid. Gin, of course, looked completely unbothered.
Nicholas sighed. "You gotta be shitting me," he muttered under his breath.
He really, really just wanted to get this over with.