"Wear this and don't complain."
Inase threw a piece of clothing at the painter, offering her some warmth against the foggy night at the ocean.
"You don't wanna catch a cold." His beloved jacket.
"Okay…"
Roberta wrapped herself tight, seeking any warmth against the chill in the air.
"Before we move, do something about your side as well."
Hosen added, chucking at his buddy a roll of clean fabric.
"?"
When the other caught it, the pain lingered, reminding itself ever so often, even if the wound wasn't that severe. Inase's brow raised as he looked back at the guy who stood silently on the boat's bow—his expression calm but intent.
The unspoken message was clear.
"Oh, right."
He was used to the feeling of pain, so he nearly forgot he was hurt.
"Thanks, doc. You carry everything in that coat of yours, don't you?"
Annoying at times, but Hosen's caution has proven invaluable in moments like these. A rare quality that he, personally, was lacking.
"It's gonna be the third time we go to this cursed mansion," he muttered, "Let's put an end to this back and forth."
Hopefully, this would be their last.
And so, while he busied himself wrapping his torso with a ripped bandage, Hosen used a long plank to push their boat away from the dock, determined never to touch an oar again after this mess was behind them.
The cold breeze, a sharp contrast to the growing heat of the burning town, nipped at their noses, causing Roberta to sneeze quietly.
Cute.
Yet, they did not dare to comment on it further.
In silence, their boat rocked gently against the foamy waves.
***
At last, the tip of the vessel that safely passed them across the salt waters struck the jagged skerry rocks.
"..."
Once Hosen assisted her in getting out, worry filled Roberta's eyes as she took in the state of her mansion.
"...are you sure you can deal with this, boys?"
"Worry not, m'lady," Inase responded with a tinge of a tease. "No need for hesitation now, of all times. It's either we succeed or-"
"We die."
It didn't feel like a thought that would cheer her up, but Hosen stated it nevertheless.
Way to keep her at ease, man.
His partner glared at the scientist for being so blunt, to which Hosen shrugged indifferently.
Nothing could keep the mood lighthearted anymore, either way, why bother forcing it then? All three witnessed the house turn into a living nightmare anyway.
What was once a serene, yet somewhat cold scenery, had now turned into something of a hive; overcrowded by spiders, although these were in reality only hundreds of swarming shadows—silent, relentless, and everywhere. No gaps in sight to sneak through.
"Any ideas on how to get inside?"
Inase was the first to voice his wonder; the other two shook their heads.
"If I had something to create light with, it would be ten times easier."
Most of Hosen's tools had been left at the inn, leaving him with little to do for the time being. The only ones he had were those he would never want to use under any circumstances.
Yet, his thoughts of better options were interrupted when a vial dangled right in front of his nose.
"Would this be useful?"
His partner casually took the contents out and playfully tossed a few metal pieces between his fingers.
Leaving them at the inn in plain view only made Inade's temptation to take them stronger.
And, in the end, his barbaric act proved to be their salvation.
"Perfect."
Hosen smirked, pleased to have more choices to consider.
"Stay close to the light."
Taking out another small bottle, he put the solid metal inside. The flask glowed, scaring off the darkness overflowing the main entrance.
It worked like a protective barrier, a safety net, even though they still needed to be cautious of some risk-takers raising their appendages. Sure, most of the creatures were scared to get close, but some still tried to jump at them, risking dissipation.
When that happened, the trustworthy Inase took the role of pulling Roberta out of their way and kicking them away.
They ventured deeper in, carefully following each other's steps, moving at a slow pace and speaking in hushed tones. The three made their way down the long corridor and toward the main hall, where the secret room was concealed.
"First, let's find the painting. Destroying it will close their entrance to our dimension."
Hosen said, counting the magnesium chunks he had left. Knowing he could use just a few more to make a secure light source, he had to keep the rest for their main plan.
The instant the light flickered out, he quickly swapped in another tube, just in time to keep their surroundings constantly lit.
"How are we going to do it?" Inase whispered.
"Will repainting it do something?" Roberta interjected.
Swapping out what was shown on the painting should also close the connection, no?
"Or, the most effective idea would be…" The two looked at the girl in question.
"Whatever you said earlier: burn the source."
"Will that suffice, though?" Inase scratched the back of his head.
"Don't know, but we have to try. Just... make as little damage as possible."
Their conversation was concluded by Inase's annoyed sigh, who was utterly disappointed that they didn't go in guns blazing.
The deeper they were, the more shadows crawled across the walls like cockroaches, devouring the space and retreating only when the light touched them.
At times, the corners were so filled by them that they squeezed against each other, forming a writhing mass of swollen black bubbles.
Just the sight of it made Roberta feel a wave of nausea, causing her to instinctively cover her mouth.
"These things sure are scary…"
Another light dimmed, leaving behind a faint trail—a perfect moment for the entities' tentacles to creep closer to them, stopping just before the tips of their noses, threatening to pierce them. Just in time, Hosen lit it up again, flooding their faces with light.
Each time it happened, the tension surged, only to ease seconds later.
Until finally, they found themselves right in front of the painting standing in the center of the hidden room.
From the looks of it, the source of the problem was overflowed by the black tendrils slipping in and out of the portal.
Hundreds of them converged in one spot, creating a mass that made it nearly impossible to get any closer.
At last, they were standing at the finish line. Just one more action, and they were done.
"Let's get over it quickly and have a tasty meal at the inn."
The first to reach out his hand to their target was Inase.
"Let me do it." However, Roberta stopped him right before he was able to touch it. "I created it, so I want to end it too. It's my life's work."
She loved each of her creations like a mother would love her child. If she was the one to give birth to all of these monsters, as painful as it was, she had to take responsibility and be the one to destroy them.
"...fine."
Hosen took a magnesium chunk in his fingertips and laid it onto hers.
"How do I do this?"
He also pulled one of his tubes out of his pocket. At first glance, it appeared empty, but they were all certain that some kind of gas lingered inside.
"The old trick. The usual. Place the metal on top and pour the contents of the flask over it. It should combust soon after. Then, the oil in the paint you used will take care of the rest."
The fire should rise momentarily.
"Okay."
Roberta inched closer to the dimensional opening.
Her heart pounded as she reached out; her delicate fingers were prepared to do what Hosen had instructed. A tiny bead of sweat kept her company during the most tense moment in her life; she had never felt the weight of her actions this much.
However, the instant her fingertips brushed the edge of the portal, everything shifted.
The hivemind stirred violently, sensing the threat. It hissed in warning before the writhing creatures lashed out.
Roberta gasped, barely managed to pull away when the entities realized the three's malicious intentions. The portal—their home—was about to be destroyed, and the adumbrali would not let that happen.
Suddenly, the painting erupted.
Darkness burst forth—screeching, writhing. It spilled out of the painting with vicious force like oil, fast and suffocating.
The walls came to life. And they wanted them dead.
"Move!"
Inase grabbed Roberta by the arm and yanked her back, just as a tendril struck. It hissed—razor-sharp and eager to kill.
"Of course, they wouldn't let us have it this easily…"
He clicked his tongue, feeling the red splatter dripping.
Something sliced into him.
He looked down. A few barbed tendrils stayed hooked onto his arm, sucking on his blood until he forcefully tore them out.
"...t-thanks."
Roberta meekly uttered, shivering at the sight of the squirming flesh.
"Save it for later and finish the job."
The painter nodded.
Without further ado, she followed his orders, edging closer to the center to eliminate the source of the chaos.
The other two bounced on their feet to handle the obstacles, fighting fiercely.
Tentacles lashed from all sides—twisting, coiling. Smothering. With ease, they knocked the light from Hosen's hands, sending it shattering to the floor.
The room sank into deep darkness, save from the faint rays of the moon slipping through a narrow window slit.
Before their eyes could adjust and before Hosen could find a chance to light another vial, Roberta tripped over her own legs.
She collapsed to the ground.
"Wah-"
Her scraped knees throbbed, but she bit her tongue, refusing to let herself scream.
She crawled. Despite the storm of shadows surrounding her, she kept going.
Determination drove her to reach it. Shadows licked at her heels.
As she groped her way to the painting, her hands slid over the shattered glass shards. Dirt smeared her palms. Blood stuck to her fingertips.
All because of this cursed darkness—!
...but she didn't dare to shed a tear.
The moment Hosen's last flask lit up, he scanned his surroundings cautiously. He saw the girl groveling on the ground, surrounded by the creeping entities.
Upon realizing her grave situation, he knew he had to make a choice: either keep the light or toss it to Roberta.
"..."
He chose the latter.
Thus, she, who grabbed it with trembling hands, left him without protection.
The girl knew she had to hurry. She lunged at the painting, tripped—slammed into it, sending it crashing down along with her.
The adumbrali hissed aggressively, but she paid them no mind. With a flick of her wrist, the spark ignited, and the canvas caught on fire that consumed the edges in a burst of light.
She called out, "Done," pride swelling in her chest.
But then, confusion crept in.
"..."
Nothing happened.
"H-huh? Why didn't it close?"
Was it that much of a surprise, though? One piece of art obviously couldn't seal the portal anymore.
If only she could look up, she'd certainly see where the problem lies…
The eldritch influence had spread far beyond the confines of one canvas, reaching into every corner of the room.
The living shadows were not the only ones that passed the dimensional boundaries. The painter's other creations—monsters residing in the unknown—had awakened, too.
Countless eyes stared into their souls, tentacles slid out of the canvas, leaving a slimy trail behind, creeping over the walls, and wrapping around the room like a cage.
The atmosphere's oppressive weight nearly crushed them, hovering above like the final judgment.
It wasn't just that one affected, it was the entire mansion.
"We need to burn it all. Every painting. Everything!"
Inase's voice cut through the air, and as much as Roberta would be sad afterward that her whole heritage went up in flames, she also agreed with this decision.
"Let's do it!"
And so, their final struggle raged on as they fought for their lives.
Hosen staggered back, his hand grabbing a heap of sketches just before a tendril sliced through the space where his would have been.
He felt the papers below his hand.
A perfect fuel.
With a sharp hand turn, they toppled over, and soon after, flooded the floor.
The room, littered with crumpled drawings, was ready to be used as kindling.
However, Inase, in a moment of carelessness while dodging, bumped into a windowsill, shattering a vase on top, big enough to submerge the entire floor with a thick layer of water.
The wilted flowers fell under his soles, ready to be stepped on as the moisture spread between the scattered papers.
"Shit—"
Would that stop them from putting this building ablaze?
Yes.
The water put out anything they tried to ignite.
Their plan was ruined.
They couldn't have it that easy, could they?
Another wave of darkness surrounded them as the water quenched the thirst of the previously bright flames of the central piece—a perfect opportunity to strike.
Adumbrali had no mercy when they hunted; their sharp body parts shot out, not letting their prey take a breath.
The cornered trio had no choice but to press their backs together, leaving no space for a shadow to slip past.
In doing so, they guarded each other from behind.
Their bodies twisted, feet splashing on the slick, wet ground. Dangerously close to slipping, yet they stood strong, before—
Their enemy revealed a powerful trick that could eliminate the intruders in an instant—they manipulated time itself.
It warped, making their movement heavy, and each step felt like wading through thick mud.
It slowed down, and then, it stopped.
Even the air didn't seem to budge.
Everything came to a halt, as if stuck in a thick wall of glass, awaiting their impending doom.
Roberta's scream caught in her throat—frozen. Her hands reached out to the two when the monsters jumped.
A drop of blood floated, suspended.
Inase was stuck while swinging his knife to cut through the enemy that just lunged at him.
Tentacles hung mid-snap.
And Hosen, as he jumped backward to dodge the one that halted right before his only eye.
Their influence was suffocating. Only milliseconds divided them from being dragged into their realm…
"Check…"
…but just as the tendrils stretched out to seize them, Hosen did the unthinkable.
Ever since his last encounter, he was able to predict their movements very effectively, even in the slowed reality.
So, he took the bet.
Before time froze—he reached into his pocket.
He took out the thing he hoped he'd never use—the metal, hidden for the dark hour.
A handful of it.
And now, paused in time, he dropped it behind his back.
If they were stuck motionless, that meant the entities wouldn't have time to react either. Right?
It fell…
…slow…
…motionless…
…until—
Clink.
The potassium chunk kissed the wet floor.
"...mate."
BOOM!
The explosion was his gamble.
A blast of fire swallowed the floor, scattering across the papers. Igniting in a frenzy, it sparked an inferno.
Fire erupted, devouring the sketches, the paintings, the walls… Flames roared as they met the oil-soaked canvases. The smell of burning paint was thick—corrosive.
Shadows howled, thrashing in the scorching light. Their flesh hissed. Their tentacles curled in on themselves. Their bodies disintegrated, burned.
Hosen tossed his smoldering coat aside—it caught fire way too quickly.
"Go! Now!"
The trio ran—legs burning, skin seared—but they made it outside in one piece...
Inase, Hosen, and Roberta burst out into the cool night air, the mansion behind them engulfed in flames. Firelight painted the grass. Smoke clawed at the sky.
They collapsed, resting on the ground. There were no words, just heavy breathing accompanying the silence of the night.
They watched the fire consume the house from the inside out.
"Next time, remind me not to take on shadow monsters."
Finally, the blonde muttered breathlessly, wiping the blood from his temple, to which the scientist bumped his shoulder.
"You'd be bored if we didn't."
Dry chuckles were caught in their throats after they finally got a well-deserved break.
Soon, the light poured over the land, erasing every last trace of the living shadows as if they had never existed. They won.
And Roberta?
She knelt by the embers of the still-burning building, tears streaming down her face.
The mansion had been her home, her safest cove in which she was born and raised.
But she knew the fire had been necessary.
For all their pain, for all the destruction, it was the only way to end it all.