Riko took a step. The ground gave a soft 'ting.' It wasn't really ground at all. It was more like a bunch of see-through blocks that kept popping into view and then disappearing right beneath his feet. Luna, breathing hard, put her hands on her knees to steady herself. Kaze moved his shoulder around, like he was checking to see if gravity was still working in this crazy place.
Everything felt wrong, somehow. The air was empty. It had no temperature, no weight. It just felt like digital nothing pressing against their skin, like static.
Riko squinted, trying to see what was out there. Does it feel like we're falling, even when we're standing still?
Luna swayed a bit as the ground in front of them seemed to bend, like someone was messing with the edges of the world. Yeah, I hate this place. I really do.
Kaze didn't say anything. He was staring at something up ahead. It looked like a shape that wasn't finished, crawling around on a staircase that didn't lead anywhere. Riko saw it too, and felt his stomach drop. At first, it looked like an animal. Then it didn't. Then it looked something like it again. Its legs jerked around like it was a puppet. Its shape changed all the time, getting bigger, then smaller, then snapping back the way it was, like the world was still loading.
What is that thing? Riko whispered.
Nobody answered. The thing was clinging to a block of tilted cubes. But the scary thing wasn't how it looked, it was the white circle that kept spinning on its chest. It was a loading icon, pulsing. Every time it pulsed, the thing's skin changed, like it was trying to decide what it wanted to be.
Luna took a step back. Okay, no way. That's not a normal monster. That's... unfinished.
Kaze raised a hand a little, but he didn't attack. It is stuck. This zone isn't done.
Riko gulped. You mean, it is half-born?
He didn't mean to say it so quietly, but this place seemed to swallow sound. Just breathing felt weird, like breathing in digital strings instead of air.
The creature got closer. It moved fast, jerky, and wrong. Like it kept forgetting how legs worked and making up new ways to move every second. Its feet sank through the cubes sometimes, disappearing like errors before coming back again.
The loading icon blinked faster.
Its head wasn't the same for two seconds. One second it looked like a dog, the next it stretched out into a long snout, then it was flat like a mask. Then it all melted back and changed into something new.
Luna whispered, Is it... choosing?
Kaze didn't change his face, but he spoke quietly. No. It cannot choose. It is just trying to find a way to attack.
Riko's skin crawled. And if it does?
Kaze tightened his jaw. It will be fast. And broken.
The block under them flickered. Something rolled out from the creature. A cold wave passed under their feet, but there was no wind. Just that sinking feeling. The blocks changed, turning shades of blue.
Why is it glowing? Riko asked.
It is loading up, Kaze said.
What does that mean? Luna started, then stopped. Oh. It's looking at us.
The creature's head snapped toward them. The loading icon stayed steady. It wasn't spinning anymore. It was locked. A hum came from its body, like a computer working too hard. They all took a step back without thinking.
Riko raised his fists up. Okay, if it comes, we just…
He didn't finish the sentence.
The creature jerked around, like it was lagging. Its legs gave out. Its body cracked in half, then fixed itself. Its head stretched into a triangle shape before snapping back. Everything inside it seemed to move as it teared up, rebuilding.
Luna made a noise. This is nightmare stuff.
The creature lowered its shoulders as its whole body vibrated.
Kaze narrowed his eyes. It is getting ready.
Riko's face went white. Getting ready for what?
The loading icon flashed. Then again. Then it turned red.
Luna whispered, That is never good.
Its throat strained as it made a sound, static over a straw. It dragged its front leg, claws scraping through the cubes without leaving marks. Its body jerked again.
Riko felt the world tip under him, because gravity shifted as the blocks started to float.
Kaze spoke quietly. If it finds its body for even a second, it will attack.
And if it doesn't? Riko asked.
Then it will attack anyway, Kaze said. In a worse way.
The creature's head was changing as it appeared to look at them, until it stopped on some sharp, empty sockets with blue lights that looked like dying screens.
Riko stood firm. It is done loading.
Kaze shook his head. No, it just decided how to slay.
The loading icon blasted out.
The blocks below it rose, and the creature began to climb. Every joint clicked as it did.
Luna whispered, It is stalking us.
Riko exhaled. Okay. We will hit it, on three.
But before he could even count, the limbs of the creature snapped into a streamlined line and the lights in the sockets flared. It went forward, impossible.
Then.
Silence.
Total silence.
The world stopped breathing.
Kaze's eyes grew wide!
The loading icon on the creature was pure white.
It charges.