Sidestepping to avoid stepping on the creatures, sometimes inadvertently slipping and knocking their flaccid limbs, we progressed further to place the battle scene in the past. Despite many members whining over having to the leave the sparkling crystals behind, we moved on, bending abnormally to squish through cavernous tunnels and squirming on our stomachs to evade being penetrated by morphed, jagged stones dangling from the cave’s ceiling.

Our surroundings didn’t transform much as time passed, but our bodies rapidly became tired and our eyes grew sick of seeing the same browns, blacks and greys in every direction. It was quite like being trapped inside a mental asylum, with the constant white replaced by the ongoing dullness of earthy colours and daunting duskiness. Truly, I felt as though my mind was beginning to lose all sanity. I could swear that I continuously saw shadows, contorted, horrific silhouettes trailing closely behind us and threatening to attack us at any given time. Sometimes I thought that my sensitive ears were detecting subtle sounds, which grew louder and shriller the further we went into the eerie, unknown depths of the cave. Nobody else seemed to notice, so I kept such notions to myself and gradually felt the soft tugging of my heart as it grew weaker and weaker.

Upon reaching a slightly vaster space, with the tiniest of openings allowing shimmers of sunlight to filter through, we decided it would be best to rest up. If there was a bit of natural light to illuminate our new environment, Baekhyun could finally reenergise and withhold from having to use his power for some time. He was utterly grateful with this realisation, happy that he didn’t have to keep guard, safeguarding the members from any other deadly monsters of the cave. I was overjoyed too, because I didn’t wish to see him overexert himself. As he yawned and cuddled into a very unsuspecting Chanyeol’s side, I smiled gently and made myself comfortable atop my very own giant.

With Kris fiddling tenderly with my hair - which I had to admit was rapidly becoming gross and dusty - I fell into a deep slumber. I encountered relatively terrifying nightmares, of gnashing teeth and bubbling toxins, of piercing screams and inevitable death. Though Kris apparently attempted to shake me awake on multiple occasions, I did not jostle from my sleep until the haunting dreams came to a gory conclusion.

When we pressed onwards, I received many concerned glances and most members questioned my wellbeing at least once. I assumed that I had screamed or spoken during my nightmares and that they had all easily heard me, but Kris later informed me that my eyes were like hollow pits, black and lifeless. At first I labelled this comment as rude, but as the day went on and my body began to deteriorate, I understood that it was the truth.

Strangely enough, the others who had used their powers within the cave’s vicinity mirrored my dreadful appearance. Baekhyun was the only exception, looking cute as always. Yixing, who had healed Luhan as soon as we had entered the area, was limping outrageously and his eyes were watering continuously, tears slipping down his reddened cheeks. At first, Jongdae offered a hand for support, but he eventually came to be carrying Yixing because the elder could barely walk. Jongin and Luhan had finally fallen silent, no longer verbally nipping at one another or humiliating themselves. The younger male’s presence was almost ghostly. He didn’t seem to be walking, but floating along like a spiritual being. The older male groaned every few seconds, but the sounds were so faint that it just seemed like he was breathing a little louder than normal. His pupils were dilated and wavering, never focussing on anything for a long period of time.

Ultimately, my physical state hurriedly crumbled. I could see a glistening shape just up ahead and I wanted nothing more than to reach it, touch it, praise it. With a grunt, I tried to force myself closer, but everything was quickly becoming blurred in my vision and my knees were trembling drastically. Kris was directly in front of me, so I reached out to him, begging for help. I thought that words were being emitted, but I was voiceless, just inaudible rasping seeping out. Slowly, his figure shot up taller as my body collapsed to the ground, blackness swallowing me whole.

I couldn’t see anything, but I could feel it all. My arms were being struck with a series of pins and needles, the prickling like a static sensation inside my body. When I attempted to move them, the feeling turned into pain, excruciating, and constant pain. I screamed, my throat burning horrendously, but it was futile. It was as though there was a creature burrowing around within my body, swimming through my bloodstream to reach every area and tear away it ruthlessly, because the pain crept throughout every inch of me. No matter how hard I thrashed or how loudly I screeched, it didn’t disappear. If anything, it just got worse.

Though I was paralysed by a relentless twinge, my sight gradually flickered back into existence and I was able to look around once more. The incandescent radiance was still further on, but most of the members were nowhere to be seen. Yixing, Luhan and Jongin were sprawled in various directions around me, groaning and trying to battle the pain so that they could sit up. Their expressions were distorted, eyebrows knitted together and mouths drawn into unusual slants. I didn’t doubt that my facial features matched theirs.

With a guttural yell, I forced myself upright and then sat there rigidly, motionless and gazing around. There was nothing out of the ordinary, save for the isolation, the absence of the members I had been travelling with. It was too quiet, too cold, too dark. Yet, I could not distinguish what was happening.

Yixing moaned and rolled onto his side, weakly sticking out a quivering finger. ‘Jun, turn around. It’s…it’s…closer…coming closer.’

Unable to concoct a proper sentence, I simply focussed on trying to shift my body. I flopped over and wriggled a little, until I came to face the direction he had been pointing. In all honestly, I regretted it immediately. No part of me wished to see the approaching monstrosity. 

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Hi :) All of my fics will likely be uploaded on a 1-2 week basis from now on. Thank you for reading x