Elius narrowed his eyes as the shadows twisted across the path ahead. His senses were humming, picking up every tiny shift in the flow of spiritual energy in the air. Then, calmly, he turned to Shiro.
"How many are inside?"
Shiro blinked, gathering the last fragments of his clone's report. "About twenty. Maybe more. I saw at least twenty distinct figures. Not counting what could be hiding in the side tunnels or watching from shadows."
Elius folded his arms, standing atop his levitating sword like a monarch on a throne. "Can you handle it?"
The question hung in the air like the weight of a mountain.
The four looked at each other.
Klee bit her lip.
Lina hesitated, ghostlike fingers twitching with uncertainty.
Ron's tail curled slightly as his claws clicked against the stone floor, but his gaze shifted to the side, avoiding Elius' eyes.
Even Shiro, composed as always, furrowed his brows slightly. He opened his mouth to answer—but didn't. The truth was, none of them could be sure.
They weren't seasoned fighters.
They hadn't survived years of blood-soaked battlefields.
They hadn't seen comrades fall before their eyes. And right now, the idea of marching into a nest of goblins—twenty or more—felt less like a mission and more like a death sentence.
Elius could read the hesitation like it was painted on their faces.
He scoffed.
"Don't just go jumping into a fight when you're not sure you'll make it out alive."
The sharpness of his voice made them all flinch slightly. He wasn't angry—just brutally honest.
He pointed at Shiro. "Use your clone. Make it bait them. Lead them in the opposite direction. Then, when they're far enough, dispel it. Don't fight them all. Outsmart them."
Shiro blinked. "That could work, but—"
"Do it," Elius cut him off.
The others looked surprised. They hadn't considered that before.
And the irony wasn't lost on them.
They had spent the earlier part of the journey mocking Shiro for being weaker than his shadow. For not stepping forward, for not being flashy like Ron, or mysterious like Lina, or radiant like Klee.
But now?
Now, all eyes turned to Shiro, and realization dawned.
Shiro's ability—his clone—was more than just a copy. It was a tactician's dream. A tool for strategy, deception, and control. It could see without being seen. Fight without risking lives. It was like having an invisible scout who could also become a deadly assassin.
Ron's jaw dropped slightly. "Wait… you can do that?"
Shiro nodded silently.
Klee blinked. "You can really lure enemies away like that?"
Lina furrowed her brow. "I thought your clone was just for backup… but it can act on its own like that?"
Shiro shrugged. "It can do whatever I tell it to do. Including pissing off goblins."
The three were silent for a beat.
Then—
"Yo, that's actually insane!" Ron blurted out, his raptor tail flicking in excitement. "You were holding out on us!"
"I underestimated that power," Lina admitted, her voice breathy.
"You're amazing, Shiro!" Klee added, clasping her hands together, her earlier mockery replaced with shining admiration. "We're so sorry we called you useless before!"
The compliments poured in like a dam breaking.
Ron thumped Shiro on the back. "Man, you're the MVP. Seriously!"
Klee beamed. "If it weren't for you, we'd probably be running straight into a massacre!"
Lina even phased closer, tapping Shiro lightly on the shoulder with a rare smile. "Shadow-boy's got tricks."
Shiro blinked, unsure how to react. His cheeks reddened slightly. He opened his mouth to respond—only to be cut off.
"Stop celebrating," Elius said coldly. "You're not done."
The cold bucket of reality splashed over them.
"This isn't a game," Elius continued, eyes razor sharp. "You praise each other before the fight's even started? That's the fastest way to die."
The words silenced them.
Elius looked at Shiro again. "Tell your clone what to do. Make it count."
Shiro's expression hardened. He turned, whispering quietly. The shadow clone knelt, nodded, then darted into the darkness like a blur. It vanished between jagged rocks and twisted tunnels, its form dissolving seamlessly into the cavern walls.
Seconds passed.
Then minutes.
The tension returned like a heartbeat accelerating under stress.
Shiro stood still, eyes closed, controlling the connection with his clone. Then—he nodded once, sharply.
"They took the bait."
Elius wordlessly stepped down from his sword and resumed walking.
The others followed, this time quieter, more focused.
They moved through the twisting tunnels like a whisper of wind, footsteps light, breathing slow. Every few meters, Elius would raise a hand, forcing the group to halt while he examined signs—scratches on the wall, fresh dirt marks, claw trails. The deeper they went, the darker it became, and the more oppressive the air felt.
Then—
They arrived.
Before them lay what could only be described as the remnants of a primitive goblin camp.
Tattered hides were strung between sharpened rocks, forming crude shelters. Fires had long died out, leaving behind blackened stones and the charred remains of bones. Scattered across the ground were broken weapons, discarded scraps of armor, and crude bone charms strung together with rotting sinew.
But the worst part?
The smell.
It hit them like a wave.
Rotting meat. Stagnant blood. The heavy stink of unwashed flesh and bile.
Klee covered her mouth, gagging. "Oh god…"
Ron grimaced. "Ugh, smells like something died… and then got eaten… and then died again."
Lina hovered slightly above the ground, her face pale. "They… they lived in this?"
Shiro looked around, jaw tight. "They were eating everything. Bones of rabbits. Deer. Even other goblins. Look at that one—" he pointed, "—those are goblin teeth marks on goblin bones."
The camp was a nightmare.
Skulls were stacked into small towers, surrounded by blood-drenched markings in the dirt. There were cages made from twisted vines and bones—some still holding half-eaten corpses, unrecognizable and bloated.
A wooden effigy stood near the far wall, a crude idol of a monstrous figure with horns and a dozen arms, painted with blood and bile.
Klee's voice was barely a whisper. "They… worship something."
Elius didn't respond. He was scanning the ground.
Suddenly, he stopped.
He pointed at a set of drag marks in the dirt. "Fresh. They left in a hurry. Likely chasing the clone."
Ron crouched beside them, sniffing. "Still warm. Yep. Definitely ran after it."
Shiro nodded. "Good. Then we've got a short window before they circle back."
Lina hovered near the cages. "This is worse than I imagined. We… we could've died if we ran into them here."
Elius turned, cloak snapping slightly as he faced them. His voice was firm.
"No time to admire the horrors. Move."
He pointed forward.
"Let's go. Don't dawdle around."
And with that, they advanced into the heart of the rift, where shadows were thick, and monsters waited just out of sight.
They continued moving through the gloomy cavern tunnels, the oppressive air thick with humidity and the lingering scent of rotting flesh still clinging to their nostrils.
Despite the emptiness of the goblin camp they'd just bypassed, tension crackled around the group like the buildup before a lightning strike.
The only sound was the soft scuff of their footsteps and the occasional whisper of spiritual energy brushing against Elius's perception.
Then, without warning, Shiro's eyes snapped open. His breathing hitched, and he came to a dead stop. The others stumbled to a halt behind him, alarmed.
"My clone's back," Shiro muttered, eyes glowing faintly as he reconnected with its memory. "It dispersed. But they're still close. Too close."
"How close?" Lina whispered.
"Not far. They took the bait, but they're doubling back. Maybe they caught the scent, or maybe they're smarter than we thought."
Klee tensed, her hands already flaring with faint orange sparkles of magic. "So what now?"
"Run," Shiro said urgently. "Let's run!"
"Now," Elius commanded, stepping down from his floating sword and landing lightly. "And don't leave a trail behind."
The urgency in his tone was clear. His gaze flicked sharply to Ron. "Especially you."
Ron blinked. "Huh? Why me?"
"You leave claw marks when you run full speed. You drag your tail when you're distracted. You shed scales when you're scared. And your scent is stronger than a wild beast in heat. So keep it in check."
Ron's face twisted. "W-What!? In heat?! I'm not—!"
"Ron!" Shiro hissed. "Move!"