Chapter 187: Clack. Clack. Clack

Chapter 189: Clack. Clack. Clack

Lothe waited.

The boy drew his knees closer to his chest.

"Other times, I heard crying," he said.

"From other children?" Rowan asked.

The boy nodded.

"Did the crying stop?"

He didn’t answer. His gaze drifted toward the wall.

Then, barely above a whisper, he said, "They take the ones who stop moving."

Seana went still. Oren’s fingers curled into a fist. Nyren turned from the corridor to face the wall.

Rowan’s expression remained unreadable.

Lothe felt a familiar weight settle in his chest. They had entered the tunnels searching for missing children. Now they had found one who remembered hearing others nearby—and people being taken away.

It was more than they had known an hour ago.

It still wasn’t enough.

"Did you see where they took them?" Rowan asked.

The boy shook his head.

"No."

"Did you hear them leave?"

"Sometimes."

"Through a door?"

"I don’t know."

The boy’s breathing quickened.

Seana placed her hand on the floor beside him, careful not to touch him without asking. "That’s enough for now. You don’t have to remember everything at once."

"We’ll get you somewhere safe first," Rowan said.

But Lothe was still watching the wall.

He approached, stopping several feet away. The boy had pointed to the section between two iron strips. It looked much like the rest, though the dust along its lower edge was uneven.

Lothe examined it with his Spatial Perception. He found no clear opening or active spatial distortion—only stone, metal, air, and the people around him.

He let his perception fade and studied the wall with his eyes instead.

A narrow scratch crossed the lower edge of one iron strip. The exposed metal inside it was brighter than the surrounding surface.

It might have been recent. It might have been left when the strip was installed.

He couldn’t tell.

"Rowan," Lothe said. "We should record this section before touching anything."

The elder nodded. "Darian?"

"I can document the visible details without connecting the talisman to the wall."

"Do it."

Darian took out a recording talisman and aimed it at the iron strips. A soft light passed over the surface, capturing its condition.

Caelan moved closer to the doorway. "I’ll keep monitoring for spatial changes. If anything shifts, I’ll let you know."

Nyren returned to her position by the corridor entrance, Frostveil ready in her hand.

Oren crouched a short distance from the boy. "If we need to leave quickly, I can carry you. You won’t have to touch the chain."

The boy watched him for a long moment, then nodded.

Everyone had a task now. Darian recorded the wall. Caelan watched for spatial changes. Nyren kept guard, while Oren stayed close enough to help the boy.

Darian’s talisman flickered.

He frowned and adjusted it.

"That was strange," he said.

Rowan turned. "What happened?"

"The recording skipped for a moment. It could be a fault in the talisman."

"Can you confirm?"

"Not yet."

Darian moved the talisman away from the wall and checked its spiritual imprint. The light steadied. He aimed it at the iron strips again.

This time, it continued recording.

"Possibly a damaged talisman," he said.

"I’ll check the footage somewhere safer."

"Keep the original," Lothe said. "Don’t overwrite it."

"I’ve secured it."

Caelan raised his head.

"Wait."

His quiet voice drew everyone’s attention.

"What is it?" Rowan asked.

Caelan stared at the space in front of the wall. "I felt something change."

"Spatially?"

"I’m not sure. It was brief."

"Did the disturbance move?" Lothe asked.

"I don’t know. I couldn’t track it."

"Then don’t chase it," Rowan said. "Tell us if it happens again."

Caelan nodded.

The room fell silent. The lamp continued to glow above the cot. Dust shifted slowly through its light. Somewhere beyond the chamber, a faint vibration travelled along the rails.

Then—

Clack.

Everyone turned toward the wall.

Another sound followed.

Clack.

Oren stood, placing himself between the boy and the iron strips. Nyren adjusted her stance at the doorway. Darian held his defensive talisman ready, while Caelan focused on the space beyond the wall.

Lothe watched the narrow scratch on the iron.

Clack.

The sound came from behind the wall.

A pause followed. The boy began to tremble.

Then came the final sound.

CHUNK.

The floor shuddered beneath their feet. Dust sifted from the ceiling. The lamp above the cot flickered twice, then steadied.

Lothe’s Spatial Perception swept through the chamber. For an instant, he sensed a brief change beyond the wall—but it vanished before he could make sense of it.

He raised one hand, signalling the others not to approach.

A thin line appeared between two iron strips, almost hidden in the shadow.

Then something struck the other side.

THUD.

The boy screamed.

Oren turned toward him. Seana moved beside the boy and offered her hand. He grabbed it tightly.

Rowan stepped forward, gathering spiritual energy around his palm.

No one attacked the wall. No one tried to force it open.

They waited.

A second impact shook the iron strips.

THUD.

Then came a faint scraping sound from beyond the stone. Something was moving on the other side. And it was moving toward them.

The second impact had barely faded when Rowan raised his staff.

"Stay back from the wall. We don’t know what’s coming through."

Oren moved between the child and the iron strips, his telekinetic power gathering around one hand. Seana stayed beside the boy, who clutched her sleeve. Nyren turned toward the corridor, sword ready, while Darian reinforced the barrier behind them.

Lothe watched the wall.

"Can you sense anything?" Rowan asked.

"Something is moving behind it," Lothe replied. "I can’t tell what."

Caelan closed his eyes. The pale-blue rings of his Vector Resonance turned in his irises as he searched for the movement’s direction.

"The disturbance is strongest near the floor," he said. "It’s moving upward—but I keep losing the trace."?

Another impact shook the iron strips. The seam widened, and a piece of stone fell to the floor.

Darian glanced at the crooked strip beside the cot. "The wall is shifting."

A crack spread through the stone.

Then the section lurched forward.

CRACK!

Stone burst into the room. A dark shape forced its way through the opening, scraping against the broken edges as it dragged itself inside.

It looked vaguely human, but its long arms and hunched shoulders were out of proportion. Its gray skin was covered in dark, hardened patches. Strips of dirty fabric clung to its body.

The creature jerked its head toward the nearest movement and opened its mouth. A rough rasp came from its throat.