Chapter 167 Vines cocoon

Chapter 167: Chapter 167 Vines cocoon

"No!!"

Kai’s voice came out so strangled that Luna immediately turned to look at him, studying his face carefully as if she needed to make sure she wasn’t looking at a completely different person.

"You have been acting all weird since we came back, Kai. I’m telling you, there is no plant we’re supposed to be eating. After this, we’re supposed to handle the weird situation with your guys’ powers. That’s the plan. But you’re sitting there looking completely out of place."

Luna’s words made Kai blink.

"Excuse me? What does that even mean?" he snapped. "I saw something that isn’t supposed to be here, and now I’m the one looking out of place? Are you even hearing yourself?"

Before Luna could answer, Rowan suddenly slammed both hands against the table.

"It’s okay, everyone. And you too, Kai." His voice was firm. "Listen to what Luna is saying and come over here to the table. Let’s go back to eating and discussing things. We can probably get to know each other more since Luna wants to have a family conversation."

He gestured around the table.

"Look at us. We’re finally normal. Isn’t that sweet? So don’t destroy this."

The last sentence was clearly a warning.

Kai would admit that it was sweet.

That was exactly what worried him.

Everything was falling into place far too perfectly.

They were sitting together, eating peacefully, talking like they had completely forgotten everything that had happened before. There were no monsters attacking them, no strange island, no sea creatures, no impossible disasters. No one was even questioning how they had gotten back.

It was as if everything had simply returned to normal.

But Kai knew better.

Something was wrong.

It felt like they were living inside a lie, and the worst part was that he couldn’t prove it.

Then there was the conversation about getting to know each other.

That was absurd.

Luna already knew them. At least, she knew things about them that she shouldn’t have known in the first place. So why would she suddenly want to sit down and get to know them now?

"I’m at the table, aren’t I?" Kai muttered. "It’s not like I ran away."

Rowan still narrowed his eyes at him.

"Then fucking have a seat. You’re distracting us by standing there and acting all worked up. And stop trying to scare everyone. Like Luna said, you should hear yourself. You sound like one of those usual jokers at birthday parties, and it should be embarrassing that you’re leaning in that direction and trying to cause disunity after she literally saved your ass."

Rowan paused, his expression hardening.

"For real, be grateful, asshole."

The comment was so shady that Kai actually stopped breathing for a second.

He slowly looked around the table.

Was Rowan seriously talking to him like that?

He glanced behind himself, almost expecting to find another person standing there who the insult was actually meant for. But no. There was nobody behind him. Rowan was still staring directly at him.

And Luna wasn’t even interfering anymore.

She had practically given up on the situation.

Kai sighed and finally pulled the chair out. "Fine."

He sat down.

For the moment, he decided to let it slide.

At least, that’s what he told himself.

Because who was he kidding? He wasn’t letting anything slide. Not a damn thing. He simply wasn’t going to be predictable anymore. If something was wrong, reacting immediately would only make them more suspicious of him. So instead, he would observe. He would watch every single one of them. Because at this point, it felt like he was the only person at the table who was still thinking straight.

"Now that’s better," Luna commented. She looked around the table. "Don’t you like such a serene atmosphere? You shouldn’t be all noisy. That’s bad."

Kai stared at her.

His stomach tightened.

Luna didn’t normally say things like that. She was bossy. Sharp. Sometimes ruthless. She could tolerate chaos when it benefited her. But this? This calm, almost strangely gentle version of Luna felt wrong.

Gosh. Something was definitely wrong somewhere. He could feel it.

Before he could figure out what exactly was happening, Ethan suddenly spoke.

"Fuck, this roll is delicious." He shoved another bite into his mouth, chewing with such enthusiasm that Kai had to pause and stare at him. "Girl, how did you cook something so professional?"

Kai’s eyes remained fixed on Ethan.

For a brief moment, he remembered himself eating similar food before. He had been so hungry that he practically devoured the meal without even bothering to savor it. But this time was different. Now, he was terrified to even take a single bite. It felt like something was waiting to be unleashed. Something he hadn’t figured out yet.

"Hey there," Ethan suddenly said, looking at him. "I just wanted to know something. You didn’t actually say anything about your powers misbehaving, so do you still have your ice powers?"

Every pair of eyes at the table immediately turned toward Kai.

Kai scoffed silently.

If that was the conversation they wanted, then Ethan had done a perfect job of drawing attention back to him.

"That’s my personal thing, isn’t it?" Kai replied. "Something I should keep to myself. I don’t want to talk about that. It’s not something I should be sharing."

He had decided to seal his lips.

Something about the situation felt wrong. Even the vines he had seen earlier were still in his mind. He could almost feel those invisible eyes watching him. Watching all of them.

"You’re not being very easygoing today, Kai Blackwood," Adrian said. "What’s wrong with you?"

Kai’s eyes narrowed.

Adrian asking that was almost unbelievable. He should have known. They had all experienced what happened. They should have been asking questions. Instead, everyone was behaving as though nothing had happened.

"A whole lot is wrong with me," Kai replied bitterly. "But I’m allowed to have a bad day, aren’t I? So let me have my thoughts. Please don’t ruin it for me."

The moment he finished speaking, everyone eating stopped.

All at once.

Their movements froze in perfect coordination.

Kai’s eyes immediately darted across the table. For one brief second, nobody moved. Then, just as quickly, they started eating again. Chewing. Swallowing. Moving their hands. Acting completely normal.

As if nothing had happened.

Kai’s blood ran cold. He stared at them. What the hell was that?

"Leave him, guys," Luna said calmly. "As he said, he’s having a bad day and doesn’t want to share. Well, live your life. But know that this is supposed to be a conversation where we get to know each other better."

Kai slowly smiled. "Then I’m the least person you’re supposed to be asking this." He looked directly at Ethan. "What about Ethan? If I’m not wrong—and I certainly am not—he’s the one we don’t know much about. Other than the fact that his sister was killed."

Ethan’s chewing slowed.

"He might even be lying," Kai continued. "He might have killed his sister himself. We don’t know, right? So why am I the one getting interrogated?"

Nobody answered.

Kai lowered his eyes.

And suddenly, another thought struck him.

He didn’t remember them leaving through the portal.

His heart skipped.

The strange cloud that had carried them straight to that bizarre island... They hadn’t used it. That was supposed to be how they got home, wasn’t it?

Oh, fuck.

Kai’s breathing became shallow.

Could they still be on the island?

It didn’t look like it. But that didn’t mean anything anymore. There was a huge possibility that they were still trapped there somehow.

The damn vines were from that island. He remembered them. He remembered how they moved. How they watched. How they attacked. They had gotten into the aircraft, flown away, and somehow ended up back at their base. It shouldn’t have been that easy. After everything they had gone through—the battles, the monsters, the sea creatures, the island—they shouldn’t have simply returned home without a struggle.

Something had to be wrong.

If they weren’t back at their actual base, then where were they?

And were these people really his squad?

Or were they just another copy?

Kai’s blood ran colder.

He slowly pushed his chair backward.

He needed to test something.

Before he could stand properly, he realized something else.

Nobody was talking anymore.

His eyes moved across the table.

Luna and the three.

All of them were sitting completely still. No movement. No blinking. No chewing. Nothing.

They looked like statues.

"Guys?" Kai’s voice trembled.

Nobody responded.

"Guys, talk to me." His heartbeat started pounding violently against his chest. "You’re scaring me. What’s happening?"

He stood up so quickly that the chair scraped harshly against the floor. "We have to leave here. Now!"

He barely took a step.

A root suddenly burst from beneath the floor.

Kai’s eyes widened.

The vine wrapped around his leg before he could react. "What the—"

It yanked him violently. His body flew sideways and slammed straight into the wall. Pain exploded through his back. He fell upside down, his head hitting the floor hard enough to make his vision blur.

For several seconds, he couldn’t breathe.

His entire body felt sore.

"Kai..."

His own voice sounded distant.

He forced his eyes open.

And then everything changed.

The dining room was gone. The table was gone. The food was gone. Luna was gone from her chair.

Kai’s eyes widened in horror.

He wasn’t lying on the floor of the room anymore. He was surrounded by vines. Massive vines. They twisted around him from every direction, forming a huge circular structure that looked almost like a living cage.

Kai tried to move. His body screamed in protest.

"What..."

He looked ahead.

His heart nearly stopped.

Inside the enormous mass of vines were four figures.

Luna. Rowan. Ethan. Adrian.

All four were trapped inside what looked like giant vine cocoons. The vines wrapped tightly around their bodies, holding them in place. Their eyes were closed. They weren’t moving.

Not even slightly.

Kai stared at Luna. "Luna?"

Nothing.

He moved his gaze to Rowan. "Rowan?"

Still nothing.

"Ethan?"

Silence.

"Adrian?"

Nothing.

Kai’s breathing became faster. His chest tightened.

This wasn’t a dream. He could feel the rough vines beneath his hands. He could smell the dampness around him. He could hear something moving somewhere beyond the walls of vines. A low, wet sound.

Something was crawling.

Something was alive.

Kai slowly turned his head.

More vines were spreading across the ground. They moved like veins. Like roots searching for something.

His eyes widened.

The strange meal. The unnatural conversation. Everyone freezing at the same time. Luna acting completely unlike herself. Ethan asking about his powers. The way everyone suddenly started eating again.

All of it had been wrong.

All of it.

Kai’s stomach twisted.

"They weren’t real..."

His voice came out barely above a whisper.

He looked at the four motionless bodies again.

"Then what the hell were they?"

A vine suddenly twitched beside him.

Kai flinched. His powers surged instinctively, but before he could summon the ice, the vines tightened around his wrists.

His breath caught.

He stared at the enormous cocoon containing Luna.

"Wake up..."

Nothing.

"Luna, wake up!" His voice cracked.

Still nothing.

A horrible realization settled inside him.

They hadn’t escaped. They had never escaped.

Whatever was controlling this place had somehow created something that looked like home. Something that looked like his friends. Something that knew exactly how they behaved. Something that had even copied their voices.

Kai’s eyes widened further.

The vines around him suddenly began moving. Slowly. Deliberately. As though they had finally realized he was awake.

Kai’s entire body went rigid.

"No..."

The vines crawled closer.

He tried to pull himself free. "Luna!"

Nothing.

The cocoon around Luna remained completely still.

Kai’s panic finally broke through.

He opened his mouth and screamed.

"AAAAAHHHHH!!"