Chapter 42: A Nest

Just a few seconds of their eyes meeting was all it took.

Evan’s eyes suddenly changed.

The hazel-yellow eyes, the same terrifying eyes that had frightened Lumi twice before, stared back at her with a frightening intensity.

Lumi instinctively took a step backward.

Then, without warning, Evan suddenly roared and clutched his head.

"It’s noisy! Shut up!"

Lumi froze. Her heart jumped.

’But... I didn’t think of anything.’

She hadn’t even had the chance to think.

Yet Evan’s expression had already changed completely.

The amusement from moments ago disappeared from his face, replaced by something cold and terrifying. His fingers tightened against his temples as his breathing grew heavier, and the faint electricity around his body began to flicker violently again.

Lumi stared at him, too frightened to move.

’What happened?’

She hadn’t said anything. She hadn’t even thought about anything that could have triggered him.

And then Evan suddenly lifted his head.

His eyes were no longer amused. They were cold... terrifyingly cold.

Lumi gulped and took a deep breath, bracing herself for what was coming.

In the blink of an eye, Evan was already only a step away from her.

The moment his hand lunged toward her, Lumi reacted instinctively. She immediately cupped his cheeks with both hands.

"Listen, calm down... Evan Caesar... calm down..."

She pulled him closer and rose onto her tiptoes, wrapping one arm around his neck as she tried to strengthen their connection through physical contact.

A few seconds of silence passed.

Lumi could feel the unstable energy around Evan slowly changing beneath her touch, but it hadn’t disappeared completely. His breathing was still heavier than normal, and faint sparks of electricity continued to flicker across his skin.

’He hasn’t completely calmed down yet...’

Lumi was about to say something when a faint rustling sound suddenly came from behind Evan.

She froze.

Something moved between the broken stones.

Then another movement followed.

Evan’s head turned slightly toward the sound.

Before either of them could react, several small, dark bodies suddenly slithered out from the cracks in the dungeon wall.

Lumi’s eyes widened.

’Snakes?!’

The sudden movement triggered Evan’s unstable instincts.

His body reacted before his mind could.

His arm immediately tightened around Lumi, and in the next instant, he unconsciously threw her away from him.

"Ah!" Lumi’s body flew backward and slammed against the dungeon wall.

Pain shot through her back as she slid down the stone, her torchlight falling from her hand and rolling across the floor.

"Evan?!"

But Evan wasn’t looking at her.

His entire body had already turned toward the creatures. Electricity crackled violently around him again.

More of the small snake-like Anomalies began crawling out from the rubble, their bodies twisting across the dungeon floor.

Lumi stared at Evan in shock.

’He didn’t even realize he threw me...’ She slowly pushed herself up, wincing from the impact.

Then she looked toward the growing number of creatures.

’And those weren’t here before...’

Her expression changed.

The dungeon wasn’t cleared. No... this dungeon was their nest!

Lumi’s heart began pounding as more of the small snake-like Anomalies crawled out from between the broken stones. They were coming from every direction, slipping through cracks in the walls and beneath the rubble, their numbers increasing with every passing second.

She immediately reached for the emergency communicator attached to her belt and switched it on.

"Darian!"

Only static answered her at first.

"Darian, can you hear me?"

A few seconds later, his voice finally came through.

"Miss Pei? What happened?"

"There are more anomalies inside!" Lumi quickly looked around, trying to keep her voice steady. "The dungeon wasn’t cleared. I think this is their nest! What should I do?"

Darian’s voice immediately became serious. "What kind?"

"Snake-like Anomalies. They’re small, but there are a lot of them, and they’re still coming out of the walls."

Lumi glanced toward Evan.

He was standing several meters away, surrounded by flickering electricity. His breathing had become heavier again, and his eyes remained that terrifying hazel-yellow.

"He’s still in Rampage," she added quickly. "His power hasn’t stabilized yet, and there are too many of them."

Darian went silent for a moment. "Get away from him."

Lumi froze. "What?"

"Miss Pei, listen to me carefully. If there really is a nest inside that dungeon, don’t try to handle it yourself. I’m sending the others now. Hide somewhere, or if you can, get out of the dungeon."

Lumi looked toward Evan again, then shook her head. "No, I’m not leaving him..."

Several of the snake Anomalies had already begun crawling toward him.

"A lot of them keep coming out..." Her fingers tightened around the communicator. "They’ll eventually overwhelm him."

Darian’s voice hardened. "Overwhelm him? That’s not what you should worry about. They wouldn’t be able to."

Lumi froze. She glanced toward Evan.

The small snake Anomalies were already surrounding him, but none of them had managed to get close. Every time one lunged forward, a burst of electricity sent it crashing away.

Lumi watched him carefully.

Even while surrounded, Evan barely seemed to notice the creatures. His attention remained fixed on the blank front, and every movement he made carried far more power than necessary.

Darian continued through the communicator, his voice becoming more urgent.

"Miss Pei, those things aren’t strong enough to overwhelm Evan. Even in his current condition, he can handle them."

"Then what should I worry about?"

There was a brief silence.

"Evan."

Lumi’s expression changed.

Darian took a breath before explaining.

"If he keeps fighting while he’s already on the edge of another Rampage, he’ll keep using more power. And the more power he releases right now, the harder it’ll be for him to come back."

Lumi’s fingers tightened around the communicator. She looked at Evan again.

His eyes were still that frightening hazel-yellow, and electricity was crawling violently across his body.

Another snake Anomaly lunged toward him.

Evan raised his hand. A violent flash of electricity instantly blasted it away.

Lumi’s heart tightened.

’He didn’t even hesitate...’

Darian’s voice came through again.

"So don’t worry about those Anomalies defeating him." His tone became serious. "Worry about what happens if Evan defeats them all."