Born in Blood

Resting wasn't peaceful.

Violent tremors – which grew in strength and duration as they made their way to the center – jolted Liam awake.

Kirk miraculously still slept.

'Too lax.'

Right as he thought that, Liam suddenly felt what seemed like mental energy on his figure – brushing over his body like a firm but gentle touch – giving him the feeling of being watched.

For a moment, he thought it was Kirk, dreaming and subconsciously using his mental waves – but the man looked like he was going through a nightmare.

Liam frowned. The mental energy disappeared just as fast as it had appeared.

'What… was that?'

Paranoia and doubt started to creep into Liam's mind.

'Could there be… someone else with us? Or am I imagining things?'

Needless to say, Liam didn't sleep the rest of the night – on edge and tense.

After feeling nourished enough – though lacking a good night's rest – they started their journey once more.

Kirk noticed a change of expression on Liam's face, but that could have meant anything.

After a few more days of killing Elephants and resting in short intervals, they had finally entered the Crocodiles' territory.

The terrain had visibly changed.

Black lakes made from a murky liquid appeared all around them. Ripples would form under their surface now and again, and giant scaled Crocodiles would slowly edge across the surface.

Their black reptilian irises wouldn't move, yet Liam and Kirk both felt like they were being watched by them.

Between the lakes, narrow paths presented themselves before them, like an isthmus, leading towards the pit.

"My abilities are useless in this region," Kirk grimaced and whispered. "We'll have to make a run for it and hope for the best..."

Liam frowned, but there weren't any suggestions from his side. The black lakes were another form of the darkness element, and his senses warned him of that danger – especially from the Crocodiles' side.

Luckily, there were no beasts blocking that area, and the only threat was the Rank 4 beasts under the lake.

"Fine," Liam agreed. "We'll start slow, though. If the crocodiles are alerted, just use the spell I gave you and we'll bolt from there."

Kirk nodded in agreement, and the two heaved a synchronized sigh.

A moment later, they began to slowly tread through a narrow path, holding their breath despite the tense danger they felt.

Kirk uttered to himself in a whispering tone: "You'll live through this. You'll live through this. You'll live through this."

The rough-skinned man felt much more scared compared to Liam, despite being around Rank 4 beasts for much longer.

After all, Liam had already died once, and it wasn't death that scared him… just the inability to accomplish his dreams.

They slowly walked along the land with seemingly no threat. The lakes were still, unmoving, and the atmosphere tense. Only slight ripples could be heard.

SPLSHH!

Suddenly, a monstrous crocodile emerged from the lake, slamming its tail against the body of water as it headed straight for the pair of invading humans.

Before it even emerged, Liam and Kirk both dashed forward, their hands and feet glowing brightly, attracting even more crocodiles their way.

Parts of the black liquid fell on Liam's shoulder, consuming a chunk of his flesh, yet he was too focused for it to be a hindrance.

Sounds of liquid crashing violently accompanied with loud thumps resounded through the Abyss, and even the other magical beasts were alerted.

The pit was growing nearer and nearer, and the pair had never stopped running.

Their mental energies were slowly being used, but they were too focused on escaping to be worried about it.

Liam's eyes widened as he witnessed a giant Crocodile body blocking their path in the distance.

To his left, right, and behind, distant crocodiles swam through the lakes to chase and pinch the pair.

A dark emotion appeared in Kirk's eyes, and resolve grew in his heart.

The 'Ora' Mine, freedom itself was a hair's length away – Kirk's desperation grew to resolve. Two sickles appeared in his hands, and he shifted his head towards the young man – intent on sacrifice.

"I'm sorr-!"

Yet before he could attack, a wakizashi swiped his eyes, blinding him.

A moment later, any feeling in his hand disappeared, replaced with excruciating anguish.

It had been severed.

Before he could scream, another wound formed on his chest – his heart had been pierced.

Kirk rolled to the ground, no longer able to run. The crocodiles from behind had caught up with him in an instant, devouring his entire body in one bite.

A second later, he felt his consciousness fading, dragged into an abyss separate to the one he was in.

Meanwhile, Liam's cold eyes didn't show a trace of emotion as he continued to run without looking back, taking the space-ring off Kirk's severed hand before throwing away the dead meat.

He had successfully reached the pit, but some of the crocodiles hadn't given up their chase – gaining on him rapidly.

With no other choice, he jumped inside the pit!