The Midnight Leave: What It Means to Be Human

CHAPTER 12

Swinger’s establishment consisted of three buildings: there was the main building, which seemed more like a mansion, and the other two buildings seemed to be dwellings for the “employees” that were already in service as well. All three buildings were residential, despite the fact that the Swinger Company was known for research and development. Of course, their experiments were not witnessed by anyone outside of the company except for the King, so no one else knew the exact location of their facilities.

Of course, this bastard would have a dungeon…

Such was Axis Demkil’s first thought as Vilda discovered the entrance to the underground cell of the main building. Behind the stairs leading to the next floor, there were large doors that were both latched and chained, insinuating that something extremely important lied beyond them. Vilda swiftly severed the chains and unfastened the latch, certain that the one who screamed was trapped behind those doors.

However, the moment she opened it by only a c***k, her entire body went stiff like a small creature that just realized it had entered a predator’s territory. The sinister aura she felt wafted through that small opening like a pungent odor, allowing Axis only a minor trace to sense. Yet, that was enough for him to understand Vilda’s reaction.

“Hot damn,” Axis commented, trying his best not to sound too unsettled. “That aura sure is foul. Even the Mutants we had to deal with weren’t this bad. What kind of Monster has an aura like that?”

“I’m not sure…” Vilda answered, trying her best to keep her voice from trembling. “I’ve felt aura worse than that of those Mutants, but this is on another level. I’ve never encountered a creature this ominous.”

Vilda then turned to Axis with a grimly serious expression.

“Remember what I told you, Axis: don’t act recklessly. You might not get killed, but it will take more energy to recover from serious wounds, and neither of us have enough to spare.”

“I know, but what’s the game plan here? Are we still trying to avoid a fight?”

“That’s correct. I’ll create a diversion with a minor spell, which won’t cause much damage but should be able to stun anyone in our way for a few seconds. That will be enough time for me to get in, free the prisoner and escape. Then, we make a beeline to Sanctum through the forest.”

“Okay, so what am I supposed to do?”

“Nothing, if things go well. Of course, I can’t really say what our chances are. In the worst case…”

Vilda hesitated and turned away from Axis as he tilted his head questioningly. If she could have had it her way, she didn’t want Axis to fight anymore. Not only was it cruel to have a child in such a position, but the power Axis wielded wasn’t something he should have had. Even so, she couldn’t deny its convenience at such a time.

“‘In the worst case…?’” Axis insisted for Vilda to finish.

“I’ll have to ask you to attempt to strike it down. You might not be able to kill it in one strike, but it’s fine as long you can stop its attack.”

“Stop its attack… I got it. Let’s do this.”

Vilda smiled, thankful that Axis was cooperating. She turned back towards the doors left ajar, taking a deep breath to compose herself before proceeding.

“Let’s go.”

With that, she opened the doors further and stepped forward into the depths of the dungeon, with Axis following close behind her. As they reached the dungeon, both Axis and Vilda were surprised as they approached a long passageway that eventually split up into different directions, all of which led deeper into the abyss. They noticed an immediate discrepancy; they entered, expecting some form of a trap, and instead discovered several dead servants scattered upon the ruined ground. Clearly, it was the site of a Supernatural Incident.

“s**t…” Axis said, sincerely surprised as he swiftly examined the servants. “They’re dead for real.”

“That means that scream was real as well.” Vilda said while drawing one of her swords.

“It had to have been really loud for us to have heard it on the second floor. Either that, or they didn’t consider soundproofing…”

“That’s not what’s important here! Someone is legitimately in trouble right now!”

“Okay, I get it. So, we continue then?”

Vilda nodded in affirmation to Axis’s question as she carefully examined each of the diverging paths. Far left, near left, straight, and far right; each of the paths contained trails of auras that Vilda considered problematic, making it difficult to discern which path to take. After she focused on the source of the menacing aura that filled the dungeon, she elected to take the path straight ahead.

They travelled relatively far down the selected path without confrontation, but that only made them more tense. They readied themselves for an attack from any direction, their guards raised to their zenith as they moved carefully and slowly forward. Then, they heard another shout, presumably from the same one who screamed previously.

“Stay away from me! I have nothing to do with you!”

The voice sounded as if it was just a bit further ahead of them.

“There!” Vilda exclaimed as she took off sprinting ahead.

“Hey, wait for me!” Axis called out behind her.

As Vilda rushed towards source of the distress, she noticed that the pathway began to narrow, and more than that, the sinister aura was becoming stronger as she progressed. Eventually, she reached the end of the path, which led into a large chamber littered with wrecked equipment and tools that were clearly used for t*****e. Upon assessing the environment, Vilda’s eyes landed upon someone unexpected: chained to the furthest wall was a young woman with a pale skin tone, dressed in the same shoddy prisoner garb, her pointed ears just barely prominent through her shoulder-length blonde hair.

An Elf…! There was another survivor aside from myself!

Unfortunately, Vilda’s excitement at finding one of her own was cut dreadfully short, as her eyes shifted to the being standing before the Elf. Upon laying her eyes on it, she immediately realized why its aura was so dreadful; the creature was obscured by a darkness greater than that of a clouded night sky, when even the light of the moon and the stars could not breach. It was a darkness that opposed light, rejected it, and could even corrupt it.

It was the darkness of a Demon.

Oh s**t! This isn’t something I can just stun and run away from…!

As if sensing her thoughts, the Demon sharply turned towards Vilda. The moment they locked eyes, Vilda became affected by the Demon’s influence. Under such a pressured gaze, Vilda found herself unable to make a move; it felt as if claws had reached out from the darkness to clutch tightly to each of her limbs, as well as her throat.

For some reason, the foolish idea came to her mind that as long as she didn’t move, the Demon wouldn’t move, or else it would turn away uninterested. It was definitely foolish, because Vilda knew it wasn’t at all true; the Demon would attack at any moment, and she would be unable to react. Even if she tried to move, the darkness gripping her would just swallow her whole, extinguishing her existence. It was a “Dead End” where there was no escape… At least, if she had been alone.

#

As Vilda wasted no time racing to aid the endangered prisoner, she ended up leaving Axis several steps behind her. Of course, he could have boosted his speed in order to catch up with her, but whereas Vilda was most concerned about rescuing the prisoner, Axis was more troubled about what they may face.

Alright, I admit it, Axis confessed internally, I’m scared, okay?! I was trying to act brave while Vilda was around, but that aura is freaking me out! It feels suffocating, like the air has been restricted… Well, that might just be the underground setting, but that aura is obviously a sign of a bad time!

In spite of his complaints, Axis continued to advance carefully, hoping to see Vilda burst out at any moment, fleeing with someone in her arms. He was prepared to run along with her when the time arrived, but as he grew closer to the end of the path, he became more anxious.

What’s the deal?! Is it the worst-case scenario, or what?! If I call out to Vilda, will that screw things up?! Should I just go in?!

Before he could come up with a plan of action, he reached the end of the pathway just to be met with complete darkness. He couldn’t see anything further ahead of him, neither his Elven companion nor the Monster he would have to face. In order for him to learn what was happening, he had no choice but to traverse beyond that darkness and face whatever may be awaiting him.

Well… f**k it, I guess.

With that simple thought, Axis stepped through the darkness without further hesitation. The moment he entered the chamber, he realized immediately how the situation had escalated; with only about a second of time apart, he noticed Vilda, the chained Elf, and the Demon in that order. The one in the most danger was Vilda, who was intimidated to the point of stillness as she faced the Demon that would leap at her at any time.

Without a second thought, Axis ran.

Though, from his perspective, there was no intention in his movements, at the moment he noticed the Demon, an abnormal impulse completely took over and pushed him forward, damning the fear that had slowed him down previously. The darkness of the Demon was certainly tense, enough to where Axis perfectly understood why Vilda was overwhelmed. Even as he charged towards the Demon, he could sense things within the darkness reaching towards him to drag him down.

Yet, they were unable to reach Axis; at the moment the “claws” were about to make contact, the force of Axis’s own aura demolished them. This in turn drew the Demon’s attention away from Vilda, freeing her from its influence. Still, even as the Demon’s glare met Axis’s eyes, he remained unaffected and continued forward.

The Demon turned towards Axis, prepared to physically attack with its own claw, but not without coating it in an even denser aura than what already filled the chamber. It was an attack meant to rip Axis asunder and kill him instantly, and in response, Axis prepared to swing his sword. It was a weapon he had just found, had no experience in wielding, and yet his form was that of an experienced swordsman.

However, it was more as if the sword was wielding Axis; his body was made to move by a power that was beyond him, yet a part of him at the same time, and that power also guided his blade. As a result, Axis couldn’t help but think that the power filling him at that time was the influence of the sword he carried.

I don’t see a problem with it, personally. As long as I can deal some damage…!

Finally, Axis and the Demon were mere steps away from each other, within striking range. As the Demon swung its claw, what could only be described as a “flash of darkness” occurred for a split second, as if one was forced to blink at the exact moment they clashed.

However, the phenomenon was not caused by the Demon’s aura, but rather by Axis’s. The sound of thunder that suddenly echoed throughout the chamber was the aftereffect of Axis’s blade striking the Demon’s swinging arm, not only severing the limb, but even cutting through the darkness that surrounded them: the Demon’s own aura.

For the first time since Vilda entered that chamber, she was able to take a breath. However, the break didn’t last.

“Vilda!” Axis called out in urgency, alerting her of possibly the only opportunity to act.

Vilda had fully regained her senses upon hearing Axis’s voice, determined not to waste the chance he had given her. Using as much mana as she could muster without exhausting her reserves, she propelled herself forward with a burst of wind to reach the chained Elf in just two seconds. In another two, she swiftly cut down the chains binding her kin, and hoisted the once chained Elf onto her back. Another three seconds, and she was out of the chamber, making her way back through the path.

Within those seven seconds, Axis watched the Demon carefully while he waited for Vilda to pass by, planning on fleeing along with her as soon as she was clear. As the severed arm descended towards the ground, the Demon’s aura that coated it slowly began to fade away, revealing the withered forearm of a bear, and the Demon wailed not only in pain, but seemingly in panic due to that reveal. Disregarding that, Axis had hoped that the injury he had dealt would have been enough to prevent the Demon from giving chase. Yet as soon as Axis was about to turn on his heel to run, he caught sight of something outrageous enough to halt his action.

Just before the severed arm could hit the ground, the aura around the Demon stretched out from its injury, forming a claw to grasp the separated limb and pull it back towards the Demon. As if that weren’t enough, the two halves of the arm were reconnected, mended by its darkness within an instant. With that, the Demon had fully recovered from Axis’s attack, but its following roar ensured that it was still upset about it.

Ah, f**k… Axis complained internally.