A Trillion Years: Rebirth [Book One of the IGU]

Chapter Four: A Desperate Plea

Xander stood up and patted the dust off. He raised his hand, expecting to get a high-five, but the strange arrival walked ahead and ignored him. Xander proceeded to do it himself as he ran to catch up. "Thanks for saving me," he said, but he got no reply.

Ren moved his hand along the wall as if he was keeping an eye out for something unusual. The radiant rings in his eyes acted like a light source for him to see in the darkness of the iridescent cave. Wherever he looked, the light would reflect a different color from the walls surrounding them.

Xander kept close to him, as he was the only able to see whatever Ren was looking at.

The sound of dripping water echoed loudly around them and the air grew colder as they ventured deeper. Whenever the sound of flapping wings reached Xander's ears, he tried not to let out a peep. However, a small, drop of water landed on his head and sent shivers down his spine, causing him to stumble and bump into Ren.

"Will you quit it?!" Ren snapped and grit his teeth.

"What?" Xander asked innocently. "I'm just trying not to get lost."

Annoyed, Ren clicked his tongue. "Just stay out of my way and don't touch anything!"

"Alright, fine!" Xander crossed his arms and huffed. "I don't know what's your problem."

Ren stopped in his tracks and faced him. Squinted eyes and a slight growl could be heard from him. His short temper was reaching its limit with a cursed child he has never met before. There was a natural annoyance, almost like a sibling that the crown prince could not tolerate, but something piqued his curiosity.

A strange, transparent figure was hovering near the white-haired boy. Almost as if reality was constantly being warped in a smoke-like fashion.

"What is that?" Ren asked him.

Xander looked back then faced him. "What?" He saw nothing.

Ren shook his head. "Never mind, it was probably nothing."
Xander slowly shifted his gaze upward as he saw something in the shadows rose behind Ren. The prince turned around as the new arrival towered over him.

It was far taller than either of them and it hunched over with long, thin arms followed by jet-black claws. There were no legs, but its torso appeared to have sprouted out from the center of a dark puddle, where even the light couldn't escape from. Its head twitched and it blinked its faint, luminescent eyes. Closer and closer, it leaned toward to them as the two boys were trying not to make any sudden moves.
Xander winced back as it grew close. He felt it huff warm air as if it took a whiff like an animal that found its prey.

It slowly backed off, but it let out an ear-piercing screech.

Out of pure instinct, Ren held out his hands with his palms facing outward toward it and a golden beam was shot out. The creature toppled over before sinking into its puddle.

The two boys looked at each other with wide eyes as they both looked behind them and similar gazes peered out from the darkness. Xander and Ren sprinted away out of instinct, but the living shadows weren't willing to let their prey run free so easily.

Ren occasionally glanced back and fired off several unrefined beams of light at them, but it didn't matter. When one was vaporized, two more took its place. The shadows swarmed everything that was in their way, almost like a wave of darkness consuming everything in its wake.

"What are those things?!" Xander yelled and vaulted over whatever barrier was in the way.

"Those things are Umbra." Ren floated off the ground and continued to fire repeatedly. He flew through the cavern, keeping up with Xander with ease. He grabbed him by his collar and dragged him along the way.