Han alternately observed the tunnel’s progress and the chamber entrances, tense for any sign of danger. The silence between them extended for several minutes, broken only by the sound of earth being removed and the occasional brief instruction from Ren. "Thank you," Han finally said, his voice low but clear in the confined space. "For not letting me fall." Ren paused briefly in his work to feel for vibrations while listening, his palm pressed flat against the tunnel wall. "With the dagger," Han continued, his eyes fixed on the glowing hydra as it worked, "you could have held on alone. Since you probably would have stayed up close to the surface... Matilda or Mira could have thrown something down for you to climb up." Ren resumed excavation, but responded without turning around, his focus unwavering. "If I had done that, you might not have survived. And I wouldn’t be able to sleep thinking I could have saved you." "Not everyone would make that choice," Han insisted, a note of wonder in his voice. "I... I’m not sure I would have made it. I probably would have been too cowardly." This time Ren stopped completely, turning to look at Han directly. In the fluctuating light of his mushrooms and the subtle glow reflected by the hydra, his expression was serene but intense, his eyes holding Han’s gaze steadily. "It’s not about cowardice or bravery," he said with a simplicity that carried the weight of his old father’s deep conviction. "It’s about doing what’s right in the moment it’s needed. Nobody really knows how they’ll react until that moment comes... but you would certainly save your sister, right?" Han thought for a moment before closing his eyes and nodding, "I think it’s very likely... I would do anything for her despite the fear." "Then I think you can overcome ’cowardice’," Ren smiled and continued sensing vibrations in the confined tunnel while speaking, the hydra’s claws working tirelessly, leaving gouges in the compacted earth. "Besides, don’t worry about those things now. The most important thing is that we’re alive and we’re going to get out of here." Han nodded, though Ren couldn’t see him, and set about helping as best he could, using his spider to cover the tunnel entrance with fine silk threads. They had advanced perhaps ten meters when Ren stopped abruptly. His entire body tensed, like an animal sensing imminent danger, every muscle going rigid. "What’s happening?" Han whispered, immediately on alert. Ren raised a hand, indicating absolute silence. His mushrooms now pulsed with an irregular, almost erratic rhythm, the light fluctuating unpredictably. Han held his breath, straining to hear what had alarmed his companion. And then he noticed it, or rather, noticed the absence. Not a single sound or vibration. The subtle background sounds that had been present for Ren, slight creaks, distant movements, the almost imperceptible echo of life, had completely ceased. The creatures were silent. An unnatural silence, as if everything in the depths held its breath, waiting. Ren’s eyes widened and he began to turn toward the entrance of their improvised tunnel. Han followed his gaze and felt his blood freeze. A glow, an intense pulsating purple radiance, began to filter from the direction of the chamber they had just abandoned. The light intensified by moments, projecting strangely elongated and distorted shadows on the tunnel walls, making ordinary shapes seem monstrous and alien. It wasn’t the natural glow of any creature Ren knew... But he knew what it was. An abyssal. With extremely cautious movements, Ren repositioned his body and absorbed his hydra, the creature seeming to melt back into his skin in a shimmer of light. Han tried to control his breathing, which had become rapid and shallow. His spider had retracted almost completely, as if even she could feel it was better to remain hidden, pulling back beneath his skin like a frightened child. The purple glow intensified further, illuminating the beginning of their tunnel with an unnatural light that seemed to pulsate like a diseased heart. And with the light came a sound, a low hum, almost subliminal, that Han felt more than heard, a vibration that seemed to resonate directly in his bones and teeth. "Ren," he whispered, unable to contain the tremor in his voice. "I know," Ren responded, his own voice perfectly controlled though his mushrooms had begun to pulse again, this time in a pattern Han had never seen before, rapid, almost frantic, but strangely reassuring, like a silent promise that they would survive this. Until Han felt it in the threads. Something was entering the tunnel. ♢♢♢♢ The tunnel advanced with surprising speed under Shizu’s expert earth control. Her earth wolverine fully manifested, its claws displacing volumes of soil that would normally require hours of work in mere seconds, the earth parting before her as if eager to make way. "Keep the pace," she instructed while working, sweat beading on her forehead despite the cool underground air. "We need to reach camp as soon as possible." The rest of the team had organized into an efficient system. Mako with her night ambusher took over when Shizu needed a rest, while Luna’s wolf, Trent’s ant, Roran’s dog, and Maria’s armadillo took turns helping clear loose earth, their coordinated efforts creating a steady rhythm. Hikari and Liora provided constant illumination, Hikari’s firefly emitting a soft but wide glow that illuminated the entire space, complemented by Liora’s will-o’-wisp that provided more intense, directed light toward the front. "How much further do you think?" Luna asked Shizu, who paused briefly to evaluate their position. "Hard to know exactly," she responded, her fingers pressed against the tunnel wall as if reading some invisible map, her eyes closed in concentration. "But we’re advancing in the right direction. If we maintain this pace, maybe another hour." The group continued advancing, fatigue beginning to show on their faces. Concern for Ren and Han, along with the constant tension of digging in potentially dangerous territory, made each minute feel like an eternity. "Something’s not right," Shizu suddenly murmured. "I feel... big changes in the earth’s resistance." Her beast stopped as she pressed her hands against the front wall. Her eyes widened slightly. "There’s a space ahead. Large." "A natural cavern perhaps?" Mako asked, hope briefly flickering across her features. "No," Shizu slowly shook her head. "Too regular. Too... constructed." A tense silence fell over the group as they considered the implications. Regular tunnels at this depth could only mean one thing. "Shadow stalker hive," Trent whispered. "Do we retreat?" asked Hikari, her light instinctively dimming, shrinking back as if sharing her apprehension. Luna shook her head. "We can’t waste time. We need to reach Zhao as soon as possible." "Then we dig about 5 meters deeper," Shizu decided. "At the first sign of danger, I’ll close the tunnel and we’ll change direction." With renewed caution, Shizu continued excavating, now in much slower movements due to the hardness of the deeper earth, each chunk requiring more effort to dislodge. Unfortunately, a small opening formed on top of them, barely the size of a fist. Hikari directed her firefly toward the hole, allowing its light to filter through to reveal what lay beyond. The glow illuminated a scene that made everyone hold their breath. A huge chamber extended before them and moving throughout the chamber, dozens, no, hundreds of shadow stalkers awakened by the vibrations of the excavation.