Published at 24th of October 2026 9:26 am

Chapter 213. Strangeness

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Myhur stared at the self-healing wall in silence, just as the rest of the group did. The rock acted like a living body. It swelled around the wound and then began to fill it, but instead of blood, new stone simply crystallized in the hole, closing it until the wall's surface was smooth again.

Dave looked at me, but I shook my head before he could ask the obvious question.

I have no idea what is going on, I said, staring at the wall in confusion.

Myhur drew his fist back and struck again, faster and faster, yet the deeper his fists went, the quicker the stone healed. With each impact of the mushrooms fists, it became clearer that we wouldn't be getting through that wall. Not a huge surprise, but some hope still died with the realization.

So no going back, huh? Dave said once Myhur struck the rock for the last time, leaving his fist in the dent.

Could this be an illusion? Ophelia proposed, but I shook my head.

A mass illusion that good and stable? I doubt it.

We turned around and came back to the group, breaking the bad news. No one, aside from Peter and Filip, reacted much, as few had really expected the exit to be open. Still, the idea of the healing stone keeping us trapped here wasn't pleasant.

We decided to take a while to lick our wounds and figure out the next steps. I used the time to check on Josh, who was still unconscious.

Im starting to hate magic, Rey commented as I approached.

I chuckled at his fairly annoyed expression. I mean, you have to say its at least interesting. New experiences and all.

When I think of new experiences, I think of skydiving or roller coasters, not magical deathtraps, Rey grumbled.

They are acquired tastes. Youll get used to it.

Id rather not.

And you should see the bright side. You can cross roller coasters off your list, I said with a grin, glancing at the overturned wagon.

Sadly, my humor was underappreciated as Rey and Filip just stared at me. So how is he? I asked, changing the subject and nodding toward Josh.

Not sure. He looks like hes just asleep. I can't see any wounds, Filip said. You think something got to him? Like magical?

I thought for a few seconds, then exhaled slowly in resignation. Many things could have happened, and to be honest, it could just be something I dont even know is possible. Whatever is going on here, its I looked for the words, but finally just shrugged.

I called Luna over, and we spent some time trying to figure out why the least injured person was the only one unconscious, but we found nothing before Dave came over and suggested we all get together to talk.

We all gathered in one big group beside the overturned wagon. The people sat around on rocks or remains of the wagon. The FBI team turned off their flashlights to save power, and we used light spells to illuminate the area. The atmosphere was uneasy as everyone kept glancing nervously into the darkness of the tunnel. The two people stationed on guard duty didn't do much to put anyone at ease.

We went through proper introductions next, giving brief descriptions of our specialties and, in the FBI team's case, their ranks. The woman with the bow was the second-in-command, named Ariassa, an elvish-sounding name, fitting given the weapon. I couldnt tell if she was actually an elf because of the mask she wore under the helmet, and she only described herself as a sharpshooter.

They also revealed some of their cards: they had four people at the first circle and two at the second. It was clear from a quick conversation that the mages on the FBI team basically acted as walking batteries of mana, powering up enchanted items rather than controlling the magic. Overall, the team was heavily dependent on their weapons and armor.

While they weren't skilled mages, the FBI clearly had the means to produce relatively useful soldiers. I had to give them that. That also came with obvious weaknesses, like their dependence on the helmets as a means of mind-control defense.

We believe the main objective should be put on hold until we can get out of here and reconnect with the base, Dave proposed once we were all sitting together.

Im all for finding a way out of here. Base or not, Luna agreed.

The quicker, the better, Rey added.

That should have been the central idea, but to my surprise, Myhur spoke up.

Weee should see what lies deeper inside, he proposed. I dont believe we will be let out so easily.

Well, I wasnt entirely against the idea. I was curious what was going on. I would have loved to study whatever phenomenon kept us here. The only issue was that unnecessarily risky ideas were usually my bread and butter, not Myhurs.

Why? I asked with a frown.

Theeere is a sadness there, deep in those tunnels. I want to end it, he said.

I frowned. Mycanoids were attuned to hive minds, and the idea of pain and sadness did fit the Talapir, but then again, he had previously said there was no center to the feeling, and that the presence permeated the space. I'd been physically close to the mycanoid hive before, and I'd only really felt that presence in the chamber with the bodies, but for it to be present here, in a tunnel? And then there was the issue of what the place was. The self-healing walls, the mana that felt like a singularity.

Questions about who was behind this, whether those responsible were connected to the miracle bringers or a separate cult, and whether there were traitors among the FBI personnel squirmed in my head, all unanswered. At least for now.

I say we prioritize getting out of here, Dave said. And if it won't let us, then we adjust as we go. But I do think we should drop the idea of getting through that wall and go deeper to search for the other end of the tunnel.

Not like we have much choice, I commented, looking at the corridor.

The whole group agreed at least on that.

So do you know what this place is? Dave asked, turning toward my group.

Were not sure Luna began. Are you aware of singularities?

A pause followed before the woman with the bow spoke up.

We are, at least in concept. We've never been inside one.

What do you know? I asked, now curious.

We know they are projections, places with their own laws. They can also be strangeplaces where one can converse with God, places of worship or punishment, she explained, mixing what seemed like magical knowledge with superstition. Is this a singularity?

Could be, I said, unsure. When we were approaching this place, did any of you see something? Something strange right before the crash? Something that did not fit inside the wagon? I asked, looking over the group.

I did, one of the FBI people spoke up. I think. I dont know, but I think the map over the door in front of me changed before we crashed.

My eyebrows shot up at that.

Do you remember it? another person asked, a hopeful tone in their voice.

No, I mean it didnt change to something readable, just into a circle, the man explained, earning groans from the people around him.

I This time Peter spoke up hesitantly. I think I saw a girl.

A girl? Ophelia asked. Where?

In front of me, hiding under the seats. Like an orphan? Like really dirty and disheveled, but it was a split second, and she was gone. Also I think she was missing her eyes.

Ophelia was clearly taken aback by those words, considering she had sat right next to Peter in the wagon. To make it stranger, I'd been just a few seats away. I should have noticed a child scurrying around.

I saw an older man, right before the crash, I spoke up. He sat right next to you, I said, pointing to Dave, causing the mans eyebrows to knit tightly together.

<>Right next to me? Older man? he repeated, clearly confused.

Yes. Also tattered and dirty. Just sitting there.

Well, I did feel a presence, now that I think about it. Like, someone was looking at me right in the eyes, but I couldn't tell from where. I thought it was you. Dave gave me a look. But if you didn't stare

The people looked at one another, confusion filling the air on both sides.

Omens? Ophelia proposed.

Sounds like it, I agreed, but omens should be visible to everyone, not just a chosen few.

Mind magic? Ariassa proposed. Would explain why your empath is out.

Id sense a mental attack powerful enough to cause illusions, I countered. Also, he doesnt have any signs of mental manipulation. Its like hes just out of it. Asleep.

Cant we wake him up? Dave asked. Pain response?

I can take a look at his mental space, Luna proposed. But from my initial check, its like hes in a dream.

I groaned at those words. And if hes trapped in one, then it might mean having to drag his mind back.

Dangerous? Dave asked, seeing my reaction.

For a normal person, fairly. For an empath? I have no idea, but Im leaning toward even worse.

Great. The man scoffed. All good news.

Iii Myhur spoke up after a long silence. He paused, clearly considering his words. I think he lost consciousness before the impact, he finally said.

You sure? I asked.

Taking over an unconscious target was one thing. But I had trained him to recognize mental influence and swat it away, even instinctively. He shouldn't have been taken out in an instant.

Nooot sure, but I think when I picked him up, he was already limp. I think it was right before I got to him.

That made it even weirder than it already was. Was the presence so powerful it could just get to him like that, undetected? But there was no feeling of presence before the crash.

We sat in silence for some time before Ophelia spoke up again. What about the driver? she asked.

One of our technicians, Dave explained before slowly turning to the wagon lying behind us.

The entire front was crumpled, having taken the brunt of the impact. It didnt take a genius to figure out what happened to anyone in front.

We checked, but its just body parts, Dave said, his gaze still on the bent metal.

But speaking of the driver I think we crashed into something before we, well, crashed. Or right at the same moment, I said, trying to sift through the chaotic memory of the event.

Crashed before the crash?

Yeah, there was a wet, squelching sound right at the moment we hit the ground, as if we ran into a person or an animal, I said, getting up and sweeping my gaze over the front of the wagon.

What would that change? Rey asked this time.

I have no idea, I said.

With no other ideas, the team got up and looked over the bent wagon, trying to find any remains of what we'd crashed into. The issue was that, in the crash, whatever was left of the person was most likely smeared across the tunnel under the wagon. But Luna finally picked up on something. She managed to sniff out a body part lodged under the twisted front metal panels, beneath the drivers window.

What can you tell? I asked her, approaching the vampire.

She brought her nose closer and sniffed once before recoiling.

Oof, its human for sure. Id say male, but it smelled like death. And I dont mean poison, but rot and disease. Id stay away from blood like that.

Anything more? I asked, hopeful.

She turned to me with raised eyebrows, then looked back at the piece of flesh.

Do you think Im some sort of seer? Thats just a piece of skin and muscle.

Fine, fine, I sighed.

So there was someone we killed. Was their death responsible for us finding ourselves in this shitshow? Or was it something else?

We finally gathered our items and moved deeper, looking for an exit or anything helpful. For now, Josh was strapped to Myhurs back like a human backpack. He showed no signs of deterioration yet, so we decided to keep an eye on him, since all attempts to wake him had failed.

On the bright side, I did have more luck with Peters body, as I managed to get him to move it around by reconnecting the spine. The nerves still needed proper healing with death-attuned ingredients, but he could move clumsily, swaying from side to side as his limbs responded inconsistently.

And like that, with an unconscious empath, we slowly set off into the tunnel's darkness, coming ever closer to whatever mind permeated those corridors.

QShar looked at the phone ringing in his room. It was a rarely used red desk phone, and its ring was like nails being dragged against the grain of his fur. The phone was only for emergencies, and hearing it ring an hour after Sam and the team entered the tunnel didnt bode well.

What is it? he asked, picking up the receiver.

I sent you a livestream. Open it, said the voice on the other side.

It was one of the agents watching over the FBIs operation. QShar did as instructed and opened a link he had received through his communicator.

The livestream opened to shaky camera footage. It was hard to make out what was going on, but given what QShar knew of the context, he immediately recognized the scene. It showed a metro entrance in New York, the same one that Sam and the rest had used to enter the tunnels.

A silhouette emerged from the entrance. The figure was hard to make out, as the person holding the phone was clearly panicking, but QShar had heard descriptions of the tumor-filled, worm-like carriers of the parasite. He could see two of them attacking the few pedestrians still walking the streets of NY at night. One of the monsters was currently standing over a person on the ground, ignoring another man who kicked at it in panic. Its hands closed around the prone victims throat, crushing it as the creature gave a satisfied screech.

The second creature charged the cameraman, using its flexible body to slither like a snake and coil to strike, while a few more silhouettes poured from the metro entrance in the background. Its body lunged forward, and the stream cut off. The only saving grace was that relatively few people were out on the streets at night, ever since mana had begun influencing the world.

Fuck, QShar spat into the receiver. What the fuck is the FBI doing? Werent they supposed to secure the area?

Their people are gone. So are ours. And the FBI cant get hold of Elias. Neither can we. The man disappeared. Or

Was killed, QShar finished in a whisper. Get all available mages. We need this contained, he instructed. Then he whispered to himself, What is going on?

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