The inner wall of Ariel's Tomb was obscured by a colossal swarm of numerous Dark Butterflies. There were myriads of these eerie Great Monsters resting on the endless black surface, seemingly asleep…
But also ready to awaken if anything disturbed their slumber.
Sunny took an involuntary step back.
'This… this is the place Song and Valor wanted to conquer?'
One Great Monster was a calamity that only a few people in the waking world could quell. But there were countless Dark Butterflies dwelling inside the black pyramid… protecting its boundary… waiting for some fool to set them free.
Or maybe waiting to destroy anyone who would try to desecrate the tomb that the Demon of Dread had built.
Sunny shuddered.
'Ariel… that lunatic… just what did he build? And why?'
Turning his head slowly, he looked at Cassie with hollow eyes and asked quietly:
"Cassie… can you extinguish the radiance of the sacred tree?"
She seemed confused for a moment, then nodded. In the next moment, the beautiful light of the rustling tee grew dimmer, eventually disappearing entirely.
Sunny let out a shaky sigh.
The lanterns illuminating the Chain Breaker were extinguished, as well. Soon, the members of the cohort found themselves in absolute darkness.
Only Sunny and Cassie could move freely in the absence of light.
Unable to look away from the harrowing sight of countless black butterflies crowding the surface of the endless stone wall, he calmed his wildly beating heart and said in a hoarse whisper:
"Cassie, take us away from here. Back to the River… fast. As fast as you can!"
The Chain Breaker moved, slowly turning its bow. The creaking of the masts, the rustle of leaves, and the ripple of the billowing sails sounded like thunder to his ears.
'If they notice us… we die. I have survived many situations in which I had no business surviving. But this one… there's no surviving that.'
They had to get away.
Sunny gritted his teeth and waited.
A few moments passed, then a few moments more.
A minute.
The Chain Breaker was gliding toward the distant Great River, steadily gaining speed.
'Faster, faster…'
Sunny never expected that he would be praying to return to the Great River one day. But here he was, doing just that.
…Perhaps someone had heard his prayers.
Eventually, the dreadful wall of Ariel's Tomb disappeared from view, and the beautiful ribbon of the Great River drew closer.
One chapter today, three chapters tomorrow.