Monsters in Glass

"There seems to be a tunnel underground. How did they reach it? Is there a hidden entrance?" Adam asked, his voice filled with curiosity as his eyes scanned the area.

"There's no need to look for an entrance. We can use Blink—it's within range," Claire replied confidently.

As the daughter and student of Venustusia, Claire had mastered Blink magic, a sophisticated spell that allowed teleportation based on the user's ability to clearly perceive the destination, either through physical vision or mana sense. With a graceful wave of her hand and focused intent, she activated the spell, teleporting all eight of them into the tunnel.

The dark, narrow tunnel stretched out before them, the air damp and thick with the smell of earth. The faint glow of Aqua's device illuminated their path, its steady blinking guiding them further. Their footsteps echoed softly, each step amplifying the eerie silence that surrounded them. After walking for several minutes, they reached a gate—its rusted metal bars twisted and worn, hinting at years of neglect. Claire once again used Blink to teleport them beyond the gate.

The room they entered was nothing like what they had expected. Instead of the crude hideout of slave traders, they found themselves in a sinister laboratory. The air was heavy with the metallic tang of blood and chemicals, and the dim lighting cast unnerving shadows on the smooth, sterile walls. Strange creatures were suspended inside large glass cylinders filled with murky liquid, their distorted forms twitching occasionally as if alive.

Casial broke the silence, his voice a mix of confusion and disgust. "What is going on here?"

Aqua's eyes fell on one of the creatures in the glass. He froze in place, a chill running down his spine. The grotesque monsters bore an unsettling resemblance to the ones found in the Forest of Death, which bordered the northern edge of House Rein's territory. He tried to sense the mana emanating from them but was met with overwhelming pressure—so suffocating that his face became pale as he was afraid of the abomination inside the glass.

The others began scouring the lab, searching for clues about who might be running such a vile operation. There were rows of glass cylinders containing various abominations, each more hideous than the last, but no sign of human presence. Tables lined with strange instruments and scattered papers hinted at ongoing experiments, but the purpose behind it all remained unclear.

At the back of the room stood a steel door, partially hidden in the dim light. Claire's sharp eyes spotted it, and she instinctively moved toward it, her curiosity pushing her forward.

Just then, Casial noticed Aqua's face. The calm and collected expression Aqua always wore was gone, replaced by a look of pure fear. It was the first time Casial had ever seen Aqua falter.

Casial's voice rang out, urgent and commanding. "We need to run, Claire! Teleport us outside—hurry!"

Claire halted in her tracks, startled by her brother's unusually serious tone. She turned away from the door, preparing to teleport them back to the tunnel entrance. But before she could cast the spell, a deafening boom shook the room. The tunnel outside collapsed with a violent explosion, cutting off their escape route. Dust and debris filled the air, choking their vision as panic surged through the group.

Aqua reacted swiftly, summoning Darkness, his sword, from his subspace. The steel door Claire had been approaching creaked ominously as it swung open, revealing the unknown horror behind it. Acting on pure instinct, Aqua teleported Claire behind him to shield her from whatever lay beyond.

"This is beyond us," Aqua said firmly, his voice heavy with urgency. "We need to run."

The room seemed to grow colder as an oppressive aura seeped from the open doorway. The flickering light inside the lab danced eerily across the walls, casting grotesque shapes that heightened the tension. Every second felt like an eternity as the group stood frozen, their hearts racing with fear.