Chapter 4 - The Edge of Sight

Matthew cast his gaze to Thomas, who had a smile on his face, his group talking excitedly among themselves. He looked to the corners, where people wore expressions of angry disbelief. Some were hopeful. They all believed this would change something for them.

"Wait, this is becoming annoying. Why can't I see the screen?"

"Maybe this is some chosen-one type of situation."

"And you were chosen?"

"I mean, I'm not a coward, so—"

"Ohh, fuck off."

Before the prior disagreement could start again, Parker stepped in, putting his large hands on their shoulders. "What we need now is to know what changed us, not biting at each other's throats again."

Everyone gave themselves some grace as Jackson began to sit up. Matthew stepped closer and asked, "You got an extra trait, or do you only have Ariel's Web too?"

Jackson looked confused—Matthew hadn't spoken much to him. He answered cautiously, "I have Ariel's Web and Blood Bond. How did you know I would have Ariel's Web?"

"Just an assumption." It was probably what made them able to see the screens in the first place. Going off that, he wanted to hear the description of Jackson's second trait. "What does it say?"

Jackson looked to his screen and described it:

Blood Bond – A trait given by Ariel. It is a standard blessing among her followers and allows them to live a harsh predatory life. It improves your ability to recuperate from blood loss and makes your blood stickier when exposed to air.

It was probably beyond invaluable. A trait that highly improved survivability. It also mentioned this Ariel again... Spiders have eight limbs.

Matthew turned to the fountain not too far from them and then back to his group, who had begun another discussion.

"This will probably make fighting easier. We can go out and find a way out of here."

"To die? We shouldn't jump into what we don't fully understand."

"So we wait here? The objective is obviously to find spirit essence and wish coins, and I haven't seen any here."

"I know we have to go out eventually, but there's no need to rush. We can let Thomas and the rest be the first out and hear what they have to say."

"Can we rely on them like that?" Matthew asked benignly.

Adalina cast a baleful gaze at Thomas' group over at the fountain, who were shouting and laughing. "Do you really trust them to come back and share their work?"

Jesse nodded and noted, "We also need food. It'll be tougher to do all this work if we wait till hunger is debilitating us."

Parker clarified, "I think we're being a little unfair to Thomas, no? He doesn't seem like a bad guy."

The group gave him a look that seemed to inform him he was being naive before someone said, "I think it's a bad idea to go out there. No one has survived, and whatever this sick game is, I don't think we should play along."

Everyone was silent for a while. It really did feel like a joke. Their lives had been quantified and given a set of objectives—playing along felt wrong and unfair. People had died outside without even being told the rules.

Would things have been different if they knew to take the situation more seriously?

Jackson cracked a smile. "I understand the sentiment, but I think we shouldn't behave like we have any say in what's happening here. Right now, the only way forward is to fight."

Jackson wasn't necessarily strong-looking. He looked agile, and his shorts clued Matthew in on how well-trained his legs were. He was tall, buzz-cut, probably Brazilian. Matthew assumed he was an athlete—a real one at least. He also had a surprisingly strong spirit; the determination in his eyes was tangible.

Parker nodded, his eyes heavy with something. He would be the one to put their lives on the line. It was by far the toughest job, so Matthew made sure to give him a push. "Let's work together."

Parker looked at him and smiled softly after a while. "Doing nothing won't solve our problems. We can't rely on Thomas, apparently, so we need to get out there and find at least these three things: food and water, wish coins and spirit essence, and lastly, signs of an exit. Food is obviously the priority. My coach always said you can't take action without energy, but when taking action, be strategic with how you apply energy."

One of the girls ran her hands through her hair with frustration. "Dammit… So what's our first course of action?"

"We should pick who goes out—and maybe how we're going to escape those monsters." someone explained

Matthew suggested discreetly, "Too large a group being close together will make us easier to to spot."

Asha suddenly added, "Most cave creatures that don't use their eyes to track prey usually use vibrations, smells, or echolocation."

"There are lights outside the cave, though?" Jackson asked.

"I don't know why, but those aren't natural, I feel. These places being in total darkness is normal, considering it's underground. It's too bright," Matthew clarified.

"Moss isn't even bioluminescent usually. Maybe fungi, but moss?" Asha wondered.

Jackson held his hand against his chin. "So we split into different groups to become harder targets. We also need to figure out how it locates us. If it's sound, maybe we could distract it with some music from our phones... oh, sorry, they aren't here. But still, we can try to trick its senses."

Asha pointed excitedly. "And traps could work well on it too! Most creatures that don't rely on their eyes for perception usually fall into traps easily."

They all began to share ideas, and before they knew it, the consensus was clear—study their environment. Whether or not they could hide here wasn't an option. They even began to laugh a little. Jackson proved to be a tenacious clown, even while recovering from near death.

Jesse took off both pseudo-bandages she had administered to Matthew and Jackson. With Blood Bond, his injuries might heal easier without the bandages preventing scabbing. Jackson, with a stupid grin, joked, "All those years of training always pay off when I suddenly have to take off my shirt."

Jesse rolled her eyes. "Shut up, man." Then her eyes suddenly widened. "Joshua?"

Matthew spun around to see the boy walking by them. Joshua cast them a confused look before his eyes landed on Matthew's water bottle. Matthew pointed it at him and said, "Want a sip?"

"Thanks," Joshua said coarsely before taking a very small sip. He seemed ready to leave when Matthew visibly tapped the ground beside him.

Joshua gave him a knowing smile before sitting. All this while, Parker and the rest of the group watched this ridiculous exchange, perplexed.

Parker asked hesitantly, "At the risk of being that guy, do you mind if I ask where you went?"

Joshua looked at him silently. It wasn't an intense stare but one rather unconcerned with answering. He looked at Jackson, though, and frowned slightly.

Matthew then interrupted his line of thought. "He was healed by some strange magic screen—we all began to see it in the corner of our right eyes."

Jackson stared at him, incredulous, before instinctively glancing up to the corner of his eye. He paused, stunned, before tapping the air and reading through the interface. He stayed silent for a long moment, deep in thought, before saying softly, "I was looking for a river west of here."

"Did you find anything?" Matthew asked.

Joshua ignored him at first, sighing before pulling a coin from his pocket. It was gold, and when it caught the light, it refracted in a shimmering rainbow. He tossed it to Matthew, who barely caught it, still slightly shocked by the action.

Joshua looked at him then, eyes suddenly sharp—serious in a way that was almost frightening. He clenched his jaw, as though weighing something deeply, before asking,

"Any idea where the altar is?"

Everyone was now drawn in, the tension between them suffocating in its weight. Matthew's mind raced. Something critical had just been revealed beyond just the coin.

This is likely a Wish Coin for armaments. And the altar… if my suspicions are correct, it's the fountain. It's the only thing that happened before we began seeing the screen—we all drank its water. But that's not even the most important thing I've learned. I think I have a greater understanding of Joshua's modus operandi, and I can use this later.

"It's the fountain, probably," he answered evenly. "Everyone who drank its water started seeing the screen. Everyone who hasn't isn't seeing it."

Of course, this was just an assumption, but it made the most sense. Whoever put us here doesn't want us to die outright. They likely placed us in a space where we can build up strength semi-safely.

Joshua stared then—a chilling, sharp grin. "A guinea pig?"

"No!" Matthew quickly refuted.

Joshua studied him for a moment before abruptly standing and walking toward the fountain. Without hesitation, Matthew got up and followed. The rest of the group jumped to their feet as well, instinctively trailing behind them.

Parker came up beside him. "What the hell was that? It felt like you guys were about to fight."

Jesse joined them, her gaze sharp. "When did you figure out the fountain water was special?"

Matthew gave her an innocent look. "I was kind of scared, so I just guessed. But after seeing Joshua start seeing the screen after drinking, I was fairly sure."

Behind them, those who couldn't see the screen had already begun drinking the water they had saved. Some who didn't have bottles asked for sips, and soon, smiles spread across their faces as they were finally included.

"He's right! It's actually the water!"

"You lucky bastard! Thank God Joshua came back—good job, bro!"

"Wait, that coin—is it a Wish Coin?!"

Matthew considered his words before saying, "Probably. I don't know why he gave me one, though."

Asha grinned, placing a hand on his shoulder as she matched his stride. "He probably read the armaments section and figured it out immediately. He seems really smart, but weird as hell though."

"Yeah, he probably wanted to repay a favor. What a guy."

"He made it out and came back. I wonder if he'll trade us some info."

They reached the fountain. The water had receded significantly, its flow now sluggish and weak. Some still went to gather what little remained. Matthew drank half of his water and moved to refill it, watching as the murky surface rippled slightly. It was dirty, no doubt from the many hands that had disturbed it.

Joshua studied the water and the statue before closing his eyes. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two more coins.

Someone gasped. "He had two more?!"

He remained still for a few seconds, his eyes shut. Thomas and his group, who had been nearby, moved in closer, watching intently. Then, Joshua opened his eyes—dark irises clear and tranquil. Without hesitation, he threw both coins into the water.

As soon as they made contact, a brilliant light erupted from the fountain. Colors rippled across the surface, shifting like liquid rainbows. A beam of light shot up unnaturally, streaking straight into Joshua's chest.

Then, another.The entire hall fell into hushed awe. Jesse let out a slow, amazed breath. "This is unreal…"

Matthew was speechless. He forced himself not to think too hard about it—some things were simply beyond human comprehension. But even if he couldn't understand it, he could appreciate it.

This was something no one could find unappealing—a truly wondrous, fantastical sight.

The light faded. And before anyone could react, before the awe had even fully settled, Joshua moved. He cut through the crowd, slipping away like a ghost.

Thomas snarled. "Wait—goddammit!" He sprinted after him, but there was no doubt in Matthew's mind—he wouldn't catch him. Even if he did, Joshua wouldn't tell him anything.

I'll bide my time and ask the questions i need to later

Parker turned to Matthew, urgency in his tone. "Make a wish too, before the water drains away."

Matthew had already considered his options. Instead of answering, he took Parker's hand and pressed the coin into it.

"You're more capable than me. I trust you'll use it well."

Then he stepped back before Parker could refuse.

To his complete surprise, Parker turned and placed the coin into Jackson's hand.

Jackson, who had arrived late and was leaning against Jesse and another guy, looked completely dumbfounded. Parker urged, "Hurry! Wish for something that will help with your injury."

Jackson hesitated, but seeing the water disappearing, he stumbled forward, raising his hand.

"Have a clear picture of what you're wishing for," Matthew encouraged.

"What?" Jackson looked confused but, realizing Matthew wouldn't elaborate, simply closed his eyes, focused, and threw the coin into the water.

The fountain came alive once more, its light stretching toward him.

Matthew stepped closer and asked, "Is the screen saying anything?"

Parker frowned, stumbling slightly over his words before finally reading:

A wish has been made. Though long dead, Ariel will answer. She has stirred the world beyond what eyes may see and called on something to aid you. A devious and playful sword has answered.