Chapter 9: The Darkness Watches

Chapter 9: The Darkness Watches

—As night falls, secrets hidden in the shadows quietly awaken.

Faint green lights flickered, like the eyes of a beast lurking in the darkness, silently watching them.

Tom's fingers tightened slightly as he pressed his back against the stone monument, his wary gaze sweeping the surroundings. A strange chill lingered in the air, carrying a scent of damp decay—almost like the stench of rot, yet mixed with something more sinister, an unknown poisonous mist that made it hard to breathe.

"What is that?" he whispered.

"Not sure yet." Elizabeth kept her eyes locked on the eerie green glow, her voice heavy. "But it's definitely not something normal."

Tom held his breath, his fingers slowly slipping into his pocket, grasping a small folding knife. He wasn't skilled in combat, but his instincts screamed that this was no time to let his guard down.

The green eyes in the darkness remained motionless—watching, waiting. They did not advance, nor did they retreat.

For a full minute, the two sides remained deadlocked. Even the sounds of insects in the night had vanished, as if the entire world had fallen into an eerie stillness.

Then, the eyes moved.

A shadow burst from the grass with terrifying speed, lunging straight at Tom before he could react!

It could sense it—the unusual scent in Tom's blood. If it could just take a single deep sip, it would evolve.

Tom's pupils shrank. Acting on pure instinct, he twisted his body, narrowly dodging the attack. The shadow streaked past his shoulder and landed on the ground. Under the faint moonlight, he finally got a good look at the creature—

It was a monstrous being, its body jet black and limbs twisted unnaturally. Though it had a vaguely human torso, it crawled on all fours like a beast. Its claws were long and sharp, tinged with a sickly purple-blue sheen. Its head was tilted at an odd angle, and its face was obscured by a translucent membrane, like the cocoon of an insect. Beneath that thin layer, a distorted human face could be seen, blurred and grotesque.

A chill ran down Tom's spine. Every hair on his body stood on end.

"What the hell is this thing?!" he growled, yanking out his folding knife and keeping his guard up.

Elizabeth's expression was grim as she murmured, "Gu Puppet."

"Gu Puppet?" Tom frowned, his heartbeat accelerating.

"A forbidden technique from certain ancient families," Elizabeth explained, her voice cold and firm. "They raise parasitic Gu insects inside living hosts, allowing the insects to completely devour the human mind, turning them into mindless puppets that obey orders."

Her tone carried a deep familiarity, as if she had encountered such creatures before.

"These things have little intelligence, but they're incredibly resilient. They feel no pain and will keep fighting unless their bodies are completely destroyed."

Tom felt a shiver crawl up his back. "Sounds worse than zombies."

"Less talking. It's moving again."

The moment Elizabeth finished speaking, the Gu Puppet let out a low snarl and lunged!

It moved with horrifying speed, its limbs scrambling across the ground like a wild beast. In the blink of an eye, it was upon Tom!

Reacting instinctively, Tom swung his knife at its grotesque face. The blade sliced through the air and struck the creature's shoulder—but instead of cutting deep, it barely left a scratch, as if hitting something unnaturally tough. The wound was shallow, and the Gu Puppet didn't even flinch.

"Shit!" Tom cursed, quickly stepping back.

Elizabeth, however, had already moved. From seemingly nowhere, a short blade gleaming with a metallic sheen appeared in her grip. She darted to the side, swift and precise, and slashed at the creature's neck.

This time, the Gu Puppet's movements stalled for a brief moment. But only a second later, thin black threads emerged from its wound, swiftly stitching it back together! The injury vanished almost instantly.

"It can regenerate?!" Tom gritted his teeth.

"The Gu worms inside its body allow it to heal," Elizabeth said darkly. "We have to destroy its core."

"Where's the core?"

"Usually the head or heart—but it varies for each Gu Puppet."

Tom took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. "We can't just let this thing keep chasing us forever."

Elizabeth didn't answer. Instead, her eyes sharpened, and in the next instant, she lunged forward!

She was fast—almost impossibly so. Her movements were light, agile, perfectly controlled. She darted behind the Gu Puppet and drove her blade toward its side!

But the creature reacted in a bizarre manner—twisting its body unnaturally to evade the strike. Then, with a sudden swipe, its claws lashed toward Elizabeth's arm!

Tom reacted instantly. He kicked the Gu Puppet hard in the waist. Though it barely harmed the creature, it disrupted its attack, buying Elizabeth a chance to dodge.

"Don't get caught up in a fight! We need to fall back!" she shouted.

Tom didn't hesitate. He turned and ran.

The two of them dashed deeper into the forest, but the Gu Puppet was relentless. It pursued them with terrifying speed, its four limbs propelling it forward like a panther in full sprint.

As he ran, Tom gritted his teeth. "Who the hell let this thing loose?! How could something like this exist in a school?!"

Elizabeth's expression darkened. "Maybe… it was always here."

Tom's chest tightened. "You mean—"

"This school is hiding secrets," Elizabeth said in a low voice. "Gu Puppets don't just appear out of nowhere. Someone is raising them here. Or worse… these creatures have always belonged to this place."

Tom's breath hitched.

"…Shit."

A creeping realization dawned upon him—he was caught in something far bigger than he had imagined. Ever since he awakened, trouble had found him again and again, no matter how hard he tried to avoid it.

The Gu Puppet was still in pursuit.

And in the depths of the shadows, an unseen figure watched them intently.

A low whisper drifted through the night air, carrying a chilling sense of dread—

"…The sacrifice… begins…"