Bloodline Evolution: I Can Choose Opposing Paths-Chapter 138: Wit’s End

Aren felt the violent rush of the cold wind spiral past them as they dropped into the dark.

Instinctively, he tightened his grip around Luna, twisting his body mid-fall to shield her as best as he could. But doing this left him pretty much falling face-first into another pile of snow he had no way of knowing how deep.

This...is gonna hurt.

CRASH!

The force knocked the breath clean from him, like someone had thrown a punch right into his guts but a hundred times worse.

Snow burst upward around them as Aren slammed into the ground. Pain flared across his chest and shoulders, just barely staying intact because of the ether he managed to circulate right before he made contact.

"—Gghhk..." he groaned, unstrapping his harness and rolling around to check. "Luna...you alright...?"

"Nnnn..." her soft breath seemed to reply.

Thank god.

Yet the relief didn’t last as something dropped on his face. A steady stream of snow poured from above, spilling over the edges of the gap like sand through an hourglass.

What he thought was snow settling above him was already shifting again, the entire crack filling as more and more snow forced its way down.

"...Shit," Aren muttered under his breath, pushing himself up to one knee.

Around him, the others were beginning to stir.

Daniel coughed violently as he rolled onto his side, dragging himself out of a shallow layer of snow. Emily wasn’t much better, her arms trembling slightly as she tried to push herself upright. Iris had already reached Marcus, pulling him up by the shoulder as he struggled to find his footing, an old wound beginning to fester again.

"Everyone alright?" Sterling coughed from his side, unbuckling her own harness as she slowly stood up.

"For now," Daniel rasped, clutching onto his stomach as Emily helped him stand.

Aren’s eyes were already moving. The space around them was too open. What he thought was just a crack in the ground might be something entirely different.

The two walls of uneven rock around them, along with the upward slant that they’d been traversing up before, could only be one thing...

They were in some sort of shallow basin or ravine.

"We can’t stay here," Aren said, forcing himself to stand up fully before buckling Luna securely on his back once more. "Snow could flood in here at any time, we need to find a cave or a hollow to hide in."

"Can’t Marcus just create a hollow like he always does?" Emily asked.

Before Aren could answer, Daniel cut in. "Absolutely not, any movements to the mountain could cause the entire thing to collapse on us in a heartbeat."

"Yeah, we’ll just have to find something—" Aren started.

But almost as soon as he did, something crossed his vision. A break in the right wall, barely visible through the snowfall. His eyes widened as recognition dawned, a safe haven and their only way out of this alive.

"There!" Aren said, pointing. "That’s our only shot!"

Yet, before anyone could answer him, the mountain did. A deep rumble rolled from above, almost indistinguishable from the storm.

What had been a steady trickle of snow...suddenly all came down at once. A massive tide of white collapsed into the basin, crashing down like a breaking dam as the entire opening above them gave way.

"Move!" Sterling shouted.

Aren didn’t hesitate. He pushed forward immediately, the snow already rising around his ankles as the basin began to fill at a terrifying speed.

"Don’t stop!" Daniel yelled, grabbing Emily’s arm as they forced themselves forward.

The cave was right there, yet the distance hadn’t changed. Each step they took felt slower and heavier, snow dragging against their legs and threatening to pull them under with every movement.

Aren leaned forward, forcing his body through the resistance, Luna’s weight pressing down on him as he pushed himself toward the opening.

The ground dipped again beneath his foot as he stumbled.

Aren barely managed to catch himself in time as another surge of snow slammed into the basin behind them, sending a wave crashing forward that nearly swallowed Marcus whole before Iris yanked him back.

"We’re not gonna make it at this rate!" Daniel shouted.

"...Ah, screw it..." Sterling muttered behind him.

What? What is she—

"Royal Domain."

Pressure emanated as countless strands of violet snapped into existence, stretching through the basin in every direction. They didn’t anchor to anything visible, yet they held and even formed a lattice that cut straight through the incoming tide of snow.

The massive wave of white crashed into the threads and split apart, forced sideways as most of the snow evaporated on contact.

"GO!" Sterling snapped.

Aren pushed forward immediately, making a mad dash toward the cave. The others followed just as fast, on one daring to look back at the situation.

Aren lunged the last few steps, slipping slightly before catching himself as he ducked into the cave. One by one, the others followed—Daniel dragging Emily in, Iris pulling Marcus through just as the professor followed right after.

"Marcus, close it!"

He didn’t have to be told twice. Even with his wounds, he staggered toward the entrance before slamming both hands on either side of the opening.

Immediately, rocks formed, closing it off completely and plunging them all into darkness. Daniel opened his mouth, only for Professor Sterling to throw her hand over, clamping it shut.

"Mmph!"

"Everyone quiet, hold your breath even."

What? Why would she—?

But that was when he felt it, an immense pressure coming from outside that pressed down on him even if he couldn’t see it. It was like he was drowning in lake of frozen water.

Breathing became harder to do as his muscles instinctively locked up.

What...is...this...presence...?!

Then, a slow crunch echoed faintly from beyond the other side of the stone. Another...and another. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

He noticed the professor’s eyes darting wildly around, almost like she was calculating all the different options if something were to go wrong.

Aren finally understood why.

The Region’s Apex...it appeared because it felt her ether. But how could it...? It hasn’t even been a few seconds since she channeled that Art?

The crunch stopped right at their entrance. Aren’s body froze immediately, like his survival instincts had suddenly stopped working.

He couldn’t see it, but he knew. It was there.

Humph...

A slow exhale came from the other side of the stone. Aren was close enough that he felt it more than he heard it. Just the act of it breathing alone moved the rocky barricade that Marcus created just a second ago.

It knows...

Aren’s fingers tightened slightly around Luna, forcing himself not to shift even an inch.

It knows...

Aren expected the rocky entrance to be blown out in the very next moment. Yet...nothing happened.

Its next steps receded, moving further and further away until the suffocating pressure pressing down on them finally loosened.

Everyone collectively let out a small breath, their instincts telling them they were safe for now. But the thought lingered in Aren’s mind.

Why didn’t it come in...? Did it decide we weren’t worth the effort?

Whatever the case, his muscles loosened and Aren regained the feeling within his arms.

Slowly, he unbuckled Luna, setting her slowly onto the side of the cavern as everybody else started to take off their harnesses as well.

For a moment, nobody spoke until Sterling did. There was a small tinge of reluctance, and even a guilt in her voice.

"Everyone...I didn’t mean to—it was the only option to keep you all safe and..."

"It’s alright, we get it," Daniel’s voice cut in, almost to absolve her of what she was feeling. "The situation was dire and you did what was best to save us... Thank you."

The single sentence immediately loosened her shoulders before she leaned back, sighing softly.

The cave remained still, the silence pressing in from all sides now that they were just barely out of danger.

Aren’s gaze moved slowly across the group.

Daniel had slumped against the wall, his head tilted back as he tried to steady his breathing, one hand still pressed against his side. His earlier burst of strength had clearly taken everything out of him.

Iris wasn’t much better. She remained standing, but only barely, one hand braced against the rock as she kept Marcus upright beside her. His condition had worsened, the faint scent of iron mixing with the cold air that filled the cave.

Emily sat nearby, shoulders slightly hunched, her hands trembling just enough to notice if one paid enough attention. She hadn’t said a word since they got in.

Aren himself exhaled slowly, raising his hand, almost instinctively as it brushed against Luna’s cheek.

His brows furrowed as the cold seeped into his skin from hers.

Shit...she’s not getting any better.

"Professor—" Aren started.

"I get it," she raised up a hand, cutting him off. "We can’t stay here forever."

"We’ll move once the blizzard dies down."

Nobody argued because, at this point, none had any energy left. Aren thought about his experience in the Wildlands.

What was once supposed to be a fun trip that would give them opportunities to grow stronger quickly became a disaster that drove them to their wit’s end.

But he had to persevere. Because Aren knew...

This was only the beginning.