INSIGNIAS: THE REGALIS
CHAPTER XLVI: LEI

The red walls turned to orange to green to yellow. Rough surfaces smoothened. Time stretched but without knowing how long. The heat felt like walking under the midday sun yet the light remained dim, just bright enough to illuminate the paths. The vines slowly decreased but the webs became thick and entangled, and covered almost the whole walls. The silence kept being disturbed by the vibration of the ground and the sound of thousand footsteps. Sometimes the footsteps came from above, in the endless darkness of the ceiling or through the other side of the wall or from every direction.

Lei couldn’t help but held her breath whenever the sounds came. As she, Nate, and Kol continued forward, the footsteps sounded closer and closer, the ground shook harder. She refused to rest from strengthening her elemental because they might need to fight later. After hours of feeling, listening and calling, she found plants living underground, clustered in one area. Kol suggested to check the place because of the possibility that the sun reached it, making the plants grow; meaning, a way out.

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“Why does it feel like we’re walking to a trap?” she murmured after the idea won two against one.

“Possibly.”

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence,” Nate quickly interrupted Kol, “The walls looked brighter and new toward that place.” Lei frowned at Kol whose eyes fixated ahead.

“You don’t look like you’re scared,” Lei noted. “But you panic when you thought Ciar was imprisoned.”

Kol flinced and made a sound.

“Ciar will be very disappointed in me if you don’t return safe.” There was hesitation in his voice. Lei’s eyes widened at him. Nate mirrored her expression.

“That’s nice of you,” Nate said softly. Kol shook his head.

“Ciar instructed us.”

Lei glanced at Nate. His jaw was tensed. His expression showed that there was a battle happening inside his mind and she understood. Ciar cared? She saw doubt in his dark green eyes. Remembering his and Hanne’s reunion, she recalled Nate and Ciar’s steady gaze at each other. Ciar’s eyes showed a hint of concern, guilt, defeat and something she couldn’t point. Nate, on the other hand, showed gratitude but he was guarded. Both of them created thick walls around them; one to not give trust, one to not let anyone trust him; one to protect himself from pain, one to not hurt anyone.

“Why?” she couldn’t help but ask for Nate’s sake.

“He doesn’t talk much.” Kol stopped when they saw a path on their left. Peeking inside, the walls were dark and covered by vines. Lei knew that if they chose the path, they will walk farther from the plants. The three continued walking.

“But he seems to care a lot,” he continued, “About all of you.” The last words were a whisper.

“What do you think of Concordians? Of the Seven?” Nate asked, changing the topic.

“Concordians are like Mortemians.” Kol was quick to answer. “I’m not sure about the Seven. Regardless, we have the same purpose.”

Lei felt a weight lift from her shoulders. Kol had been straight forward to her and her friends. He seemed to be an open book but loyal and trust worthy. When the Seven and Alyssa met Ciar and his companions, she kept wondering about how the Eclipse sees them. While Ciar agreed to fight alongside them, she saw reservation in his companions’ eyes. The two groups might not trust each other yet but they had the same purpose. They were on the same side. For now.

Silence enveloped them for half an hour before the sound came again. Lei instantly started shivering involuntarily. The walls and ground vibrated roughly, some of the vines and webs slid and dropped. She had to lean againsts the wall to stand without falling on the ground. Her hands gripped the sides of her head because the thousand footsetps sounded so close; it was as if there were drums in her head. It hurts a lot. Her eyes tightly closed, she felt hands on her arms.

“We have to run,” Nate said. When she opened her eyes, she noticed blood running from Kol’s ears.

“Let’s go.” Kol tightened his hold around her right arm. She needed not be told twice. Lei ran, following Kol, while Nate was behind them.

“Right!” she shouted and turned to a path on their right. She felt that they were getting nearer to the plants. When she noticed their shadows had been engulfed by a huge shadow, she looked up. She gasped and stilled. Nate and Kol stopped on either side of her. The large being dropped; its dark hairy legs crushed the walls, vines and webs, and created cracks on the floor. Dust and sand filled the air, concealing the upper part of the being. The surroundings rocked; Lei had to grab Nate’s arm to steady her footing. Lei paled when the dust cleared, revealing the creature’s enourmous hairy body, swollen oblong abdomen, eight round golden-coloured eyes, two tall antenas on its head, and pointed fangs. Its sixteen legs stood on the pieces of fallen yellow walls. The spider stood 30 feet tall and 50 feet long; its body covered three paths.

“Go back?” Nate was the first to wake up from shock. He cursed after a few seconds.

“Webs,” he muttered. The unusual spider blocked their path toward the area where the plants grow and closed the path where they came from with thick silver webs. The fine webs extended from the floor and walls toward the dark ceiling. It was so wide and tall and gliterring that Lei stared at it in awe. A small part of her wanted to touch it to know if it was really made of metal or if the color was just a trick of light. She released a shaky breath, realizing, after a few seconds, that they were trapped.

“Guess we have to fight,” Kol whispered. Lei was worried about his health. The blood that ran from his ears had dried. She met his dark eyes for a brief moment.

“We have to try, right?” He saw the fear and doubt in her eyes. Lei and Nate nodded.

The large archanid suddenly hissed loudly, drawing their attention to its large long mouth and pointed fangs. Lei raised her right hand, opening her palm; her eyes never left the creature. Her power was easier to call than hours ago. Warmth spread from her right hand to the other parts of her body, heightening all her senses. She gripped her bow at the same time the creature hissed again. Before it moved toward them, she grabbed a bow from the quiver on her back and released it. The creature screeched when the arrow hit its head yet it didn’t do any damage. Nate’s arrow zipped through the air toward its head, the creature turned and broke it into two using its fangs.

‘Its abdomen.’ Lei glanced at Kol with wide eyes, surprised. She heard his voice in her head.

“Alright,” Nate said, hinting that he heard Kol too.

Lei grabbed another arrow but before she could place it on the bow, the creature moved. It ran toward them so fast that she only had a second before it could crush her. She moved late; its leg hit her stomach, flinging her toward a standing wall. Her back smashed against it with a loud thud and she dropped on her hands and knees. The body pain was instant; it stole her breath. Her vision blurred.

‘Lei!’ Kol’s shout made her blink.

“I’m fine,” she managed to say.

“I’ll distract her. Hit its abdomen.” Nate’s arrow hit its head, making it hiss. He glanced at Lei and Kol before he turned and ran. The creature ran after him, its sixteen black legs hitting and crashing the walls.

‘Come on.’ Kol nodded at her. She took three painful deep breaths before standing up. Lei and Kol ran after the creature despite the throbbing pain on her back and knees.

‘Below.’

“What?”

‘You have to hit its abdomen from below.’ Lei didn’t know if she trusted Kol but Nate was already cornered. He was a couple steps from the large silver webs, a couple steps from a sticky trap. He was facing the creature, releasing three arrow but the creature easily swatted them.

Lei dropped her bow and grabbed two arrows from the quiver. She glanced at Kol who was squinting, his face contorted of pain. What-

She quickly turned toward the shout. Gasping, her eyes widened at Nate’s figure unmoving on the floor. Fear ate her whole body.

‘Lei.’

Kol’s voice in her mind was enough to get her moving. She ran toward the creature’s abdomen. Kol ran with her but he was moving toward Nate. The creature noticed Kol so it shifted to its left. Lei willed herself to not think about Nate and focus on her task. Her heart drummed loud beats as she neared its round swollen abdomen.

“Will this kill it?” She had no idea if Kol could hear her but she wanted assurance.

‘No.’ Her grip on the arrows tightened.

‘But it will slow it down.’

Lei dogged the legs until she stood under the shiny black swell. Looking up, it was out of her reach. She had to jump to pierce it. She was breathing heavily, her knees shaking. What if it’s too thick for my arrow?

‘Hurry.’ She risked glancing at Nate and Kol. The Mortemian was kneeling between the Nate and the creature. His brow deeply furrowed, eyes squinting, lower lip between his teeth, lips trembling. It took a moment before she noticed that the creature was shaking. Kol’s tired dark eyes met hers. Realization hit her.

Gripping one arrow on each hand, she let all her powers flow from her body to the weapons. She took a few steps backward, ran and jumped. It felt like time slowed down as she raised her arms and stab the tips of the arrows through the creature’s abdomen. She dropped on her knees. The screetch and hiss that followed were unlike she had ever heard. It was so loud that she felt her skull vibrate. The creature started swaying violently, destroying the walls, vines, and webs. Lei ran out of its way. Nate. Kol.

Lei found the two running toward her. Nate was sporting a bloodly head while blood was dripping from Kol’s ears.

“What happen-” Her words were cut short because the two men grabbed her arms, urging her to run. It was only then that she noticed the sting on her knees. Blood.

“Can you feel it?” Kol said between deep breaths. Lei could still hear the creature’s cries and movements behind them but she tried to focus on the warmth of life of plants nearby. Despite her knees screaming of pain, she lead the group toward what she hoped is freedom.

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