Nora crouched beside the remains of the Stone Knight.
She tore away a piece of its fleshy interior and began eating.
The meat was tough.
Almost unpleasantly tough.
But Nora didn't complain.
She had already learned that Spiritual Realm creatures were rarely pleasant to eat.
As she swallowed, the familiar whisper of the System echoed inside her mind.
"You have gained two Devil Fragments."
A second notification followed.
"You have gained three Devil Fragments."
Nora paused.
Then she opened her profile.
A translucent screen appeared before her.
Spirit Gained: 50/64,000
Shards: 100/500
Devil Fragments: 100/4,000
Nora stared at the numbers for a moment.
Her progress wasn't spectacular.
But it was progress.
She could feel the difference.
A small increase in strength.
A slight improvement in the density of her essence.
Nothing dramatic.
Yet every fragment accumulated eventually became part of something greater.
Nora dismissed the profile.
Nearby, Rose sat against a broken stone pillar with her eyes closed.
She was quietly circulating her essence.
Her breathing was slow and controlled.
Nora watched her for several seconds before speaking.
"Do you know how devious your sister can be?"
Rose didn't open her eyes.
"Devious?"
She thought about it.
"Not exactly."
"She's angry."
"There's a difference."
Nora raised an eyebrow.
Rose continued.
"Cynthia inherited two powers."
"Flower and Fire."
"Her Awakened power also allows her to control moths."
"Not ordinary moths either."
"They're dangerous creatures. They feed on blood."
Nora listened quietly.
Rose's voice became softer.
"My father always favored her when we were younger."
"She was talented."
"She was strong."
"She was good at calculating different outcomes."
"Eventually, he loved us equally."
Rose opened her eyes.
"But I think Cynthia never accepted that."
Nora frowned.
"So you think jealousy caused all of this?"
"I don't know."
Rose shook her head.
"I know she became more distant."
"More calculating."
"And eventually..."
"...she tried to kill me."
Nora's expression hardened.
Rose looked away.
"I never expected it to reach that point."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Rose sighed.
"If you ask me exactly how devious she is..."
"I don't know."
Nora lowered her gaze.
So Cynthia was intelligent.
Much more intelligent than she had initially assumed.
That meant something.
If Cynthia had already planned everything...
Then she might have anticipated Nora's visions.
She might even know that Nora had seen the strange abyss.
Nora's fingers tightened slightly.
Where was that place?
And why did it feel connected to this expedition?
She couldn't shake the feeling that something was waiting for them.
Something neither Rose nor the others understood.
Rose suddenly stood.
"Let's move."
Nora looked up.
"Already?"
"We're going deeper."
Rose glanced toward the remains of the Stone Knights.
"You desperately need more fragments if you want to advance your class."
She began gathering the meat they had collected.
"We can return through the teleporter once we're finished here."
Nora nodded.
Rose packed the remaining meat into a storage pouch.
Nothing useful could be wasted.
Then they continued.
---
It didn't take long before they reached another chamber.
This one was different.
The ceiling disappeared into darkness.
Hundreds of small shapes clung to the walls.
Nora stopped.
Bats.
A massive colony of them.
They covered almost every visible surface.
Their bodies were dark.
Their eyes glowed faintly.
And around each creature...
Nora saw something familiar.
Thin, ancient runes.
They glowed with the same faint blue color she had seen on the Stone Knights.
Nora's eyes narrowed.
"Ocean God..."
She could recognize the sealing sorcery now.
The same power.
The same structure.
Different creatures.
Same origin.
A strange thought entered her mind.
Could Ocean God have something to do with this cave?
Could this entire place have once belonged to him?
Before Nora could think further—
One of the bats suddenly moved.
It shot toward her.
Nora stepped aside.
The creature passed her.
Nothing happened.
Then darkness swallowed her vision.
Nora froze.
She couldn't see.
Not even her own hand.
Rose immediately spoke.
"Bat creatures."
"They can blind their prey through their aura."
"They also drink blood."
Nora remained calm.
"You aren't affected."
"I'm Awakened."
Rose glanced toward the bats.
"But you?"
"You definitely are."
Nora frowned.
"What rank?"
"Initiate Calamity."
That was enough to make Nora's expression serious.
The bats were stronger than ordinary Initiates.
But they weren't invincible.
Rose smiled.
"Don't worry."
"I'll handle the difficult part."
She stepped forward.
Her essence spread through the chamber.
A strange fragrance filled the air.
The bats suddenly became restless.
Then their movements changed.
One after another, they turned toward Rose.
Their hostility disappeared.
Rose's aura had taken control of their instincts.
Nora watched silently.
Rose's power was genuinely terrifying in the right circumstances.
She didn't need to overpower creatures.
She simply made them stop fighting.
"Your seductive aura really is useful."
Rose smiled.
"I've told you."
She gestured toward the bats.
"I'll make them behave."
Nora summoned Thread Breaker.
The spirit sword appeared in her hand.
Even without sight, she could still sense the creatures.
Her Third Eye wasn't necessary.
The threads of destiny were already beginning to reveal themselves within her perception.
Every bat possessed a thread.
Every movement altered it.
Every decision created another possibility.
Nora swung.
The blade passed through empty air.
The bat dodged.
Nora didn't become frustrated.
She was testing.
Learning.
Understanding.
The bat suddenly disappeared.
A moment later, Nora sensed movement behind her.
She stepped forward.
The creature's claws missed her back by a few centimeters.
Nora's lips curved slightly.
She could not see it.
But she could see its destiny.
That was enough.
"False Glimpse."
Her power activated.
The bat's perception shifted.
To it, Nora suddenly appeared several meters away.
The creature immediately changed direction.
It flew toward the false position.
Nora remained where she was.
Then she activated the Blind Owl Armor.
Black armor formed around her body.
Wings unfolded from her back.
The enchantment activated.
Her vision returned.
For a limited period...
The darkness disappeared.
Nora could see everything.
Hundreds of bats.
Rose standing calmly among them.
The ancient runes covering the walls.
And the bat rushing toward the position where her false image appeared.
Nora moved.
Her essence surged through her legs.
She accelerated.
The bat passed her.
It believed Nora was still ahead.
Then—
Nora's Thread Breaker flashed.
The blade didn't strike its body.
It struck the thread connected to its existence.
A thin cut.
Almost gentle.
The bat continued flying.
For one second...
Nothing happened.
Then it coughed.
Blood poured from its mouth.
Cracks appeared across its body.
The creature suddenly stopped.
Its wings trembled.
Its skin began tearing apart from within.
BOOM!
The bat exploded.
Blood and essence scattered through the air.
Nora landed calmly.
She looked at the remains.
"So that's the difference."
The Stone Knights had possessed complicated destinies.
Their physical existence was heavily anchored.
Destroying their destiny required much greater manipulation.
These bats were different.
Their threads were thicker than ordinary creatures...
But far less complicated.
That made them easier targets.
Rose looked impressed.
"You're getting better."
Nora shook the blood from her blade.
"I'm still experimenting."
She looked toward the remaining colony.
There were hundreds.
Maybe more.
Her eyes sharpened.
"Bring them all."
Rose stared at her.
"All of them?"
Nora nodded.
"Yes."
She raised Thread Breaker.
"I want to see how far I can push this."
Rose smiled.
"Now that's more like it."
She released the remaining bats.
The moment her seductive aura disappeared—
the entire colony turned toward Nora.
Hundreds of glowing eyes opened simultaneously.
Wings began beating.
The sound filled the chamber.
A dark storm formed overhead.
Nora stood alone beneath it.
Her Blind Owl wings spread behind her.
Thread Breaker rested loosely in her hand.
The bats descended.
Nora smiled faintly.
"Come."
The first wave attacked.
She disappeared.
Not through speed.
Through destiny.
False images appeared throughout the chamber.
The bats chased them.
One after another, they struck nothing.
Nora moved between them.
A slash.
A thread severed.
Another slash.
Another destiny damaged.
A bat passed her.
Blood erupted from its body.
Another tried attacking from above.
Nora tilted her head.
The creature's future flashed before her.
She moved before it even committed to the attack.
Her sword swept upward.
The thread split.
The creature fell.
More bats descended.
Nora's essence began draining rapidly.
The Blind Owl Armor wouldn't last forever.
Neither would her ability to manipulate their destinies.
But for now...
She had control.
And for the first time since entering the cave...
Nora began to understand something.
She didn't need to overpower every enemy.
She only needed to understand them.
Once she understood their destiny...
Their strength became irrelevant.
Nora's eyes narrowed as another swarm descended.
"Next."