The shattered stones only slowed down the pale-skinned monstrosities for a moment. They were still closing in—dozens of them, crawling over one another like a tide of limbs and teeth. Their numbers kept growing.
A Firstborn wearing a Utility-type mask muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible over the distant scraping and shrieks.
"We can't win like this... not like this. We're going to have to use a Shard."
A female Firstborn turned to him, her brows pinched. Her expression flickered with hesitation, then curiosity.
"You have a Shard?"
The Utility Firstborn nodded. "Yeah. If we use it, we can blow the tunnel—collapse it, stop them from getting through."
She let out a shaky sigh and gave a slow nod of understanding. "Okay... let's do it."
From his pocket, he pulled out the Shard. At first glance, it looked like a chunk of blackened crystal. But it wasn't smooth or transparent like glass. Instead, it had a dull, matte surface—like obsidian left to soak in shadows. Thin veins ran along its surface, glowing faintly. Red at first, like embers.
He stared down at it, holding it in both hands. The light from the veins shimmered against his mask.
"Do you know how to activate this thing?" he asked, his tone subdued.
The female scratched the back of her head, frowning.
"No. Not exactly... but I've seen Miss Nira do it before. I'll try."
He passed the Shard to her. As soon as it touched her hands, the glow shifted. The red veins dimmed and began to pulse pale green instead. She stared at the object with fascination, turning it slowly.
"I just need a bit of time," she murmured. "A minute or two. Enough to figure this thing out."
He blinked a few times, then nodded. "Okay. I'll try to thin them out... keep them back."
From behind his back, he drew a peculiar weapon—a boomerang. But this one was no toy. Its edge gleamed with a pale gray finish, razor-sharp and cruel. Strange mrsk-like carvings ran along its curve.
The distance between them and the Sunderkin had shrunk. No more than a few dozen feet now. He took a steady breath and narrowed his eyes, focusing on the nearest abominations. His fingers flexed around the boomerang.
One foot slid back. His stance shifted. His Shoulders turned. The boomerang angled in his hand.
Then he moved.
His arm swept back, muscles tensing. A second later, he snapped forward his hip twisting, wrist flicking. The weapon left his hand with a soft whup, slicing through the air in a clean arc. The sound was almost gentle.
The boomerang flew through the swarm and caught four Sunderkin in the neck. Two of them crumpled instantly. The others, wounded but still writhing, were trampled by the creatures behind them—mindless in their charge.
Sunderkin had a glaring weakness. They crawled. Their front limbs—long, grotesque arms—dragged their bodies across the ground, but the rest of them scraped and tore against the stone with every movement. Their backs were raw, exposed, and vulnerable. Getting behind them, or above them, meant an easy kill.
And that was where the boomerang became invaluable. If thrown well, it could cut across their spines—crippling or killing them outright.
On Jae's side, the situation was already becoming worse.
The pale-skinned abominations had closed the distance completely. The other Firstborn with him had killed two of the abminations.
But three remained
Jae was just a step too slow.
One of the Sunderkin surged forward with a lurching, animalistic cry. It had crawled low, then suddenly burst forward—using its freakishly long arms to launch itself into the air jae was sure the distance between them was enough that it couldn't reach him but it seemed he was wrong. The thing slammed into Jae like a boulder, its momentum carrying them both to the ground.
His back hit the stone hard. A sharp jolt of pain lanced through him. Before he could react, the monster was already on top of him.
It didn't have a face. Not really. Where its features should have been, there were only rows of jagged teeth forming a warped ring around its head. It had No eye and No nose
Its breath was rancid. Slime and spittle dripped from its open mouth as it lunged toward him.
Jae threw up his hands just in time.
The creature's jaws closed around his forearm, its teeth digging into the leather armor but not yet breaking through. Its weight pressed down on him, and he felt every ounce of it raw muscle
Saliva ran down its chin and splattered onto Jae's face. It snarled, pushing harder, trying to bite through the resistance. His arms trembled from the strain, teeth grit as the thing pushed closer and closer. The only thing between his face and that spiraling ring of teeth was his own strength.
And he was slipping.