“I…” he thought aloud, “I…don’t know. I’d like to at least see what’s out there. Maybe…it’s not so bad?” That’s not so unreasonable, right? It’s just to try, and if she’s lying or if it is dangerous, then I can come right back. It’s just a quick look, right? 

  The atmosphere grew tense enough that he could have reached out and plucked at it to hear it reverberate in the silence. Oddball began to glance around. Was the cavern getting darker? Or was that just a trick of his eyes? No, the cavern was definitely getting darker. The crimson fog was sinking, as if someone had just pulled a drain-plug somewhere and all the fog was rushing out. With its descent, the room was left increasingly absent of its red glow and grew dimmer and dimmer by the second. 

  “I see,” came the Monitor’s voice from the walls. 

  A deep, guttural growl vibrated the air. With the room rapidly being plunged into darkness, Oddball had to strain his eyes. 

  Movement. A set of long, black talons attached to a bulbous shape rose up over the obelisk and wrapped around it. They pulled back, squealing and scraping against the crystal. More became slowly visible as the figure crawled over the obelisk. The bulbous shape was a forearm, thinning out into an upper arm that was attached to a tall, gaunt figure. It, similar to the Monitor, was made of writhing shadows, and while it bore a roughly-humanoid shape, it was alien. It lacked hands and feet: the arms ending with the aforementioned bulbs and attached claws, and the legs ending with similar bulbous ends but with flattened bottoms, like hooves. Additionally, the black mist of its body refused to calm and take solid form, so its figure seemed to be constantly warping and slightly changing size. Its head was rounded and bore a single, large, white spot—presumably an eye, like the Monitor’s—that casted forth a shaft of brilliant light. This spotlight flicked over onto Oddball, making him squint and raise a hand to shield his eyes. The light flicked away as the figure arched backwards into a back-breaking curve. A shrill, lengthy call, comparable to metal grating against stone, filled the air. Oddball’s hands flew to cover his ears. 

  In a single blur of lightning-movement, the lanky figure leapt from the obelisk and landed in front of him. The ground shook from the impact. It raised its arms while curling its talons into crude fists. Oddball’s heart skipped. His eyes widened. Information flooded every inch of his brain. Adrenaline flooded every inch of his body. His muscles went taut. His legs awkwardly kicked out beneath him. He sprang backwards involuntarily. As he did so, the creature brought its arms down. 

  CRAKK! A small crater filled the portion of the ground. If he’d taken a second longer, he’d have been in that crater. Oddball’s heart was thundering behind his ears. He was clutching his chest and frantically trying to get back onto his feet. His knife was laying a couple feet away from him. 

  “What the hell are you doing?!” Oddball yelled. This wasn’t happening. What had he said wrong? What did he do? All he wanted was a chance…

  “Curiosity is a dangerous thing, Child,” said the Monitor, who was now obscured by the figure of the creature before him. “I swore to protect this place. I swore to protect us. I swore to keep you safe…” The creature stepped towards Oddball and screeched again. Something cool wrapped around his wrist. He looked down. 

  The phantom-girl was finding her footing and holding his wrist. “We need to run…” she whispered weakly. Oddball looked back up at the creature, who was poised to strike again. 

  What did I do? I just wanted a chance?

  “...even if it’s from yourself,” the Monitor hissed. 

  This wasn’t supposed to happen. I just wanted to ask…

  “We need to run right now!!” the girl screamed. 

  All I wanted…

  The creature lunged forward, bringing its talons together into sharp points that it thrusted towards him. Oddball squeezed his eyes shut. He gritted his teeth so hard he felt something crack. Something hot trickled down the side of his face. 

  …was to see where I really belong.