Roverounus.
A name that still makes my skin crawl.
We first encountered it about three years ago in Area 19—an unscheduled breach from beyond Area 20. That alone was enough to set off every alarm. Nothing was ever supposed to come from deeper. But this thing… it did. We caught it while it was trying to dig its way upward, like it was escaping from something worse or hunting something new.
I remember it clearly—there were four of us during that operation.
Its body was like a living glob of pitch-black oil, constantly shifting and sliding, thick and shapeless unless it wanted to be. In the dark, it didn't vanish—it became the darkness. Only one thing gave it away.
Those eyes.
Glowing white, never blinking.
Twin lights that stared through you like twin moons in a lightless sky. They were the only thing that refused to disappear, no matter how deep the shadow ran.
What made it terrifying wasn't just how it moved or how quiet it was—it was the way it mimicked shadows, perfectly camouflaged against walls, ceilings, even people. It didn't just blend in—it replaced the shadows. You wouldn't even know it was watching until it was too late.
I still remember when I blocked its first attack.
It felt like getting swallowed by the abyss. Everything went dark. No sound, no light, no weight. Just complete sensory erasure—like I'd been ripped out of reality. If I didn't activate Refraction in time, I probably wouldn't have made it out. The barrier held, but barely.
Lady Virgilia… she fought it head-on. Took a direct hit. And she still carries the scars—maybe not on her skin, but in her silence whenever its name is mentioned.
She once told me: "Roverounus doesn't kill you right away. It wears you down. It breaks you before it ends you."
Mental degradation first. Physical destruction second.
A monster designed to hunt not just your body, but your sanity.
And now it's here again.
Or at least, that's what Lady thinks.
And if she's right—then something far worse is coming. I'm really hoping that she is wrong.
I shook my head, trying to clear the rising noise in my brain. Useless thoughts. I didn't have time to make myself afraid—not when something like that might already be crawling through the shadows.
Lady's eyes cut through the room, sharp and unreadable. "I must look for it," she said, then turned and disappeared through the door without waiting for anyone else.
And just like that, I was alone with them.
Again.
The moment the door shut, I moved fast—too fast. Adrenaline kicked in, and I sprinted to the windows. One by one, I locked them tight. The latches snapped into place with a metallic finality, like sealing a vault.
Behind me, Kleo's voice cracked. "Theo… are we going to be okay?"
I didn't answer immediately. I looked at her—her hands trembling at her sides, her eyes wide but trying to stay calm. Kiara clung to her like she'd collapse without that anchor.
Kiara is pretty quiet when scared. Both similarities that they share.
"…It depends," I said flatly, still locking the last window.
It was the truth.
I peered through the curtain. Guards were outside—armed and alert—but I knew it wouldn't be enough.
Not against that thing.
And I didn't even have my shield. Shit.
Too fast.
This was too fast. No planning. No prep. Just reaction. This wasn't a mission—it was damage control. A desperate attempt to stop something before it spiraled.
I moved back toward them, pulled out my phone, and immediately messaged Riku. My hands were steady, but everything else inside me wasn't.
Me:We need help in here. Lady thinks it's a Roverounus. She's sure somehow.
Riku:A breach? There's been no report. Are you certain?
Me:She looked… different. Unsettled.
Seen. No reply.
I stared at the screen for a second too long. Then dropped down beside them.
Kleo turned toward me, her voice softer now. "I've never seen this side of you."
I just plainly looked at her.
I didn't know what to say.
This side wasn't for them. It wasn't meant to be seen by them. It wasn't supposed to exist in daylight.
This side of me is supposed to be something away from the actual me. Thoughts that I really want to say to her yet—
I just smiled and looked away.
"Do you not trust me enough to tell me what's going on?"
It wasn't about trust.
I wanted to say that. I wanted to explain everything. To unload. But it would only drag her into more. Into this life that I'm not even sure I chose willingly.
I glanced at the ground.
"It's… complicated," I said quietly.
She didn't press. Instead, she smiled again. "I started talking to you because you listened. You always seemed like you meant it."
Her laugh echoed in the stillness. And I hated that, because it almost made me forget where we were—what we were dealing with.
Then I felt it.
The shift.
A silence that wasn't normal. Not just absence—but negation. Like the sound itself had been erased from existence. My eyes start to wander.
"Th—"
I covered her mouth with one hand.
Her eyes widened. Kiara froze too.
I raised my finger to my lips. Silence.
My psionic energy began to stir, like a tide rising around us. I projected it slowly, stretching it thin and wide into a barrier. The familiar hum buzzed at my fingertips, grounding me. If I let panic settle in now, it would collapse.
Outside—nothing.
No wind.
No guards.
No noise.
We were already inside something.
Buzz. Buzz.
My phone vibrated. I checked it with one hand, careful not to break the formation of the barrier.
Riku:We checked the cameras. There was an anomaly during your fight with the Lasants. Lady was right. It's been there the whole time. It was hiding and disappear during your fight.
My stomach dropped.
So this wasn't random. It wasn't after Kiara or Kleo?
It was after me? That doesn't make any sense.
Then I felt it. A cold stare.
I slowly looked up.
Two pale dots stared back—glowing above us like stars in a void.
Those weren't lights.
They were eyes.
I swallowed the dread and said, "Close your eyes. Now. Don't open them no matter what."
They listened. Kiara collapsed into my leg like a small animal. Kleo pressed against me, trying to stay upright. Her hand found my sleeve again. Her fingers shook like leaves in wind.
Then everything vanished. Like a waterfall made out of darkness.
The darkness wasn't normal—it had weight. It wrapped around us like we were underwater. Sound, light, sensation—all gone. My psionic barrier held, barely. Each second it strained under pressure, like stretching a net against a collapsing cave.
I couldn't move. Couldn't attack. The moment I did, I'd open us up.
I had to hold. I need to keep the barrier still or else.
Think, Theo. Think.
The phone.
"Kleo," I whispered, keeping my voice low and calm. "My left pocket. Use your left hand. Passcode's 3-2-1. Open it. Type 'help' in the first chat. Then shut it. Don't look at anything. Only me."
"I-I'm scared…" she whispered.
"I know," I said. "But look at me. Just me."
Her eyelids lifted, barely. Her pupils locked on mine. I didn't look away—not for a second.
I could feel the shadows shifting around us. Figures forming just outside her vision. Lures. Traps.
But she focused.
Her hand slipped into my pocket. Trembling. Careful.
She pulled the phone out. Her eyes flicked down to the screen, typed fast, then shut it.
And then—without warning—rested her head against me.
Okay. That was… awkward.
Then came the grinding.
The darkness shifted again—this time into a massive mouth. Not metaphorical. Not illusion. Teeth, jagged and ethereal, clamped around the barrier and bit. The impact vibrated through my bones.
I grit my teeth and keep reinforcing.
Each bite came faster. Harder. Shadow teeth scraped like blades against metal. My energy was holding, but the barrier was starting to flicker.
I looked up.
The eyes were still there. Watching. Amused.
Smiling.
"Theo…" they whispered. Both of them clinging tighter.
Then—suddenly—silence. My eyes move around knowingly It just pure darkness.
And then—
BOOM.
The entire floor shook. I felt my breath hitch on my throat.
A blur—then impact.
A crack split across the barrier. My arms wobbled, just for a second.
What in the… This is—
A hand burst through the dark—glowing, smoking.
Not from the darkness.
From raw force.
"Your barrier's still strong as ever," Lady's voice cut through the silence.
The shadows peeled away. Light poured in, chasing the darkness back like a dying tide. I saw her—bleeding, but solid. Unshaken.
"Well," she said, stepping forward, her tone dry. "Let's do what we did last time."
The Roverounus backed away into the corner of the room. Its form reformed—slowly pulling itself back together like liquid shadow.
And I breathed in.
Time to finish this.
I lowered my right hand just enough—creating a opening in the barrier.
Lady didn't need instructions. She moved immediately, sweeping past me with precision and grabbing both Kleo and Kiara in one fluid motion. Before I could blink, Mr. Kale emerged from the other side of the room. His presence came with heat—his eyes ablaze, literally. Fire elemental flared around him in streaks of ember-red. Without a word, he took the girls from Lady and nodded at me.
A thank-you. Silent, but understood.
I turned back toward the remnants of the darkness. My mind reeled, trying to piece it all together.
How the hell did I miss this thing? How did I not feels its energy?
as if it manifest? Out of nowhere.
I had locked the windows. Checked every corner. There shouldn't have been an entry point.
Unless…
My gaze dropped to the bottom of the door. A small gap. Barely wide enough—but with a creature like that?
Still—neither Lady nor I sensed it. That wasn't just stealth. That was camouflage on a level we hadn't seen before.
That's still impossible unless it was something summoned?
Lady's voice cut through the air, cold and sharp. "It was on her."
My eyes snapped to the girls behind us. Kleo. And—
…Kiara.
The realization hit me like a gut punch.
The thing had been hiding in her shadow.
I felt a chill roll through me. All that time—during the Lasant fight, during the retreat—it was already there. Watching. Waiting.
"Do you think she knew?" I whispered.
Lady only shrugged, rolling her neck as she cracked her knuckles. "Doesn't matter now."
The Roverounus didn't wait. Its pitch-black form surged forward, warping and inflating—stretching into a monstrous silhouette as tall as the ceiling. Spiked limbs burst from its body like spears of living shadow, and they flew toward us like artillery.
Lady stepped behind me without a word.
I raised my hand. Refraction surged.
The barrier snapped into place—hexagonal light overlapping and humming like strained glass. The spikes collided with the field at full velocity, shaking the floor, but deflected cleanly to the sides. They shattered the walls instead, gouging deep holes like they were paper.
I didn't stop moving.
Psionic pressure braced me as I dashed forward—my barrier still active around me like a shell of bent space. The monster darted toward the window, but I wasn't about to let it slip away. I extended Refraction's edge, forming a wall in its path.
It glide then stop—then countered. Darkness form on its side and it stretchs.
A shadowy tentacle lashed behind me, aiming to pierce through my back. But I caught it.
My palm clamped around the tendril—and my hand pulsed with refractive force. The darkness recoiled and sizzled against my touch, unable to infect or corrupt the psionic energy laced through my skin.
"Got you," I muttered and grinned.
With my free hand, I summoned another wall of force and slammed it forward pinning the Roverounus against the nearest wall. It screeched, or maybe that was just the pressure groaning through its form.
"Lady!" I shouted.
I didn't have to say more.
She was already mid-motion.
Her right hand ignited—glowing with molten veins of red, like volcanic rock cracking open. Smoke hissed from her fingertips. Her smile curled—not malicious, just... dangerous.
She vanished.
Teleport? No. Just speed.
She reappeared in front of the monster in a blink, her body coiled for one single, destructive strike.
"Fissure—Four," she mouthed.
And then her fist connected.
Right into its eye.
The shockwave ripped through the room like a cannon blast. The monster didn't just fall apart—it disintegrated. The walls blew open. Debris and dust exploded outward. I braced with a dome around me just in time to avoid the concussive wave.
The sound was like thunder being torn apart.
The very air cracked.
I felt the floor quake beneath me. Vibrations climbed up my legs like I'd touched a live wire. Above us, clouds scattered like feathers in a storm.
When the smoke finally cleared, I saw her standing at the center of the destruction—bloodied, bruised, but grinning like hell.
"We did it the same way," she said between ragged breaths, turning toward me. "Pinned it, crushed it, done."
"Yeah…" I breathed out, my voice low. "That was crazy."
I looked around. What used to be a room now looked like a crater. Walls—gone. Roof—split open. Air—hot with the echo of her power.
I lowered the barrier. My legs were still shaking from the force—not fear, just pure physical shock. My barrier held, but my bones felt it.
It wasn't even that late yet. But I was done.
Worn down. Wiped out.
But we had questions now.
How long had it been hiding inside Kiara's shadow?
And more importantly…
Why didn't it strike until now?
The smoke still hadn't settled from the blast when I turned toward the hallway. The door was standing—barely—but beyond it, the walls were carved up, gouged deep by the chaos. Like something had tried to claw its way through. The air still buzzed with static, ash, and whatever oily residue that thing left behind.
It was attacking me and everyone else… simultaneously.
I glanced at Lady. Her right hand was bruised and blotched with angry reds, veined with deeper damage. She flexed it once—painfully—before answering me.
"How'd you get hurt?"
She exhaled through her teeth. "It was stretching itself. Splitting its damn body across the hallway while it tried to crush you inside. It lashed out at anyone nearby. Guards, staff, Ram almost—didn't matter."
Her voice was low. Clipped. I could hear it—blame. Not for me. For herself.
"What happened out here during those minutes?"
She lit a cigarette with a flick of her finger, the ember flaring in the dim hall like a warning light. "Panic. Ram almost got hit. Some of the soldiers is unfortunately got hit. They fired back. Didn't help."
Damn…One hit it all it took. Those poor soldiers.
Roverounus wasn't built to kill with brute force. It breaks the mind first. Then the body. And somehow, I—again—walked away with nothing but ringing ears and a clenched jaw.
We stepped out of the wrecked room. The floor creaked beneath us. People lined the halls, lying stiff, blank-eyed, like broken dolls. Paralyzed. Shell-shocked. Half of them were probably reliving it already in their heads.
No one talks about what it feels like to be touched by shadow. I'm hoping that their family offer a free therapy session for a year cause they will need it.
One of the staff treating a downed soldier stood at attention when he spotted us. He saluted Lady like she was still active duty.
"General Lady Virgilia. Captain Kale is downstairs, ma'am."
She nodded and we headed down, our footsteps hollow against the damaged tiles.
"You're more respected than you let on," I muttered, half-smirking.
Her laugh echoed like thunder. It startled the room. Staff flinched as if they're terrified.
"Retired or not, they still flinch when I smile," she said, puffing her cigarette.
We reached the lower room. She opened the door without knocking.
Mr. Kale was inside with Kleo, who stood nearby, biting her lip with worry. Ram sat stiff in a chair. But as soon as his eyes met mine, everything broke.
"You—" he snapped.
He shot up like a cannon. His fist was clenched ready to hit me full force like I was the reason why all of this happen.
My body tensed but ready psionic energy is covered my body to protect me from his attack.
But he didn't get the chance to reach me.
Lady moved faster than thought. Her boot landed square in his chest, sending him crashing backward into a chair with a thud.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she roared.
I've heard Lady shout before. On the field. In training. Even when bombs were dropping in Area 15. But not out of anger.
But never like this.
"You said you'd protect Kiara!" Ram barked, pointing at me with a trembling hand. "Look at her!"
I blinked. "What?"
The monster didn't get us. My barrier never cracked. Kiara was untouched. I was untouched even Kleo was untouched. I'm confident that I never let the monster touch us.
Right?
Lady stormed toward him and grabbed his collar. "How dare you question him after what he did tonight?"
Kale didn't speak. He pulled Kleo protectively behind him. She looked at me—confused. Something else, too. Worried.
I stepped past them, toward the bed.
Kiara lay still. Unconscious. Pale. Blood trickled from her nose. Her arms were bruised like she'd been gripped—tight. Like something wanted her to stay down.
The shouting faded to static.
I felt something… off.
A weight.
A pressure under the blanket. I have the same feeling again it felt like everything went quiet.
I reached down.
"T-Theo—what are you doing?" Kleo stammered.
I didn't answer. I raised a barrier around the bed. As forcefield form almost instantly.
I pulled back the sheets that's been covering her body.
My breath caught.
There—tucked beneath the folds, nestled in shadow like it belonged—were two small orbs of white.
Not light.
Eyes.
Unblinking. Watching. Alive.
What the holy shit. The monster is just here not dead but resting to her side?
Lady appeared behind me outside of my barrier. As her gaze locked on what I'm seeing. Her reaction is valid.
"What in the hell… is that doing in there?" she asked.
Ram stared, baffled. Kale, the same. Kleo stepped back. This people never check? They look confused.
Right now I knew.
We weren't looking at a remnant of the monster.
We were looking at a part of it.
Still clinging to her.
No… not clinging.
Fused.
There was no wound. No hole. No burn mark. It wasn't feeding off her. It wasn't invading.
It was resting.
Like a parasite in the perfect host.
Like it had chosen her.
"Lady," I said slowly, voice tightening, "I don't think this thing was trying to kill her."
She didn't answer.
She didn't have to.
We were both thinking the same thing.
Kiara hadn't been attacked.
She'd been claimed.
And whatever just happened here tonight…
Wasn't the end of something.
It was the beginning.