Chapter 137: How To Shut Up A Cat

The darkness led into an ocean, and they shot straight into it like arrows loosed from a bow.

But the moment Malik’s body pierced the surface, he knew something was wrong.

This wasn’t water.

The liquid pressed against him with an incredible weight.

It had nothing to do with depth and everything to do with density.

Concentrated Rukh.

Pure Rukh, so pure that its only quality was pressure.

A thousand needles pushed against every inch of his skin, reaching down to his bones, threatening to crush him from the outside in.

Before his body could begin to collapse, Safira’s cocoon embraced him, offering its protection.

Huda glanced at them both, checking for injuries with a quick sweep of her eyes, then took position and blasted them upward.

Her wind tore through the liquid Rukh, propelling them out of the ocean and into open air.

Above the ocean floated islands.

Massive rocks hung above, their roots dangling like rope bridges into the abyss below.

Some were close enough to touch; others drifted on the horizon. Green growth covered their surfaces: trees, grass, and even what looked like small waterfalls, or rather, Rukhfalls spilling off the edges and joining the ocean below.

Malik didn’t understand the mechanics of it, but the ocean of Rukh beneath obviously had something to do with it.

The liquid was the anchor, the reason these islands didn’t just fall.

Unlike the last realm, this one was pretty, peaceful even.

The light here was softer, and the air smelled of soil.

None of them believed it for a second.

The Abyss didn’t do pretty.

Pretty was a mask, and masks always hid teeth.

Huda guided them towards one of the larger islands, and they landed on a patch of grass near the edge.

Malik’s feet touched solid ground, and he took a moment to reorient himself, letting out a long breath.

"...that was quite something."

Huda laughed out loud.

"Yes, it was!"

Safira smiled at the two of them and slowly lowered herself to the ground, her legs finally giving out.

She sat cross-legged on the grass, her hands resting on her knees, and let her head fall back.

"Ha..."

The disciple breathed deep.

"How do we get you out now? We can’t exactly go back up with it waiting for us."

Malik looked at her, and inside, he smiled.

This was exactly what he had wanted.

The Venerable had done him a favor without even knowing it.

"There’s nothing we can do. I must remain with you two."

Huda sighed hard.

"If I knew we were going to be so unlucky in this scouting mission, I would have brought half the sultanate with me!"

Safira giggled at the complaining woman.

"Well, there’s no time for regrets now. Our only way out is through Hell."

Huda perked up.

"That’s not entirely true. Can’t we just call for a rescue team?"

Malik raised his eyebrows.

’Maybe there is a reason, besides her being a sword, for why I made her the sultanate’s diplomat.’

That was actually a reasonable suggestion, perhaps the first proper idea Huda had voiced since they met.

"Can we survive that long down here?"

Huda scoffed at him, cutting off Safira, who had been about to answer.

"Did you think I didn’t catch your surprise?! I’m smart, you know!"

Malik and Safira looked at each other.

Without a word, they silently agreed to ignore her.

"Good question, Stranger. The unfortunate answer is no."

She gestured downwards at the ocean.

"This ocean might seem deceptively calm, but it isn’t. Neither are these islands."

Malik looked around at the other islands floating near theirs.

Nearly none of them were at the same level; most were lower, and the lowest ones seemed to be sinking, their roots dragging through the liquid Rukh.

"Hm... do they descend?"

Huda tapped his back with enough force to make him step forward.

"Good guess, old man!"

Apparently, he was right.

The islands slowly sank over time, drawn down by the pull of the Rukh ocean.

If they stayed on this island long enough, it would be swallowed whole, taking them with it.

They couldn’t survive here for long. The ocean would crush them, the islands would drown them, and the Venerable was waiting above.

Their only way out was through Hell.

’Good.’

Huda’s rescue suggestion had almost killed his plan, but now they were moving forward again!

’...almost as if something is helping me along.’

Malik shook off the thought.

"But now what do we do?"

Huda moved ahead, gesturing for them to follow.

"We wait and recoup. What else?"

Safira nodded and joined her, the two women walking toward a cluster of trees near the island’s center.

Malik stood alone for a moment, looking at the floating island, at its trees and greenery, at the soft light filtering through leaves that had no business growing in the Abyss.

’The Abyss really is hostile.’

He followed the others.

...

Malik sat near the edge of the island, on the trunk of a fallen tree, his eyes closed.

His Rukh circulated through his body in steady waves, and he felt the Stranger’s Ring fill back up, its reserves replenishing after the chaos of the chase.

One good thing about keeping this old appearance was the lack of constant drain.

No more worrying about being discovered every second, watching his Rukh trickle away just to stay hidden.

At this point, it felt almost strange not to be anxious.

But it was a welcome feeling.

Even in a realm like this, with death lurking below and above, he felt something close to relaxation.

Or he had, anyway.

"Hey, old man!"

Huda’s voice cut through the quiet.

"So you really aren’t a Demon?"

Malik didn’t give her the attention she wanted.

He kept his eyes closed, hoping she would take the hint and wander off.

"Old maaaan~! Stop ignoring me! I am the Sultan’s little sister, you know? I get that you’re trying to look cool by acting so unfazed when rolling with us, but you can stop that now."

But no matter how long he ignored her, the girl kept droning on and on, filling the peaceful silence with words that meant nothing.

"We might die here, so there’s no need to keep up the act."

Malik had tolerated her accusations and constant need to fill every silence with noise. But this was different. She was prying now, reaching for something she had no right to touch.

’Enough.’

He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Huda. I heard you had a falling out with your family?"

His little sister stopped.

Her mouth closed, and her eyes widened.

The color drained from her face, then rushed back in a flush of red.

For the first time since they had met, Huda had nothing to say.

She just stood there, frozen, her hands hanging at her sides.

Malik looked at her for a long moment, then closed his eyes again.

The silence was beautiful.