This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

Chapter 496: Chapter 496: Buried Secrets

Kain is probably the only beast-tamer alive that can so easily identify the identity of the orb they chipped a piece off of. However, there was one crucial feature that made its identity clear to him.

On the seamless purple orb was a dark 'stain' that seemed to be naturally in the shape of the sigil for 'Earth,' or rather the name of the planet that Kain was currently on. Apparently, its true name is not Earth, the true pronunciation has been long lost and is quite difficult to pronounce for humans, and so it had always been called Earth by humans.

But the sigil symbolizing the planet still remains—after all, it is a necessary component for any teleportation arrays being layed down on this planet.

Therefore, Kain strongly believed that this was the core of the planet.

Now seeing an orb with the sigil of the planet 'stained' into it wouldn't allow anyone else to make that connection—even the most knowledgeable and experienced beast-tamers on the planet may not make that connection. After all, most people have probably never seen the core of the planet, and it is so large that it may not even be clear what the true appearance of the 'stain' was.

However, Kain was different…Kain was the sole omnipotent ruler of his own planet—Pangea. Naturally, he'd long been able to seen the appearance of Pangea's core when he was once interested.

Interestingly, he'd noted that when he'd first assigned a name and sigil to symbolize Pangea, that same sigil had spontaneously formed like a 'stain' or 'birthmark' on the light purple core of the planet.

The colour of Pangea's core was a much lighter violet—more white with only a slight tinge of colour—far less rich in colour than the core in the drawings on the walls. But as the concentration and upper limit of power on Pangea grew, so too did the concentration of the colour—albeit slightly.

Kain could imagine that in the future Pangea's core will more closely resemble those within the drawings.

Kain stood frozen, his eyes locked on the image of the massive purple orb etched into the wall. The implications of what he was seeing were staggering. The ancient civilization had not only discovered the planet's core but had somehow managed to extract a fragment of it—and likely used it to power much of their research in fighting against the Abyss.

But at what cost? The creature they had fought, the twisted amalgamation of flesh and machinery, was a testament to the dangers of their experiments but also the immense potential.

Kain also couldn't help thinking deeper on the more unique features of Pangea—specifically, its ability to fight off Abyssal energy.

This civilization was famous for its ability to effectively combat the abyss, hence why Kain and the others were sent here when there was news that some of their remains may be found here.

Did they obtain their ability to effectively combat the abyss from the core of this planet?

At one point, was this 'Earth' more effective at combatting the abyss and it lost its resistance due to some reason? Did the greed of this civilization compromise the entire planet? Or was the planet already in danger and they did this as a desperate last resort?

Kain had more questions than answers now, but as Kain stood there, lost in thought, a sudden noise broke the silence. It was faint at first, barely audible over the hum of energy in the chamber. But as Kain focused, the sound grew louder—a soft, tapping, like footsteps echoing through the ruins.

Kain's heart skipped a beat, his body tensing as he turned toward the source of the noise. The chamber was vast, its walls lined with glowing runes and intricate carvings. The sound seemed to be coming from one of the passageways that branched off from the main chamber, its entrance shrouded in shadow.

"Bea," Kain whispered, his voice low. "Do you sense anything?"

Suddenly thousands of barely visible threads extended into the distance, but after a long period, Kain received a negative response.

Kain's grip tightened on his spear, not at all relieved by her reply. If anything the lack of any creature being sensed alarmed him even more, especially since he'd definitely heard movement.

Even more alarming, his Threads of Destiny were not signalling the approach of any threat and the off-white thread was extremely faint, making Kain unable to obtain much information. Could this creature even have the ability to obscure its fate?!

Alarmed, Kain got even more alert, his eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of movement. The tapping grew louder, more clear and appeared to be approaching his location, and Kain could feel his pulse quickening. Whatever was making that noise, it was getting closer.

"Stay close," Kain said, his voice barely above a whisper. He moved cautiously toward the passageway, his footsteps silent on the icy floor. The Vespid guards buzzed softly around him, their movements sluggish in the cold but still alert.

As Kain approached the passageway, the tapping grew louder, more distinct. It was definitely footsteps, but they were unlike any he had ever heard—light and quick, almost delicate. And yet, there was something unsettling about the rhythm, they didn't have the normal sound characteristic of a creature running—the rhythm was too regular, the sound of each of its four limbs were perfectly balanced even after Kain enhanced his ears. It was almost mechanical how perfectly uniform and unchanging its movements were.

Kain directed one of the Vespid guards into the passageway, its wings buzzing softly as it disappeared into the shadows. The tapping continued, steady and unrelenting, growing louder with each passing second. Kain's heart pounded in his chest, his grip on his spear tightening as he waited for the guard to return or signal or…to sense its death.

The Vespid guard returned moments later, its movements quick but deliberate. It hovered in front of Kain, its antennae twitching as it relayed what it had seen. Kain's eyes narrowed as he processed the information. The guard had detected movement, but whatever was making the noise was still hidden, its form obscured by the shadows of the passageway. The guard's senses had picked up no heat signature, no spiritual energy—nothing that would indicate a living creature. And yet, the footsteps continued, growing louder and more distinct.

Kain's mind raced. If it wasn't alive, what was it? Another mechanical creation, like the creature they had fought earlier? Or something else entirely? The thought sent a chill down his spine, one that had nothing to do with the cold.

"We need to be careful," Kain muttered, his voice low. "Whatever this is, it's not natural."

He took a cautious step forward, his spear held at the ready, and now that they were in a more open chamber, he released Vauleth and more of the Vespid guards.

The tapping grew louder, the sound echoing off the walls, and Kain could feel his pulse quickening. His senses were on high alert, every nerve in his body screaming at him to be ready for anything.

As he rounded a corner, the passageway opened up into a smaller chamber, its walls lined with more of the glowing runes. The tapping was coming from the far end of the room, its source still hidden in the shadows. Kain's eyes scanned the area, his gaze darting from one corner to another, searching for any sign of movement. The air was thick with tension, the hum of energy growing louder with every step he took.

And then, he saw it.