Requiem for an Aberrant Chapter 10: Chapter 10- Only Forward

Read chapter 10 of Requiem for an Aberrant by TheJestersGambit on NovelPedia.

As they traversed deeper into the Gorge, they were glad that their twisted doubles hadn’t given chase. The relief didn’t reach far. If things like that were waiting at the entrance, Cole didn’t want to imagine the horrors that could be waiting ahead. It was felt behind their footsteps, the doubt etched into every movement, as if everything was watching them venture deeper. Stone, ivy, wind, and sun alike. He hated it. Cole tried to push the dread aside. “Alright, serious question,” he glanced behind him one last time. “Whose doppelganger was the ugliest?” Ariana stared at him and quickly covered her mouth, supposedly startled by the random question. “Sorry, Cole, but… definitely yours.” Aegis didn’t miss the chance. “Did you see your neck? It spun around twice… kind of like those big spinning things people call windmills? Yes… it looked like one of those. Mortifying.” Cole’s face soured into regret. “My fault for asking.” Suddenly, Ariana stretched her face, spun on her heel, and twisted her arms and neck like she was made of loose string. Cole stopped mid-step, scared she was maddened once again. “W-what are you doing?” Aegis squinted at her, fighting a grin. Ariana hissed in her contorted pose. “I’m your double, Cole. I’m gonna get you—rrgh!” "..." A breeze sighed through the Gorge, brushing past them as if the Gorge itself wanted her to stop whatever she’s doing. She kind of looked… pathetic. Aegis burst out into a desperate laughter. “You look so stupid,” he wheezed. Ariana uncoiled herself, patting her hair back into place. “I was committed to the act.” Aegis just kept laughing. “So stupid.” He wiped the corner of his eye. Cole tried. Tried , to look annoyed. But a small grin won at the corner of his mouth anyway. For a moment, the Gorge felt almost bearable. The ominous promise, the disturbing mask, and the doubles didn’t vanish. But, if only for now, he could pretend they were just three idiots on a hike. “Enough.” He turned away before they could see the smile. “The beach won’t find itself.” Ariana nudged Aegis, who was still chuckling, and they fell in step behind Cole as the wind pushed their backs forward. Their laughter echoed for just a little longer than it should have in a place like this. But no matter how much they tried to ease themselves, the Gorge never let them forget where they were. The three of them stood at the edge of a wide descent, peering down into the hollow below. The Gorge opened into a garden carved into the grey stone, blanketed in turquoise moss that glowed faintly under tiny passing blue spores. Against the grey rock of the Gorge, the soft colours looked almost like a dream rotting from the inside. However, it wasn’t the eerie garden that stopped them at the edge. It was the words scratched into the stone at the top of the path. They were rough, hurried, and half-finished. Handwriting from Cole, glowing the same white as before. ‘Don’t los—’ Aegis stared at it for a long moment, then at Cole, his shoulders tight. “Could it have been the doubles?” he murmured. Ariana rubbed her arm. “Then why does it feel familiar?” Cole traced the half-sentence with his eyes. The words were too short, too broken to guess the danger. But if this was real and their doppelgangers left marks here… then maybe all of these happenings were tied to Exrase . [Insight Increased: 1000 > 1010] “Standing here won’t make it clearer,” he swallowed at the Soulgrid's response. “This is the way forward, unless you’d rather turn back and get lost in another dead end.” Aegis and Ariana chased after him. They spiralled down the hollow, boots sinking into the moss as they reached the bottom. Soon enough, the three of them stumbled upon a small wooden village nestled in the middle of this seeming save-haven. A thin, elderly man approached them from the crooked archway that marked the village entrance, a tattered cloak draped around his shoulders. His eyes landed on Cole first, then Ariana, then settled on Aegis. The old man’s lips