We were trapped in pitch blackness, and I could feel the tension growing between us. Alira paced quietly, her steps nearly imperceptible, while Red stood still, conserving his energy. My Night Vision spell wasn't helping. The cave was massive, and the heat from the battle had thrown off the colors, painting the place in confusing red and orange hues. There was nothing to distinguish where the entrance had been.

“Red, any chance you can light something up?” Alira asked, knowing it was a long shot as she had scanned the surroundings a few times already.

"Look, there's just too much damage from the fight. The place looks completely different. There was even a mound in the middle where the dragon stood, and that's gone as well." I said a little stressed out.

"Then what? just do nothing?" Red added.

"Light it up," Alira said with shaking confidence, then started touring the cave with Red near her.

The air was growing thin. I could feel it in the way each breath came a little harder than the last, like trying to breathe through a damp cloth. Red had eventually returned and had stopped casting entirely, conserving what little oxygen we had left. Alira had gone silent; her pacing ceased. The weight of the situation was starting to press down on all of us.

“I can’t keep still,” Alira muttered, her voice strained. “We’ve got to do something. Sitting here is as good as waiting to die.”

I couldn’t blame her. The growing dread was gnawing at my own resolve, too. Every second wasted felt like a nail being hammered into our coffin.

All I could think of was the matrix lady saying not like this.

"I have no good ideas," Red said, resignation in his voice.

"That's because without oxygen, higher brain function is the first to go; our plans aren't going to get better, so we need some outside the box thinking now rather than later."

"We're going to die anyway, so I say we try a spell of mine. It should dig itself out of the ceeling and punch through the surface," Red offered.

"It's a good idea, except for the fact we'll be buried alive," Alira said.

"Let's call it Plan B," I added.

"Maybe you can create a spell to do something, anything." Alira said, almost pleading.

"My head is killing me; there's no way we have the clear mind to create anything," Red countered.

I racked my brain, desperate for any idea that could save us, but nothing—absolutely nothing—came to mind. Not even one of those dumb, half-baked ideas you’d throw out in a panic just to feel like you were doing something. My mind was completely blank, which only made the rising dread worse.

“There has to be something,” I muttered, more to myself than to the others. But it was a hollow statement. The cave was hot, dark, and uncaring, and our options were shrinking with every passing second.

Alira’s breathing was becoming more labored, each exhale shaky as if she were trying to keep her composure. Red, for once, was silent. His usual quips were gone, replaced by the heavy reality that we might not make it out.

I felt useless. The one who always had a plan, the one who was supposed to have all the answers—now I was standing in the dark, helpless. My spell couldn’t find the exit, my knowledge couldn’t clear the debris, and I had nothing to offer but more failure.

“We’ll figure it out,” I said, though it felt more like I was trying to convince myself than reassure them.

"Portals," Red suddenly muttered, breaking the silence. His voice pierced through the darkness, a flicker of hope in an otherwise bleak situation. Both Alira and I turned toward him, our attention immediately captured.

"Portals?" I repeated, my heart quickening. It was at least something—an idea, however slim.

"Yes, they didn’t work before, but now with the dragon dead, maybe things are different. Something might have shifted," he explained.

"You're right," I said, nodding even though I knew he couldn't see me.

"Can you give me some light? I need to visualize the starting point," Red asked, his voice more focused now.

I conjured a small light, just enough to illuminate the space in front of us. Red’s face came into view, and he immediately began concentrating, his brow furrowed with determination. Despite his effort, I could tell by the way he was struggling that the odds of success were slim. Maybe the lack of oxygen was hitting him harder; after all, he was larger than Alira and me. Or perhaps, deep down, I subconsciously wanted him to fail. I had sworn never to use portals again after that debacle, but right now, we were out of options, and it was an undeniably clever idea.

Minutes passed in tense silence until finally, Red let out a heavy sigh. "It’s not working," he admitted, frustration lacing his voice. "And I’m not sure if it’s this place or the fact that my head feels like it’s about to split open from pain."

“Damn,” I muttered under my breath. Even though I had doubts, I could’ve at least tried to save Alira.

"Hold on," Alira interrupted. "Did you get a quest notification after killing the dragon?"

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Yeah," I admitted.

"And you didn’t think to mention it?" Her voice carried a note of irritation. "What if it’s connected to this mess?"

"It’s just the next step of the quest telling me to leave this place with the shard," I said dismissively.

“What shard?” Red asked, now intrigued.

"It’s the essence of the dragon, but I doubt it’s relevant to our current problem."

"Or... maybe the shard means you’re now, let’s say, the ‘dungeon master,’" Alira suggested.

I chuckled at the title but quickly grew serious again. “So you’re suggesting only I can get us out of here because I’ve got admin privileges?”

"What?" they both said at once, clearly not following.

I sighed. “Context clues, people. Red, can you make some light?” A soft glow flared up immediately.

"Any preferred destinations?" I asked, focusing my attention on him now that we had light.

Red seemed a bit perplexed. “Just back to the camp where we first met.”

I shook my head. “I’m sending Alira there if this works. No offense, but I don’t trust you enough to leave her with you.”

If he was upset, he didn’t show it. He was likely too exhausted to care. “Fine, just get me anywhere outside this cave. I’ll portal out from there.”

Nodding, I focused my mind on the portal that had originally brought us here. It was close enough, and hopefully wouldn’t take much energy or focus—because I was running dangerously low on both.

Before I even fully felt the connection settle, Red exclaimed, "It’s working!"

I opened my eyes to see the small vortex swirling into form. With a sigh of relief, I refocused, working to stabilize and strengthen the portal.

“I can see the other side!” he called out excitedly.

A few more seconds passed, and the portal felt solid. “It should be good now,” I confirmed.

Red prepared to jump through but hesitated, turning back to us. “I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but if we cross paths again, it won’t be as friends.”

“At least promise to go easy on the torture if you ever capture us,” I quipped.

He grinned. “I’ll stick to psychological torture,” he joked, then leaped through the portal.

He appeared on the other side, stumbling slightly but he quickly regained his balance. Standing tall, he waved back at us. I was tempted to cut the connection right then, but something held me back. Our quest might end, but the fight between our people could still continue. Better to have a known enemy than risk dealing with worse threats.

The challenge now was how to convey this without arousing suspicion. I didn’t know if his mind could be... tampered with, for lack of a better word.

“One more thing,” I said, catching his attention again. “If things start feeling... off soon, be ready to make your move.”

He frowned. “That makes no sense!”

I smiled. That was vague enough it seems. Red was smart; he’d understand when the time came.

As I waved goodbye, I added, “Trust me—you’ll know.”

The portal snapped shut, and I turned to Alira. “You’re next,” I said, focusing on creating another one for her.

“And what about you? Are you actually going to step through with me this time?” she asked, a hint of skepticism in her voice.

I shook my head. “No, the quest said the next part is below this place. I think something will happen once I’m alone. There’s no visible way down, but...” I trailed off, knowing I didn’t sound nearly as confident as I wanted to.

“And if nothing happens?” she pressed, crossing her arms.

“Then I’ll risk the portal travel myself,” I admitted, though the idea of being de-powered in the process was not one I relished.

She narrowed her eyes. “I know you too well by now. You’re going to stay behind and keep poking around until you pass out like the dragon.”

While I was preparing the portal, it flickered to life, casting a soft glow on her face. She looked both frustrated and exhausted. "Promise me you won’t delay? No stalling.”

I moved in to hug her, trying to reassure her, but she pulled away, shaking her head. “Save the hugs and kisses for when you get back. Otherwise, this feels like goodbye.”

Her words hit hard, but I nodded in agreement. “No stalling, I promise.”

The last traces of light disappeared as the portal closed, leaving me alone in complete darkness.

With nothing else to do, I stood there waiting, expecting something to happen... but nothing did. Then I remembered the shard. I pulled it from my bag, realizing I had to be more cautious—simple things like this were starting to slip my mind.

Holding the shard in my hand, I focused on the idea of the forge beneath this place, hoping for some kind of reaction.

But still, nothing. The cave remained as pitch black as ever, and even when I activated my Night Vision spell, the surroundings looked unchanged, offering no new clues.

"You have finally arrived," a voice resonated beside me, cutting through the darkness.

I spun around, straining to see the source, but even with my enhanced vision, there was nothing.

"Fascinating spell," the voice continued, calm and omniscient. Gradually, a form materialized—she took on the guise of the old woman from the temple. "I assume you used it to navigate the cave of darkness."

"Yes," I replied cautiously. "Normal light couldn't illuminate the path."

She smiled, her presence radiating a sense of authority. "I designed those challenges with you in mind. It was never about what methods you used, only that it was you who overcame them."

Her words made me recall how Alira's attempts with fire had failed, "That explains why I could open the portal into that cave."

She chuckled, her tone now more casual, though still weighty with power. "Opening that portal was no great feat. You merely needed to strike it with lightning."

"Yes, but at the time, my magic was... inaccessible, due to an earlier mishap involving a portal," I said, feeling her scrutiny as she circled me like a celestial predator. "It was caused by one of your colleagues attempting to create an army of golems to wage a war, or so he claimed."

"Ilarion," she murmured, almost indulgently. "A young god—reckless but with good intentions." Her gaze sharpened, as if she saw far beyond what lay before her. "It seems you've been exposed to energies from our divine plane."

"I might have... disrupted his plans by opening a portal to his power source and, well... jumping into it." Saying it aloud made it sound even more reckless than it had seemed at the time.

She actually laughed, a sound that reverberated with both wisdom and amusement. "That would indeed allow you to cross into realms far beyond your own. The fact you survived is a testament to your resilience—or perhaps sheer luck." Her demeanor sobered once more. "I distinctly recall advising you twice to keep a low profile."

"I tried," I said earnestly, "I really did." But then my chest tightened as the more immediate problem resurfaced. "But honestly, I’m running out of air here. It’s getting harder to think."

She glanced around, as if only now becoming aware of the dire situation. "Yes, I see. You'll lose consciousness in a few moments. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do to stop that." Her voice was unyielding, as though even a goddess had her limits.

"What?" Panic surged through me, and I instinctively began casting a portal. But I froze when her laughter echoed around me.

"You should’ve seen your face!" she teased, waving her hand. The ground before us suddenly gave way, revealing an entrance below.

"That wasn’t funny," I said, exasperated. "I thought I was about to die."

She smiled knowingly. "I stand at death’s door, so indulge me in one last attempt at humor, if you will."

I hurried to the stairs, and the relief of finally being able to take full, deep breaths was beyond words.

“Shall we?” the goddess asked as she started descending into the light.