The ride was bumpy, the uneven dirt road made the wheels clatter against the stone ground, but I focused on something else. Lythael hadn't said a single word since we left the tavern, her usually sharp and teasing demeanor was replaced by a cold, distant silence that made me uneasy.

*"What is up with her all of a sudden?"* I sat near the opening of the carriage, my mind was not used to her being quiet, by this time she had already made a barrage of insults about me, but she just sat there, her arms and legs crossed, staring into nothingness.

The others didn't seem to notice, Fiera was already in deep sleep even before the carriage started moving, her grimoire used as a pillow for her head. Nereus was sharpening his weapon with intense focus, magic sigils were floating around his blade as he muttered incantations under his breath while Karn was in front guiding the horses, singing the loudest song his voice could shout.

*"Should I talk to her? She looks like she doesn't want to interact with anyone..."*

My mind kept circling back from avoiding her to talking to her, I would be burdened with guilt if I didn't act now, she never left an eye off me even if she insulted me all the time. I was hesitant at first, unsure of what I should say first. But I couldn't handle the awkward silence in the carriage anymore, I cleared my throat, ready to create small talk.

"Lythael...." I began cautiously, "You alright over there?"

She didn't respond at first, her eyes flickered briefly but didn't turn toward me. She stayed facing forward, her gaze locked onto something far away.

"I'm fine..." she said softly, her voice had no strength, and the stingy tone was gone.

The tension in the air rose, I wanted to press on, to ask her what was going on, but the tone in her voice warned me not to push through.

*"I better not push her..."*

The guilt inside me grew larger, I wandered off in my thoughts, trying to identify what made Lythael gloomy today, with each passing thought in my head, I could see the forest canopy growing thicker outside, just outside was the forest I visited when I fought the stone golem, filled with beautiful critters and accompanied by the sound of a nearby waterfall gushing down.

An hour passed by and she still hadn't moved an inch, her stillness was unsettling, as though she were trying to disappear into herself. Her normally playful eyes seemed clouded, distant as if she were somewhere else entirely.

*"She's not herself today..."* but instead of saying anything, I kept it to myself, to not trespass into anything I am not welcome in.

The ride continued in pure silence, broken only by the occasional murmur of Nereus reading what seemed like a newspaper. The forest became darker, the trees closing in on either side, the light disappearing as we approached the entrance of the cave.

After what felt like hours, the carriage finally slowed down, stopping near a patch of trees. The ambiance of the area felt different from the usual forest, dead leaves were scattered all over the ground, and the smell of the remains of small creatures dispersed throughout the vicinity.

In the middle was a large, eerie cave entrance. Moss clung to the entrance, and a faint mist exited from within, giving an ominous and dangerous aura enough to make my spine shiver with fear.

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"We are here my lads!" Karn shouted with all his might, breaking the silent ambiance of the carriage. He hopped down from his seat, his massive weight shook the ground without any effort as he approached the back entrance. "Alright everyone it's exploring time!"

Stepping down onto the area I felt a chill in the air as I stared at the cave entrance, A cold breeze blew from its depths, carrying with it a faint, stinging smell. The cave was our destination, where Fiera's companions disappeared.

While the others went down and prepared their equipment, I glanced back at Lythael, she was the last to climb out, and her movements were slow and careful. The expression on her face remained blank, but as she stepped down the carriage, her eyes quickly flickered toward the cave entrance, and for a moment, something shifted in her expression. A shadow of something dark passed through her eyes. Fear? Pain? I couldn't be sure.

But just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

"Lythael?" I called her out, stepping toward her, "If something's bothering you—"

"I said I'm fine!" she interrupted, her voice cold and trembling. She turned away from me, her hand gripped her long bow as she moved toward the cave entrance without waiting for the others.

*"I hope she can focus on the mission..."* I crouched down, taking a deep sigh to let out all my guilt, all of a sudden a soft voice came from behind me.

"Are you ready Jorr.." Fiera was standing behind me, tugging my cloak gently, her messy hair was all over her face, and gesturing me to keep close to her. "Karn said I should stick with you at all times...". Her expression was not filled with despair this time, her eyes shined a small ray of hope instead.

Karn's request echoed in my mind, the trust he gave me to protect Fiera was engraved in my head. Even with the fear I felt earlier, my arms were ready to kill anything just to protect her. "Sure Fiera! Just stay beside me and We'll be fine!" My face widened, my lips were stretched and my teeth were showing, just enough to make her laugh a bit before entering a dangerous mission.

"Let us commence forth!" Karn shouted with enthusiasm, grabbing both of our hands before sprinting towards the entrance.

"Wait a minute! I can walk on my own!" I shouted while my arm was getting yanked out of my body.

Entering the cave, Nereus stood in the dark, his blade now sheathed, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings before making a move, and with a small gesture, a bright orb of light hovered above his palm, illuminating the cave's hollow structure, revealing a beautiful inside filled with all kinds of rocks, at the end was an entrance to a chamber supported by wooden beams.

“Before we head in, I need to give you all a layout of what we’re dealing with,” Nereus said calmly. The bright light of his magic cast long shadows on his face, giving him an almost creepy appearance. His eyes moved between the group, staying on Lythael a moment longer than the rest, but he didn’t comment on her silence.

“According to the reports, this cave is divided into three main sections,” he continued. “The entrance chamber, where we’ll likely find minor creatures and traps meant to keep outsiders out. Not too dangerous but be aware.”

We leaned in closer, listening carefully. Even Lythael seemed to focus, giving the group a blank stare, while Karn was smashing nearby rocks using his axe.

"Next is the mid-level, a series of long tunnels and smaller caverns that stretch deeper into the earth, this is where the nearby kingdom of Seasand mined minerals and ore for their famous blacksmiths." Nereus paused for a bit, "And this is where Fiera's group was wiped out..."

Fiera went closer to me, her body trembled in fear as she tugged on my cloak, "The mines... We were doing fine.... Until something knocked me out.... When I woke up, my friend was carrying me to the entrance... Before he got dragged back to the cave...."

"It's alright me lad! I am here!" Karn approached her, patting her head softly and giving a large smile before returning to the conversation. "And the last section of the cave...."

"The deepest chamber...." Nereus murmured, his voice dropping lower as he was feeling fear, "It's where the disturbance came from.... I suspect if we find the deepest chamber, we can identify what killed Fiera's group..."

A chill ran down my spine at what Nereus said. The cave entrance, the ominous feeling, this is the place where everything went downhill.